Army of the James – Butler Medal – U.S. Colored Troops

Description

In his book, Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Bej. F. Butler, published in 1892 by subscription only, General Butler writes:

“I had the fullest reports made to me of the acts of individual bravery of colored men on that occasion (Battle of Newmarket Heights – outside Richmond, VA, September 29-30, 1864) and I had done for the negro soldiers, by my own order, what the government has never done for its white soldiers – I had a medal struck of like size, weight, quality, fabrication and intrinsic value with those which Queen Victoria gave with her own hand to her distinguished private soldiers of the Crimea.

I have caused an engraving of that medal to be printed in this book in honor of the colored soldiers and of myself.

The obverse of the medal shows a bastion fort charged upon by negro soldiers, and bears the inscription “.” (Freedom will be theirs by the sword) The reverse bears the words, “Campaign before Richmond,” encircling the words, “Distinguished for Courage,” while there was plainly engraved upon the rim, before its presentation, the name of the soldier, his company and his regiment. The medal was suspended by a ribbon of red, white, and blue, attached to the clothing by a strong pin, having in front an d oak-leaf with the inscription in plain letters, “Army of the James.” These I gave with my own hand, save where the recipient was in a distant hospital wounded, and by the commander of the colored corps after it was removed from my command, and I record with pride that in that single action there were so many deserving this it called for a presentation of nearly two hundred. Since the war I have been fully rewarded by seeing the beaming eye of many a colored comrade as he drew his medal from the innermost recesses of its concealment to show me”.

Three months after having the medals struck, Butler was relieved of command and African-American soldiers were forbidden from wearing the medal on their uniform. The names of any of the actual 200 recipients remains a mystery!!!!!!!!

By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war—30,000 of infection or disease. Black soldiers served in artillery and infantry and performed all noncombat support functions that sustain an army, as well. Black carpenters, chaplains, cooks, guards, laborers, nurses, scouts, spies, steamboat pilots, surgeons, and teamsters also contributed to the war cause. There were nearly 80 black commissioned officers.

Highest Quality Reproduction available in antique silver finish is appx. 3.5” (90mm) long x 1.5” (40mm) across and includes Lucite presentation case.