The Thanks of Congress are a series of formal resolutions passed by the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 originally to extend the government's formal thanks for significant victories or impressive actions by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 military commanders and their troops. Although it began during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, the practice peaked during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. Similarly, the Confederate Congress also passed resolutions honoring extraordinary performance to individuals or military units.

Early years

During the American Revolution, the official Thanks of Congress from the Continental Congress

Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....

 was often accompanied by a specially struck commemorative gold or silver medal. Among the recipients were George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

, Horatio Gates

Horatio Gates

Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...

, John Eager Howard

John Eager Howard

John Eager Howard was an American soldier and politician from Maryland. He was elected as governor of the state in 1789, and served three one-year terms. He also was elected to the Continental Congress, Congress of the United States and the US Senate. He was born in and died in Baltimore County...

, John Stark

John Stark

John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...

, Baron von Steuben

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben , also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, and Henry Lee (See also List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients).

Other recipients in the early years of the United States include all particpants in the Battle of Tippecanoe

Battle of Tippecanoe

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...

 (1811), Alexander Macomb (War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

) (1814), Charles Gratiot

Charles Gratiot

Charles Gratiot, Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the son of Charles Gratiot, Sr., a fur trader in the Illinois country during the American Revolution, and Victoire Chouteau, who was from an important mercantile family. His father became a wealthy merchant during the early years of St....

 in the same war, and Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

 (epilogue to the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

) (1815), William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...

 (1818) and Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...

 (1847).

American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Thanks of Congress were joint resolutions of Congress which were published in the Statutes at Large

Statutes at Large

Statutes at Large is the name given to published collections or series of legislative Acts in a number of jurisdictions:-England and Great Britain:* The Statutes at Large:...

 to honor officers from late 1861 through May 1866 for significant victories or impressive actions. A total of thirty officers were named in these acts during the war, fifteen in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 and fifteen in the Union Navy

Union Navy

The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...

. Two naval officers were immediately promoted after receiving the award, John L. Worden of the and William B. Cushing

William B. Cushing

William Barker Cushing was an officer in the United States Navy, best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle during a daring nighttime raid on October 27, 1864, a feat for which he received the Thanks of Congress.-Early life and career:Cushing was born in Delafield, Wisconsin,...

. Because the Thanks of Congress was only awarded to officers, the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 was created at this time to honor soldiers in the Army, and over 1500 men received the medal by the end of the war. Only one officer, General Ulysses S. Grant, received both the Thanks of Congress and a Congressional Gold Medal during the Civil War.

The first citation during the American Civil War recognized "the gallant and patriotic services of the late Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon

Nathaniel Lyon

Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....

, and the officers and soldiers under his command at the Battle of Wilson's Creek

Battle of Wilson's Creek

The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...

, 10 Aug. 1861." Admiral David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...

 was honored the most, on four separate occasions.

Later honorees included Admiral George Dewey

George Dewey

George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...

 (1898) and Captain Arthur Rostron

Arthur Rostron

Sir Arthur Henry Rostron, KBE, RD, RNR was a Captain for the Cunard Line and was the master of the ocean liner RMS Carpathia when it rescued the survivors of the RMS Titanic which sank on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg.Captain Rostron won wide praise for his energetic efforts to reach the...

 (1914).

