  Medals, by means of the engraver's art, perpetuate in a durable form and within a small compass which the eye can embrace at a glance, not only the features of eminent persons, but the dates, brief accounts, and representations (direct or emblematical) of events; they rank, therefore, among the most valuable records of the past, especially when they recall men, deeds, or circumstances which have influenced the life of nations. How much light has been furnished for the study of history by the concise and faithful testimony of these silent witnesses! The importance of medals is now universally acknowledged, and in almost every country they are preserved with reverent care, and made the subject of costly publications, illustrated by elaborate engravings, with carefully prepared letter-press descriptions and notes. Up to the present time no thorough work devoted to the medals of the United States of America has been published. When I entered upon the task, several years ago, of investigating their Although our political history measures but a hundred years, it records so many memorable deeds, and the names of so many illustrious citizens, that our medals form, even now, an historically valuable collection, to say nothing of the great artistic merit of some of them. During the War of Independence alone, how many exploits, how many heroes do we find worthy of being thus honored! How numerous would have been our medals if Congress had not been imbued with the conviction that only the very highest achievements are entitled to such a distinction, and that the value of a reward is enhanced by its rarity! In voting those struck after the War of 1812-'15 with Great Britain, and after that of 1846-'47 with Mexico, the same discretion was shown. There was still greater necessity for reserve during the late Civil War, and only two were presented during that painful period: one to Ulysses S. Grant, then a major-general, for victories, and another to Cornelius Vanderbilt, in acknowledgment of his free gift of the steamship which bore his name. Similar national rewards have been earned also by deeds which interest humanity, science, or commerce; as, for instance, the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable, the expedition of Doctor Kane to the Arctic Seas, and the beneficence of George Peabody. If to these are added the Indian As neither titles of nobility nor orders of knighthood exist in our country, Congress can bestow no higher distinction on an American citizen than to offer him the thanks of the nation, and to order that a medal be struck in his honor. I cannot do better than to quote here the words of General Winfield Scott, when he received from President Monroe the medal voted to him for the battles of Chippewa and Niagara: "With a deep sense of the additional obligation now contracted, I accept at the hands of the venerable Chief Magistrate of the Union the classic token of the highest reward a free man can receive: the recorded approbation of his country." Our medals number eighty-six in all, most of which were struck by order of Congress in honor of citizens of the United States. Seventeen belong to the period of the Revolution, twenty-seven to the War of 1812-'15, four to the Mexican War, and two to the Civil War. Only five were voted to foreigners: one, in 1779, to Lieutenant-Colonel de Fleury, a French gentleman in the Continental Army, for gallant conduct at Stony Point; another, in 1858, to Dr. Frederick Rose, an assistant-surgeon in the British Navy for kindness and humanity to sick seamen on one of our men-of-war; and the others, in 1866, to three foreign merchant captains, Messrs. Creighton, Low, and Stouffer, who, in December, 1853, went to the aid of the steamer Seven of the eighty-six medals do not owe their origin to a congressional vote: two which were struck in the United Netherlands (1782), one to commemorate their acknowledgment of the United States of America, and the other the treaty of amity and commerce between the two countries; that known as Libertas Americana (1783); the two in honor of Franklin (1784-1786); the Diplomatic medal (1790); and lastly that struck in memory of the conclusion of the treaty of commerce between the United States and France (1822). Although these cannot properly be classed as official medals, their historic importance and value as works of art entitle them to a place in our national collection. Nearly all of the early medals were executed by French engravers, whose names alone are a warrant for the artistic merit of their work. We are indebted to Augustin DuprÉ, who has been called the "great DuprÉ" for the Daniel Morgan, the Nathaniel Greene, the John Paul Jones, the Libertas Americana, the two Franklin, and the Diplomatic medals; to Pierre Simon Duvivier for those of George Washington, de Fleury, William Augustine Washington, and John Eager Howard; to Nicolas Marie Gatteaux for those of Horatio Gates, Anthony Wayne, and John Stewart; and to Bertrand Andrieu and Raymond Gayrard for the one in commemoration of the signature of the treaty of commerce between France and the United States. Congress had not yet proclaimed the independence of the thirteen United Colonies when, on March 25, 1776, it ordered To His Excellency Sir: Agreeably to the order of Congress, I have employed one of the best artists here in cutting the dies for the medal intended for M. de Fleury. The price of such work is beyond my expectation, being a thousand livres for each die. I shall try if it is not possible to have the others done cheaper. With great respect I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, B. Franklin. This medal was shown in the exhibition of the Royal Academy in Paris in 1781. The Libertas Americana piece was struck in 1783. Six of the earliest of the series were designed under the supervision of Colonel David Humphreys, namely, those for Generals Washington, Gates, Greene, and Morgan, and Lieutenant-Colonels Washington and Howard. To insure a due observance of the laws of numismatics, and that they might bear comparison with the best specimens of modern times, Colonel Humphreys asked the aid of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres in To His Excellency Sir: Before I left America, I made application to the Superintendent of Finances for the sword which Congress had been pleased to order, by their resolution of the 17th of November, 1781, to be presented to me, in consequence of which Mr. Morris informed me verbally that he would take the necessary arrangements for procuring all the honourary presents which had been directed to be given to different officers during the late war, and requested that I would undertake to have them executed in Europe. Some time after my arrival here, I received the inclosed letter Upon the receipt of these documents I did not delay to make the proper inquiries from the characters who were the best skilled in subjects of this nature, and after having spoken to some of the first artists, I was advised to apply to the AbbÉ BarthÉlÉmy, member of the academies of London, Madrid, Cortona, and Hesse-Cassel, and actual keeper of the King's Cabinet of Medals and Antiquities, at whose instance I wrote a letter to the Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, of which a copy is inclosed. Being informed at the same time that the description of medals for General Morgan, etc., was not in the style and manner such medals were usually executed, I took the liberty of suspending the execution of them, until I could learn whether it is the pleasure of Congress to have them performed exactly in the manner prescribed—which shall be done accordingly, in case I should not be honoured with further instructions on the subject before their approaching recess. The medals voted for the capture of Stony Point have been, or I believe may be, all struck from the die originally engraved to furnish one of them for Colonel de Fleury. As to the swords in question, it is proposed to have them all constructed in precisely the same fashion, the hilt to be of silver, round which a foliage of I