Confederate Roll Of Honor

The Confederate Roll of Honor, officially the Roll of Honor, was an award of the Confederate States Army created by Adjutant and Inspector General Samuel Cooper on October 3, 1863 (authorized by an act of the Confederate States Congress on October 13, 1862), to recognize "courage and good conduct on the field of battle."

History

The Congress had passed an act on October 13, 1862, which authorized the President to "bestow medals, with proper devices, upon such officers of the armies of the Confederate States as shall be conspicuous for courage and good conduct on the field of battle, and also to confer a badge of distinction upon one private or non-commissioned officer of each company after every signal victory it shall have assisted to achieve." No award for the Confederate navy was authorized. General Lee is said to have opposed the awarding of medals and badges in wartime for fear that they would be distributed inequitably.

Delays in obtaining medals led the Army to creating the roll. Nominations were made by company members after enemy engagements. The soldiers voted after each battle, and the results were listed in battle reports, read aloud to regiments, and published in newspapers across the Confederacy. Bestowing an honor by the vote of common soldiers was virtually unprecedented.

The Roll

General orders Number 131, issued by Adjutant and Inspector General S. Cooper, included the names of hundreds of officers and men who fought in the battles of Murfreesboro, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Subsequently new additions to the Roll of Honor were published for engagements after the Gettysburg Campaign, including:
*General Order No. 64, 10 August 1864, for the battles of:

::Battle of Brandy Station, Va.

::Battle of Chickamauga, Ga;

:: Battle of Jenkins Ferry, Ark;United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 34, In Four Parts. Part 1, Reports., book, 1892; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146033/: accessed March 2, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

::Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Ga.

::Battle of Locust Hill, Va; and Battle of Payne's Farm, Va;

::Battle of Pleasant Hill, La;

*General Order No. 87, 10 December 1864 for the battles of:

::Battle of Bristoe Station .

::various engagements of the Jeff. Davis Legion;

::miscellaneous engagements of the First Battalion, Confederate Infantry.United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 52, In Two Parts. Part 2, Confederate Correspondence, etc., book, 1898; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth154641/: accessed March 2, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

:: Battles Near Petersburg;United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 40, In Three Parts. Part 1, Reports., book, 1892; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth145052/: accessed March 3, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.

:: Battle of Weldon Rail Road;

:: Battle of Ream's Station, Weldon Rail Road;

:: Battle of Fort Harrison;

:: Battle of Darbytown Road;

:: Battle of Hanover Junction;

::Battle of Drewry's Bluff;

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roll of Honor, Confederate
1863 establishments in the Confederate States of America
Awards established in 1863
Confederate States Army
Confederate Roll of Honor
Awards disestablished in 1865