The Davis Guards Medal was a

military award Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations awarded ...

presented by the citizens of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

to each of the participants a few weeks after the battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863).

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

Quesart, in charge of the

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in Houston during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, started the

project A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...

by popular subscription. These hand-engraved medals are the only medals known to be presented to

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

soldiers during the Civil War.

History

The Davis Guards Medal was presented by the citizens of

a few weeks after the battle of Sabine Pass (September 8, 1863) to the members of Company F (Davis Guards), 1st (Cook's) Texas Heavy Artillery Regiment; Second Lieutenant N. W. Smith, Engineer Corps; and Assistant Surgeon George H. Bailey. Some time later,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

also visited that locality, and the Davis Guards had another medal made and presented it to him.

Appearance

The obverse of the Davis Guards Medal consisted of a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

silver dollar, each side smoothed off and engraved like a love token with the letters " ''D G'' ", below which is a rude cross of the form known as

cross pattée A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...

. The reverse of the medal bore the inscription in three lines " ''Sabine Pass'' " / " ''Sept. 8th'' " / " ''1863'' " in

cursive Cursive (also known as joined-up writing) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionality and m ...

script. Border, on each side, a line, about one-eighth of an inch from the edge, from which groups of oblique lines extend to the edge. Loop for suspension.

Museum exhibitions and displays

Three of the medals are known to exist. These are on display at the

American Civil War Museum The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: The White House of the Confederacy, the American Civil ...

, Bullock Museum, and Texas Military Forces Museum.

Recipients

Below is a list of recipients of the Davis Guards Medal. On February 8, 1864, all members of the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

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also received the "thanks of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

." * Patrick Abbott * George H. Bailey * Michael Carr * Abner R. Carter * Patrick Clair * James Corcoran * Hugh Deagan * Michael Delaney * Thomas Daughtery *

(

Honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

) * John A. Drummond * Daniel Donovan *

Richard W. Dowling Richard William Dowling (baptized 14 January 1837 – 23 September 1867) was an Irish-born artillery officer of the Confederate States Army who achieved distinction as commander at the battle of Sabine Pass (1863), the most one-sided Confe ...

* Michael Eagan * David Fitzgerald * Patrick Fitzgerald * James Fleming * John Flood * William Gleason * John Hassott * James Higgins * Timothy Hurley * John Hennessey * Thomas Hagerty * Timothy Huggins * William Hardin * W. L. Jett * Patrick Malone * Thomas McKernon * John McKeever * Alexander McCabe * Timothy McDonough * Patrick McDonnell * John McGrath * John McNealis * Daniel McMurray * Michael Monoghan * Richard O'Hara * Laurence Plunkett * Edward Pritchard * Maurice Powers * Charles Rheins * N. W. Smith * Thomas Sullivan * Michael Sullivan * Patrick Sullivan * Matthew Walsh * Jack W. White * John Wesley * Joseph Wilson

Notes

References