have the honour to be, with the most perfect respect, P.S. I forgot to mention that, in order to have the medals for General Morgan, etc., executed in the manner originally proposed, it will be necessary for me to have more particular information of the numbers on both sides, of the killed, wounded, prisoners, trophies, etc., which the enemy lost in the action of the Cowpens. The following is the letter to the Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, referred to by Colonel Humphreys in the above: Paris, March 14, 1785. Sir: Having it in charge to procure the honourary presents which (during the late war) have been voted by Congress to several meritorious officers in their service, particularly three medals in gold, one for General Washington, another for General Gates, and a third for General Greene; and, being extremely desirous that these medals should be executed in a manner grateful to the illustrious personages for whom they are designed, worthy the dignity of the sovereign power by whom they are presented, and calculated to perpetuate the remembrance of those great events which they are intended to consecrate to immortality, I therefore take the liberty to address, through you, Sir, the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, on the subject, and entreat that this learned body will be pleased to honour me, In addressing so respectable an assembly of literati I do not think myself permitted to enlarge on the importance of this subject, because they must know, much better than I can inform them, in how great a degree such monuments of public gratitude are calculated to produce a laudable emulation, a genuine love of liberty, and all the virtues of real patriotism, not only among the innumerable generations who are yet to people the wastes of America, but on the human character in general. Nor do I make those apologies for the trouble I am now giving, which would be requisite, did I not feel a conviction that whatever is interesting to the national glory of America, to the good of posterity, or to the happiness of the human race, cannot be indifferent to a society composed of the most enlightened and liberal characters in Europe, fostered by the royal protection of a monarch whose name will forever be as dear to the United States as it will be glorious in the annals of mankind. Being so unfortunate as not to be able to write myself in French, my intimate friend and brave companion in arms, M. le marquis de la Fayette, has had the goodness to make a translation of this letter into that language, which I inclose herewith. I have the honour to be, with the most perfect respect, Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, A letter written by Franklin, about the same time, to John Jay, then Secretary for Foreign Affairs, is of much interest in this connection: To the Honourable P.S. The striking of the medals being now in agitation here, I send the inclosed for consideration. A The forming of dies in steel to strike medals or money, is generally with the intention of making a great number of the same form. The engraving those dies in steel is, from the hardness of the substance, very difficult and expensive, but, once engraved, the great number to be easily produced afterward by stamping justifies the expense, it being but small when divided among a number. Where only one medal of a kind is wanted, it seems an unthrifty way to form dies for it in steel to strike the two sides of it, the whole expense of the dies resting on that medal. It was by this means that the medal voted by Congress for M. de Fleury cost one hundred guineas, when an engraving of the same figures and inscriptions might have been beautifully done on a plate of silver of the same size for two guineas. The ancients, when they ordained a medal to record the memory of any laudable action, and do honour to the performer of that action, struck a vast number and used them as money. By this means the honour was extended through their own and neighbouring nations, every man who received or paid a piece of such money was reminded of the virtuous action, the person who performed it, and the reward attending it, and the number gave such security to this kind of monuments against perishing and being forgotten, that some of each of them exist to this day, though more than two thousand years old, and, being now copied in books by the arts of engraving and painting, are not only exceedingly multiplied but likely to remain some thousands of years longer. The man who is honoured only by a single medal is obliged to show it to enjoy the honour, which can be done only to a few and often awkwardly. I therefore wish the medals of Congress were ordered to be money, and so continued as to be convenient money, by being in value aliquot parts of a dollar. Copper coins are wanting in America for small change. We have none but those of the King of England. After one silver or gold medal is struck from the dies, for the person to be honoured, they may be usefully employed in striking copper money, or in some cases small silver. The nominal value of the pieces might be a little more than the real, to prevent their being melted down, but not so much more as to be an encouragement of counterfeiting. I am, etc., The Through the courtesy of M. Narcisse DuprÉ, son of Augustin DuprÉ, I am enabled to give the contract between his father and Colonel Humphreys for the engraving of the medal for General Greene: I, the undersigned, Augustin DuprÉ, engraver of medals and medallist of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, bind myself to Colonel Humphreys to engrave the medal representing the portrait of General Greene. On the reverse, Victory treading under her feet broken arms, with the legend and the exergue, and I hold myself responsible for any breakage of the dies up to twenty-four medals, and bind myself to furnish one at my own expense (the diameter of the medal to be twenty-four lignes). All on the following conditions: That for the two engraved dies of the said medal shall be paid me the sum of two thousand four hundred livres, on delivery of the two dies after the twenty-four medals which the Colonel desires have been struck. Done in duplicate between us, in Paris, this nineteenth of November, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five (1785). On November 25th of the same year, M. Dacier, the perpetual secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, communicated another letter from Colonel Humphreys, in which he requested the Academy to compose designs for three more medals, which had been voted to General Colonel Humphreys having returned to America before the medals were finished, their superintendence was undertaken by Mr. Jefferson, as will be seen from the following letter: To the Honourable Sir: Mr. Morris, during his office, being authorized to have the medals and swords executed, which had been ordered by Congress, he authorized Colonel Humphreys to take measures here for the execution. Colonel Humphreys did so, and the swords were finished in time for him to carry them. The medals not being finished, he desired me to attend to them. The workman who was to make that of General Greene brought me yesterday the medal in gold, twenty-three in copper, and the die. Mr. Short, during my absence, will avail himself of the first occasion which shall offer of forwarding the medals to you. I must beg leave, through you, to ask the pleasure of Congress as to the number they would choose to have struck. Perhaps they might be willing to deposit one of each person in every college of the United States. Perhaps they might choose to give a series of them to each of the crowned heads of Europe, which would be an acceptable present to them. They will be pleased to decide. In the meantime I have sealed up the die, and shall retain it till I am honoured with their orders as to this medal, and the others also, when they shall be finished. With great respect and esteem, In another letter to Mr. Jay, dated Marseilles, May 4, 1787, Mr. Jefferson again refers to this subject: I am