The Sampson Medal is a military decoration

Awards and decorations of the United States military

Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...

 of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 which was first authorized in 1901. The decoration was awarded to those personnel who were assigned in the fleet of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson

William T. Sampson

William Thomas Sampson was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...

 during the Spanish–American War and who engaged in combat operations in the waters of the West Indies and Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

.

Campaign clasps were authorized for wear on the Sampson Medal, showing various battles and the ship name which had participated. When worn as a ribbon on a military uniform, there were no devices authorized.

The Sampson Medal was declared a commemorative medal shortly after its issuance and never appeared on official U.S. Navy award precedence charts. The decoration was nevertheless worn on active duty uniforms, typically following the Spanish Campaign Medal

Spanish Campaign Medal

The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those members of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish-American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish Campaign Medal, one for members of the United...

. The decoration was issued under the same criteria as the West Indies Campaign Medal

West Indies Campaign Medal

The West Indies Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States Navy and Marine Corps which was issued for service in the West Indies campaign theater of the Spanish-American War. The decoration was established on June 27, 1908 and the first recipient of the award was Rear Admiral...

, and U.S. Navy regulations prohibited service members from receiving both medals for the same period of duty.

The Sampson Medal was also known as the West Indies Naval Campaign Medal, not to be confused with the West Indies Campaign Medal

West Indies Campaign Medal

The West Indies Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States Navy and Marine Corps which was issued for service in the West Indies campaign theater of the Spanish-American War. The decoration was established on June 27, 1908 and the first recipient of the award was Rear Admiral...

 which was a separate award. A similar commemorative decoration was the Dewey Medal

Dewey Medal

The Dewey Medal was a military decoration of the United States Navy which was established by the United States Congress on June 3, 1898. The medal recognizes the leadership of Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, during the Spanish-American War, and the sailors and marines under his command.The Dewey...

, considered senior to the Sampson Medal.