MEDAL OF HONOR, THE UNITED STATES. 



463 



their State affairs the unhappy evidences of public 

 mismanagement wliioh the Democratic leaders have 

 inflicted upon the city of Boston, and would, if in 

 control, repeat upon the State. 



A Labor ticket, headed by Charles E. Marks, 

 was also in the field. One notable feature of 

 the campaign was the general refusal of the In- 

 dependents to support the Democratic ticket. 

 The election on November 8 resulted in the 

 success of the Republicans by an increased 

 plurality over last year. Ames received 136,- 

 UOO votes; Lovering, 118,394; Earle, 10,945; 

 and Marks, 595 ; Republican plurality, 17,606. 

 The plurality of f.lie remainder of the ticket 

 averages about 24,000. The Executive Council 

 will consist of 7 Republicans and 1 Democrat ; 

 30 Republicans and 10 Democrats were elected 

 to the Senate; 164 Republicans, 71 Democrats,, 

 and 5 Independents to the House. 



titles. The annual municipal elections took 

 place on the first and second Tuesdays of De- 

 cember, seventeen cities voting on the former 

 date, and six, including Boston, on the latter. 

 On the license question fifteen cities voted yes, 

 and eight no, a loss of five cities by the prohi- 

 bitionists, as compared with last year. 



Mayor O'Brien was re-elected in Boston for 

 the fourth time, by a plurality of 1,539 over 

 Thomas U. Hart, the Republican candidate, as 

 against a plurality of 4,740 the previous year. 

 O'Brien received 26,640 votes; Hart 25,101. 

 The political complexion of the Board of Alder- 

 man was entirely changed, 8 Republicans be- 

 ing elected, and only 4 Democrats and Inde- 

 pendent Democrats. The Council is strongly 

 Democratic. 



MEDAL OF HONOR. THE UNITED STATES. 

 The one decoration that the Government of 

 the United States gives to those of its soldiers 

 who distinguish themselves by some act of 

 individual gallantry is the Medal of Honor. It 

 is within the reach of the humblest private, 

 and is prized alike by officers and enlisted men. 

 This decoration was authorized as a reward 

 for military service by a joint resolution ap- 

 proved July 12, 1862, as follows: 



Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives of the United States in Congress assembled, 

 that the President of the United States be, and he is 

 hereby authorized to cause 2.000 medals of honor to 

 be prepared with suitable emblematic devices, and to 

 direct that the same be presented in the name of Con- 

 press to such non-commissioned officers and privates 

 as shall most distinguish themselves bv their gal- 

 lantry in action and their soldier-like qualities during 

 the present insurrection. 



This was followed. March 3, 1863, by an act 

 to the effect that " the President cause to be 

 struck, from dies recently prepared at the 

 United States mint for that purpose, medals of 

 honor additional to those authorized by the 

 act of Ju.y 12, 1862, and present the same to 

 such officers, non-commissioned officers, and pri- 

 vates as have most distinguished, or may here- 

 after most distinguish themselves in action; and 

 the sum of $20,000 is hereby appropriated out 

 of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

 appropriated to defray the expenses of the 



same." The medal, which is shown on the 

 same page with those of the Grand Army, is a 

 five-pointed star tipped with trefoil, each point 

 containing a crown of laurel and oak ; in the 

 middle, within a circle of thirty-four stars, 

 America is personified as Minerva, with her 

 left hand resting on the fasces, while with her 

 right, in which she holds a shield bearing the 

 arms of the United States, she repels Discord. 

 The whole is suspended by a trophy of two 

 crossed cannon and a sword surmounted by 

 the American eagle, and linked with the de- 

 pendent star. A ribbon of thirteen stripes, 

 palewise, gules and argent, and a chief azure, 

 unites it with a clasp consisting of two cornu- 

 copias and the arms of the United States. The 

 metal accessories are of bronze, and no dis- 

 tinction has as yet been made by giving 

 medals of silver or gold where peculiar cir- 

 cumstances would seem to justify some ex- 

 traordinary recognition of service. Gen. E. 

 D. Townsend, late Adjutant -General of tlio 

 Army, was especially active in securing the 

 passage of the acts that authorize this cove-ted 

 reward of distinguished bravery. A large 

 majority of those who received the ruedal 

 were enlisted men in the volunteer ranks dur- 

 ing the civil war, but many have also been 

 conferred upon members of the regular army 

 for acts of self-devotion performed during the 

 civil war or while engaged in fighting hostile 

 Indians in those arduous campaigns that fall 

 to the lot of our little army on its frontier 

 posts. The following is the latest complete 

 list. Opposite each man's name is briefly 

 mentioned the act for which he received the 

 medal. If expanded into paragraphs, this 

 roster would present a record of personal 

 gallantry that can hardly be surpassed in the 

 annals of warfare ; and yet, so indifferent are 

 the American public to the patriotism of their 

 bravest soldiers, that this brief record will 

 probably convey to many readers their first 

 knowledge of the existence of this most hon- 

 orable order of merit. Gen. Theodore F. 

 Rodenbough, has recently published an his- 

 toric and personal narrative under the title 

 of "Uncle Sam's Medal of Honor" (New 

 York, 1887). 



Adams, James F., private, 1st W. Va. Cav., Nine- 

 veh, Va., Nov. 12, 1864, capture of flag. 



Allen, Abner P., corporal, 39th III., gallantry. 



Ammerman, Robert W., private, 148th Pa., Spottsyl- 

 vania, May 12, 1864, capture of flag. 



Anderson, Charles W., private, 1st N. Y. Lincoln 

 Cav., Wayncsborough, Va., March 2, 1865, capture 

 of flag. 



Anderson, Frederic C., private, 18th Mass., Weldon 

 R. R., Aug. 21, 1864, capture of flag. 



Anderson, Peter, private, 31st Wis., Bentonville, 

 N. C., March 19, 1865, saving gun from capture. 



Anderson, Thomas, corporal, 1st W. Va. Cav., Appo- 

 mattox Station, April 8, 1865, capture of flag. 



Apple, Andrew O., corporal, 12th W. Va., gallantry. 



Archer, Lester, sergeant, 96th N. Y., Battery Hud- 

 son, near Richmond, Sept. 29, 1864, placing colors 

 on Battery Hudson. 



Bacon, Elijah W., private, 14th Conn., Gettysburg, 

 Pa., July 3, 1863, capture of flag. 



