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Tag Archives: Medal of Honor
Three Medals of Honor and the Second Battle of Winchester
The Second Battle of Winchester fought on June 13-15, 1863, did not conclude with a fine victory moment for the Union army under General Robert H. Milroy. The majority of his soldiers surrendered and their army’s demise opened the doors … Continue reading
If You’re Not First, You’re Last: Charles Gould’s Medal Citation
Recently I have fielded a couple inquiries about who I really believe was the first Union soldier to breach the Confederate earthworks outside of Petersburg, Virginia. I still remain convinced that Captain Charles Gould, 5th Vermont Infantry, was the first … Continue reading
National Medal of Honor Day
Today is National Medal of Honor Day, and if you haven’t seen the American Battlefield Trust’s latest edition of Hallowed Ground, which focuses on the Congressional Medal of Honor, you need to check it out. Thanks to my longtime partner … Continue reading
Facebook Cover Photo: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker
The Medal of Honor was created during the Civil War, and since then over 3,500 have been awarded for gallantry to members of the American armed forces. But of those recipients, only one has been a woman. Mary Edwards Walker … Continue reading
Remembering Sergeant Carney
One hundred and eighteen years ago today—May 23, 1900—William H. Carney received the Medal of Honor for actions in July 1863 during the Civil War. President William McKinley, who issued the Medal in the name of Congress (hence the oft-used … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Emerging Civil War, Personalities, Slavery
Tagged 54th Massachusetts, African-American, Fort Wagner, Medal of Honor, William H. Carney
2 Comments
From the ECW Archives: Creating the Medal of Honor
March 25 is Medal of Honor Day. When the Civil War began, the U.S. military had few medals or awards to recognize bravery or exemplary conduct. General George Washington created the Purple Heart in 1782 to recognize “singularly meritorious action;” … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership--Federal, Lincoln, Personalities
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, alonzo cushing, History, Medal of Honor, Theodore Roosevelt
3 Comments
Slaves and Sailors in the Civil War
The enlistment of African Americans as soldiers in the United States Army during the Civil War is a well-examined topic, but less appreciated is the story of freedmen and former slaves as sailors in the navy. Wartime experiences of these … Continue reading
Posted in Navies, USCT
Tagged African American sailors, African American soldiers, Battle of Mobile Bay, black history, black history month, black-history-2018, Civil War Navy, contraband, freedmen, fugitive slaves, integrated, Isaac Chauncy, John H. Lawson, maritime history, Medal of Honor, Oliver H. Perry, racially integrated, second great awakening, Union Blockade, USS Constitution, USS Hartford, USS Minnesota, War of 1812
3 Comments
Not the Same African Americans We Always See
I was watching a television show a couple of weeks ago, and the subject of Black History Month was mentioned. One of the characters complained that America always trots out the same four African Americans every year to stand in … Continue reading
Turning Point: Assault on Battery Wagner by the 54th Massachusetts
Around a small hamlet in southern Pennsylvania, Robert E. Lee’s vaunted Army of Northern Virginia was stymied and driven back after three days, July 1st through the 3rd, of bloodletting at the Battle of Gettysburg. A turning point in the … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Common Soldier, Leadership--Federal, Memory, Monuments, Slavery, USCT
Tagged 1863, 54th Massachusetts, African-American, Battery Wagner, Chicago Tribune, Douglas Egerton, Douglas R. Egerton, Edwin Stanton, Gettysburg, Horace Greeley, John Andrews, Joseph Holt, July 18, Medal of Honor, North, Port Hudson, Robert E. Lee, Robert Gould Shaw, Siege of Vicksburg, slavery, South Carolina, Southern, Thunder at the Gates, Tullahoma Campaign, Ulysses S. Grant, USCT, Vicksburg Campaign, William Harvey Carney
6 Comments
Dinner with Charles Gould and Horatio Wright
I am always amazed at the amount of source material that is out there for historians who are willing to mine the depths of the treasure troves at our disposal. I had keyword searched “Fort Welch” on Newspapers.com in hopes … Continue reading
