In the Crimean War in 1856, the Queen Victoria established the Victoria's Cross for "... most conspicuous bravery" against the enemy. This was their first medal that was not dependent on birth or social class, akin to the Légion d'honneur which was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. As for the Americans, the military organization of the American military was not on par with that of the Europeans for the first 80 years of its existence.
"[General-in-Chief of the army, Lieutenant General Winfield] Scott not only believed that the idea [for a battlefield decoration, to wit, a Medal of Honor, or valor] smacked of Old World vanity, elitism, and snobbery, he also thought that such an award was entirely unnecessary.” - Russell S. Bonds Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor
The American military did have its awards of course, these being the Fidelity Medallion, Badge of Military Merit, and the Certificate of Merit. The Fidelity Medallion was awarded to three American militiamen who refused a bribe and turned in a spy who was convicted and hung. For their duty, they were awarded the first medal to be awarded by the American government.
Washington established the Badge of Military Merit in 1782 and it was awarded to Elijah Churchill for leading the charges of two separate charges to completely take two British forts entirely with limited casualties. The Certificate of Merit was similar in that it awarded medals for valor for heroic actions by Americans in the Mexican War.
But all of this leads up to the passage of legislation in 1862 establishing the Medal of Honor.
"The President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to cause two thousand ''medals of honor'' to be prepared with suitable emblematic devices, and to direct that the same be presented, in the name of Congress, to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action..."
The first of these was awarded to Pvt. Jacob Parrott who traveled over 200 miles into Confederate territory to capture a railway train alongside a small squad of fellow Union soldiers. 1523 Northerners were awarded the Medal of Honor in the Civil War for a wide range of actions ranging from single handedly taking on Confederate units to bearing the flag in the face of enemy fire.
During a Union rout during the failed Peninsular Campaign, 13 year old Willie Johnston was the only drummer in his division to return back with all of his equipment. In 1864, Benjamin F. McAlwee picked up a shell with a burning fuse and threw it into a ditch, saving the men of his unit and also receiving the Medal of Honor.
Meanwhile at Gettysburg in 1863, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, in command of the 20th Maine, was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading his men in a frantic defense of the Union far left flank. At the same location, Color Sgt. Andrew J. Tozier of the 2nd Maine stood upright in face of Southern fire and rallied the men to hold against the Texans. In his actions, he prevented the 4th and 5th Texas as well as several Alabamian units from breaking the Union far left.
"This is the left of the Union line. You are to hold this ground at all costs!" - Col. Vincent at Gettysburg 1863
Chamberlain led his men in a pivot bayonet charge that broke the Alabamian infantry and drove them back. Had the 20th and 2nd Maine broken, the Confederates would have been able to sweep the Union left and hit Cemetery Ridge from all sides. This could have potentially destroyed the Army of the Potomac and marching on Washington.
However, there were looser restrictions on the medal at the time. 309 medals were created as incentives to make the 27th Maine stay one more year past their enlistment date. Civilians were also awarded the Medal of Honor, such as Mary Edwards Walker (though hers was reestablished in 1977). The 29 men who guarded Lincoln's body on its final trip through the North after his assassination were also awarded the medal. A strict review of all awards in 1918 revoked many of these.
But the important part to see about this is the dedication and valor that the individual men had in this war. The Confederacy also had a system in place, but recordkeeping for the Confederacy is spotty and unreliable at best. These men who did so much for their country established one of the military's defining legacies, the Medal of Honor. Their stories are incredible and it would be beneficial to often look not at the battles as blocks of men and plans of great generals, but as the sacrifices and bravery of the individual soldier. For their stories must not fade lest we forget the noblest sacrifice of so many in the American Civil War.
"Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" -Medal of Honor statement
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References
"Defense of Little Round Top." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
"Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain." Civil War Trust. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
"Medal of Honor - Army." Medal of Honor - Army. United States Army, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
"MedalOfHonor." CMOHS.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
"Revolutionary War - Medals and Awards." Revolutionary War - Medals and Awards. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
Considering General Scott's sentiments toward rewarding valor, why are medals still the foremost way to memorialize and respect soldiers? While there may be certain symbolic value, it seems that many medals of the Civil War may have been rewarded for trivial matters, dishonoring the accomplishments and bravery of those who truly deserved them. What kinds of reforms (alluded to in the second to last paragraph) established criteria for awarding medals?
ReplyDeleteThis topic is pretty obscure but overall I thought your post was very informative.
From Scott's perspective of the 1840's-1850's, European elitism was far close and relevant then than it is now. As warfare became less about the classes (men died equally in a trench), this elitism faded. As elitism faded, medals awarded simply because of class also faded. This left medals awarded regardless of rank or status (though race and gender were taken into account until recently) and thus not included in Scott's sentiments about elitism.
ReplyDeleteThe reforms mentioned were far stricter about how a soldier could get the medal and revoked many of the previous ones that had been granted to peacetime heroics and civilians. Nowadays, the criterion for the medals is far stricter.
The topic was simply the creation of the Medal of Honor in the Civil War and its evolution over time. Nothing much more.