Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A West Virginia ‘Honorably Discharged’ Civil War Medal awarded to Private D. Barry, 7th Cavalry Volunteers

West Virginia, Civil War Service Medal 1861-65, bronze (David Barry, Co. B 7th Reg Cav Vols.) impressed naming, complete with ‘Honorably Discharged’ top brooch bar with ribbon, in original named card box of issue, slight repair to pin-fitting, good very fine £300-£400

The State of West Virginia Civil War Medal
In 1866, the state of West Virginia authorised the minting of 26,000 medals to honour its Union Civil War soldiers. Unlike other Union States, medals were issued to every soldier who served in a West Virginian unit. Three different dies were produced for the medals, each with a different suspension clasp:
1) “Honourably Discharged” for the officers and soldiers of the volunteer army who have been or may be honourably discharged from the service. This is the most common variant.
2) “Killed in Battle” for the officers and soldiers who have been killed in battle. Not more than 800 of this variant were produced.
3) “For Liberty” for the officers and soldiers who have died from wounds received in battle and for those who died from diseases contracted in the service. 3,200 of this variant were produced.

Each medal was officially impressed with the soldier’s name, rank and unit on the rim, in a similar style to British Campaign medals. To this day, over 4,000 medals remain unclaimed.

Of the States that fought for the Union, only West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut, issued officially named or numbered medals to its servicemen in significant numbers. Even then, bar to soldiers in West Virginian service, this was to a small number of men that actually served in each State during the War and a fraction of the over two million servicemen who fought for the Union. Connecticut, Pennsylvania and others issued medals to their ‘first call’ militia but numbers were lower than 800.