I will give the dates off the top of my head, so they may be a year or two off. This was an interesting medal. Congress did not want to authorize it for Civil War Veterans - mainly due to the cost. The US Army wanted it, but as a medal, they could not authorize it for veterans without Congressional approval. So, they made a play on words and called it a 'badge' rather than a medal and as such authorized it in 1905, 40 years after the Civil War. Still there was no money available to issue it to veterans. Finally in 1955, the medal was minted and offered to those veterans that requested it. As it is, this medal was probably never seen by most if not all Civil War Veterans. I've taken the liberty of posting it to the profile of those that earned it, hoping in some small way to provide the honor they were never able to have while they were alive. I've seen it advertised by some as a medal that was issued only for Union Army veterans. That is incorrect. The US Army's web site which provides the official listing of medals and such, specifies that it was awarded to both Confederate and Union veterans of the Civil War. Note that the pendant ribbon is both blue and gray. Much of the delay is authorizing the medal was due to the design of the medallion. Lincoln was said to be important to both the Union and Confederate soldiers - as such his bust was finally selected so that all veterans could be happy with the medals design. I suspect that the US Government might be willing to issue the medal to a descendant of a veteran if they were to request it - unless some specified deadline has been passed and it has not already been issued to another descendant. Note - Detail: Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards, dated 22 Feb 1995 (Act of 9 March 1945 [C.104, PL 80–437; 62 Stat. 71].) As an exception to the requirement of "active Federal military service," - which provides Confederate service recognition.
originally submitted by dhpatrick