Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Army. Of these estimated 2.2 million Union soldiers who served in the Civil War, 267 were executed by U.S. authorities. The largest number of executions, 147 were ordered for desertion. The remaining 120 were executed for murder, rape, or mutiny. More Union soldiers would have been executed, but President Lincoln ordered that most were to be imprisoned instead. On the other hand, today there are 3,492 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States of America's highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress to U.S. military personnel only. The Civil War created more “Medal of Honor” recipients than any other war - 1,522. Only 19 men in history have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice. The first two-time Medal of Honor recipient was Thomas Custer (brother of George Armstrong Custer) for two separate actions that took place several days apart during the American Civil War. Also receiving two medals during the Civil War were John Cooper, Patrick Mullen, Frank Baldwin, and John Lafferty. The Confederacy gave no such honor. General Robert E. Lee refused to award individual citations for valor, mentioning noteworthy performance in his dispatches instead. Only General to Fight on Both Sides during the Civil War... A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. Frank Crawford Armstrong (pictured) is known for being the only Confederate general to fight on both sides during the Civil War. Confederate Army. As Armstrong’s Union resignation did not go into effect until August 13, he was technically on both sides at the same time. In 1863, Armstrong was elected as colonel of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment and was soon given command of the cavalry of Major General Sterling Price. Two months later, he was promoted to brigadier general. He also fought under Generals Stephen D. Lee, Forrest, and Hood. After the war, he worked for the Overland Mail Service, as an United States Indian Inspector, and was the Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Armstrong died in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1909. A Shortage of Marksmanship A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. The breech-loading Spencer rifle was invented in 1860 but was turned down by the conservative U. S. Department of War, until inventor Christopher Spencer was eventually able to gain an audience with President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was impressed with the repeat firing weapon and ordered that it be adopted for production. The guns would not get into the hands of Union troops in quantity until near the end of the war. The theory for their refusal: Soldiers would fire too fast, and waste ammunition. Accuracy of shooting was not the greatest on either side. It is estimated it took a man’s weight in lead to kill a single enemy in battle. A Federal expert said each Confederate who was shot required 240 pounds of powder and 900 pounds of lead. I guess if you were “worth your weight” in lead it took to kill you, that might be a lot! When Frank was born in 1835; he was already in the army. His father was in the service but had died three months before his son’s birth. His mother remarried to General Persifor Smith in 1854. Frank accompanied his stepfather on an expedition of the United States Army troops into the New Mexico Territory. His gallantry in a battle against Indians earned him a commission as a lieutenant, and by the time the Civil War came along, in June 1861, Armstrong was promoted to captain in the regular army (U.S.). He led a company of Union cavalry at the First Battle of Bull Run. However, Armstrong resigned his commission and on August 10, 1861, he joined the