Gold medal

“ The cross is of white enamel resting on gold scrolls and bears at the center an iron crown. It is awarded to officers of high rank for services in war.
The Medal for Military Valor.—This medal of two classes, gold and silver, corresponds to the French Croix de Guerre, and is awarded to soldiers and sailors for conspicuous acts of gallantry in action in the presence of the enemy. The gold medal is very rarely bestowed except as an honor to the memory of a soldier or sailor who has lost his life in the execution of the deed which the medal commemorates. The ribbon is blue. ”

“ It is the same with each and every boy, whether the medal is of gold, silver or bronze, whether he received it for swimming or rowing, for running or jumping, for feats of strength, like putting the shot or throwing the discus. What matter if it was for football or baseball, tennis or diving? It is a medal, given for merit, and as such appreciated by both winner and friends.
The most popular boy is awarded. The best all-around Camper is medalled. There is hardly an act of courage or endurance that is passed by without some recognition. Such an uproar as greets each new hero! ”

“ Everybody prophesied that he would carry off the medal, for there was none who surpassed him in ability and industry. Yet he lost it, and the gold medal was adjudged to a pupil who was not afterwards heard of. This failure on the part of the youth was really of service to him; for defeats do not long cast down the resolute-hearted, but only serve to call forth their real powers. ”

“ The man who is honoured only by a single medal is obliged to show it to enjoy the honour, which can be done only to a few and often awkwardly. I therefore wish the medals of Congress were ordered to be money, and so continued as to be convenient money, by being in value aliquot parts of a dollar.
Copper coins are wanting in America for small change. We have none but those of the King of England. After one silver or gold medal is struck from the dies, for the person to be honoured, they may be usefully employed in striking copper money, or in some cases small silver. ”

“ First Distinguished-conduct Medal.—The first record we have of the bestowal of a medal for conspicuous conduct in the field is in the award made to an Irish commander who distinguished himself at the Battle of Edge Hill—the first battle of the Civil War, fought on October 23rd, 1642—by the recovery of a Royal [Pg 4] standard, and certain military accessories. The gallant soldier, who became Sir Robert Welch, was subsequently presented with an oval gold medal specially cut to the King's orders by the Royal "graver of seals and medals," Thomas Rawlins. ”

“ In general.—Following the award of the gold medal in honor of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the “Harlem Hellfighters”, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available for research. ”

“ The medal in gold for General Morgan, and those in silver for Colonels Howard and Washington, were to be indicative of the several circumstances which attended the victory at the Cowpens on the 17th of January, 1781, in conformity to a special resolution of Congress.
It may not be foreign to the purpose to add that dies have formerly been engraved under the direction of Dr. Franklin, [20] for striking the gold medal for General Wayne, and the silver medals for Colonels de Fleury and Stewart, emblematic of their gallant conduct in storming the works of Stony Point, sword in hand. ”

“ I broke the world record and I got a gold medal! I was the first African woman to win a gold medal in the Paralympics. I was so happy and very proud.
My motto is: Keep going, follow your dreams and never give up. Even if something happens to make you sad or scared. ”

“ Naval Gold Medal instituted.—On June 13th Lord Howe reached Spithead, and the King and Queen at a levee held on the Admiral's flagship presented him with a sword set with diamonds in the hilt and a gold chain with a gold medal attached thereto. At the same time gold chains were presented by His Majesty to the two vice-admirals, three rear-admirals, and the captain of the fleet with the intimation that gold medals for suspension would be distributed to the principal officers when they had been struck. ”

“ The gold medal bears on the obverse the figure of Britannia, wearing a rather squat Roman-looking helmet, seated upon a globe, and bearing in her extended right hand a laurel wreath and in her left a palm branch, which rests upon an oval shield bearing the Union Jack; to Britannia's right is the British lion. On the reverse is a simple wreath of laurel, with the name of the battle and the date engraved in Roman capitals. The medal is attached to the ribbon by a simple suspender, and a gold buckle was frequently worn in the middle of the ribbon. ”

