United States. An Medal Of Honour, Private Stephen Fernald, 27Th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Type 1. In bronze, engraved "The Congress to Stephen Fernald Co. K. 27th Me. Vol" on the reverse, measuring 52.8 mm (w) x 70 mm (h) inclusive of its eagle and crossed cannons and cannonballs suspension, variation of the American flag in the ribbon, bronze pinback hanger with U.S. shield, light contact on the reverse, near extremely fine.

Footnote: Benjamin Fernald enlisted as a Private with 27th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 27th was comprised by men raised almost entirely in York County, Maine, reporting to camp in Portland on or around the September 10, 1862. On the 19th, the officers were elected, followed by the mustering in of the troops on the 30th. They left by train for Washington, DC on October 20th, arriving there two days later and setting up camp on East Capital Hill. From there, they went on to Camp Chase at Arlington Heights, afterwards to Camp Seward, where they held picket duty from October 26 to December 12, 1862. Following this, they were sent to Camp Vermont at Hunting Creek, Virginia, to relieve a Vermont brigade of their picket duty, an "eight mile long line from the Orange & Alexandria Railroad to the Potomac River near Mt. Vernon". It was here where they spent the winter, reported to be a severe one, and they lost several men due to the weather. The next spring, March 24, 1863, they left camp and moved on to Chantilly, Virginia, where they were placed on the outermost line of infantry in the defense of Washington. They stayed here until June 25th, when they returned to Arlington Heights. At this time, their nine month term of service had expired (they were told they would be released on June 10th, nine months from their reporting to camp) and they were preparing to ship home. On the request of President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sent letters on June 28, 1863 to the commanding officers of the 25th Maine and 27th Maine regiments, asking for them to remain beyond their contracted service due to the invasion of Pennsylvania by Robert E. Lee and his army. With the 25th Maine Infantry first refusing, and marching home, some 312 men (or 315 by another account) of the 27th Maine did choose to stay behind when they were asked. On July 4th, with the Union winning the Battle of Gettysburg, they then boarded the trains in Washington and were back in Portland, Maine on the July 6, 1863. They were then mustered out on the 17th. The 27th Maine Infantry, at their mustering in, had 949 men. Of this, 20 men died on duty (though none by enemy fire), 8 officers resigned, and 54 men were discharged or had deserted. For their voluntary defense of the nation's capital, the 312 were initially rewarded the Medal of Honor. Following the end of the war, when the promise to award medals to the volunteers was fulfilled, there was a lack of an agreeable list of those who stayed behind in Washington. This resulted in some 864 medals being made, and it was left up to Wentworth to distribute them to those members he remembered staying behind with him. All 864 of these medals were later purged by Congress in 1917, as the actions of the regiment did not meet the criteria for receiving such a medal. (C:44)