THE OFFICERS OF THE 5TH VOL. AS A device which is attached on the reverse of each wing with TOKEN OF THEIR PERSONAL ESTEEM. The cross is a silver chain attached to the lower portion of the eagle’s suspended by five silver linked-chains with a bar at the left wing. Figure 7 is a period photo of Cobb bottom that is engraved with the words 6TH CORPS and a wearing the gold cross. similar silver bar at the top that is inscribed LIGHT DIV. Sitting above the upper suspension bar is an ornate, silver American eagle with wings spread and with arrows in its right talon and an oak leaf in the left talon (Figure 4).

Figure 7: Colonel Amasa Cobb wearing the gold cross. Colonel Amasa Cobb was born in Crawford County, on September 27, 1823, but moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1842 where he was employed as a lead miner. Figure 5: Engraved inscription on the reverse of the cross. After service as a Private during the Mexican-American War he studied law and then began practice in Mineral The reverse of the pendant is a solid gold cross upon Point, Wisconsin. Cobb served as a from which is engraved in seven lines: WILLIAMSBURGH / 1850 to 1854 and then served in the Wisconsin State MAY 5TH, 1862 / CHICKAHOMINY, TO JAMES RIVER, Senate during 1855 and 1856 and also served concurrently / JUNE AND JULY 1862 / ANTIETAM SEPT. 17TH, 1862 as the Adjutant General of Wisconsin from 1855 to 1858. / FREDERICKSBURG / DEC. 13TH, 1862. (Figure 5). Elected to the State Assembly of Wisconsin in 1860, The reverse of the chain suspension and eagle is blank he was elected speaker the next year. He joined the (Figure 6) and has a rotating brooch with an open locking as a Colonel in the 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and served with that regiment during a number of Civil War campaigns. He and his regiment participated in the with the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps on May 5th, 1862. The regiment, still with the 2nd Division, served with 6th Army Corps during operations at Chickahominy in June 1862, the on September 16 and 17, 1862, and at the from December 12 to 15, 1862. The regiment joined the Light Division of 6th Army Corps in April 1863 but by then Cobb had been elected to the Congress from the 3rd Congressional District of Wisconsin, which he served in that capacity until 1871. On September 29, 1864, although still serving in Congress, Cobb returned to military service in command of the 43rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and served with it in Tennessee until the regiment was mustered out on June 23, 1865. Figure 6: Reverse of the chain suspension and eagle.

Vol. 66, No. 3 (May-June 2015) 41 LIBYA – ORDER OF THE COMPANIONS

OWAIN RAW-REES

The city of Derna, which dates back to antiquity, is on the translates into English as “Order of the Companions - coast of Libya close to the border with Egypt. In 1805, From the Struggling Masses of Derna to the Commander during the First Barbary War, it was the site of the first of the Victory and Challenge” The date 1805 and the overseas victory of the military when a inscription probably symbolizes a struggle against force of United States Marines under ex-Consul William invading forces. The reverse (Figure 2) is blank except Eaton and assorted mercenaries defeated a much larger for the pin-back attachment. Other than the evidence of force and captured the city. President Thomas Jefferson the badge itself no other information about the order has authorized military action to protect merchant ships and been forthcoming. their crews from capture and ransom by the Barbary States of North Africa. This war is commemorated by the Tripoli Monument at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

In 1911 Derna was occupied by Italian forces and was the scene of much conflict during World War II ultimately being captured from the Germans by British forces in December 1942. In more recent years during the Arab Spring and overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011 Derna was controlled by the National Transitional Council. In 2012 power was transferred to the General National Congress but currently the city is under the control of Islamic fundamentalists.

The Order of Companions (Figure 1) is a brass 5.5cm diameter in the form of a ships wheel possibly alluding to the maritime history of the city. The Arabic inscription

Figure 2: The reverse of the Order of the Companions.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derna,_Libya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripoli_Monument_(sculpture)

IN THE NEWS NOBEL PRIZE GOLD MEDAL SELLS FOR $4.1 MILLION

The 1962 Nobel Prize Medal awarded to James D. Watson, one of the three scientists who shared in the award for the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA, sold at Christie’s in Manhattan in December 2014 for $4.1 million. The Russian buyer of the medal, Alisher Usmanov, was later quoted as saying that he would return the medal to Watson.

Figure 1: The obverse of the Order of the From the Tampa Bay Times Companions. Submitted by Peter Hlinka

42 JOMSA SECRETARY’S REPORT February-March

Those listed as new members have applied for 2015 membership in the Orders and Medals Society of America. If no proper written objection to such membership is received from any member in good standing within sixty (60) days of publication, the applicant shall be admitted to membership (Article III, Section 3 of the OMSA Constitution, and Article III, Section 2 of the OMSA By-Laws).

NEW MEMBERS:

#8368 Kevin Sullivan, (Internet), 2228 Westwood Dr., Alexandria, AL 36250 #8369 Dennis Dimengo, (Internet), 13536 Heathrow Lane, Centreville, VA 20120 #8370 Anthony Reed, (Internet), 13404 Essex St., Culpepper, VA 22701 #8371 Malcolm Mason, (Internet), 2811 Capital Circle NE, Tallahassee, FL 32308 #8372 Kristian Stromsnes, (Internet), St. Halvards vei 25B, 5052 Bergen, Norway #8373 Bennett Boccuzzi, (Internet), 11513 Scottsbury Ter., Germantown, MD 20876-6013 #8374 Jon Bozich, (Show of Shows), 17425 Duval Ct., Clinton Township, MI 48038 #8375 Antonio D’Andrea, (Internet), 20716 Rimrock Rd., Monroe, WA 98272 #8376 Kevin Parrish, (Internet), 304 Madison Ave., Apt B, Fort Eustis, VA 23604 #8377 Tim Gushue, (Internet), 8790 Front Rd., Stella ON K0H 2S), Canada #8378 Frank Delgado, (Internet), 6953 Villa Hermosa Dr., El Paso, TX 79912 #8379 J. Timothy Bender, (Internet), 919 Chagrin River Rd., Gates Mills, OH 44040

DECEASED:

George D. Dimacopoulos, #0590, 14, Canaris Street, Athens 106 74, Greece C. Peter Mulder, #2884, Dumasstraat 163, 3076 HJ Rotterdam, Netherlands

ADDRESS CHANGES & CORRECTIONS:

Angurov, Viktor A. #3849, 590 Geraldine Ln., Brownsville, TX 78526-1786 Eisert, Peter, #6932, 6241 Crone Rd., Dover, PA 17315 Lubick, Harold, #7351, P.O. Box 476, Sun Valley, CA 91353 Marculewicz, Robert W., #6335, 202 Brooksby Village Dr., Unit #125, Peabody, MA 01960

End of Report Clyde L. Tinklepaugh, Jr. Secretary

PURCHASE FULL-SIZED OMSA MEDALS FROM THE OMSA AWARDS MANAGER [email protected] AND OMSA MINIATURE MEDALS AND FULL-SIZED MEMBERSHIP BADGE FROM THE OMSA SECRETARY PO BOX 540 CLAYMONT, DE 19703-0540

Vol. 66, No. 3 (May-June 2015) 43