Hispanics in the American Civil War done to organize the Confederate regular army. Amongst the Confederate units, who either had a significant number of Hispanics or were composed entirely of Hispanics were the 5th Regiment (Spanish Regiment) of the "European Brigade", "Cazadores Espanoles Regiment" and the "Louisiana Tigers", all from Louisiana; the "Spanish Guards" and the "55th Infantry" both from Alabama and "Florida's 2nd Infantry". Hispanics held various grades of ranks in the military, the highest being full Admiral of the Union Navy. Three Hispanics were awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration for heroism awarded by the United States. Hispanic women also participated,
Order of Military Merit of the Companions of Artigas March 1985. In 1991, the government of Uruguay established the Medal of Military Merit as the highest military decoration of the Army of Uruguay.<ref name="469/997"></ref> It uses the same ribbon as the Military Order of Merit of the Companions of Artigas. The order was awarded in five different classes: Order of Military Merit of the Companions of Artigas The Military Order of Merit of the Companions of Artigas (Spanish: "El Orden Militar al Mérito Tenientes de Artigas"), was a military decoration of Uruguay. The Military Order of Merit of the Companions of Artigas was established by Law N° 14.955 on