“ Moreover, between the years of 1854 and 1859 gold medals were presented to him by the rulers of Norway and Sweden, Prussia, the republic of Bremen, Holland, Austria, Sardinia, and France; and in addition a medal of honor was awarded him for his charts at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1855, and only the year before the beginning of the Civil War the Pope sent him a set of thirteen beautiful silver medals. ”

“ A gold medal is likewise annually awarded by the New York society to a student in the College of the City of New York, for the best essay on a patriotic subject, and gold, silver, and bronze medals to the scholars of the high schools throughout the State for like essays. ”

“ The gold medal for General Gates represents the head of that general, with this legend: horatio gates, duci strenuo, comitia americana.
On the reverse: The enemy's general, at the head of his army, who are grounding their arms, presents his sword to the American general, whose troops stand with shouldered arms. ”

“ You are aware that a gold medal is given yearly by the Society of Writers to the Signet to the best scholar in the Latin class. Five are selected to compete for it by the votes of their fellow-students. Having been placed in the number a fortnight ago, I have, after a pretty close trial, been declared the successful competitor. The grand sequence is this, that at the end of the session I must come forward in the presence of many of the Edinburgh grandees and deliver a Latin oration as a prelude to receiving the medal. ”

“ CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. (a) Award Authorized.— The President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) collectively, in recognition of their pioneering military service and exemplary record, which forged revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. ”

“ That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, requested to present to Captain James Biddle, of the sloop of war Hornet, a gold medal, with suitable emblems and devices, and a silver medal, [107] with suitable emblems and devices, to each commissioned officer of the said sloop of war, in testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress, of the gallantry, good conduct, and services of Captain Biddle, his officers and crew, in capturing the British sloop of war Penguin, after a brave and skilful combat. ”

“ Many may still find, in some forgotten drawer, the medal bought by thousands and tens of thousands, of all classes, in copper, silver, or gold—distributed in charity-schools, and given by old people to their grandchildren. ”

“ All the letters are inserted here that accompanied these honours from the different sovereigns of Europe, except those which were lost or destroyed during the late war. They begin with the letter from Baron Humboldt, presenting the great gold medal of science from the King of Prussia, and also the Cosmos medal. ”

“ At the same time he presented gold medals of three sizes: the largest (size 2.) to the Generals and Admirals; the middle size (as above) to Field Officers and Captains R.N.; and the smallest (see next medal) to Captains and Subalterns and Lieutenants R.N.
573. Another. Same, but smaller. Gold. Size 1·4. This is a medal of the smallest size.
574. Campaign in Southern Italy and Sicily: Battle of Maida, 1806. Obv. Head of George III. l., laur. GEORGIVS TERTIVS REX; on neck, G. F. P. Rev. Britannia l., as Pallas, brandishing spear; on l. arm, shield; above, Victory r. with wreath ”

“ Maybe a big fellow that has had a lot of adventures like you, and nearly lost his life a lot of times and did other dandy things, wouldn't think it was so much to save a fellow from drowning. But anyway, there's a medal called the gold cross that we have, and only a fellow can win it that has saved somebody's life. Maybe it isn't as much as the Distinguished Service Cross or that French Cross either, but anyway, its a big honor, that's sure, and we want Skinny to get it. ”

“ Subsequently an order was issued from the Horse Guards, on October 7th, 1813, to the effect that amended regulations would be adopted in the grant and circulation of marks of distinction, i.e. medals. The regulations set forth that (1st) only one medal should be borne by each officer, (2nd) that for the second and third events a gold clasp attached to a ribbon, from which the medal is suspended, inscribed with the name of the battle or siege to which it relates. ”

“ This medal is the work of fraternal collaboration by two artists whose citizenship Americans prize highly, Louis and Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The name indicates that they may have inherited some of the fine artistic sense which makes France pre-eminent in the exquisite art of the medallist.
On one side of the medal you will find the wise, benign, and spirited face of Franklin. On the other side literature, science, and philosophy attend, while history makes her record. The material of the medal is American gold, as was Franklin. ”