in hopes Mr. Short will be able to send you the medals of General Gates by this packet. I await a general instruction as to these medals. The academies of Europe will be much pleased to receive a set. Mr. Office for Foreign Affairs, The Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred a letter from the Honourable Mr. Jefferson of the 14th of February last, Reports, Your secretary presumes that the following paragraphs in this letter occasion its being referred to him, viz.: "The workman who was to make a medal of General Greene brought me yesterday the medal in gold, twenty-three in copper, and the die. I must beg leave, through you, to ask the pleasure of Congress as to the number they would choose to have struck. Perhaps they might be willing to deposit one of each person in every college of the United States. Perhaps they might choose to give a series of them to each of the crowned heads of Europe, which would be an acceptable present to them. They will be pleased to decide. In the meantime I have sealed up the die, and shall retain it till I am honoured with their orders as to this medal, and the others also, when they shall be finished." As these medals were directed to be struck in order to signalize and commemorate certain interesting events and conspicuous characters, the distribution of them should in his opinion be such as may best conduce to that end. He therefore thinks that both of Mr. Jefferson's hints should be improved, to wit, that a series of these medals should be presented to each of the crowned heads in Europe, and that one of each set be deposited in each of the American colleges. He presumes that Mr. Jefferson does not mean that any should be presented to the King of Great Britain, for it would not be delicate; nor that by crowned heads he meant to exclude free states from the compliment, for to make discriminations would give offense. In the judgment of your secretary it would be proper to instruct Mr. Jefferson to present in the name of the United States one silver medal of each denomination to every monarch (except His Britannic Majesty), and to every sovereign and independent state without exception in Europe; and also to the Emperor of Morocco. That he also be instructed to send fifteen silver medals of each set to Congress, to be by them presented to the thirteen Your secretary thinks that of these it would be proper to present one to each of the American colleges, one to the Marquis de la Fayette, and one to each of the other major-generals who served in the late American army; and that the residue with the dies be deposited in the Secretary's Office of the United States, subject to such future orders as Congress may think proper to make respecting them. It might be more magnificent to give gold medals to sovereigns, silver ones to distinguished persons, and copper ones to the colleges; but, in his opinion, the nature of the American Governments, as well as the state of their finance, will apologize for their declining the expense. All which is submitted to the wisdom of Congress. The records of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres show that in 1789, at the request of Mr. Jefferson, it also composed designs for the medals awarded by Congress to General Wayne, Major Stewart, and Captain John Paul Jones. To Mr. Jefferson having received orders concerning medals to be struck would like to talk about them with M. DuprÉ, if he will please do him the honour to call on him to-morrow morning before eleven o'clock. Saturday, January 3, 1789. In To Mr. Jefferson has the honour to send to M. DuprÉ the devices for the medals for General Morgan and Rear-Admiral Paul Jones, which he has just received from the Academy of Belles-Lettres, and the making of which he proposes to M. DuprÉ, the latter to be responsible for the success of the dies up to the striking of three hundred and fifty of each medal in gold, silver, or bronze, and to furnish proofs in tin at the end of the month of March next, so that the medals may all be struck before the 15th of April. He begs him to kindly mention the conditions on which he will undertake them, and Mr. Jefferson will have the honour to reply on receipt of them. February 13, 1789. Medal for General Morgan, of twenty-four lignes in diameter. The general, at the head of his army, charges the enemy, which takes to flight. Legend: victoria libertatis vindex. Exergue: fugatis captis aut cÆsis ad cowpens hostibus 17 Jan. 1781. Reverse: America, recognizable by her shield, rests her left hand upon a trophy of arms and of flags, and with her right crowns the general, who bends before her. Legend: danieli morgan duci exercitus. Exergue: comitia americana. Medal Device: His head (M. Houdon will furnish the bust in plaster). Legend: joanni paulo jones classis prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia americana. Reverse: Naval Engagement. Legend: hostium navibus captis aut fugatis. Exergue: ad oram scotiÆ 23 sept. 1779. The following, from the same to the same, bearing date February 15, 1789, throws some light on the prices of the medals engraved by M. DuprÉ: To Mr. Jefferson has the honour to observe to M. DuprÉ that he pays only twenty-four hundred livres to M. Duvivier or to M. Gatteaux for medals which measure twenty-four lignes, that he paid the same sum to M. DuprÉ himself for that of General Greene, and that recently M. DuprÉ asked no higher price for that of General Morgan. Mr. Jefferson cannot, therefore, consent to give more. For that sum he would expect to have the best work of M. DuprÉ and not that of inferior artists. As regards time, perhaps it may be possible to prolong it somewhat in regard to the medal for Admiral Paul Jones, that officer being at present in Europe. Mr. Jefferson will have the honour to await M. DuprÉ's answer, and will be happy to conclude this arrangement with him. February 15, 1789. It is to be supposed that DuprÉ accepted these conditions, since he is the engraver of the John Paul Jones medal, one of the finest specimens in our collection. The Daniel Morgan piece is no less remarkable as an effort of numismatic skill. The fight at the Cowpens, on the reverse, is a striking example of the boldness with which DuprÉ I cannot do better than to give the opinion, concerning this and the other of DuprÉ's American medals, of M. Charles Blanc, The Morgan medal, says this eminent French critic, seems to vibrate beneath the rush of cavalry and the tread of infantry flying in the background, indicated by the almost imperceptible lines of the metal where the smoke of the cannonade is vanishing away in air. In the Libertas Americana medal, which recalls, if we except the evacuation of Boston, the two most memorable events of the War of Independence, namely, the capitulation of General Burgoyne, at Saratoga, in October, 1777, and that of General Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown, in October, 1781, DuprÉ has represented the new-born Liberty, sprung from the prairies without ancestry and without rulers, as a youthful virgin, with disheveled hair and dauntless aspect, bearing across her shoulder a pike, surmounted by the Phrygian cap. This great artist, in consequence of his intimacy with Franklin, had conceived the greatest enthusiasm for the cause of the United States. Franklin resided at Passy, and DuprÉ at Auteuil. As they both went to Paris every day, they met and made acquaintance on the road—an acquaintance which soon ripened into friendship. DuprÉ first engraved Franklin's seal with the motto, "In simplici salus," The four pieces executed by Duvivier are no less remarkable for beauty and excellence of workmanship. They all figured at the exhibitions of the members of the Royal Academy of Paris, that of the Chevalier de Fleury, as mentioned before, in the exhibition of 1781, and those of General and of Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, and of Lieutenant-Colonel Howard, in that of 1789. In those by Gatteaux, the personification of America as an Indian queen with an alligator at her feet is noteworthy. With the exception of the