MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT WRITES THE MINT

Symbolism abounds in numismatics, and according to correspondence from the National Archives, it compelled Orson W. Bennett to write to the United States Mint in early 1888. He requested information on the symbolism behind the Congressional Medal of Honor recently bestowed upon him for his bravery during the Civil War. He wished to document this information for his children who would cherish the medal after he had mustered out of life. Bennett described the medal in his letter but was hesitant to send it to the Mint for inspection because of its great sentimental value.

He first enlisted in the Union Army on April 23, 1861, as a private with the 1st Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and subsequently fought in the Battle of Vicksburg during his two years of service with the 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Bennett was then promoted to First Lieutenant of Company A of the 102nd United States Colored Infantry, under the command of his older brother, Lieutenant Colonel William True Bennett. At the Battle of Honey Hill, South Carolina on November 30, 1864, Orson W. Bennett completed the mission for which he earned his Medal of Honor. He was ordered by his brother to retrieve three pieces of Confederate artillery located behind enemy lines. Lieutenant Bennett recruited thirty men and carried out his directive with only one soldier wounded.

Bennett was awarded the Medal of Honor on March 9, 1887 (the medal shown is not Bennett’s) and as he suspected, the medal incorporates many symbols. The three most prominent symbols are the eagle, which represents the United States and sits atop two cannons with a sword in its claw; the image of Minerva Repulsing Discord in the center of the star, which reflects the discord of the Civil War; and the circle of 34 stars, which represents each state in the Union (including the Confederate states) as of 1862 when the medal’s design was adopted. Bennett ultimately attained the rank of Major and was discharged from the Army on September 30, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Image: Orson W. Bennett (Image Courtesy of findagrave.com)

Image: U.S. Army Medal of Honor, Type 1, with the ribbon style used until 1896 (Image Courtesy of militarytrader.com)

Link to letters from Orson W. Bennett to Superintendent of the Mint Daniel M. Fox:
https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22U.S.%20Mint%22%20Civil%20War%20Medal

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