Tiffany & Co. 1898 USN Marksman Medal

[kanemono]

Here is a Tiffany & Co. 1898 named USN Marksman medal. It is part of a Sampson USS Yankee group. I have some of these marksman medals in New York State Militia groups. However I have never seen any marked "USN". Does anyone have any information on this medal?

Dick

[Wharfmaster]

I assume New York Naval Militia. His grave is found on "Find A Grave".

 

I have never seen the USN bar before. Nice !

 

 

W

[cutiger83]

Very nice! Thanks so much for posting pictures.

 

...Kat

[JBFloyd]

It is the Naval Militia's counterpart to the "18-USV-98" bar that went to New York National Guardsmen who qualified after being called into federal service for the Spanish-American War.

[kanemono]

Thank you Jeff for the information. I will post the group when I get the chance to take some photographs,

[mars&thunder]

The real nature of the bar is of "an award in lieu of" decoration. The NY servicemen on duty in either the Army or Navy during the Spanish American War didn't get to fire the NY marksmanship course required to qualify for their NY shooting medal. So the state made a special provision that if you had qualified the year before, or if 1898 was you first year of service and you qualified the next year, NY assumed you would have qualified during your year of service in the Federal forces if you had been able to shoot the NY course. This type of bar, whether the Navy version or the US Vols version, was given to the service member to reflect that assumed qualification (and to do so in such a way that highlighted their Spanish American War service). So you actually got the bar for not qualifying.

[Johnnymac]

Here is another Navy one, but it is not a Tiffany.

 

[Medalman90]

Very Nice! Can't say I have seen many of these named.