Thursday, July 19, 2012

GILLMORE MEDALS, 7th., New Hampshire Infantry.



GILLMORE MEDALS.

On the 28th of October, 1863, General Gillmore, full of gratitued to the rank and file of the regiments which had taken so prominent a part in the siege of Morris Island, issued General Order No. 94, Headquarters Department of the South, providing for department medals of honor tor gallant and meritorious conduct during the operations before Charleston, to not over three per cent of the aggregate strength of the various regiments, companies, and detachments that have been in action or on duty in the batteries or trenches. Candidates for these honors were to be nominated by the company officers, and sent through the usual military channels.

The following named men of the Seventh New Hampshire were recommended for Gillmore medals by a board of officers appointed in orders of November 25, 1863, from Headquarters U. S. Forces, Morris Island, S. C, under the provisions of General Order No. 94, Headquarters  Department of the South :

Sergt. Brainard Cummings, Company A : Sergt. George F. Corson, and Private Michael Cahill, Company B: Privates Zenas P. Alden and Robert Miller, Company C : Privates George Parker and Clinton P. Wells, Company D ; Privates Henry Kimball and Robert A. Brown, Company E; Corp. Martin V. B. Perkins and Private Samuel P. Sargent, Company F ; Private Franklin W. Randall, Company G; Privates Stephen H. Price and Otis A. Merrill, Company H ; Corp. George Weaver and
Private John II. Smith, Company I : Sergt. Alonzo G. Dudley and Private George Rainey, Company K.

No record of the dates of the issue of the medals recommended by this board of officers can be found in the records of the War Department.

These medals were called '' Gillmore Medals," and were of broiize, and bear on one side a representation in relief of Fort Sumter in ruins, and upon the other a facsimile of the general's autograph, while upon the bar above the medal, to which the medal is attached, appears the name, rank, compan3% and regiment, of the soldier receiving the same. A certificate was also issued with
each medal. Those awarded to the men of the Seventh were not all issued and presented while our regiment was on Morris Island, some of them being received by the men during the summer of 1864.

Though all regiments participating in the siege were invited by General Gillmore to send in the names of deserving soldiers, a few regiments declined the otfered honor on the basis that every man of the regiment had been " gallant and meritorious."' However this may be, the recipients of those medals may proudly"wear them, for they were faithfully earned.

2 comments:

Nick in White Plains said...

Hello, I really appreciate this information on Gillmore Medal recieptants of the 7th New Hampshire I have been contemplating writing a listing of the 400? men who were awarded the medal so this was a good start. There are CDVs of soldiers and officers wearing the Gillmore medal also that do also add to the list. Please write back if you know of any other Gillmore medals that are correctly named or of other lists or of pictures identified with the soldier wearing a Gillmore Medal- Thanks Alot Nick in White Plains NY

Nick in White Plains said...
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