Treaty of Commerce medal (1822), and perhaps of that of Captain Truxtun, our medals after the War of Independence were engraved and struck at home. Before that time, indeed, the one voted in 1779 to Major Henry Lee had been made by John Wright, of Philadelphia. From the close of the eighteenth century down But little can be said in commendation of the works of FÜrst, whose numerous medals are very inferior to Reich's, and still less worthy of being compared with those of the French engravers. While wishing to avoid undue severity, I cannot but endorse the opinion of General Scott, given in a communication addressed to the Honorable William L. Marcy, Secretary of War, in regard to the medal voted to General Zachary Taylor, for victories on the Rio Grande: To the Honourable As medals are among the surest monuments of history, as well as muniments of individual distinction, there should be given to them, besides intrinsic value and durability of material, the utmost grace of design, with the highest finish in mechanical execution. All this is necessary to give the greater or adventitious value; as in the present instance, the medal is to be, at once, an historical record and a reward of distinguished merit. The credit of the donor thus becomes even more than that of the receiver interested in obtaining a perfect specimen in the fine arts. The within resolution prescribes gold as the material of the medal. The general form (circular) may be considered as equally settled by our own practice, and that of most nations, ancient and modern. There is, however, some little diversity in diameter and thickness in the medals heretofore ordered The specific character of the medal is shown by its two faces, or the face and the reverse. The within resolution directs appropriate devices and inscriptions thereon. For the face, a bust likeness is needed, to give, with the name and the rank of the donee, individuality. To obtain the likeness, a first-rate miniature painter should, of course, be employed. The reverse receives the device, appropriate to the events commemorated. To obtain this, it is suggested that the resolutions and despatches, belonging to the subject, be transmitted to a master in the art of design—say Prof. Weir, at West Point—for a drawing—including, if practicable, this inscription: Palo Alto; A third artist—all to be well paid—is next to be employed—a die-sinker. The mint of the United States will do the coinage. Copies, in cheaper metal, of all our gold medals, should be given to the libraries of the Federal and State Governments, to those of the colleges, etc. The medals voted by the Revolutionary Congress were executed—designs and dies—under the superintendence of Mr. Jefferson, All which is respectfully submitted to the Secretary of War. Whatever The Indian medals, with the exception of that of President Jefferson and a few others, which are very fine, possess only an historic value. These pieces owe their origin to the custom, in the colonial times, of distributing to the chiefs of Indian tribes, with whom treaties were concluded, medals bearing on the obverse the effigy of the reigning British sovereign, and on the reverse friendly legends and emblems of peace. Mr. Kean, member of the Continental Congress from South Carolina, on April 20, 1786, moved: "That the Board of Treasury ascertain the number and value of the medals received by the commissioners appointed to treat with the Indians, from said Indians, and have an equal number, with the arms of the United States, made of silver, and returned to the chiefs from whom they were received." The result was the Indian series, which bear on their obverses the busts of the respective Presidents under whom they were issued I have called in question the discernment of some of the Federal administrations in their choice of engravers; unfortunately, I have also to draw attention to an unaccountable delay in the execution of one of the medals. It seems scarcely credible that the one voted in 1857 to Dr. Elisha Kent Kane for his discoveries in the Arctic Seas has not yet been struck. Elder, in his "Life of E. K. Kane" (page 228), says: "Congress having failed at its first session after his (Kane's) return to appropriate, by a national recognition, the honors he had won for his country, had no other opportunity for repairing the neglect till after his death; then a gold medal was ordered, of which, I believe, nothing has been heard since the passage of the resolution." To complete my undertaking, it was necessary not only to study the composition and history of all our national medals, but also to have plates of them engraved, which could only be done from the originals or copies, or, as a last resort, from casts. My first step was to apply to the Mint in Philadelphia for bronze copies of all the medals. In 1855 the director of that establishment had been authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury, to strike from the original dies, copies of the medals for sale, as is the custom at the Paris Mint. But when he sought to avail himself of this authorization, it was discovered that many of the dies were missing. It was thought probable that those of the But the Paris Mint possessed only the dies of the two Washington, of the Howard, and of the John Paul Jones medals; moreover, the rules of that establishment did not permit them to be given up. Bronze copies of the four were obtained, however, and from them Messrs. George Eckfeldt and R. Jefferson of the Philadelphia Mint cut new dies. In Washington, in January, 1872, I was informed by Mr. Spofford, of the Library of Congress, that after the fire which destroyed a portion of that library, December 24, 1851, the bronze copies of the medals formerly deposited there had been transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. At the latter place I was shown the remains of the collection, all more or less injured by fire. Moreover, the five wanted were not to be found; and further investigations made in December, 1877, in the Philadelphia Mint, showed that four of the dies, namely, those of Generals Greene and Wayne, and of Lieutenant-Colonel de Fleury and Major Stewart, are still missing from that establishment. During the year 1872, I obtained permission from the Honorable Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State, to examine in In 1790, President Washington ordered two Diplomatic medals to be struck and presented, one to the Marquis de la Luzerne, French Minister to the United States, and the other to his successor, the Count de Moustier. In Paris, in 1874, I made application to the present heads of those families, the Count de Vibray About this time, Mr. Charles I. Bushnell, of New York city, kindly sent me plaster casts of an obverse and of a reverse, in which I at once recognized the Diplomatic medal, but neither bore the signature of DuprÉ. Nevertheless, I had a plate engraved from them, hoping by its aid to find the original. I In 1876 I showed to M. Augustin Dumont, the celebrated sculptor, While in Washington, in February, 1872, I was fortunate enough to find, in the office of Rear-Admiral Joseph Smith, then chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, in the Navy Department, where they were used as paperweights, the original dies of the medal voted to Commodore Edward Preble for his naval operations against Tripoli. I immediately brought this to the notice of the chief clerks of I have found it impossible to obtain any trustworthy information respecting the designer and the engraver of the medal, voted on March 29, 1800, in honor of Captain Thomas Truxtun. As there were no competent medallists in the United States at the period, and as we were then at war with France, it is presumable that the dies were made in England. If so, they were probably cut at the private mint of Matthew Boulton, of Birmingham, who furnished the United States Government for a long time with planchets for its copper coinage. The work now offered to the public consists of two volumes: Volume I., Text; Volume II., Plates. The text is subdivided into eighty-six sections, corresponding to the number of the medals, in each of which is included, besides the descriptive matter, all the documents that could be obtained relating to the respective piece, and arranged according to the following plan: 1. The number of the medal, its date, and its number in the book of plates. The medals are arranged chronologically: those voted by Congress according to the dates of the several resolutions or acts awarding them, and not in the order of the events which they commemorate; the unofficial ones in the order of events which they commemorate; and 2. The descriptive titles of each medal, in the following order: 1st, the legends of the obverse and of the reverse; 2d, the name of the person honored, or of the title by which the piece is known; 3d, the event commemorated. 