The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-12
MEDALS OF HONOR.
Some Veterans are Having Their Gallant
nv Recognized After Many Years.

The "reminiscences of the late war are
being more fondly cherished as year by
year that great conflict sinks further in
to the past, and as those who took part
in its scenes of bravery and carnage are
so rapidly passing away. says the New
York Herald. In fact the time is not
far distant when the. man who fought in
the civil war will be. venerated for that
alone, however small or great his indi-
vidual actions may have been. There
will be a gathering Monday, Oct.1 6, OF
a number of these war-scarred veterans
at the Holland House, which will be a
notable one, not only from the fact that
it will be the first encampment of its
kind ever held in this city, but also
from the character of the men who will
then meet together. Every man present
will be a hero, one whose deeds on the
battlefield have been of such conspicu-
GUS order as to merit the approval of
hisssupeiror officers, of the War Depart
ment and of the President of the United
States.
Upon the breast of each man will be
suspended a pendent medal, not a thing
of brilliant beauty in itself, but a decor
alton which stands for the highest hon
or which the United States government
can confer upon those who were willing
to sacrifice all if necessary for her saliva
ton. This is the medal of honor, which
is conferred by act of Congress only for
some distinguished act of bravery or
gallantry while in service. This meeting
will be held under the auspices of the
Medal of Honor Legion, but many who
have been invited to be present.
1t is curious fact that of all the hon
ors which are the direct outcome of the
late war less is probably known regard
ing this medal of honor than OF any
other One reason is undoubtedly due
to the small number of men who have
received it, and another and very potent
one, to the marked simplicity which has
usually characterized its presentation.
As the records of the War Department
are being carefully revised many men
have been found whom were entitled to
wear the medal who were overlooked
during the stirring times of the cam
paign, so that since the war many of
these medals have been given, but so
quietly that the fact is hardly known
outside the immediate friends of the
IOTLuudte pOSStSSOI.
Conferred by Letter.
No attempt has ever been made to Dig
nifty the award by comforting the medal
by the hands Of the President, the head
of the War Department or by one of the
ranking officers of the army. The infor-
nation generally comes by letter and the
medal in parcel. This was the way
in which General Theophilus F. Roden-
Dough, chief of the Bureau of Elections
in this city, received his medal about
week ago for services on the battlefield
thirty years ago.
General Roden bough is the latest recipi-
emit of this honor in this city. In send
ing his decoration the War Department
depressed little from its usual method
of transmitting parcels, -and registered
the package instead of simply ranking
it. The particular act for which General
Rodenb ough obtained the medal was dis
tinguished gallantry at the battle of
one of the encounters between the forces
of Sheridan and Wade Hampton.
Rodenbough was then captain of the
Second United States cavalry, and GEN
eral Merritt in his official report of the
battle, states that" Captain Roden-
borough handled. his regiment with great
skill and unexamp1ed valor, charging
and driving the enemy and forcing him
to cover" He was wounded at this
battle, being shot in, the left shoulder by
Confederate who had hidin the branch
es of tree for the purpose of picking off
Union cavalrymen.
General orbert, chief of cavalry, also
informed the Secretary of War that at
the battle of the Opquan, Sept. 10, 1864
(where Sheridan forced General EARLY to
retreat) Captain Rodenbough displayed
almost unparalleled gallantry and cool
ness; finally near Winchester, while
brigade charge against the enemy's in
fantry, he received a wound which cost
him his right arm" He was made
brevet brigadier general and at the close
of the war was commanding in the
district in West Virginia.
Another well known medal of honor
man in this city is the genial president
of the College of the city of New York,
Alexander S. Webb. This may be news
to many of the students in that institu-,
ton, but those who gain admittance to
the presidents office will see hanging
near the door framed letter from the
War Department comforting the honor
upon General Webb for distinguished
gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg.
He did not get the medal, however, until
two years ago. At Gettysburg General
Webb had command of the Second
brigavde, otherwise known as the Phila-
delphia brigade, in the Second Corps.
He met the brunt of General Armisted' S
furious onslaught in which that Confed-
crate general received his death wound,
and General Webb almost at the same
time was wounded, but did not retire
from the field. This was one of the in
stances where two West Point graduates
met as leaders of opposing forces
Another man who wears his medal as
the result of heroism on the same field
is Col onel E. M. Knox. At that time
he was captain ofthe fifteenth New York
battery and barely twenty years of age,
but he made a victorious charge in face
of a CALLING fire. A friend Of his who
witnessed the scene told me that Just
before the charge Captain Knox tight
ened up his belt, handed some sleeve
buttons to a comrade and, waving his
sword, shouted to his men to charge
1t was one chance in ten of getting back
alive, but fortunately Colonel Knox was
not destined to be mark for a rebel
bullet. @That medal means something,
said Colonel Knox last week in his Broad