The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-06


gion.
The Medal OF Honor Legion is association
of old soldiers of which the country has not
heard great deal. Yet the members of it are
all heroes, and can only become members be-
cause of conspicuous acts of heroism and self
sacrifice in the service of their country on the
battlefield. Those only are eligible who have
received the bronze medals granted by act of
Congress, passed in 1862, to "such officers, non
commissioned officers, and privates as shall
most distinguish themselves by their gallantry
in action and other soldier-like qualities" Nat
urally these medals are highly valued by old
soldiers, and yet, notwithstanding the hundreds
of thousands who fought on the Union side in
the late war, only about thousand of them
have ever been bestowed. And of the recipi-
ents of this thousand but about $50 are now liv
ing, so that the possession of the medal must be
regarded as distinction of the first order.
A few months ago a movement was started
in this city to join all the living medalists in an
association, and this has been done through the
efforts of Col. NJ. A. Dillon and number of
other well-known veterans Of this city. The
association is known as the Medal of Honor
Legion. Col. NJ. a. Dillon is Commahder-in
Chief and the other officers are Edwin NJ.
Truel First Vice Commander; Cyrus B. Lower,
Second Vice Commander; Thomas NJ Reed,
Adjutant General; Felix Brannigan, Judge
Advocate General; James r. Durham, Quarter
master General; William Wilson, Inspector
General, and Leopold Karpees, Surgeon General.
The headquarters of the legion are located in
Washington and here reside number OF the
members in addition to these mentioned as Off
GERS.
The late war was full of stirring and romantic
incidents and instances of personal bravery, I'M
.equaed in the annals of the world. The grant
ing of these medals was for feats of heroism of
peculiar strlingness Each medal represents
a story or series Of stories calculated to make
the heart beat quicker and the eye dilate with
interest and admiration. THE HERALD to-day
presents few of these stories, detailing briefly
the incidents for which the medals of honor
were awarded to those living in Washington
who wear them
Mr.. NJ. A. Dillon, who is employed in the
Treasury Department., is the Commander-in-
Chief of the Medal of Honor Legion, and was
one of the original promoters of the organiza-
tion. Col Dillon received his medal for con-
spicuous bravery four battle-felds-at
Williamsburg, Va, May 25 1862; Oak
Grove, June IS, 1862; Hookers advance
on Richmond June 25, 1862, and at the second
battle of Bull Run Col Dillon was member
of the Second New Hampshire Volunteers, hav-
ing enlisted when mere boy. The Confeder-
ates under Magruder evacuated Yorktown, Va,
on the night of May 4, 1862. Gen. Hooker dis
covered the retreat at dawn of the 9Th, and i'm
mediately began a hot pursuit, overtaking
Magruder's forces at Williamsburg at O'Clock.
A terrible struggle at once began, raging with
varying fortunes until sunset. Now the Con
federate lines forced back in defeat and
confusion, now the Union men gave way before
the deadly ouslaughts of the enemy. Rain was
falling in torrents. Hooker had several horses
CHI t1n1n i'm m 111p
desperate deeds, but were hard pursued, and
there was need of reinforcements.
Heintzleman, to reanimate the almost exhausted
and disheartened Union forces, had gathered
together about hundred flies, drums, horns,
and bugles, and told them to play "Play any
thing ~ he cried. "'Yankee DOODLE Hail
Columbia anything' Meanwhile shouts of
"Reinforcements are coming" were kept up to
encourage the men. But the Confederates
fought furously, driving the Union men back
At perilous moment when they were charging
the Union battery with desperate determination,
driving all before them, young Dillon, one Of
the youngest and smallest boys in the fight
sprang from the ranks, pleading for men to fol-
low him to save the battery. His lieutenant
yelled to him: "Get down; you are drawing the
enemy's fire' Dillon yelled back: "What in
the hell are we here r?n and having gathered
a knot of wild young heroes around him rushed
at the advancing enemy. drove them back and
saved Battery H, First Artillery. Dillon
was wounded in the leg in the charge
she'll; but he bound up his wound, again en-
tered the fray and had the satisfaction of seeing
the enemy in full flight by the close of day
Dillon's next exploit was when Hooker
called for volunteers to take a redoubt
of the enemy on right of the Williams
burg road, at the battle of Oak Grove
June IS, 1862. Dillon was one of the first to
step to the front His lieutenant ordered him
to remain with his company, saying, "There is
going to be desperate work to-day, and we need
you with u.s. Dillon replied, ''Lieutenant
Gen. Hooker needs desperate work done and has
called for volunteers, and | am agoing,n and,
seiZing his gum Joined the forlorn hope. They
charged across an open field, the cannon and
musketry of the enemy moving them down, but
those who reached the works, among them Dill
Ion, scaled the banks, brstling with bayonets,
over and into the works, where a desperate
struggle took place, crowned with success for
the storming party. At the second battle of
Bull Run, after passing through one of the most
desperate bayonet charges of the war, Dillon
and handful of comrades fought their way
back, step by step, showing great heroism, and
on reaching open field attempted to form a
new line. The enemy seeing their numbers to
be small, charged them, and when within about
hundred feet Dillon shot the color-bearer of
the Forty ninth Georgia. Dillon dropped at the
same time, shot through the lungs, the bullet
passing through his body and breaking three
ribs. He participated in thirteen other general
engagements and as many skirmishes, serving
two years and two months after being shot
through the lungs.
Senator Matthew Stanley Quay, of Pennsylva-
MIA. is the only man who wears the medal of
honor who did not himself apply for it, The
Senator is generally considered bold, bad man
in politics. but he is very modest in pushing
forward when the point to be gained is purely
al to himcalf nnmbpr Of his 1e