3. A description of the medal, beginning with the obverse: 1st, the whole legend; 2d, the description of the emblems and devices; 3d, the legend of the exergue; 4th, the names of the designer and of the engraver. The same order has been followed for the reverse. The legends are copied exactly from the medals, and when in Latin, translated; the abbreviations are explained, and are, like the translations, placed between parentheses. The words, "facing the right" and "facing the left" mean the right or the left of the person looking at the piece. 4. A short biographical sketch of the designers and of the engravers. 5. A short biographical sketch of the person in whose honor the medal was struck, or of the President of the United States, in case of the Indian peace tokens. 6. Original documents, such as Resolutions or Acts of Congress, the official reports of the events commemorated, and letters of interest. The original documents have been given in the belief that the reader would prefer them to a mere recital of the events of which they treat. Many of these are now printed for the first time. It is interesting to note that Mr. Jefferson, as early as 1789, entertained the idea of publishing an account of all the To Mr. Jefferson is going to have a description of all the medals printed, in order to send them, with copies of the medals, to the sovereigns of Europe. The one of Mr. Franklin, made by M. DuprÉ, is wanting; he begs you to lend him a copy, and to communicate to him the description also, if any has been made, as is probable. February 23, 1789 No mention is made of the size of the medals, as the plates show their exact dimensions. Being desirous that the execution of the engravings should be as perfect as possible, I invited M. Jules Jacquemart, of Paris, to undertake the whole of them. M. Jacquemart needs no praise. All amateurs know his etchings from Van der Meer, Franz Hals, Rembrandt, etc., and his plates for the "History of Porcelain," by M. Albert Jacquemart, his father, for the "Gems and Jewels of the Crown," published by M. Barbet de Jouy, and for the "Collection of Arms" of Count de Nieuwerkerke. The American public has had, moreover, an opportunity of admiring the works of this eminent artist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city. His collaboration adds great value to the artistic portion of this work. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THE INTRODUCTION. AMount Vernon, November, 1787. Sir: I understand that a part, if not all, of the medals which, in the course of the late war, were voted by Congress to officers of distinguished merit, and for the execution of which I contracted with artists at Paris, have lately arrived in America. But, not having seen any account published of the devices and inscriptions, I presume it will not be ungrateful to the public to receive some authentic information respecting these memorials of national glory. However superfluous the publication of the correspondence In our free republics certainly nothing should be suppressed that can tend to awaken a noble spirit of emulation, to cherish the fine feelings of patriotism, to exhibit alluring examples for imitation, or to extend and perpetuate the remembrance of those heroic achievements which have ennobled the era of the American Revolution. Few inventions could be more happily calculated to diffuse the knowledge and preserve the memory of illustrious characters and splendid events than medals—whether we take into consideration the imperishable nature of the substance whence they are formed, the facility of multiplying copies, or the practice of depositing them in the cabinets of the curious. Perhaps one improvement might be made. The sage and venerable Dr. Franklin, whose patriotic genius is active in old age, and ever prolific in projects of public utility, once suggested, Under I am, Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, Devices and Inscriptions of American Medals. The gold medal for General Washington represents the head of His Excellency, with this legend: georgio washington supremo duci exercituum, adsertori libertatis, comitia americana. On the reverse: The Evacuation of Boston. The American army advances in good order toward the town, which is seen at a distance, while the British army flies with precipitation toward the strand, to embark on board the vessels with which the roads are covered. In the front of the picture, on the side of the American army, General Washington appears on horseback, amid a group of officers, to whom he seems to be pointing out the retreat of the enemy. Legend: hostibus primo fugatis. On the Exergue: bostonium recuperatum, die 17 martii, mdcclxxvi. The gold medal for General Gates represents the head of that general, with this legend: horatio gates, duci strenuo, comitia americana. On the reverse: The enemy's general, at the head of his army, who are grounding their arms, presents his sword to the American general, whose troops stand with shouldered arms. Legend: salus regionum septentrionalium. On the Exergue: hoste ad saratogam in deditionem accepto, die 17 octobris, mdcclxxvii. The gold medal of General Greene represents the head of that general, with this legend: nathanieli green, egregio duci, comitia americana. On the reverse: A Victory treading under feet broken arms. Legend: salus regionum australium. On the Exergue: hostibus apud eutaw debellatis, die 8 septembris, mdcclxxxi. The medal in gold for General Morgan, and those in silver for Colonels Howard and Washington, were to be indicative of the several circumstances which attended the victory at the Cowpens on the 17th of January, 1781, in conformity to a special resolution of Congress. It may not be foreign to the purpose to add that dies have formerly been engraved under the direction of Dr. Franklin, These are all the medals voted by Congress in the course of the war. B Registre des AssemblÉes et DÉlibÉrations de l'AcadÉmie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres pendant l'annÉe 1785.Vendredi 8 avril 1785. Monsieur le secrÉtaire a fait part d'une lettre de Monsieur Humphreys, ancien colonel au service des États-Unis, par laquelle il demande trois mÉdailles pour Messieurs Washington, le gÉnÉral Gates et le gÉnÉral Green. Il envoie en mÊme temps des renseignements sur les actions de ces trois personnes. L'acadÉmie a remis À huitaine pour s'occuper de ces trois mÉdailles. Mardi 19 avril 1785. AprÈs ces diffÉrents arrangements, on s'est occupÉ des mÉdailles demandÉes par le CongrÈs d'AmÉrique, et l'on a invitÉ messieurs les acadÉmiciens À apporter des projets pour ces mÉdailles, À la premiÈre sÉance, dans laquelle on est convenu de nommer des commissaires pour rÉdiger ces mÉdailles. Vendredi 22 avril 1785. Monsieur Dacier a fait ensuite la lecture des projets des trois mÉdailles pour les trois officiers gÉnÉraux amÉricains; aprÈs les avoir bien discutÉs, on a nommÉ, pour les terminer, Messieurs BarthÉlÉmy, Dupuy, Brotier et Le Blond. Mardi 26 avril 1785. Monsieur Dacier, le secrÉtaire perpÉtuel, lut ensuite les sujets de mÉdailles demandÉes par le CongrÈs pour trois officiers gÉnÉraux. Pour Monsieur Washington. D'un cÔtÉ sa tÊte. LÉgende: georgio washington supremo duci exercituum adsertori libertatis. Exergue: comitia americana. Revers: La prise de Boston, l'armÉe anglaise fuyant vers le rivage pour s'embarquer, etc. LÉgende: hostibus ou anglis primum fugatis. Exergue: bostonium recuperatum die 17 martii anno 1776. Pour Monsieur Gates. D'un cÔtÉ sa tÊte. LÉgende: horatio gates duci provido comitia americana. Revers: Le gÉnÉral ennemi, À la tÊte de son armÉe, prÉsente son ÉpÉe au gÉnÉral Gates, À la tÊte de l'armÉe amÉricaine. LÉgende: Exergue: hoste ad saratogam in deditionem accepto die 17 8{bris} 1777. Pour Monsieur Green. D'un cÔtÉ sa tÊte. LÉgende: nathanieli green egregio duci comitia americana. Revers: La Victoire foulant aux pieds des armes brisÉes. LÉgende: salus provinciarum australium. Exergue: hostibus ad eutaw debellatis die ... 