Medal of honor belonging to Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain is discovered at church sale | Mail Online
The medal of honor presented to Joshua Chamberlain for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg has been returned to the Civil War General's hometown after being found at a church sale.
The medal, awarded in 1893, three decades after the historic battle, was returned to the Brunswick museum housed in the General's former home by an anonymous person who found it in a book.
Its return is timely, arriving back in Maine in time for the 150th anniversary of the famous civil war battle.
When Pejepscot Historical Society first received an anonymous package containing the medal, staff were skeptical that it was the original, according to the Times Record.
After being examined by experts from the Smithsonian and the Army, it was revealed as the General's medal, which had been presented to him by President Grover Cleveland for 'distinguished gallantry'.
Chamberlain fought in at least 24 battles during the Civil War, was wounded six times and had six horse shot from under him.
He is best remembered for the battle of Little Round Top, on the second day of Gettysburg, when he helped Union forces hold off a rebel attack.
The brass medal may have lost some of its shine, and its ribbons are slightly ragged, but its significance is not lost on the Maine town the General called his home.
'Our gratitude to the donor who discovered this treasure, and knew its importance to us and to the state of Maine, knows no bounds,' Jennifer Blanchard, of the historical society, told CBS News.
After the General's death in 1914, it was passed down through his family, until his granddaughter - and last living relative - Rosamund Allen died in 2000.
Distinguished: General Joshua Chamberlain fought in at least 24 battles and survived being shot six times
Her estate was donated to Duxbury Church, which is how it came to be unwittingly sold in the pages of a book during a sale.
Ms Blanchard said: 'There is photographic evidence that Chamberlain was very proud of the medal, that he wore it quite often.'
It was returned just before the town celebrated its annual Chamberlain day in the summer, but the museum decided to keep its discovery a secret until it had been confirmed as the original medal.