“ In gold and silver the medal, 1·7 in. in diameter, bears on the reverse a representation of the bombardment, with LOVISBOVRG TAKEN MDCCLVII, and on the obverse a globe resting upon a figure symbolic of France (some say a fury) dropping fleur-de-lis, and pointing to boats at sea. On the globe, supported by a British Grenadier and a sailor, are the words CANADA and AMERICA, and above all the figure of Fame, with laurel wreath and trumpet flying in front of the Union Jack, and a scroll with the words PARITER IN BELLA; the ribbon for this is half brownish-yellow and light purple. ”

“ The metal is gold, but the surface is enamel-coated. The predominant colouring is white, but a gold edging, a green wreath, and a red centre lend effectiveness to the design. Both faces are decorated, the obverse with a crown, and the reverse with the royal cypher. The ribbon, which is crimson edged with blue, is bounded both top and bottom by a gold bar.
The last award to be mentioned here for brave conduct is the Meritorious Service medal, which is now superseded by the "Distinguished Conduct in the Field" medal. ”

“ He won first medals in the antique and life classes, and the gold medal for an original sculpture group, 'Eve supplicating forgiveness at the feet of Adam,' in December 1855. As a student he exhibited a medallion of Dr. ”

“ The star of the second class has rays between the arms, and the small gold cross which rests upon it has crossed swords between the arms; the centre is enamelled with a green flower on a blue ground, surrounded by eighteen pearls set in a gold band. The badge of the second class has twenty pearls set round the centre, and on the reverse a red enamelled centre circled by a green enamelled border decorated with gold tracery. The third-class badge has only fourteen pearls. The badges of each class were suspended from a half red and green ribbon, like that used for the Ghuznee medal. ”

“ Gold. Oval. Size 1·85: loop for suspension. By R. Yeo.
Struck to commemorate the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, 16 Ap. 1746, by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.
569. Naval Victory of 1st June, 1794. Obv. Britannia with spear standing on prow l., crowned by Victory; at her side, shield. Rev. Wreath of laurel and oak branches. Silver. Size 2.
Copy in silver of the gold medal presented by the Lords of the Admiralty to Lord Howe and the other admirals who commanded in the action with the French, 1st June, 1794, off Brest. On the reverse was inscribed the recipient's name. ”

“ Medal, in gold or silver, is awarded for bravery in saving life by land or sea.
Other Countries.—As has been mentioned above, foreign decorations for military service usually take the form of Orders in many classes. There are, however, numerous long service decorations, which need not be specified. The most famous of the European war and service decorations are the Prussian Iron Cross, the French Médaille Militaire, and the Russian St George’s Cross; all these are individual decorations.
The Iron Cross is given to officers and soldiers for distinguished service in War. ”

“ On the obverse, in the centre, in high relief, in gold, is a Lion, statant gardant, with a gold border, on which is inscribed in gold letters, HESPEINA AGRADECIDA. The whole within the Collar of the Golden Fleece, in bronze, the pendant Lamb being in gold. On the reverse, also in relief, within a laurel wreath of gold, SAN SEBASTIAN 5 DE MAYO in gold, having in the centre of a gold circle, 1836 in gold. The Cross, similar to that on the circular silver medal, is 11⁄20 in. in diameter, with a gold loop and gold ring for suspension. ”

“ The Ava Medal.—By a General Order, dated "Fort William, April 22nd, 1826," a medal was bestowed upon the native troops engaged in the war between 1824-26. The medal, 11⁄2 in. in diameter, was struck in gold for the officers (Sir Archibald Campbell was the only British officer to receive one) and in silver for the men: it was attached to a large steel clip and [Pg 92] ring for suspension from a crimson ribbon with blue edges, 11⁄2 in. wide. On the obverse is the White Elephant of Ava crouching before the British Lion ”