The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Lieutenant Franklin George Butterfield, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 4 May 1863, while serving with Company C, 6th Vermont Infantry, in action at Salem Heights, Fredericksburg, Virginia. First Lieutenant Butterfield took command of the skirmish line and covered the movement of his regiment out of a precarious position.