Today, most Americans are familiar with the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest award for valor, but prior to the American Civil War, valor was honored with a number of different awards. In the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va., a new exhibit highlights some of these early awards for valor, along with early examples of the Medal of Honor given out during and after the Civil War. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" feature above to see the details of this new exhibit.
"We're all familiar with the Medal of Honor, but that wasn't actually instituted until 1861. Actually didn't give them out until 1863," NRA Museums Director Phil Schreier said. "America had been in a number of conflicts before then that challenged our patriots to perform above and beyond the call of duty, as the Medal of Honor citations would later record."
During the American Revolution, George Washington's idea of a valor award was a purple cloth heart with the word "merit" embroidered on it, the forerunner of today's Purple Heart Award given to troops wounded in combat. However, Washington also convinced the U.S. Congress to commission a number of swords that would be awarded to men who had displayed bravery and valor under fire.
"Of the 15 that Congress had made in Paris, we know of where eight of them are currently. And this museum has two of them on exhibit. When the War of 1812 came around, Congress also decided to award swords for displays of valor," Schreier said. "They awarded, I believe, 27 swords. Again, eight are known, and we have three of them on exhibit here currently. It makes them pretty rare. And the fact that we have almost a voting majority of the ones known is pretty interesting."
Aside from the swords given out for valor during the War of 1812, the National Firearms Museum display also has a rare example of one of the few firearms ever given by Congress as an award for combat heroism.
"Besides the swords, because we're a gun museum for the most part, there is a rifle there, and it is a Hall rifle," NRA Media Editorial Director Mark Keefe said. "There was a group of 17 young men that volunteered to defend Plattsburgh, New York, against a British incursion from Canada. And these guys were promised a rifle by the general. And eventually, Congress cashed that check and gave each of these young men a rifle. But by the time they actually gave them the rifle, they weren't young men anymore."
Additionally, a number of medals are on display at the museum, including several rare and notable examples of some of the earliest Medals of Honor ever given out during the Civil War. In 1917, Congress decided to rescind a number of Medals of Honor it had given out for services rendered during the latter part of the 19th century, making them unique examples in the history of United States military medals.
"So we have one of the rescinded medals, and we're very lucky, Marvin Applewhite and Norm Flayderman donated these." Schreier said. "Jack Lewis of Lewis and Grant Auctioneers helped facilitate the transfer of these, because they can't be sold anymore. And so finding a home with a historical institution such as ours is a great boon to our collections and being able to tell this story."
By 1904, the Grand Army of the Republic had issued a membership medal that looked nearly identical to the Civil War-era Medal of Honor. To distinguish between the two, the medal was redesigned and became the valor award we know today.
"You come through the National Firearms Museum, and you see this case, and it's dominated by a Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington," Keefe said. "When you look at this painting, you see, you know, the father of our country, the father of, frankly, modern human freedom. And that painting is looking down over swords and guns and medals that represent the greatest of bravery and sacrifice that Americans have exhibited in combat."
Visitors can see the exhibit themselves in the NRA National Firearms Museum located at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more details, visit the NRA Museums website here.
To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
