MEDALS & COINS, ARMS & ARMOUR 6th May 2020
All medals tell a story. This aphorism has been discussed in these pages before. Enthusiasts devote as much or more effort to uncovering and articulating the history that a medal represents, as to the appreciation of its numismatic attributes. The extraordinary story of the medal shown here is almost beyond the scope of this short article. Not only does it tell the tale of a battle in which men killed and died and tried to survive in a maelstrom of lead and fire; it is also emblematic of the struggle of Arfican-Americans to establish a place for themselves in a hostile society. It was a struggle that in a just world would never have been necessary, and one that, horrifyingly, continues to this day.
in spite of heavy casualties. They earned great acclaim vindicating those such as President Abraham Lincoln (and General Butler himself) who had promoted the enlistment of AfricanAmerican troops. No fewer than 20 awards of the Medal of Honour were made during the battle, many of them to African-Americans. In addition, the medal shown here was created on the personal initiative of General Butler for presentation to around 200 selected African-Americans who had particularly distinguished themselves in the fighting.
The battle of Chaffin’s Farm and Newmarket Height was fought in September 1864 during the American Civil War. The United States’ Army of the James, under General Benjamin Butler, mounted a diversionary attack on the Confederate defences around Richmond, Virginia. Tactically inconclusive, the assault nevertheless achieved its strategic aim of causing the Confederate General Robert E. Lee to deploy additional troops to the area, weakening his defences elsewhere. The battle is chiefly notable for a significant deployment on the Union side of African-American soldiers (or ‘Colored Troops’ as they were then known) and for the tremendous courage and combat effectiveness that they displayed. They fought across open ground in the face of withering fire, and acquitted themselves gallantly in close combat, persevering
14 | WOOLLEY & WALLIS
Medal to scale
