I have been writing about the Osgood-Farley battery at Fort MacArthur near Los Angeles in my World War II blog, "Tattooed On Your Soul." The Osgood part of the name comes from Gen. Henry Brown Osgood, who started his military career as a lieutenant in the 27th Maine Infantry Regiment.
In July 1863, they were nearing the end of their nine-month enlistment and Confederate General Lee was invading in Pennsylvania and threatening Washington, D.C.. Three hundred and twelve of the regiment volunteered to continue serving until the emergency passed and a grateful Congress awarded all of them a Medal of Honor.
In 1916, Congress was tasked with reviewing the Medal of Honor and decided that their awarding to the regiment was not justified and they took them away, including the general's.
I would have to agree with this decision. Volunteering to stay on is not what is needed to get one of the Medals of Honor.
--Old Secesh
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