Civil War recipients

Recipient	Date of approval	Military action
Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....  and officers and men under his command	December 24, 1861	Wilson's Creek, 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War. It was the first major battle of the war west of the Mississippi River and is sometimes...
Samuel F. Dupont, and officers, petty-officers, seamen, and marines under his command	February 22, 1862	Port Royal, 1861 Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina, on November 7, 1861...
Officers, soldiers, and seamen of the army and navy	February 22, 1862	General award
Andrew H. Foote, and to the officers and men under his command in the Western Flotilla	March 19, 1862	Fort Henry Battle of Fort Henry The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater....  and Fort Donelson, 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11 to February 16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as an avenue for the invasion of the South. The success elevated Brig. Gen. Ulysses S...
David G. Farragut and officers and men under his command	July 11, 1862	Forts Jackson & St. Philip, 1862 Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Navy fleet...
Louis M. Goldsborough Louis M. Goldsborough Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough was a rear admiral in the United States Navy during the Civil War. He held several sea commands during the Civil War, including the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron...  and officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines under his command	July 11, 1862	Roanoake Island, 1862 Battle of Roanoke Island The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the Virginia border...
John L. Worden and crew of the USS Monitor USS Monitor USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...	July 11, 1862	Hampton Roads, 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
Andrew H. Foote	July 19, 1862	Island No. Ten, 1862 Battle of Island Number Ten The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
John L. Worden	February 3, 1863	Hampton Roads, 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
Charles H. Davis Charles Henry Davis Charles Henry Davis was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, serving primarily during the American Civil War, and with the United States Coast Survey.-Early life and career:...	February 7, 1863	Memphis, 1862 Battle of Memphis The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6, 1862, during the American Civil War. The engagement was witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis. It resulted in a crushing defeat for the Rebels, and marked the...
John A. Dahlgren John A. Dahlgren John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...	February 7, 1863	None
Stephen C. Rowan	February 7, 1863	Battle of New Bern Battle of New Bern The Battle of New Bern was fought on 14 March 1862, near the city of New Bern, North Carolina, as part of the Burnside Expedition of the American Civil War. The US Army's Coast Division, led by Brigadier General Ambrose E...
David D. Porter	February 7, 1863	Arkansas Post, 1863
Silas H. Stringham	February 7, 1863	Forts Hatteras and Clark, 1861 Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries The Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, sometimes known as the Battle of Forts Hatteras and Clark, was a small but significant engagement in the early days of the American Civil War. Two Confederate forts on the North Carolina Outer Banks were subjected to an amphibious assault by Union forces that...
William S. Rosecrans, and the officers and men under his command	March 3, 1863	Stones River, 1862–1863 Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America... , and officers and men under his command	December 17, 1863	"The Rebellion American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... "
John Rodgers	December 23, 1863	Battle of Wassaw Sound Battle of Wassaw Sound The Battle of Wassaw Sound was an American Civil War naval battle between the Confederate ram CSS Atlanta and the Passaic-class ironclad monitors USS Weehawken and USS Nahant, which took place on 17 June 1863 in Wassaw Sound, a bay in the present day state of Georgia...
Nathaniel P. Banks and officers and men under his command	January 28, 1864	Port Hudson, 1863 Siege of Port Hudson The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
Ambrose E. Burnside	January 28, 1864	Knoxville, 1863
Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E... , Oliver O. Howard Oliver O. Howard Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War... , George G. Meade, and the Army of the Potomac Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...	January 28, 1864	Gettysburg Campaign, 1863 Gettysburg Campaign The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...	January 28, 1864	None
William T. Sherman, and the officers and soldiers under his command	February 19, 1864	Chattanooga, 1863
Volunteer soldiers who have reenlisted	March 3, 1864	None
Cadwalader Ringgold Cadwalader Ringgold Cadwalader Ringgold was an officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, later headed an expedition to the Northwest and, after initially retiring, returned to service during the Civil War....  and the officers and crew of the USS Sabine USS Sabine Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Sabine, after the Sabine River along the Texas/Louisiana border.* The first was a sailing frigate started in 1822 but not completed until 1855, and in service during the American Civil War....	March 7, 1864	rescue of the USS Governor, 1861 and USS Vermont USS Vermont (1848) USS Vermont was originally intended to be a ship of the line for the U.S. Navy when laid down in 1818, but was not commissioned until 1862, when she was too outdated to be used as anything but a stores and receiving ship.... , 1862
David D. Porter	April 19, 1864	Vicksburg, 1863
Joseph Bailey Joseph Bailey (general) Joseph Bailey was a civil engineer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...	June 4, 1864	Red River Campaign, 1864 Red River Campaign The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
William B. Cushing William B. Cushing William Barker Cushing was an officer in the United States Navy, best known for sinking the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle during a daring nighttime raid on October 27, 1864, a feat for which he received the Thanks of Congress.-Early life and career:Cushing was born in Delafield, Wisconsin,...  and the officers and men who assisted him	December 20, 1864	Sinking of the CSS Albemarle
John A. Winslow and the officers and men under his command on board the USS Kearsarge	December 20, 1864	Sinking the CSS Alabama, 1863
William T. Sherman and officers and soldiers of his command	January 19, 1865	Atlanta Campaign Atlanta Campaign The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...  and March to the Sea, 1864 Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
David D. Porter, and officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines under his command	January 24, 1865	Fort Fisher, 1865 Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a joint assault by Union Army and naval forces against Fort Fisher, outside Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War...
Alfred H. Terry, and the officers and men under his command	January 24, 1865	Fort Fisher, 1865 Second Battle of Fort Fisher The Second Battle of Fort Fisher was a joint assault by Union Army and naval forces against Fort Fisher, outside Wilmington, North Carolina, near the end of the American Civil War...
Philip H. Sheridan	February 9, 1865	Cedar Creek, 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...
George H. Thomas and army under his command	March 3, 1865	Nashville, 1864 Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
David G. Farragut and the officers and men under his command	February 10, 1866	Mobile Bay, 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Federal fleet commanded by Rear Adm. David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Adm...
Winfield S. Hancock	April 21, 1866	Gettysburg, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...