Reference Entry
FIRST MEDALS OF HONOR PRESENTED
The American Civil War produced acts of courage on both sides, but the Union government sought a formal way to recognize extraordinary valor in its ranks. On March 25th, 1863, in a ceremony at the War Department in Washington, the first Medals of Honor were presented to a group of Union soldiers known as Andrews’ Raiders.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
First Medals of Honor presented
The American Civil War produced acts of courage on both sides, but the Union government sought a formal way to recognize extraordinary valor in its ranks. On March 25th, 1863, in a ceremony at the War Department in Washington, the first Medals of Honor were presented to a group of Union soldiers known as Andrews’ Raiders. The year before, these volunteers had slipped into Confederate territory in civilian clothes, seized a locomotive in Georgia, and tried to wreck rail lines vital to Confederate supply. Many were captured, some executed as spies, and others imprisoned under harsh conditions. Awarding the Medal of Honor to these men sent a message that daring service and sacrifice would not be forgotten, even when a mission failed to achieve all of its objectives. Over time the medal’s standards tightened, and the decoration became the nation’s highest award for valor in combat, but its roots lay in moments like this one, when a young country struggled to define how it honored battlefield heroism.
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