<P> The President of the United States, in the name of the United States Congress, has awarded more than 3500 Medals of Honor including 19 second awards to the nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and coast guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861 . </P> <P> The citations highlighting acts of gallantry that received the Medal of Honor have been and continue to be regularly released by book publishers . After the Second World War both the Army and Navy produced hardbound Medal of Honor compilations . Between 1964 and 1979, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare and later the Committee on Veterans' Affairs produced a number of consolidated compilations of all Medal of Honor citations to date . Additions and changes to the list of recipients of the medal since the 1979 have been regularly published by the Congressional research Service . </P> <P> The first Army Medal of Honor was awarded to Private Jacob Parrott during the American Civil War for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase . The first African American recipient for this award was William Harvey Carney who, despite being shot in the face, shoulders, arms, and legs, refused to let the American flag touch the ground . The only female Medal of Honor recipient is Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon . Her medal was rescinded in 1917 along with many other non-combat awards, but it was restored by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 . </P> <P> While current law, (10 U.S.C. § 6241), beginning in 1918, explicitly states that recipients must be serving in the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of performing a valorous act that warrants the award, exceptions have been made . For example, Charles Lindbergh, while a reserve member of the U.S. Army Air Corps, received his Medal of Honor as a civilian pilot . Although Medals of Honor can only be awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces, being a U.S. citizen is not a prerequisite for eligibility to receive the medal . Sixty - one Canadians who were serving in the United States armed forces have received the Medal of Honor; most received it for actions in the American Civil War . Since 1900, only four have been awarded to Canadians . In the Vietnam War, Peter C. Lemon was the only Canadian born recipient of the Medal of Honor . However, he was a US citizen . </P>

Who won the first congressional medal of honor