Other branches of the military have been designated, but only some came to fruition. In 1977, an investigation of this act began, and the medal was restored to Buffalo Bill and 4 other civilian scouts in 1989. In 1917, 911 recipients, including Buffalo Bill, had their medals rescinded, as they were awarded inappropriately. The Army Medal went through a redesign process in 1904 but otherwise has remained largely unchanged for the majority of its existence. The only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor was Mary Edwards Walker, who served during the Civil War as a surgeon in the Army. During this time, the first Black recipients of the Medal of Honor were designated sixteen Navy and sixteen Army soldiers were honored for their bravery during the Civil War.
A Union raiding party had recently destroyed Confederate railways and important transportation in Tennessee and Georgia – these six men became the first recipients of the award.ĭuring the course of the Civil War, 40% of the Medals of Honor that have been given up until now were distributed. It was in 1863, during the Civil War, that the first Medal of Honor was given. It wasn’t until after he retired in late 1861 that the General of the Navy adopted the idea for his branch, and the Navy soon after ordered nearly 200 medals from the US Mint in Philadelphia.Īfter Lincoln approved a US Navy Medal of Valor in December of 1861, the US Army Medal of Honor was approved less than a year later. Though the first request for a medal of valor was submitted in 1861, at the onset of the civil war, the general-in-chief rejected the proposal on the basis that a medal of valor simply sounded too European. Today, we’ll look at the history of the award to better honor those who earn it.
After all, it’s these brave people who secured and still protect the freedoms we uniquely enjoy in this country, something we often take for granted. Going above and beyond the call of duty in the military deserves all the awards we can bestow.