Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-24

hObSCAlOlu TO-DAY not valued as
highly as the revered Iron Cross which may
be pinned by the sovereign's own hand on
the breast OF him who achieves distinctions
IN IN oatte. In France not one Of her gaudy
oecorallons was as coveted as the badge Of
the Legion OF Honor, first issued In 1902
while IN the United States q distinguished
veteran or our last great war recently de-
Sialeu tnat ne would value a medal OF
Eonor over and above commanding gen
erals commission. All Europe bows down
IN reverence for the medals Of the Order on
Malta, which grew out of the politico-sacred
ofder OF st. John of Jerusalem and vet no
man in Europe is ever so proud as he th.t
wears the simplest insignia of personai
bravery from the iron cross of the Swiss
;d VINO defended the French Tuiller-
les up to the proudest and most sacred but
simplest of them ALL the bronze cross es-
tabllshed by Queen Victoria Verify Enp-
land and the United States, in this pap-
:. may be said to lead the world for
IN all other countries some Qualification or
llnitauon exists. In England, any brave
soIuier may receive the Victoria cross as
IL me Onited States any brave soldier NAV
receive the medal of honor
The L. $. Medals of Homer.
Inc law authorizing the issuance of
these medals of honor in the IJnitad
States was passed in 1862, provid;ng ,no,
the President be and he is hereby author-
lied to cause two Thousand ,oada,. -
honor to be prepared with suitable en-
piematlc devices. and to direct that tba
same be presented IN the name of Con.
gress To such on-commssioned officers
aho priNates as shall most DISTINGUISH
themselves by their gallantry in action
anu o,her slIdler-like qualities during the
present instruction" The sum of Sl0 600
was appropriated to carry out the nro
VISIONS OF this law, and. as will be seen. AT
that une there was thought only of re-
, Maluihe ana encouraging enlisted men,
Inc year following, however the additional
sum oil s2U,oU was appropriated and the
law so amended as 10 provide for the is
sGance of medals of honor to officers as
well. as
When the time came for adopting the
style and substance OF the proposed new
medal of honor the United States like
ELgland and Germany and several other
iore-gn governments including little Switz-
erland. sought TO divest its bravery medal
OF all intrinsic value. The Romans had set
the example of the simple and valueless
oaIlen chaplet. and Germany, Russia,
switzerland and others had selected iron
50 that IL was but natural that the United
States in 1852 should adopt the English
pattern of bronze. first made six years be-
fore.
or Inferior WOrkmanshfp.
While the device for the medal of honor
was as artistically conceived doubtless as
any other similar medal in the world in
point of workmanship. it must be confess
ed without the least disrespect TO be the
poorest Of ALL With the money first ap-
propriated 1000 medals were struck and
afterward, when the additional appropria-
ton was made, 5000 more medals were
nodded. The total cost of these 10000
medals was $4,000 or a cost of $40 per
medal. Had the fact been realized at the
time that in over thirty years after the
passage of the medal of honor law less
than 1000 medals would be required doubt
less fewer medals would then have been
purchased at greater cost. But not even
ran1n reAl
for in 1874 about $3.50 was covered into
the Treasury Department, and today there
are nearly 5000 medals of honor stored
away in the War Department, which, if
the spirit of the law is maintained, ii will
require more than a hundred years to eN-
haust.
The rules governing the award Of these
m edals are intended to be most stringent,
and although there may have been some
departures from the prescribed standard OF
merit II is safe to say that there has been
less political interference or favoritism re-
gari!ng them than anything which the
so-called vox populi could impel politicians
or other persons in authority to indulge in
respecting oJher governmental institutions.
They are the heritages Of brave soldiers
only. and can be merited only by con-
spicuous acts of personal bravery on bat
tie fields. If the roll of honor Of the United
States should be examined today ii would
be found to compare favorably with that
of any other nation.
For Brave Deeds.
In fact, if one will read over the certif-
Gates upon which medals of honor have
been awarded he will learn lessons OF val
orous heroism which challenge mankind
in every age to excel A private soldier
obtaining permission 20 grasp the enemy
standard from the very mouth of guns
belching forth death and destruction
another broken-legged corporal under fire
carrying his MORALLY wounded captain of
the battle field that he might be nursed in
some quiet shade-the musician lad who
rushes in front of his troop to sound the
charge in the face of threatened death
the drummer boy Who is shot down while
beating the advance-the young West Point
fiedgling who amid ploushi.lg bullets res
cues the negro soldier whose body is al
ready nearly lifeless-the gallant captain
who rides his horse over the enemy's
breastworks-the gallant stafr-major who
when his general is killed rallies the fee
ing ranks and makes n successful charge
upon the enemy-the daring colonel whose
horse being killed and his own body hathed
in blood from a bullet wound that well nigh
severed his jugular artery, leading his regi-
like hundreds OF others. command the sp-
plause and gratitude Of a preserved ma
ton.
The Number of Medals Issued.
The last list printed by the War Depart
ment in 1856 showed that 1,147 medals OF
honor had been issued. OF this number sec
medals were awarded in bulk un January
"A. 1865, to the various regiments OF the
twenty-seventh Maine infantry, who
though their term of enlistment had ex-
pired, volunteered on July i, 1863, to remain
in service in the deadly battle of Gettys-
burg. A soldier of a New Jersey regiment
had medal similarly awarded him, and
the captain, two lieutenants and dozen
first sergeants who acted escorts 10 the
remains of President Lincoln from Wash
ington to Springfield, ILL.,, we're each, by a
most eccentric Interpretation of the law
granted a medal of honor for the distinc-
ton. Deducting these S15 medals from the
total number Q,l4O issued up TO 1896 II
will be found that only 2I2 medals of honor
for individual acts of bravery were granted
and even from that number might he de.
Quoted a dozen or more award I'd for gen
eral service throughout the war Since
1856 many more medals have been issued
being prepared at the War Department
a large majority were issued TO volunteer
soldiers in the ranks Indeed, an eXamina.
ton of the published records show that
with the exception of few colonies. ma
| jors, captains and lieutenants, the great
| bulk of medals of honor We're bestowed
upon enlisted men. sergeants, corporals
| and privates. Notwithstanding the fact
that proportionately more officers than
men are killed on battlefelds, whatever
! heroism an officer displays IN battle as q
rule, is regarded only as duty well per.
formed and entitled to no special reward
Strange as 1t may seem, il one should