When Abraham Lincoln heard about the drummers bravery, he recommended him for the Medal of Honor, and Willie received the award in September 1863.

At first, the idea of a Medal of Honor was dismissed as too European.

During the American Revolution, George Washington established the first combat decoration in U.S.

Badge of Military Merit.

After the conflict it fell into disuse, as did its successor, the Certificate of Merit, bestowed during the Mexican-American War.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, proponents of a new award made their case to Winfield Scott, general-in-chief of the Union Army.

Scott, a respected commander despite being too feeble and corpulent to mount a horse in the waning years of his career, scoffed at the suggestion, saying it smacked of European tradition.

It was only after his retirement that Medal of Honor supporters in Congress could introduce bills providing for the decoration.

Only one woman has received the Medal of Honor, and her award was temporarily rescinded.

A medical doctor who supported feminist and abolitionist causes, Mary Edwards Walker volunteered with the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War.

Despite her training, she initially had to work as a nurse before becoming the Armys first female surgeon.

Known to cross enemy lines in order to treat civilians, she may have been serving as a spy when Confederate troops captured her in the summer of 1864.

Walker was later released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to duty.

On November 11, 1865, President Andrew Johnson presented her with the Medal of Honor, making her the only woman to date to receive the decoration.

An Army board restored Walkers Medal of Honor in 1977, praising her distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and unflinching loyalty to her country, despite the apparent discrimination because of her sex.

Theodore Roosevelt, the only U.S.

Medal of Honor. 3.

Theodore Roosevelt is the only U.S.

Medal of Honor, which he was awarded posthumously.

When the Spanish-American War broke out, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt famously quit his job to lead a volunteer regiment known as the Rough Riders.

Roosevelt and his men played a decisive role in the Battle of San Juan Hill and took part in other confrontations in Cuba.

In 1916, less than three years before his death, the 26th president was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but the Army passed him over, citing a lack of evidence for his heroic actions at San Juan Hill.

President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded him the decoration in 2001.

Roosevelts son, Theodore Jr., who served in both World Wars, also received the Medal of Honor.

The youngest Medal of Honor recipient was awarded at 11 and was granted it at 13.

Born in New York, 11-year-old Willie Johnston enlisted in the Union Army alongside his father, serving as a drummer boy with the 3rd Vermont Infantry during the Civil War.

Along the way, the men discarded their equipment to hasten their pace.

Young Willie, however, clung to his drum throughout the march and was later asked to play for his entire division on July 4.

Army Medal Of Honor