President Abraham Lincoln (above) signed into law a measure calling
for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor (above) in the name
of Congress “to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall
most – distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other
soldier like qualities during the present insurrection.”

The first U.S. Army soldiers to receive what would become the nation’s 
highest military honor were six members of a Union raiding party who
in 1862 penetrated deep into Confederate territory to destroy bridges 
and railroad tracks between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, 
Georgia.

In 1863, the Medal of Honor was made a permanent military decoration
available to all members, including commissioned officers, of the U.S.
military. It is conferred upon those who have distinguished themselves
in actual combat at risk of life beyond the call of duty.