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The Butler Medal, also known as the Colored Troops Medal, was a military decoration of a unit of the Virginia Historical Society
click on "Men of Color to Arms" to see the medal. Retrieved 2012-09-22
The obverse of the medal has a curved inscription that says, in capital letters:
After the war, Butler said the following about the medal:
The Butler Medal, also known as the Colored Troops Medal, was a military decoration of a unit of the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
which was issued in 1865. The medal was commissioned by Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is ...
and was intended to recognize meritorious or heroic acts of bravery performed by African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
soldiers at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm and New Market Heights. Fourteen African Americans had earned the Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
in that engagement, but Butler wished to further recognize his African American troops involved in the battle, and he paid for the Butler Medals out of his personal funds.
In May 1865, and later that year, the Butler Medal was presented to nearly two hundred African American Union soldiers. The medal was originally known as the Colored Troops Medal, but the name was changed to Butler Medal after the close of the Civil War.
The Butler Medal was solid silver, suspended from a red, white, and blue ribbon meant to be worn around the neck. Attached to the ribbon was a wreath reading "Army of the James". The front of the medal depicts African American troops moving forward in battle, below an inscription in Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
which reads, ''Ferro iis libertas perveniet'': "Freedom Will be Theirs by the Sword."
click on "Men of Color to Arms" to see the medal. Retrieved 2012-09-22
References
{{Reflist Awards and decorations of the United States Army Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War Awards established in 1864 Military awards and decorations of the American Civil War United States campaign medals Awards honoring African Americans