On this day in history, on July 12th 1862, President Abraham Lincoln called for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor in the name of 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.” Since its creation, during the Civil War, more than 3,400 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions in U.S. military conflict.
