Under the act of Congress passed July 12, 1862, the President of the United States was authorized to have prepared, with suitable emblematic devices, Medals of Honor to be presented in the name of the Congress to such soldiers as should most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action and other soldierly qualities. So chary has the Government been in their issue that the award has not reached two thousand among the three millions of volunteers and regulars in the Army and Navy. So that these medals are more rare than the “Victoria Cross” of England, the “Iron Cross” of Germany, or the “Cross of the Legion of Honor” of France.
I copy the list of those issued to Negro soldiers as they stand upon the records, that is, in the numerical order of the regiments to which the recipients belonged. It will be therefore understood that this order does not indicate priority of time or degree of excellence.
| Christian A. Fleetwood, | Sergeant-Major, | Fourth | U. S. C. T. |
| Alfred B. Hilton, | Color Sergeant, | Fourth | U. S. C. T. |
| Charles Veal, | Corporal, | Fourth | U. S. C. T. |
| Milton M Holland, | Sergeant-Major, | Fifth | U. S. C. T. |
| James Brownson, | First Sergeant, | Fifth | U. S. C. T. |
| Powhatan Beatty, | First Sergeant, | Fifth | U. S. C. T. |
| Robert Finn, | First Sergeant, | Fifth | U. S. C. T. |
| Thomas R. Hawkins, | Sergeant-Major, | Sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| Alexander Kelly, | First Sergeant, | Sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| Samuel Gilchrist, | Sergeant, | Thirty-sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| William Davis, | Sergeant, | Thirty-sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| Miles James, | Corporal, | Thirty-sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| James Gardner, | Private, | Thirty-sixth | U. S. C. T. |
| Edward Ratcliffe, | First Sergeant, | Thirty-eighth | U. S. C. T. |
| James Harris, | Sergeant, | Thirty-eighth | U. S. C. T. |
| William Barnes, | Private, | Thirty-eighth | U. S. C. T. |
| Decatur Dorsey, | Sergeant, | Thirty-ninth | U. S. C. T. |
After each war, of 1776, of 1812, and of 1861, history repeats itself in the absolute effacement of remembrance of the gallant deeds done for the country by its brave black defenders and in their relegation to outer darkness.
History further repeats itself in the fact that in every war so far known to this country, the first blood, and, in some cases, the last also, has been shed by the faithful Negro, and this in spite of all the years of bondage and oppression, and of wrongs unspeakable. Under the sun there has nothing been known in the history of any people more marvellous than these facts!
Oh, to the living few,
Comrades, be just, be true.
Hail them as heroes tried,
Fight with them side by side;
Never in field or tent,