In April 1862, a group of 22 Union commandos known today as the “Andrews Raiders” made their way behind Confederate lines, stole a train in Georgia, and headed for Chattanooga cutting telegraph lines, tearing up tracks, and burning bridges as they went. The episode became famous as “the Great Locomotive Chase” (read details here).
The raiders were caught and Andrews, another civilian, and 6 Union soldiers were hanged as spies by the Confederates. Eight others escaped and returned to Union lines, while the remaining 6 were released in a prisoner exchange about a year later.
In May 1863 the first Medals of Honor were awarded to 7 of the surviving Andrews Raiders. Eventually all but two of the 20 soldiers who participated in the raid were awarded the medal. President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to those two raiders on July 3, 2024, more than 162 years after the event (read story here).
During the Civil War, this medal was the only valor award that existed, so was more freely distributed than it is today; and some Civil War honorees would receive lesser medals today. Slightly less than half of the total number of Medals of Honor went to Civil War soldiers and sailors, along with one civilian nurse. The Indian Wars also saw a fairly large number of awards.
Back then, the criterion was meritorious service in combat; today’s more stringent criterion is “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” That’s not clearly defined anywhere, but self-sacrifice in combat to save others normally satisfies it; in other cases, you more or less know it when you see it.
By World War 1, the Medal of Honor had become rare; and today, a mass award like the Andrews Raiders would be exceedingly rare. A notable exception is the Medals of Honor conferred on the unknowns of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C., which symbolically apply to all unknowns of the respective wars.
During World War 2, a bomber crew who flew a dangerous mission in the Pacific was awarded two Medals of Honor, with all the other crew members receiving the Distinguished Service Cross, making this the “most highly decorated mission … and aircrew in U.S. history” (details here). However, the Andrews Raid probably will remain the most highly decorated mission in American military history.