The Sunday globe., 1901-07-07
THE ROLL OF HONOR
Continuation of the List of the Brave
Soldiers
WHO WON THE MEDAL OF HONOR
Fifteen Hundred Soldiers, Out Of Some Two
Millions, Won Tho PTlle-The Eight Hundred
and Sixty Maine Medals Not Included, Nor are
They Recognized in the Historical Literature
OF the Legion or Of the Genuine MsdaIstS

The honored medalists of the Civil
and Spanish wars are continued this
week. the names being picked random
from the lists containing the member.
ship of the Legion. Touching the
Lincoln medals Of honor" issued to
the 27th Maine Infantry, the following
explanatory note is herewith given:
THE term of service of the 27th
Maine Infantry being about to expire,
the regiment was ordered to Arlington
Heights, Virginia, where it arrived
June 25, 1868, preparatory to being sent
home for muster out. While the regi-
ment was at that place the President
requested it tqNTemain in service a
short time longer, on account Of Lees
invasion of Pennsylvania. About 300
officers and enlisted men volunteered
to remain, and did remain, at Airing
ton Heights, Virginia, in the defenses
south of the Potomac, until the result
of the battle of Gettysburg was known.
They were sent home on July 4. The
remainder of the regiment, consisting
of about $50 officers and enlisted men,
was sent home on July /. The entire
regiment was mustered out of service
at Portland, Me, on July II, 1868. On
! January "a. 1865. medals Of honor, S6i
! in number, were issued to all members
of the regiment who were mustered
out with it, The official records show
| that it was intended to issue the medal
| to those who volunteered to remain in
| service beyond the expiration of their
term. but, evidently through inadvert
ence. the medal was also issued to
| 81 nj thn Wnui mon (
who did not volunteer to remain in
service. The records do not show either
! the names of those who volunteered to
remain or Of those who did not so vol
unteer"
As a matter of fact, it makes little
| difference as to those who went home
or those who stayed at the request OF
the President, neither the one nor the
other did anything to warrant the is
| suance Of a medal when their service
| is measured by the standards of the
other soldiers and sailors who earned
| the decoration. The 300 officers and
men who volunteered to remain after
| the expiration of their term of service
| might be entitled to honorable men
! ton. or something of that character
but the medal of honor should have
been confined to actual and specific
deeds of heroism under fire. We have
seen a regiment or two of lrish-Ameri
can volunteers "go in" at Syottsylva
MIA and a third at least of them were
killed or wounded, yet the term OF
their service expired two days before
the battle of May 10, 1864, We are not
aware that the heirs Of the dead OF
the surviving members received medals
of honor for this soldierly conduct
The s7th Maine, or the 300 who remain
ed to defend Washington, earned theil
medals easily, while the five hundred
who refused to remain and went home
ought to blush whenever they look a
their unearned decorations. This regi
ment. by the way, monopolizes ma
ioritv of the medals of honor, and thou
sands of soldiers, distinguished fo
valor in the field, goes without, for, a.
stated. the whole number issued Il
1914 divided as to States as follows