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For immediate
release
Contact:
Lynn Smolizer 717-260-1861 Ext. 1108
THE NATIONAL CIVIL WAR MUSEUM TO RECEIVE
MEDALS OF HONOR DONATION
Harrisburg, PA (April 10, 2008) -
The National Civil War Museum announced today
significant donations to its artifact collection.
The
Museum will be accepting the donation of 2 Medals of Honor into its
permanent collections.
The medals were presented to Captain James
D. Vernay for his gallantry in action just prior to the Siege of
Vicksburg.
The first medal is the 1894 version of the
medal and was initially presented to Capt. Vernay on March 22, 1898.
The
second medal is the 1904 version of the medal presented to Capt. Vernay
in 1905.
The Museum will also be accepting a Grand
Army of the Republic (GAR) membership badge, a photo of James D. Vernay
wearing the Medal of Honor and the GAR badge, as well as a photograph of
his wife Mary and several letters from the War Department regarding his
Medal of Honor.
James D. Vernay, born in Lancon, Illinois, was an
acting aide de camp on Union General James McPherson’s staff.
He received the Medal of Honor for his
brave actions on April 22, 1863 as a lieutenant aboard the steamship
Horizon.
Lieutenant Varney volunteered to take
charge of the ship and run past Confederate batteries under heavy fire
at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
His goal was to supply the Union infantry
forces below the city.
General William Tecumseh Sherman stated of
Vernay, “I have seen Capt. Vernay of Gen. McPherson staff, every
where…danger was, and where a willing and cheerful man is appreciated
too.”
Brett Kelley, Curator of Collections, states, “The
National Civil War Museum is extremely pleased to be receiving these
medals and associated items for the collections.
They are great significance to the Museum
because they will be the first Medals of Honor in the permanent
collections.”
The medals, which have been passed down to family
members through the years, have been in the possession of Mrs. Laura M.
Burrows.
Mrs. Burrows is the wife of the late James
C. Burrows, the great grandson of James Vernay.
Ms. Burrows feels it is important for the
medals to be located in an institution that preserves history and will
allow the public a chance to view the medals.
Ms. Burrows is donating the medals in
memory of her late husband, James.
Burrows’ daughter and son-in-law, Sharon
and Bernard Hoogland of Ridgewood, New Jersey, will be transferring the
medals to The National Civil War Museum in a ceremony at the Museum on
Saturday, May 17, 2008.
The ceremony will take place at the Museum
and is free to the public.
Opened
in February 2001, The National Civil War Museum is a non-profit
educational institution dedicated solely to the American Civil War.
It is the largest Civil War museum that addresses the war from both the
Northern and Southern perspective, and from both a military and civilian
perspective.
The Museum protects some of the
nation's treasures, including General Robert E. Lee's personal bible,
and more than 24,000 artifacts, documents and photos, worth an estimated
$20 million.
The Museum is open Monday
through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to
5:00p.m between April 1 and Labor Day.
Admission to the Museum is $8.00 for adults, with reduced rates
for children, seniors and families. For
more information about the ceremony, please call 717.260.1861, or visit
the Museum’s website at www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org.
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