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Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded to Captain Milton Russell

THF103330 / Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded to Captain Milton Russell
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Artifact Overview

Congress awarded former Union Army Captain Milton Russell the Medal of Honor for his "distinguished gallantry in action" at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee in December 1862. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award given by the United States government to a member of the armed services for valor in action against an enemy.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Medal of Honor

Date Made

1897

Place of Creation

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

37.109.16

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Sella Russell Cole.

Material

Bronze (Metal)
Ribbon (Material)
Silk (Textile)

Inscriptions

Medal: THE CONGRESS / TO / CAPT. MILTON RUSSELL / CO. A 51st INDIANA VOLS. / FOR / GALLANTRY AT STONE RIVER, TENN. / DEC.29.1862 Case: TIFFANY & CO. / NEW YORK / PARIS / LONDON
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    Letter to Milton Russell Notifying Him of Congressional Medal of Honor Award, 1897

    Imagine Milton Russell's great surprise and delight when he received this letter from Russell Alger, the United States Secretary of War, in September 1897. It notified the former Union captain that he was to receive the Medal of Honor for valor shown during the Civil War Battle of Stones River in Tennessee, 35 years earlier.
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    Portrait of Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Milton F. Russell, circa 1900

    Milton Russell proudly wears his Medal of Honor -- awarded for valor shown during the Civil War Battle of Stones River -- in this late-1890s portrait. Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on December 29, 1862, Captain Russell plunged into the frigid river under heavy enemy fire and led 200 Union troops in capturing a Confederate outpost on the opposite shore.
Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded to Captain Milton Russell