1863 Bronze Medal J-MI-29, Ulysses S. Grant

Coin Details

Auction Record

$660 MS64 08-24-2023 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1863 bronze military medal cataloged as Julian MI-29 honors Ulysses S. Grant for his victories during the Civil War. The medal recognizes Grant's extraordinary record of success in the western theater, including the captures of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862, the victory at Shiloh in April 1862, and the brilliant Vicksburg campaign that secured Union control of the Mississippi River on July 4, 1863. The obverse features Grant's portrait in military dress. The reverse carries commemorative imagery of his military achievements. Congress authorized the gold medal on December 17, 1863, recognizing Grant as the most successful Union commander before his promotion to Lieutenant General and overall command of Union forces in March 1864. Grant's capture of Vicksburg was arguably the most important Union victory of the entire war, splitting the Confederacy along the Mississippi and demonstrating the operational brilliance that would characterize his subsequent campaigns in Virginia against Robert E. Lee. This bronze duplicate was produced at the Philadelphia Mint for public sale, allowing citizens to own a replica of the medal honoring the man who would save the Union and become the eighteenth president.

Rarity Notes

Bronze duplicates produced in moderate quantities. Grant's enormous fame as the premier Union general and later president ensures strong collector demand.

Cross References

Julian MI-29; PCGS #920550