A West Virginia Civil War medal awarded to Second Lieutenant William H. Murphy of the famed...

A West Virginia Civil War medal awarded to Second Lieutenant William H. Murphy of the famed 1st West Virginia Cavalry, who was injured at the Battle of Port Republic June 1862. Previous to enlistment he was a printer and established a newspaper ‘The American Citizen’ in 1855 West Virginia Civil War Medal, ‘Honorably Discharged’ type (Wilm H. Murphy. Co H 1st Cav Vols. Sergt) nearly extremely fine £300-£400 --- Medal named with rank of Sergeant as this was his later rank. William H Murphy, aged 32, a printer from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, who had established a newspaper ‘The American Citizen’ in 1855, enlisted as Second Lieutenant into Company ‘E’ 1st Virginia Cavalry on 16 June 1861. On 4 July 1862 resigned his commission due to health - his service papers noting he had contracted disease of the lungs during the winter of 1861-2 and that he had been severely injured falling from his horse while in action during the Battle of Port Republic on 8 June 1862, suffering internal injuries. They also contain a letter from his Colonel regretting his loss to the regiment. Murphy further reenlisted as a 1st Sergeant, Company “H” 1st West Virginia Cavalry on 27 February 1864. The 1st Virginia Cavalry was his old regiment that had been officially renamed West Virginia Cavalry when the Unionist State of West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union in 1863. Musters show that Murphy spent much of the time between mid September and December 1864 in hospital and from January 1865, variously on duty, detached service and hospital. He was finally discharged on 30 May 1865 and died on 30 October 1866. 1st West Virginia Cavalry Service The regiment was recruited from the western counties of Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and western Virginia, at a time when the Government was not organising cavalry regiments. It was composed of superior material, mostly young men from the farms, experienced horsemen and marksmen, who could break and tame the wildest colt, or pierce the head of a squirrel in the top of the tallest hickory with a rife bullet. When the regiment entered the field mounted and equipped, with its complement of field, staff and line officers, and led by Prof. Carl Colby’s famous silver cornet band, all mounted on milk white horses, the regiment well caparisoned, with jingling and flapping trappings, the riders all young and handsome, it was a beautiful and inspiring an organisation as ever graced the armies of the United States. This the citizens of Clarksburg, Cumberland, Martinsburg and Winchester will no doubt cordially admit, though the uniforms may not have been their favourite colour. Its first active service was in the mountains of West Virginia, by detachments, scouting and doing picket and outpost duty to the various infantry commands holding the mountain passes and guarding the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. These duties in the wild, mountainous region, infested with Confederate scouts, guerrillas and bushwhackers, soon developed in the officers and men that individuality, courage and daring which distinguished them throughout the period of their service. In the spring of 1862, it was brigaded with other cavalry regiments, under the command of General Hatch, and participated in the operations in the valley of the Shenandoah and its neighbourhood under General Shields, Banks, McDowell, Schenck and Fremont, though some of the companies were separated. Capt. C. C. Krepps, with a company of the regiment, put the enemy’s cavalry, panic stricken, to flight, and gained possession of the bridge at Port Republic, and but for orders to the contrary, would have destroyed it, thereby cutting off the retreat of Stonewall Jackson. In the darkness of night preceding the battle of Cedar Mountain, Captains Steele and C. C. Krepps, with two companies, rode through General Jackson’s camps, creating great apprehension and confusion, at the same time capturing a number of prisoners. The State of West Virginia Civil War Medal In 1866, the state of West Virginia authorised the minting of 26,000 medals to honour its Union Civil War soldiers. Unlike other Union States, medals were issued to every soldier who served in a West Virginian unit. Three different dies were produced for the medals, each with a different suspension clasp: 1) “Honourably Discharged” for the officers and soldiers of the volunteer army who have been or may be honourably discharged from the service. This is the most common variant. 2) “Killed in Battle” for the officers and soldiers who have been killed in battle. Not more than 800 of this variant were produced. 3) “For Liberty” for the officers and soldiers who have died from wounds received in battle and for those who died from diseases contracted in the service. 3,200 of this variant were produced. Each medal was officially impressed with the soldier’s name, rank and unit on the rim, in a similar style to British Campaign medals. To this day, over 4,000 medals remain unclaimed. Of the States that fought for the Union, only West Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Connecticut, issued officially named or numbered medals to its servicemen in significant numbers. Even then, bar to soldiers in West Virginian service, this was to a small number of men that actually served in each State during the War and a fraction of the over two million servicemen who fought for the Union. Connecticut, Pennsylvania and others issued medals to their ‘first call’ militia but numbers were lower than 800. Sold with copy detailed pensions file and musters.