Daniel Butterfield's Medal of Honor
date: label: associated date
content: 1862 06 27
name: label: associated person
content: Butterfield, Daniel
notes: label: Description
content: Physical Description
label: Description
content: Star-shaped brass medal suspended from red-and-white striped silk ribbon.
label: Description
content: Specific History
label: Description
content: 1896 Pattern Medal of Honor awarded to Daniel Butterfield, “for distinguished gallantry in action at Gaines Mills, Va. June 27, 1862”
label: Description
content: General History
label: Description
content: Perhaps best known as the composer of the bugle call "Taps," Daniel Butterfield began his Civil War service as a sergeant in the Washington, D.C., militia. Two weeks later he transferred to the 12th New York Militia as a colonel. He was commissioned brigadier and major general of the Volunteers and he commanded a division of the 5th Corps. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Butterfield was wounded at the Battle of Gaines' Mill, during the Peninsular Campaign; it was also at Gaines' Mill where he seized the flag of the 3rd Pennsylvania and rallied the troops, an act which eventually earned him a Medal of Honor. Butterfield later commanded successfully at Second Bull Run and Antietam, and also saw action at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. During those campaigns he served as chief of staff, Army of the Potomac.
label: Description
content: Butterfield is also credited with designing the system of corps badges, an idea which began with Major General Philip Kearney's order to his troops to sew a two-inch patch of red fabric to their hats in order to identify each other during the confusion of battle.
place: label: associated place
content: United States: Virginia
topic: label: Subject
content: Medal of Honor
label: related event
content: Civil War
label: related event
content: Civil War and Reconstruction
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
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content: Military
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content: ThinkFinity
label: Exhibition
content: Price of Freedom
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. General Services Administration. National Archives and Records Service
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1979.0425.078
label: accession number
content: 1979.0425
label: catalog number
content: 1979.0425.078
objectType: label: Object Name
content: medal
label: Other Terms
content: Medal; Army; Decoration; Medal of Honor
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silk (suspension ribbon material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (pendant material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 in x 2 in x 1/2 in; 10.16 cm x 5.08 cm x 1.27 cm