1781. Vendredi 13 mai 1785. D'aprÈs des observations des commissaires, on a cru devoir changer, dans les deux mÉdailles du gÉnÉral Gates et du gÉnÉral Green, le mot Provinciarum en celui de Regionum. Et dans les mÉdailles de Gates, du cÔtÉ de la tÊte, au lieu de Duci provido on a mis Duci strenuo. Vendredi 25 novembre 1785. Monsieur le secrÉtaire a fait encore la lecture d'une lettre du colonel Humphreys, secrÉtaire d'ambassade de l'AmÉrique, par laquelle il prie l'acadÉmie, au nom du CongrÈs, de faire trois mÉdailles votÉes par le mÊme CongrÈs; l'une pour le gÉnÉral Morgan, la seconde pour le colonel Washington, la troisiÈme pour le colonel Howard. La dÉlibÉration a ÉtÉ remise À huitaine selon l'usage. Mardi 6 dÉcembre 1785. On a nommÉ, pour rÉdiger les sujets de mÉdailles demandÉes par le CongrÈs des États-Unis de l'AmÉrique, Messieurs BarthÉlÉmy, Des Brequigny, Le Blond, Brotier. Mardi 13 dÉcembre 1785. Monsieur le secrÉtaire a lu les trois projets de mÉdailles arrÊtÉs par les commissaires pour les mÉdailles du gÉnÉral Morgan et des colonels Washington et Howard, les voici: Pour le gÉnÉral Morgan. Type: Le gÉnÉral À la tÊte de ses troupes, charge l'armÉe ennemie qui prend la fuite. LÉgende: victoria libertatis vindex. Exergue: cÆsis aut captis ad cowpens hostium ... signis relatis ... 17 jan. 1781. Revers: L'AmÉrique, reconnaissable À son Écusson, appuie sa main gauche sur un trophÉe d'armes et de drapeaux, et de la droite couronne le gÉnÉral inclinÉ devant elle. LÉgende: Exergue: comitia americana anno ... Pour Type: Le colonel, À la tÊte d'un petit nombre de soldats, fond sur l'ennemi, qui commence À prendre la fuite, et que lui montre la Victoire, placÉe au-dessus de sa tÊte. LÉgende: n. washington legionis n. prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia, etc. Revers: L'inscription suivante doit Être gravÉe dans une couronne de lauriers: quod Pour le colonel Howard. MÊme type, mÊme lÉgende au nom prÈs. MÊme exergue qu'À la prÉcÉdente. Au Revers: Dans une couronne de lauriers: quod [Translation.] Register of the Meetings and Deliberations of the Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres during the year 1785. Friday, April 8, 1785. The secretary communicated a letter from Mr. Humphreys, formerly a colonel in the service of the United States, in which he asks for three medals for Messrs. Washington, General Gates and General Green. He sends at the same time information concerning the deeds of these three persons. The academy postponed for a week the consideration of these three medals. Tuesday, April 19, 1785. After these different arrangements, the medals asked by the Congress of America considered, and the gentlemen academicians were invited to bring suggestions for Friday, April 22, 1785. M. Dacier then read the proposals for the three medals for the three American general officers; after they had been thoroughly discussed, Messrs. BarthÉlÉmy, Dupuy, Brotier, and Le Blond, were appointed to report on them. Tuesday, April 26, 1785. M. Dacier, the perpetual secretary, then read the subjects of the medals asked for by Congress for the three general officers. For Mr. Washington. On one side, his head. Legend: georgio washington supremo duci exercituum adsertori libertatis. Exergue: comitia americana. Reverse: The taking of Boston, the English army fleeing toward the shore to embark, etc. Legend: hostibus or anglis primum fugatis. Exergue: bostonium recuperatum die 17 martii anno 1776. For Mr. Gates. On one side, his head. Legend: horatio gates duci provido comitia americana. Reverse: The enemy's general at the head of his army, surrenders his sword to General Gates, at the head of the American army. Legend: salus provinciarum septentrionalium. Exergue: hoste ad saratogam in deditionem accepto die 17 8{bris} 1777. For Mr. Green. On one side, his head. Legend: nathanieli green egregio duci comitia americana. Reverse: Victory treading under her feet broken arms. Legend: salus provinciarum australium. Exergue: hostibus ad eutaw debellatis die ... 1781. Friday, May 13, 1783. After observations by the commissioners, it was thought proper to change, in the two medals of General Gates and of General Green, the word Provinciarum to that of Regionum. And in the medal of Gates, on the side of the head, instead of Duci provido to substitute Duci strenuo. Friday, The secretary also read a letter of Colonel Humphreys, Secretary of Embassy of America, in which he requested the academy, in the name of Congress, to compose three medals voted by the same Congress: one for General Morgan, the second for Colonel Washington, the third for Colonel Howard. The discussion was laid over, according to custom, until next week. Tuesday, December 6, 1785. Messrs. BarthÉlÉmy, Des Brequigny, Le Blond, and Brotier, were named to compose the medals asked for by the Congress of the United States of America. Tuesday, December 13, 1785. The secretary read the three reports agreed upon by the commissioners for the medals for General Morgan and Colonels Washington and Howard, as follows: For General Morgan. Device: The general, at the head of his troops, charges the army of the enemy, which takes to flight. Legend: victoria libertatis vindex. Exergue: cÆsis aut captis ad cowpens hostium ... signis relatis ... 17 jan. 1781. Reverse: America, recognizable by her shield, rests her left hand upon a trophy of arms and of flags, and with her right crowns the general, who bends before her. Legend: n. morgan duci exercitus. Exergue: comitia americana anno ... For Colonel Washington. Device: The colonel, at the head of a few soldiers, rushes on the enemy, who begin to fly, and whom Victory, hovering over his head, points out to him. Legend: n. washington legionis n. prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia, etc. Reverse: The following inscription to be engraved in a crown of laurel: quod For Same device, same legend, excepting the name. Same exergue as the preceding. Reverse: Within a crown of laurel: quod CJe soussignÉ Augustin DuprÉ, graveur en mÉdaille M'engage envers Monsieur le colonel Humphreys À graver la mÉdaille reprÉsentant le portrait du gÉnÉral Green. Au revers la Victoire foulant aux pieds des armes brisÉes avecque la lÉgende et l'exergue, et rÉpond de la fracture des coins jusqu'À la concurrence de vingt quatre mÉdailles, dont j'en fourniray une en or À mes frais et dÉpend (le diamÈtre de la mÉdaille sera de la grandeur de vingt-quatre lignes). Le tout aux conditions suivantes, que les deux coins gravÉs de ladite mÉdaille me seront payÉe la somme de deux mille quatre cens livres en remettant les deux coins aprÈs avoir frappÉs les vingt quatre mÉdailles que dÉsire Monsieur le colonel. Fait le double entre nous, ce dix-neuf novembre mille sept cens quatre vingt cinq (1785) À Paris. DRegistre des AssemblÉes et DÉlibÉrations de l'AcadÉmie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres pendant l'annÉe 1789.Mardi 13 janvier 1789. Monsieur Dacier annonÇa ensuite que Monsieur Jefferson, ministre des États-Unis d'AmÉrique, Mardi 10 fÉvrier 1789. Monsieur Dacier a mis, au commencement de la sÉance, sous les yeux de l'AcadÉmie, le travail de Messieurs les commissaires relativement aux mÉdailles qu'ils Étaient chargÉs de rÉdiger. Sur la demande de Monsieur Jefferson, ministre des États-Unis de l'AmÉrique, on a corrigÉ ainsi l'exergue de la