This is a really super Army of the Potomac Medal that is inscribed on its back, "Major J. C. Paine, Signal Officer, HeadQuarters, Army Potomac". Signal Corps Artifacts are extremely rare and this would be great item to add to a collection from that organization. Paine first mustered into the 57th New York Infantry as a First Lieutenant in August of 1861. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Signal Corps in March of 1863 and moved up in rank to eventually be Brevetted to Lt. Colonel serving as a commander in Virginia. This man needs further research, which I'll leave to the buyer.