A Civil War medal by Joseph Merriam with amazing Christmas colors

DCW

Here's a new purchase that I bought as a duplicate simply for the amazing colors. ("Christmasy," don't you agree?) I was happy to see the medal look exactly the same in hand.
(1863) Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny medal by Joseph H. Merriam, PCGS SP64

As many know, I specialize in the work of Joseph H. Merriam of Boston. He was the premier medalist and die sinker during the American Civil War and made a very short series of Union generals. Among them were McClellan, Hooker, and Kearny. They're all pretty rare in any composition. Copper examples come along less frequently than ones struck in tin, and of those struck in tin I have seen more than a few which were cast counterfeits!
Philip Kearny was killed at the Battle of Chantilly in 1862, and as this medal does not commemorate his death, it may have been struck prior to 1863. Of note, Merriam got his birthday wrong, which should be June 1, 1815. Ah, and misspelled his name: "Kearny," not "Kearney."
Such were the days before spellcheck!

Thanks for looking.

AlexinPA

Beautiful colors. Congratulations on your pick.

coinsarefun

What a spectacular pickup! Love the colors and very Christmas appropriate.
I’ve not seen nor was aware of this one. Looks like a really nice example.

Zoins

Great medal! I love the Civil War general theme.

Major General Philip Kearny, aka Kearny the Magnificent, seems like an intense person who loved the military.

His Wikipedia page is quite long and detailed. Here are some short excerpts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kearny

Early life and career
Kearny was born in New York City to a wealthy Irish American family. His father and mother were Philip Kearny Sr., and Susan Watts.[1] His maternal grandfather John Watts, the last Royal Recorder of New York City,[2] was one of New York's wealthiest residents, who had vast holdings in ships, mills, factories, banks, and investment houses. Kearny's father was a Harvard-educated, New York City financier who owned his own brokerage firm and was also a founder of the New York Stock Exchange.

Early in life, Kearny desired a career in the military. His parents died when he was young, and he was consequently raised by his grandfather. Against the younger Kearny's wishes, his guardian insisted that Kearny pursue a law career. Kearny attended Columbia College, attaining a law degree in 1833. His cousin John Watts de Peyster, who had also attended Columbia, wrote the first authoritative biography on Kearny.

In 1836, his grandfather died, leaving Kearny a fortune of over $1 million ($27 million in 2019 dollars). He chose to make the army his profession. The following year, Kearny obtained a commission as a second lieutenant of cavalry, assigned to the 1st U.S. Dragoons, who were commanded by his uncle, Colonel Stephen W. Kearny, and whose adjutant general was Jefferson Davis. The regiment was assigned to the western frontier.
[...]
Death
Kearney's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery (April 12, 1912)

Dedicated in 1914, an equestrian statue by Edward Clark Potter marks Kearny's grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

By the end of August 1862, General Kearny led his division at the disastrous Second Battle of Bull Run, which saw the Union Army routed and nearly destroyed by Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The Union army retreated toward Washington and fought with the pursuing Confederate corps under Stonewall Jackson on September 1, 1862, at the Battle of Chantilly. In a violent storm with lightning and pouring rain, Kearny decided to investigate a gap in the Union line. Responding to warnings of a subordinate, he said, "The Rebel bullet that can kill me has not yet been molded." Encountering Confederate troops, Kearny ignored a demand to surrender and, while he tried to escape on horseback, a "half dozen muskets fired" and he was shot with a Minié ball that entered his hip and came out his shoulder, killing him instantly.[5] Confederate Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill, upon hearing the gunfire, ran up to the body of the illustrious soldier with a lantern and exclaimed, "You've killed Phil Kearny, he deserved a better fate than to die in the mud."

Kearny's body was borne to the rear after the Confederates realized that a general officer had been killed. Confederate soldiers quickly proceeded to strip Kearny's body of his coat, boots, pocket watch, papers, and other items of value. However, after it was realized who the deceased was, Robert E. Lee ordered all of his belongings returned over the objections of poorly clad soldiers who protested that a dead man no longer needed a warm coat and boots. Kearny's papers were given to Lee for examination, but they merely consisted of personal letters to his wife and contained no useful military documents; Lee quickly burned them. General Lee sent his body back to Union forces, with a condolence note.

At the time of Kearny's death, there were rumors in Washington that President Abraham Lincoln was contemplating replacing George B. McClellan with "Kearny the Magnificent".

Eldorado9

Love this site because of postings like this. Thanks guys. Beautiful medal!

kaz

That is a beautiful medal, I can see why you had to have it!
Officers getting shot by pickets of the opposing side happened fairly often in the Civil War, I think. Gen MacPherson met a similar fate outside Atlanta. Stonewall Jackson, of course, ran afoul of his own troops.