For Gallantry In Action

The United States Congress authorized the Medal of Honor July 12^th 1862 for gallantry of Army noncommissioned officers and privates.

After the Civil War started in December 1861 the United States Congress authorized a medal of honor for Marines and Navy.  Two months later Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson introduced a bill on the floor to authorize "the President to distribute medals to privates in the Army of the United States who shall distinguish themselves in battle."

President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill into law on July 12^th 1862, as “Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to cause two thousand "medals of honor" to be prepared with suitable emblematic devices, and to direct that the same be presented, in the name of the Congress, to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities, during the present insurrection.”

The first Medals of Honor were presented March 25^th 1863 by Union Secretary of War Edwin M Stanton to the surviving members of Andrew’s Raiders.  The first action for which a Medal of Honor would be awarded occurred at Apache Pass, Arizona on February 13^th 1861 when Union Assistant Surgeon Bernard J D Irwin rescued 60 soldiers.

He Was Honored By His Men

At the Battle of Gaines’ Mills on June 27th 1862 Colonel Jesse Augustus Gove was killed.

Jesse A Gove was born December 5th 1824 in Ware New Hampshire. Wishing to persue a career in the military, Gove attended the Norwich Military Academy than located in Norwich Vermont. He served with the 9th US Infantry during the Mexican-American War. He than study law and became a Deputy Secertary for the State of New Hampshire from 1850 to 1855. In 1855 he found that he missed the army. He was given a commission of Captain and was doing duty with Company I of the 10th Infantry in Utah when the Civil War began.

At the start of the war Gove was recalled to Washington DC, to succeeded Colonel Henry Wilson as the commander of the 22nd MA Volunteer Infantry. He was the only regular Army officer to command the 22nd and depite this was much loved by the men. Gove was killed in action on June 27th 1862 at the Battle of Gaines Mill in Virginia. After the Civil War the veterans of the 22nd MA chose the date of their reunion to honor Col Gove’s death.

For more reading
Colonel Jesse A. Gove, U.S.A.