Clinton was born on the 3rd of February, 1844, in Franklin, Indiana, and while not much is known about his early life, it is known that he enlisted in the Union Army in Indianapolis, Indiana on the 15th of October, 1862. While he was only enlisted for eleven months, he did volunteer in the same charging party that we discussed on the last episode, regarding William Archinal. This was a charging party on a Confederate position at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and only unmarried men were allowed to volunteer, knowing that this mission had the chance of low survival. About twice as many men that were needed volunteered for the party so half were turned away. Clinton's actions on that day earned him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863.

Clinton was shot twice in the leg and once in his abdomen and he laid in the field until nightfall when he then crawled back to safety. His wounds were too severe to allow him to continue to serve so his service with the 83rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry came to an end on the 15th of August, 1863. Clinton moved to Cincinnati and studied medicine, becoming a surgeon with the Cincinnati Police Force. He received his Medal of Honor on the 15th of August, 1894, along with nine other members of the 83rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Clinton Lycurgus Armstrong died on the 5th of January, 1899, at the age of 54 and is buried in Fountain Park Cemetery in Winchester, Indiana: Section 5, Lot 62.