mÉdaille anciennement composÉe pour le gÉnÉral Morgan: fugatis captis aut cÆsis ad cowpens hostibus, 17 jan. 1781 .MÉdaille pour le gÉnÉral Wayne. Type: L'AmÉrique, reconnaissable À son Écusson, tient de la main gauche, ÉlevÉe, une couronne murale, et donne, de la droite, une couronne de lauriers au gÉnÉral inclinÉ devant elle. LÉgende: n. wayne duci exercitus. Exergue: comitia americana. Revers: Le Rocher et le Fort de Stony Point. LÉgende: stony point expugnatum. Exergue: 15 JUL. 1779. Pour le major Stewart. Type: L'AmÉrique, debout, comme ci-dessus, donne une palme au major, inclinÉ devant elle. LÉgende: n. stewart cohortis prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia americana. Revers: Le major monte À l'assaut au travers d'un abatis d'arbres qu'il a fait rompre par sa troupe. LÉgende: stony point oppugnatum. Exergue: 15 jul. 1779. Pour le commodore Paul Jones. Type: La tÊte du commodore. LÉgende: paulo jones classis prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia americana. Revers: Combat de vaisseaux. LÉgende: primus americanorum triumphus navalis. Exergue: ad oram scotiÆ 23 sept. anno ... Autre lÉgende: hostium navibus captis aut fugatis. Exergue: Comme de l'autre part. [Translation.] Register of the Meetings and Deliberations of the Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres during the year 1789.Tuesday, January 13, 1789. M. Dacier then announced that Mr. Jefferson, Minister of the United States of America, begged the academy kindly to occupy itself with the subjects of the three medals which Congress has resolved to strike in honor of General Wayne, Major Stewart, and Commodore Paul Jones. According to this request, the company have decided that the commissioners Tuesday, February 10, 1789. M. Dacier submitted to the academy at the opening of the sitting, the report of the commissioners in reference to the medals, with the composition of which they had been intrusted. At the suggestion of Mr. Jefferson, Minister of the United States of America, the exergue of the medal formerly composed for General Morgan was altered as follows: fugatis captis aut cÆsis ad cowpens hostibus 17 jan. 1781. Medal for General Wayne. Device: America, recognizable by her shield, holds in her left hand, which is elevated, a mural crown, and presents with her right a crown of laurels to the general, who bends before her. Legend: n. wayne duci exercitus. Exergue: comitia americana. Reverse: The Rock and the Fort of Stony Point. Legend: stony point expugnatum. Exergue: 15 jul. 1779. For Major Stewart. Device: America, standing as above, presents a palm to the major, who bends before her. Legend: n. stewart cohortis prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia americana. Reverse: The major mounts to the assault through an abatis of trees, which his men have broken through. Legend: stony point oppugnatum. Exergue: 15 jul. 1779. For Device: The head of the commodore. Legend: paulo jones classis prÆfecto. Exergue: comitia americana. Reverse: A naval engagement. Legend: primus americanorum triumphus navalis. Exergue: ad oram scotiÆ 23 sept. anno ... Another legend: hostium navibus captis aut fugatis. Exergue: Same as above. EA Monsieur Monsieur Jefferson ayant reÇu des ordres au sujet des mÉdailles À faire seroit bien aise d'en traiter avec Monsieur DuprÉ, s'il voudrait bien lui faire l'honneur de passer chez lui demain matin avant les onze heures. Samedi 3me janvier 1789. Monsieur Jefferson a l'honneur d'envoyer À Monsieur DuprÉ les devises des mÉdailles pour le gÉnÉral Morgan et le contre-amiral Paul Jones qu'il vient de recevoir de l'AcadÉmie des Belles-Lettres, et dont il propose À Monsieur DuprÉ l'entreprise, en rÉpondant du succÈs des coins jusqu'À frapper trois cents cinquante de chaque mÉdaille en or, argent ou bronze, et d'en fournir les Épreuves en Étain au fin du mois de mars prochain, À fin que les mÉdailles peuvent Être frappÉes toutes avant le 15me avril. Il le prie d'avoir la bontÉ de lui indiquer les conditions auxquelles il les entreprendra, et Monsieur Jefferson aura l'honneur d'y rÉpondre au moment qu'il les recevra. Ce 13me fÉvrier 1789. MÉdaille pour le gÉnÉral Morgan, de 24 lignes de diamÈtre. Le gÉnÉral À la tÊte de son armÉe charge l'ennemi, qui prend la fuite. LÉgende: victoria libertatis vindex. Exergue: fugatis captis aut cÆsis ad cowpens hostibus 17 jan. 1781. Revers: L'AmÉrique reconnaissable À son Écusson appuie sa main gauche sur une trophÉe d'armes et de drapeaux, et de la droite, couronne le gÉnÉral inclinÉ devant elle. LÉgende: danieli morgan duci exercitus. Exergue: comitia americana. MÉdaille Type: Sa tÊte (M. Houdon fournira le buste en plÂtre). LÉgende: joanni paulo jones classis prÆfecto Exergue: comitia americana. Revers: Combat de vaisseaux. LÉgende: hostium navibus captis aut fugatis. Exergue: ad oram scotiÆ 23 sept. 1779. FA Monsieur Monsieur Jefferson a l'honneur d'observer À Monsieur DuprÉ qu'il ne donne pas pour les mÉdailles de 24 lignes ni À Monsieur Duvivier ni À Monsieur Gatteaux que 2,400 livres, que c'est lÀ ce qu'il a payÉ À Monsieur DuprÉ aussi pour celle du gÉnÉral Greene, et que Monsieur DuprÉ n'a demandÉ que Ça derniÈrement pour celle du gÉnÉral Morgan. Monsieur Jefferson ne peut pas consentir donc de donner plus. À ce prix, il attendroit ce que Monsieur DuprÉ pourrait faire de mieux, de soi-mÊme, et non pas par des artistes subalternes. Pour ce qui regarde le temps, peut Être qu'il seroit possible de le prolonger un peu pour la mÉdaille de l'amiral Paul Jones, cet officier Étant actuellement en Europe. Monsieur Jefferson aura l'honneur d'attendre la rÉponse de Monsieur DuprÉ et sera charmÉ de pouvoir conclure cet arrangement avec lui. Ce 15me fÉvrier 1789. GExplication des Peintures, Sculptures et Gravures de Messieurs de l'AcadÉmie Royale, dont l'Exposition a ÉtÉ ordonnÉe, suivant l'intention de Sa MajestÉ, par M. le Comte de la Billarderie d'Angeviller, Conseiller du Roi en ses conseils, Mestre-de-Camp de Cavalerie, Chevalier de l'ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis, Commandeur de l'ordre de Saint-Lazare, Intendant du Jardin du Roi, Directeur et Ordonnateur GÉnÉral des BÂtiments de Sa MajestÉ, Jardins, Arts, AcadÉmies & Manufactures Royales; de l'AcadÉmie Royale des Sciences. Avec privilÈge du Roi. Gravures. 294.—Sous un mÊme cadre et sous un mÊme numÉro.
Explication des Peintures, Sculptures et Gravures de Messieurs de l'AcadÉmie Royale, dont l'Exposition a ÉtÉ ordonnÉe, suivant l'intention de Sa MajestÉ, par M. le Comte de la Billarderie d'Angeviller, Conseiller du Roi en ses conseils, Mestre-de-Camp de Cavalerie, Chevalier de l'ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis, Commandeur de l'ordre de Saint-Lazare, Gouverneur de Rambouillet, Directeur et Ordonnateur GÉnÉral des BÂtiments de Sa MajestÉ, Jardins, Arts, AcadÉmies et Manufactures Royales; de l'AcadÉmie Royale des Sciences. Avec privilÈge du Roi. Gravures. Par M. Duvivier, graveur gÉnÉral des Monnoies et des MÉdailles du Roi.
[Translation.] Explanation of the Paintings, Sculptures, and Engravings of the Gentlemen of the Royal Academy, of which the Exhibition has been ordered, according to the intention of His Majesty, by the Count de la Billarderie d'Angeviller, Councillor of the King in His Councils, Master-of-Camp of Cavalry, Knight of the Royal and Military Order of St. Louis, Commander of the Order of Saint Lazare, Intendant of the Garden of the King, Director and Ordonnator-General of His Majesty's Buildings, Gardens, Arts and Royal Academies and Manufactures; of the Royal Academy of Sciences. With the privilege of the King. Engravings. By M. Duvivier, Academician, engraver-general of the Moneys of France and of the Medals of the King. 294—In the same case and under the same number.
