Medal of Honor, the US military's top valor award, traces back to an 1861 law
The gist
President Abraham Lincoln signed the law creating a Navy Medal of Honor on Dec. 21, 1861.
It is the nation's highest military award for valor.
How it unfolded
- Dec 21, 1861President Abraham Lincoln signed the law creating a Navy Medal of Honor, the first version of the decoration.
- Jul 12, 1862Congress approved the law creating an Army version of the Medal of Honor.
- Mar 25, 1863Secretary of War Edwin Stanton presented the first Army Medal of Honor to Private Jacob Parrott, an Ohio soldier, for his part in the Andrews Raid.
Key terms
- Civil War
- A war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country, such as the 1861–1865 American conflict between the Union and the Confederacy.
- Andrews Raid
- An 1862 Civil War episode in which Union volunteers led by James J. Andrews stole a Confederate train and destroyed tracks and bridges.
Source: Wikipedia