11 thoughts on “Professor’s Classroom

  1. As I have always been interested in the US Civil War, I am going to go with the 27th Maine at Gettysburg. As I recall, almost all the survivors got the medal.
    Best wishes, Pete.

  2. Most for a single day battle action I think was for action in Vicksburg on May 27, 1863. Ninety six medals were awarded for acts in battle during that day.

    Most awarded in a single day would be June 30, 1863 in Washington to troops for agreeing to stay past their term and defend Washington. Those medals were later taken away by congress.

  3. ANSWER: There were 20 medals warded for a single day’s action…..the Massacre of Wounded Knee on 29 Dec 1890…….thanx to OG and Pete for playing….hopefully this will become more popular…..your participation much appreciated…..chuq

  4. Thanks, chuq. I looked up my Gettysburg suggestion. It seems that 864 medals were promised, but later rescinded.

    “In a “Postscripts” feature on Dr. Mary Edwards Walker and her Congressional Medal of Honor in the December, 1977, issue, we repeated the familiar story that 864 members of the 27th Maine Regiment had received medals during the Civil War “through some clerk’s error,” and because of that the medals were rescinded in 1917 by an Adverse Action Medal of Honor Board.

    Not exactly, a number of readers have pointed out. The men of the 27th Maine had been promised the medals by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, with the approval of President Lincoln, in exchange for re-enlisting to bolster the defenses of Washington, D.C., during the week preceding the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Upon reflection, the 1917 board decided the re-enlistment did not qualify as action “above and beyond the call of duty,” and forthwith stripped the down-Easters of the nation’s highest military honor.”

    Best wishes, Pete.

Leave a Reply