It’s not as well known, but Confederacy
awards Medal of Honor of its own

The Medal of Honor, America’s highest military award for valor, never will be awarded to those who fought for the South. Confederates, after all, were the enemy.

But the Confederacy has a Medal of Honor of its own.

The silver-and-bronze medal is a 10-pointed star bearing the Great Seal of the Confederate States and the words, “Honor, Duty, Valor, Devotion.” The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) bestows the honor upon those whose bravery in battle can be proven to the organization.

The medal has been awarded 50 times since 1977, most recently to Major James Breathed, a native Virginian buried in Hancock, Md. Breathed was honored in 2013 for his actions as an artillery officer in the 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse (Va.).

The Confederate medal is given less freely than the U.S. medal, which has been awarded to 3,487 individuals, including more than 1,500 who fought for the Union in the Civil War.

“The SCV created their own Confederate Medal of Honor simply because there were some incredible acts of valor that had received little or no recognition during and after the war,” according to Ben Sewell III, executive director of the 29,000 member group based in Columbia, Tenn.

One of the best-known recipients of the Confederate award is Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, famous for his cavalry charge and lighting raids.