Lot 6106

Description

Bronze embossed five-pointed star (Army, first model) with one point facing downwards, bearing the engraver's signature “Paquet F.”. The eagle riband buckle fastened with rings and the suspension bar with safety pin, both also embossed in bronze. Comes with an original, slightly soiled ribbon of the second model. The reverse bears the recipient's inscription: “The Congress to Capt. Myles Moylan – 7th US. Cav. for Gallantry at Bear Paw Mountain, Mont. Sept. 30 1877”. Width 53.3 mm, total weight 30.57 g. Housed in an original, though later, presentation case. The Medal of Honor was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861 during the Civil War as the highest award for valor and has been awarded in approximately 3,500 instances to date. Myles Moylan began his service with the 2nd U.S. Dragoons in 1857, becoming a corporal in 1858 and a sergeant in 1860. During the Civil War, he served as a first sergeant, participating in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh, as well as the Siege of Corinth, in 1861 and 1862. As a second lieutenant with the 5th U.S. Cavalry, he fought in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Following his discharge for being absent without leave, he enlisted under an alias in the 4th Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, rising to the rank of captain by the war's end in 1865. In 1866, he re-enlisted as a private in the 7th U.S. Cavalry; he took part in the Washita Massacre in 1868 and was promoted to captain again in 1872. He participated in the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 and the Black Hills Expedition of 1874, and fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. He received the Medal of Honor for the gallant leadership of his command against the Nez Perce Indians during the Battle of Bear Paw on September 30, 1877, where he was severely wounded. In 1890, he took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre; he was promoted to major in 1892 and retired in 1893. The Medal of Honor was awarded on November 27, 1894. Moylan's Colt Single Action Army from the Battle of the Little Bighorn was sold at a U.S. auction in 2024 for $150,000. A purchase by U.S. citizens or shipment to the United States is not possible pursuant to 18 U.S. Code § 704.

Condition: I - II Questions about the lot?