Explanation of the Paintings, Sculptures, and Engravings of the Gentlemen of the Royal Academy, of which the Exhibition has been ordered, according to the intention of His Majesty, by the Count de la Billarderie d'Angeviller, Councillor of the King in His Councils, Master-of-Camp of Cavalry, Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis, Commander of the Order of Saint Lazare, Governor of Rambouillet, Director and Ordonnator-General of His Majesty's Buildings, Gardens, Arts, and Royal Academies and Manufactures; of the Royal Academy of Sciences. Engravings. By M. Duvivier, engraver-general of the Moneys and of the Medals of the King.
HMint of the United States, Dear Sir: During the Revolutionary War, medals were awarded by resolution of the Continental Congress to certain officers who commanded the American forces in the principal conflicts with the enemy, or participated therein. The dies for these medals were prepared in Paris, and the medals produced there. Several of the dies in question are understood to be in the possession of the Mint of Medals at Paris. As May I request the favor of you to ascertain, from the proper official source, what medal dies, relating to events connected with the history of the United States, are at the mint in Paris, and whether the same can be obtained. If not, I should be glad to have, say twenty copies in bronze, struck from the dies, provided the expense would not be too great. Inclosed I send you a list of the medals recently struck in bronze from the dies of a public character in our possession. It will be seen that it is deficient in medals of the Revolutionary era. The following American medal dies are believed to be at the French Mint of Medals:
Your attention to the request contained herein will greatly oblige, Your friend and obedient servant, Legation of the United States, Monsieur le Ministre: I have received from the Director of the Mint of the United States a letter (of which I annex a copy), calling me to procure a certain series of medals prepared in Paris to commemorate certain events in the history of the American Revolution. These dies having been prepared in Paris, and the medals struck here, it is supposed the former yet remain in some safe depository. If it is possible to procure the original dies, I am requested to do so; if that be not possible, I should be happy to learn if I can procure copies. I avail myself of the occasion to renew to Your Excellency the assurance of the high consideration with which I have the honor to be, Your obedient servant, Paris, Monsieur: Par la lettre que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de m'adresser le 10 dÉcembre dernier, vous m'exprimiez le dÉsir d'Être mis en possession des coins d'un certain nombre de mÉdailles commÉmoratives d'ÉvÉnements de la guerre de l'IndÉpendance qui ont ÉtÉ frappÉes À Paris. Monsieur le Ministre des Finances À qui j'avais du Écrire À ce sujet, me rÉpond que le MusÉe MonÉtaire ne possÈde les coins que de quatre de ces mÉdailles. La prise de Boston, la prise de Serapis, bataille de Cowpens—Washington, et bataille de Cowpens—Howard. Le musÉe ne pourrait se dessaisir de ces coins, mais il serait facile, moyennant une lÉgÈre dÉpense, de faire frapper de nouveaux exemplaires; il faudrait seulement, si la proposition Était agrÉe par le gouvernement FÉdÉral, que vous me fissiez parvenir l'indication prÉcise du nombre d'exemplaires de chacune de ces mÉdailles qu'il dÉsirerait obtenir. AgrÉez les assurances de la haute considÉration avec laquelle j'ai l'honneur d'Être, [Translation.] Paris, January 17, 1862. Sir: By the letter which you did me the honor to address to me on the 10th of December last, you expressed to me the desire to obtain the dies of a certain number of medals, commemorative of events of the War of Independence, which were struck in Paris. The Minister of Finance, to whom I had to write on the subject, replies that the Museum of the Mint possesses the dies of only four of these medals: the taking of Boston, the capture of the Serapis, the battle of the Cowpens—Washington, and the battle of the Cowpens—Howard. The museum cannot part with these dies, but it will be easy, at a small outlay, to have new copies struck; it will only be necessary, if the proposition is accepted by the Federal Government, for you to indicate to me the precise number of copies of each of these medals which it wishes to obtain. Receive the assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honor to be, Legation of the United States, Monsieur Le Ministre: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th instant in reference to the American medal dies. I avail myself of your kind offer to have copies struck from the original dies. Be I avail myself of the opportunity to assure Your Excellency of the high consideration with which I am, IA Monsieur Monsieur Jefferson va faire imprimer des explications de toutes les mÉdailles, pour les envoyer avec les mÉdailles aux souverains de l'Europe; il lui manque celle de M. Franklin, faite par M. DuprÉ; il le prie de lui en prÊter une exemplaire, et de lui en communiquer l'explication aussi, s'il y en a ÉtÉ une de faite comme il y en avait sans doute. Ce 23 fÉvrier 1789. | 151227, 231, B Babbitt, Mr., 277. Dacier, M., xiii, xvi, xxxiv, xxxvi, xxxix, xli, xlii, xliii. E Eagle, Brig of war, 191, 192, 193, 194. F Fagel, H., 63, 64. G Gaines, Captain Lieutenant, 53, 54. H Hadden, Lieutenant-Colonel, 2d Indiana Volunteers, 345. Independence, Declaration of, 93, 134. J Jackson, Andrew, 160, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 271, 275, 353. K Kane, Elisha Kent, viii, xxvii. L LabÉdoyÈre, De, Captain, 303. M Napoleon I, xxx, 266. O Obardo, General, 311. P Packenham, Sir Edward Michael, 239. Quarles, Augustus, 321. R Ramsay, George D., 292, 298. S Sackett's Harbor, Defence of, 203. United Netherlands and United States, Convention between the, 84. V Vallette, Lieutenant, 192. W Yacht Club, New York, 449. Z Zalland, van, Grand Bailiff, 68. Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation. And it was to this new American flag that General Burgoyne surrendered. Congress changed the flag by the following act, which was approved January 13, 1794: Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, That from and after the first day of May, anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States be fifteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be fifteen stars, white on a blue field. Congress made a second change by an act approved April 14, 1818: Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be twenty stars, white on a blue field. Section 2. And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new State into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take place on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.(Back) The First Class: (G. C. B.), to consist of not more than seventy-two Knights Grand Crosses, exclusive of the Sovereign and Princes of the Blood. The Second Class: (K. C. B) Knights Commanders. The Third Class: (C. B.) Companions of the Bath.(Back) After the war Congress passed the following resolution: Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled: That all who served as officers, non-commissioned officers, privates, or other enlisted men, in the regular army, volunteer, or militia forces of the United States, during the war of the Rebellion, and have been honorably discharged from the service or remain still in the same, shall be entitled to wear, on occasions of ceremony, the distinctive army badge ordered for or adopted by the army corps or division, respectively, in which they served. Approved July 25, 1868.(Back) In Congress. Resolved: That the consideration of the first resolution be postponed to Monday, the first day of July next, and in the meanwhile, that no time be lost in case the Congress agree thereto, that a committee be appointed to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first resolution, which is in these words: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." Monday, June 10th, 1776.(Back) Transcriber's note: Obvious printer's errors have been corrected, all other inconsistencies are as in the original. Author's spelling has been maintained. —The anchor for the footnote 78 was not to be found on the original page. —Dashed lines correspond to cut parts. |
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