St.-George Medals Awarded to Lower Ranks, 1807-1829

(From Spisok kavaleram Imperatorskikh Rossiiskikh ordenov vsekh naimenovanii za 1829. Part. 1. St. Petersburg, printed by the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1830. Pages 91-92.)

ON THE NUMBER OF MEDALS OF THE MILITARY ORDER THAT HAVE BEEN AWARDED
AND THE PEROGATIVES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MEDAL.

In addition to the four classes of the Order of St. George set forth above [for officers], the Blessed Sovereign of recent memory, EMPEROR ALEXANDER PAVLOVICH, issued a manifesto on 13 February 1807 establishing a special medal of the Military Order [znak otlichiya Voennago Ordena] to be awarded to Army and Navy lower ranks who distinguished themselves by exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy during battles or in the defense of fortresses.

This medal consists of a silver cross in the center of which is a circle having an image of St. George on a horse on one side and his monogram on the other. This medal is prescribed to worn on a silk St.-George ribbon [i.e. orange and black - M.C.] in a buttonhole on the coat.

Every man who receives this medal is entitled to a one-third increase in pay, and if a noncommissioned officer or private again distinguishes himself by a courageous deed, he then receives yet another additional one-third to his pay. For several such repeated feats of bravery, he receives a full additional pay issue, which he retains until his death and after his retirement or release from service as an invalid. The monies required for this are disbursed in accordance with directions from the Army and Navy authorities. Each medal has its own unique number.

Since this medal was instituted, it has been awarded to the following numbers of lower ranks:

    For distinction against the French, Turks, and Swedes in 1807, 1808, and 1809 — 10,587 men.

    For distinction in the Turkish war in 1810 — 1511 men, and in 1811 — 771 men.

    For distinction in the continuation of the war against the French in 1812, 1813, and 1814 — 31,404 men.

    For distinction against the Kurds [Kurtintsy], Circassians [Cherkesy], Aksai [Aksaitsy], and other Mountain peoples, 1819 through 1828 — 1226 men.

    For distinction in the Persian war in 1826 and 1827 — 2128 men.

    For distinction in the recent Turkish war in 1828 and 1829 — 9385 men.

Total — 57,012 men.

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Translated by Mark Conrad, 2005.