Appendix A:

The Confederate Roll of Honor

            A distinguishing feature of the 2^nd Mississippi was that it had more members named to the Confederate Roll of Honor than any other regiment in Confederate service. The Confederate Roll of Honor resulted from General Orders No. 93 from the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office, dated November 22, 1862.  It reads:

            No. 27. – AN ACT to authorize the grant of medals and badges of distinction as a reward for courage and good conduct on the field of battle.

            The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the President be and is hereby, authorized to bestow medals, with proper devices, upon such officers of the armies of the Confederate States as shall be conspicuous for courage and good conduct on the field of battle, and also to confer a badge of distinction upon one private or non-commissioned officer of each company after every signal victory it shall have assisted to achieve.  The non-commissioned officers and privates of the company who may be present on the first dress-parade thereafter may choose, by a majority of their votes, the soldier best entitled to receive such distinction, whose name shall be communicated to the President by commanding officers of the company; and if the award fall upon a deceased soldier the badge thus awarded him shall be delivered to his widow, or if there be no widow, to any relation the President may adjudge entitled to receive it. [1]

            Because of the wartime difficulties of procuring the appropriate medals and badges, the government posted General Orders No. 131, which instead established the Roll of Honor as the method of honoring those soldiers selected under the guidelines of General Orders No. 93.  The names published on this roll were to be read at the head of every regiment at the first dress-parade after its receipt, and was also to be published in at least one newspaper in each State. [2]

Therefore, the Confederate Roll of Honor was the very rough equivalent to the Union’s Medal of Honor as a method of recognizing bravery and courage on the field of battle.  The primary difference between the two awards being that the Confederate soldiers so chosen were selected by their peers and not by a superior officer.  Also, regimental participation was voluntary so unfortunately, not all regiments acknowledged individuals in this manner.

            It should be noted that the battle dates for multi-day battles where only a single selection took place was the first day of the engagement period.  Thus, for Second Manassas, the date is listed as August 28, 1862 even though the fighting continued through August 30^th.  KIA means the individual was killed in action.