The Kearny Cross - Officer Medal

BACK

The ONLY U.S. government authorized military medal during the Civil War was the Medal of Honor (authorized in July 1862). The United States had no official awards for bravery or heroism to issue to it’s military at the start of the American Civil War of 1861. Many general officers did however, design and create their own such decorations of which they gave to their junior officers or others under their command.

Description:

1. Commissioned by Officers of the First Division of the Third Army Corps in November 1862.
2. Major General Philip Kearny, commander of the First Division, Third Army Corps, was killed at the battle of Chantilly, September 1, 1862, and on the 29th of November of that year a meeting of officers who had served under him was held, at which a resolution was adopted to the effect that a "medal of honor" to be known as the "Kearny Medal" should be provided, to be presented to all officers who had "honorably served in battle under General Kearny in his division," this was also to apply to such soldiers as should be "promoted to the grade of commissioned officer previous to January 1, 1863."
3. This version of the Kearny medal was only given to officers.
4. Approximately 317 of them were distributed to officers of the division.
5. The Cross was also given to civilian nurses and related workers under The General’s Command. It was awarded to some of the first contributing females to the Union war effort. These women were known as vivandieres. (Known Kearny Cross recipients - Marie Tepe, Annie Etheridge)
6. By 1865, both the Kearny Medal and the Kearny Cross were commonly referred to by the single name of the Kearny Cross. Since the decorations were issued by local commanders, the medals remained unofficial awards and were not issued after the close of the Civil War. Nevertheless, the Kearny Cross and Medal are regarded as one of the oldest military decorations of the United States Army, second only to the Badge of Military Merit and the Fidelity Medallion.

Background:

1. The Medal measures 28 mm (1.10"). 
   1. OBVERSE
      1. The medal is of gold, in the shape of a cross patte',
      2. In the centre  of which is a circular medallion bearing the word KEARNY in black enamel, a black line above and below.
      3. Encircling this; one-eightth of an inch distant is a plain band, enameled black, with the inscription DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI,  (Sweat and proper, it is to die for one's county) in gold letters.
   2. REVERSE
      1. The number of the cross and the name and rank of the recipient is engraved on the reverse.
      2. It is attached to a narrow gold bar and suspended from a red ribbon.
   3. RIBBON
      There was NO ribbon as this was a medal only award.  The medal was suspended from a red ribbon.
2. Information from
   UNITED STATES WAR MEDALS by Bauman L. Beldex appearing in American Journal of Numismatics (1897-1924) , 1915, Vol. 49 (1915), pp. 1-72
   Kearny Medal of Honor – Officers Award Civil War Recreations sales information
   4th Maine Infantry Regiment, Company B homepage, Tripod.com
3. Side Note: Depending upon the source reviewed source it is uncertain as to the actual creation.  Some sources indicate that General Kearney paid for them another indicates that the officers themselves each paid for their own.