Rare Original Us CIVIL War 1863 Gillmore Medal Fort Sumter Union Army

  

Rare, original, unattributed Gillmore Medal. Measures approximately 1 7/16 in diameter and weighs 27.2 grams on a jeweler's scale. Never cleaned, nice patina overall. There are some storage knocks and surface dirt.

Light corrosion at the solder points. A few tiny verdigris spots. The Gillmore Medal is a military decoration of the United States.

Army which was first issued on October 28, 1863. The medal is named after Major General Quincy A. Gillmore who commanded Union troops attempting to seize Fort Wagner in 1863 during the American Civil War. Also called the Fort Sumter Medal, the Gillmore Medal commemorates the men who served in the fighting around Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863 and was presented to all Union soldiers who had served under General Gillmore's command.

The medal was pinned to the front of a military jacket from a swivel with no attached ribbon. Since the Gillmore Medal was issued on the local authority of General Gillmore, it was considered an unofficial decoration by the United States Army, but was permitted for wear on a military uniform.

In 1905, with the creation of the Civil War Campaign Medal, the Gillmore Medal was declared obsolete. There were apparently 400 some medals struck in total. Many were engraved for award with the name of the recipient.