Video: '12th July 1862: Creation of the Congressional Medal of Honor'
(Saturday, July 12, 1862; during the American Civil War) — U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill today authorizing the Army Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration for valor against an enemy.
The resolution, approved by Congress, provided for awarding a medal of honor “to such non-commissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection.”
The medal is normally awarded by the president of the United States, but as it is presented “in the name of the United States Congress,” it is often referred to (erroneously) as the “Congressional Medal of Honor.”
The medals were designed by the same Philadelphia silversmith who had created a medal recognizing personal valor in service to the Navy in 1861 as part of a series of reforms intended to improve efficiency in the service. William Wilson and Son was initially contracted to produce 2,000 medals, which were cast from copper and then coated in bronze.
The first six Medals of Honor would be awarded to Union volunteers of the “Andrews Raiders” who had heavily damaged the Western and Atlantic Railroad in Confederate territory between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia.
More than 40% of the 3,525 Medals of Honor that have been awarded during the decoration’s existence were for service and actions during the American Civil War.
