Establishment
The medal was first authorized in 1905 for the fortieth anniversary of the Civil War's conclusion. The blue and gray ribbon denotes the respective uniform colors of the U.S. and Confederate troops. The Army Civil War Campaign Medal was established by the United States War Department on January 21, 1907, by General Orders Number 12. To qualify, a soldier had to serve between April 15, 1861, and April 9, 1865. The award was intended for both Union and Confederate soldiers. When it was discovered that medal qualifications included the words Active Federal Military Service, the Congressional Act of 1945 had those words removed. Confederate flags would use the campaign streamers with the Gray edge up and the Union flags with the blue edge up. The campaign lettering requires two distinct sets of streamers for each campaign, one set for each side. The closing date was extended to August 20, 1866, date of President Johnson's Proclamation ending the war. The corresponding Navy Civil War Medal was established on June 27, 1908, by Navy Department.
The Army Civil War Campaign Medal displayed an engraved image of Abraham Lincoln while the Navy and Marine Corps versions depicted the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia's battle at Hampton Roads. The medal was designed by Francis D. Millet, a noted sculptor who perished on the RMS Titanic in 1912. The medal was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Civil War Campaign Medal No. 1 was issued to Maj. Gen. Charles F. Humphrey on May 26, 1909.
The medal was originally established as a badge, because Congress would not approve a medal due to the costs involved. The War Department was authorized to create badges - so it did. This interest was due in large part to the fact that several senior military officers were veterans of the Civil War. Gen Joseph Wheeler, was a senior US Army officer, who had also served as a Confederate General in the Civil War. As a former senior commander of President Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, he had some influence along with his past assignment with the US Army Headquarters. In 1918, for those who had been cited for gallantry in action, the Silver Citation Star was authorized as a device to the medal. Only six Citation Stars were awarded.
There is a direct relationship between US campaign streamers and the medal that a campaign represents. The streamer represents the unit's participation in a campaign and the medal represents an individual's participation in that campaign (US Army - some differences for the US Navy). When a campaign is established, participating unit's are authorized a streamer and each service member assigned to the unit during that same time is authorized the medal. Sometimes these medals are campaign medals, other times they are service medals, but that streamer/medal relationship normally remains. In 2003, Congress made each of the services responsible for public law concerning US Military Awards and Decorations. This made each of their regulations concerning Awards US Public Law. This elevated AR 600-8-22 to US Public Law.
Although some recipients may have worn some form of the ribbon, the monies necessary to mint and issue the medal were not appropriated by Congress until 1956 – 91 years after the war ended. It was this act that provided US Government purchase for the medal to all qualified veterans, whether they were on active or inactive duty.
One of the most famous recipients of the Civil War Campaign Medal was Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., father of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. Lieutenant General Joseph Wheeler is another of those entitled.
Units in the U.S. Army and Confederate Army that trace their heritage and lineage to the Civil War are entitled to display a battle streamer for the Civil War on their flagpoles. This streamer is half blue and half gray, the color theme of the second ribbon design.
Read more about this topic: Civil War Campaign Medal