On Sept. 29, 1864, Private Thomas Belcher of Bangor mustered for a bloody battle alongside his Union infantry comrades on a Virginia field. It was near the end of the Civil War, and members of the Union infantry were advancing against Confederate troops near the city of Richmond. Suddenly a flag-bearing mounted soldier who led the Union charge fell, mortally wounded. Belcher rushed forward and picked up the flag before it hit the ground. He “advanced with it nearer to the battery than any other man,” states an account of Belcher’s valor that accompanied the Medal of Honor he received six months after the battle.

Belcher is one of 54 Mainers to receive the prestigious honor for valor during the Civil War. Their stories are now part of an expanded Internet site managed by the National Park Service.

The site, the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, has a Web address of http://www.civil war.nps.gov. It recognizes among others those Civil War soldiers who fought in the 2nd Regiment, 22nd Regiment and 26th Regiment of the Maine Infantry.

For Maine history buffs, the system is a treasure trove.

For example, it details when the 26th Regiment was organized in Bangor in October 1862. The itinerary: Head to the national capital in Washington, D.C., two weeks later to assist with the defense of the city. The troops then sailed for New Orleans and helped defend the southern flank. After a series of battles – including Irish Bend and Port Hudson – the troops completed their nine-month tour, with a loss of 34 enlisted men to combat and another 131 to disease.

The Web site has just taken another expansion step with the addition of information on 18,000 African-American sailors. The Naval portion of the site is still under construction, with sketchy military records from seafarers less organized than those for the ground troops.

When it’s completed, the details of as many of the 5.4 million Americans who fought on both sides in the Civil War will be unveiled.

The Web site provides original information about individual soldiers like Thomas Belcher, and is extremely user friendly with multiple cross-reference search engines.

Another Medal of Honor recipient, Joshua L. Chamberlain of Brunswick and Brewer has long been recognized in Maine for his Civil War heroism. His Medal of Honor was presented for “daring heroism and great tenacity” at the battle of Gettysburg.

Yet few would know that Lt. Col. Francis Hesseltine of Bangor, another Medal of Honor recipient, led a detachment of 100 men on a reconnaissance mission for two days at Matagorda Bay, Texas, “baffling and beating back an attacking force of more than 1000 Confederate cavalry,” according to a historical account.

Historical information also is provided for Col. Walter G. Morrill of Brownville, a member of Company B, the 20th Maine Infantry. In addition to helping his unit claim a decisive victory at Gettysburg, Morrill, in November 1863, led an assault after dark during the battle at Rappahannock Station, Va., which earned him the Medal of Honor.

Also cited is Lt. Col. Andrew B. Spurling of the Cranberry Isles, who was with the 2nd Maine Cavalry when, in March 1865 when he “advanced alone in the darkness beyond the picket line” in Confederate territory at Evergreen, Ala. He “came upon three of the enemy, fired upon them (his fire being returned), wounded two and captured the whole party” according to the Web site’s historical account.

Officially sanctioned after the Civil War, the Medal of Honor has its roots in the Revolutionary War when Gen. George Washington established an award to honor individual gallantry by the nation’s fighting soldiers.

Today the Medal of Honor is awarded by the president of the United States for those engaged in military action against an enemy of the United States or an opposing foreign force. Service members who “distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty,” are candidates for the award, according to a description published by the Department of Defense.

Nationally 3,400 men and one woman have received the Medal of Honor.

A plaque at the State House in Augusta lists all of Maine’s 75 Medal of Honor recipients including:

. John Bickford of Tremont who was the first loader on the pivot gun aboard the USS Kersage when it sunk the Confederate raider Alabama off Cherbourg, France, on June 19, 1864.

. Air Force Maj. Charles Loring Jr. of Portland, for whom Loring Air Force Base in Limestone was named, who dove his F-80 jet fighter into an enemy gun emplacement near Sniper Ridge in North Korea on Nov. 22, 1952.

. Army Master Sgt. Gary Gordon of Lincoln who became one of the most recent recipients by sacrificing his life while rescuing a downed helicopter crew in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Oct. 3, 1993.

Nine Mainers lost their lives in battle and were awarded the honor posthumously.