Collectors Microscope with Robert House: The West Indies Naval Campaign Medal (Sampson Medal) and its Three Phases of Issue

The Collectors Microscope with Robert House: The West Indies Naval Campaign Medal (Sampson Medal) and its Three Phases of Issue Most award collectors are familiar with the Spanish American War Sampson Medal but may not be aware that it was issued in three distinct phases. The initial award of the Sampson medal was authorized by Congress and in part read “… the Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to cause to be struck bronze medals commemorative of the naval and other engagements in the waters of the West Indies and on the shores of Cuba during the War with Spain, and to distribute the same to the officers and men of the Navy and Marine Corps who participated in any of said engagements deemed by him of sufficient importance to deserve commemoration…” Initially 34 ships and nine engagements were recognized in this initial Phase I distribution. Receipt of these medals began in the summer of 1902. However, many who served in the campaign received no medals. While a few officers petitioned for inclusion of additional ships, the original list would have held had only the regular Navy been involved. However, the USS YANKEE and YOSEMITE had been manned by the naval militias of New York and Michigan and in civilian life these individuals had political clout the Navy could not resist. The matter was reopened in 1905 and the Navy awards board was tasked to come up with a plan to grant medals to all who have been under fire. This new list contained 31 new ships and 38 new engagements. This phase II expansion insured that just about everybody that served in the campaign received a medal. No new engagement bars were to be added to the Phase I medals even though many may have served in Phase II engagements. Phase II medal issues began in 1906. Phase I and II medal formats contained a top bar with the ship’s name, the authorized engagement was listed on the back of the medal. For ships that were authorized multiple engagement bars, a “chain link” was added to suspend the bars. The date of the engagement is stamped on the reverse of the bar. The maximum number of additional engagement bars for any one ship during the phase I and II issue was three.

A third Phase of medal distribution was probably brought on by complaints from Phase I recipients, many of whom felt they deserved additional engagement bars. The Navy reviewed the entire authorization and Special Order 70 of March 14 1908 resulted in changing the format of the medal and re-working many of previously issued medals to accommodate the additional engagement bars authorized. During this re-look, some ships lost engagement bars, some dates were adjusted, three previously unrecognized ships were picked up and one ship, USS WOODBURY, was dropped from the authorization. A total of 68 ships were now authorized a medal with 47 engagements recognized as qualifiers. These changes were based on veteran’s claims and official reports of the engagements. There are some subtle differences in the different phase medals to aid the collector. Phase I and re-worked Phase III issue medals are rim impressed with the recipient’s name and rate/rank. Phase II and newly issued Phase III medals are rim engraved with the recipient’s name. Phase I and II medals with multiple engagement bars use the “chain link” format. Phase III medals have slip on bars with the bottom bar attached to the planchet with a ring. Phase I medals have a pin catch fabricated of simple wire. On Phase II and III medals the catch is flattened and concave. Ribbons are attached to the top bar using machine stitching on Phase I medals and attached using a hand stitch on Phase II/III. Of note, it is believed that a good number of Sampson medals in collections were never issued. Rumor has it that 2,000 Sampson Medals reached the collector market after being sold as scrap. Additionally, not all veterans claimed their medals. The Navy publication “Bluejacket” ran ads in the early 1900s to encourage veterans to claim medals being held by the Bureau of Navigation. The “Sampson Medal” with all its issues and variations make an excellent subject of both the historian and militaria collector. Reference: THE WEST INDIES NAVAL CAMPAIGN OF 1898, THE SAMPSON MEDAL, THE SHIPS AND THE MEN. B. Weaver, A. Gleim, and D. Farek. Arlington, Virginia 1986.