The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-08-15
THE FIRST. MEDAL OF HONOR.
Parrot, Of the Andrews Raidins Party. tn
First to Receiye Recognition.


First to RecetYe Recognition.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: My at
tention has been called to the issue Of
The National Tribune of July IL, con-
tanning correspondence between VIM.
Hunter Myers and Hon. John Tweedale,
Acting Chief of tn, Record and Pension
Office, on the subject of the granting Of
the first Medal Of Honor.
As | have many times asserted that the
honor belonged to Jacob Parrot, of the
Andrews Raid, was interested to know
what new light, if any, could be thrown
on the question. The answer of Mr..
Tweedale Is disappointing. To careless
reader 1t would convey the impression
that Parrots claim is unsupported by the
records and that the presumption lies in
favor of John g. Hesse, of the 9Th u. 8.
Doubtless Mr.. T%eedale and all others
concerned viii be glad to learn that ma
terial exists in the records for absolutely
settling this question.
AS 1 write there lies before me very
interesting public document which every
Medal Honor man has or may have.
Though called circular" it is a heavy
quartO, published by the War Depart
iHent, telling infinitely all about the laws
governing Aledals- OF Honor, who received
tLeIi, when and Why, u) to and including
Oct. u, 1871 1t is published by author
ity of the Secretary of War. In this all
the Medals are carefully dated.
This publication shows that just six
Medals OF Honor were issued to six mem
bers of the railroad raiding party on
March %, 1853. Their names are Par
rot, Mason, Buffum, Reddick, Bensinger
and Pittinger myself.
Mr.. Tweedale may say with truth that
lie cannot tell which Of these six was
first given. That is the only possible IN
certainty; and as all six agree that Par
IL q II
Secretary of War, with the remark that
it was the first one ever given to United
States soldier, the claim will stand good
until some record of Il Medal is found
with a date earlier than March %, 1868.
1t is singular that Mr.. Tweedale did
not find the date of the giving of Medal
to John G.. Hesse. to whom he makes
reference, as if Hesse might be CON-
petitor to Mr.. Parrot. The date directly
follows the name, while the deed which
won the Medal is on the other side of
the broad page. can only think that
MIR. Tweedale, when he wrote had not
this convenient official Medal compila-
ton before him. The date Of Mr. Hesse' s
Medal is Sept. 10, 1S64-a year and over
four months after the Parrot Medal.
have searched long and carefully, but
have found no date preceding March %,
/ 1863. / find very few Medals given to
any soldiers, aside from the members Of
the Andrews Raiders in the year 1853. In
deed, / can this morning put my finger
upon only one. Probably there are u
few others, but they are very few. In
1854 the number is still very low; but in
1865 they become quite numerous.
There is no dsparagement of those
soldiers whose Medals are Of more recent
date A deed Of brightest heroism may
be a long while in reaching the proper
authority to grant recognition by Medal.
Still, the granting of the Medal is the
only possible date upon which to base
seniority of honor. If the deed of merit
were the determining factor a tardy rec
ognitioG after a long term Of years might
put a new man ahead of others and the
last man would not know how soon he
might be supplanted.
Every Medal-Of- Honor man would do
well to get this official Medal-of- Honor
circular. WAX. PITTINGER. Benning,
Cal.