Historical Memorabilia & Americana

[CIVIL WAR]. Gillmore Medal awarded to Captain Alfred Mordecai, Jr. Circa 28 October 1863. Brass medal with suspension bar engraved with an image of Fort Sumter surrounded by stars on recto and facsimile signature of Major General Quincy Adams Gillmore (1825-1888) on verso with dedication reading, “For gallant and meritorious conduct.” Length in total, 64mm; medal diam. 38mm. Evidence of restoration on suspension bar, otherwise fine. LIMITED TO 400 MEDALS PRODUCED. The Gillmore Medal was created and issued on the local authority of Major General Gillmore to all Union officers who served under his command during the Charleston campaign of 1863; because of this it was considered an unofficial decoration by the United States Army but was permitted to be worn upon the uniforms of recipients nonetheless. Gillmore was the first Union commander to order that his troops be fully integrated, and among the troops who marched with him in Charleston was the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, whose attack on Fort Wagner was dramatized in the 1989 motion picture Glory.