Hostibus Primo Fugatis: The Washington Before Boston Medal (episode 253)

Transcript

Music

Jake:
[0:05] Welcome to hub history where we go far beyond the freedom trail to share our favorite stories from the history of boston, the hub of the universe.
This is episode 2 53. Hostibus Primo Fugatis. The Washington before boston medal.
Hi, I’m jake. This week. I’m talking about a priceless artifact that’s part of the boston public library collection.
Libraries have a lot more than just books. Of course, the BPL has everything from streaming movies and music, to historic maps, to medieval manuscripts, to Leslie jones photos, to one remarkable gold medal.
Back in 2015 I went to the library to see a special exhibition called we are one which showcased items from the collection dating from the French and Indian War to the Constitutional Convention,
showing how 13 fractious colonies forged a single national identity.
Some of the items on display were breathtaking like a map, hand drawn by George Washington paul revere’s hand drawn diagram showing where the bodies fell during the boston massacre.
And a gorgeous 360 degree panorama showing the view from the top of Beacon Hill during the siege of boston.

[1:17] What stopped me in my tracks though, was a solid gold medal.
It was about 3″ in diameter, but it was hard to tell through the thick and probably bulletproof glass protecting it on the side facing me. I could see a bust of George Washington and some words, but they were too small to read.
A special bracket held the metal in front of a mirror and in the reflection. I could make out more lettering on the back, as well as a cannon and a group of men on horses.
Later I learned that this was the Washington before boston medal Commemorating the british evacuation of boston.
It was the first congressional Gold Medal and the first medal of any kind commissioned by the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War.
This illustrious medal’s journey to the stacks of the boston public library takes us from Henry Knox’s cannons at Dorchester Heights to john Adams at the second Continental Congress in Philly, to Ben franklin in paris,
to a confederate’s, dank basement in west Virginia during the Civil War.

[2:21] But before we talk about the Washington before boston medal, it’s time for a word from the sponsor of this week’s podcast,
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The Washington before boston medal was presented during Washington’s presidency when he was already first in war, First in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.
But before George Washington was a legend, he was a 21 year old land surveyor.
Air turned major in the Virginia militia Dispatched by the governor in 1753 to deliver an ultimatum to the French who are encroaching on Western lands.
He returned instead with their flat refusal.

[3:07] Returning to the same area and what’s now pennsylvania. The next year, he stumbled blindly into a skirmish with a french patrol, accidentally setting off the global war that we now know as the Seven Years war or the french and indian war,
between those two journeys.
However, George Washington’s journal of the First Expedition was printed as a pamphlet in Virginia and Liberty and Co offers a beautiful reproduction of the pamphlet, including a fold out map of the conflicting land claims on the frontier.
If 18th century pamphlets aren’t your thing, they also offer a bust of Washington or Washington’s headquarters, flag design on everything from a sticker to a candle.
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That’s L I B E R T Y A N D dot C O. And use the discount code hub history.

[4:08] On the morning of March five, The British soldiers occupying Boston woke up to a surprise After a brutal siege of 11 months.
They looked out that morning on the muzzles of dozens of heavy cannons and mortars looking down on the town from the strategic dorchester heights.
Against all odds, boston bookstore owner Henry Knox had wrestled a,
noble train of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga, down lake George to the Hudson Valley, across icy lakes and rivers, over the frozen hell of the Berkshire Mountains to the Continental camp at Cambridge,
where this artillery would be the deliverance of besieged boston.
On the night of March 4th Continentals, acting on George Washington’s orders, climbed the heights and erected a fortress out of pre built baskets of sticks filled with earth,
looking up at their accomplishment in the morning the british commanding general, How according to legend, exclaimed my God, these fellows have done more work in one night than I can make my army do in three months.

[5:11] To try to stave off the inevitable general Howe ordered his troops to attack and drive the Continentals from the heights.
In a letter to a friend back in London, a british officer describes the amphibious attack that was planned upon dorchester neck, reflecting both the slaughter at bunker hill.
The previous june and the bloody slaughter in King Street exactly six years before This morning. At daybreak, we discovered to our doubts on the hills on Dorchester Point and two smaller works on their flags.
They were all raised during the night with an expedition equal to that of the genie belonging to Aladdin’s wonderful lamp from these hills.
They command the whole town so that we must drive them from their post or dessert. The place The former is determined upon and five regiments are already embarked.
A body of light infantry under the command of Major Musgrave, an excellent officer and a body of grenadiers are to embark tonight at seven.

[6:09] I think it is likely to be so far a general affair that we shall take our share in it.
A do balls, masquerades, etcetera. For this may be looked upon as the opening of the campaign.
It is worthwhile to remark with what judgment the leaders of the rebels, take advantage of the prejudices and work on the passions of the mob.
Five March is the anniversary of what they called the Bloody Massacre.
When in I think 1769, It was actually 1770.
The king’s troops fired on the people in the streets of boston.
If they ever dare stand us, it will be today, but I hope tomorrow to be able to give you an account of their defeat.

[6:51] Unfortunately for general, how this officer was not able to give an account of their defeat.

[6:58] If Henry Knox’s successful delivery of the guns to Cambridge wasn’t enough of a miracle.
On the night of the planned counterattack. A huge storm blew into boston harbor and drove the british back the next morning british lieutenant, john barker’s diary states,
it was determined by a Council of War to quit the town, orders issued to get ready with all expedition and to take as little baggage as possible transports allotted for the troops.
Townspeople have the liberty to go or stay.

[7:32] The same officer who expressed so much confidence about giving us an account of the continentals defeat, amended his letter on March six, saying,
a wind more violent than anything I ever heard prevented our last night’s proposed expedition, and so saved the lives of thousands,
today.
They have made themselves too strong to make a dislodge mint possible.
We are under their fire whenever they choose to begin, so that we are now evacuating the town with the utmost expedition and leaving behind us half our worldly goods.
I do. I hope to embark in a few hours.

[8:08] Over the next several days the red coats packed everything of military value that they could under the ships along the wharfs of boston,
while the Continentals watched warily from the heights around the city, which by that time were so strongly entrenched as to make any thought of a counterattack, suicidal.

[8:27] Acting through intermediaries, british, General Howe and General George Washington agreed that as long as the americans didn’t attack the british as they organized their evacuation,
the retreating british wouldn’t burn boston.

[8:41] At the same time, any loyalists who had retreated to the protection of the british lines in boston, gather what possessions they could, and boarded their own boats.
Troops and civilians alike would evacuate to Halifax nova Scotia with the first favorable wind.

[8:59] On March 17 the British soldiers finally boarded the ships that they’ve been outfitting for over a week, and sailed down to the main shipping channel in the outer harbor.
General Howe wrote to Cabinet Minister The Earl of Dartmouth.
My Lord, it is with great regret that I’m obliged to inform your lordship that the enemy by taking possession of and fortifying the commanding heights on Dorchester Neck, in order to force the ships by their cannon to quit the harbor,
has reduced me to the necessity of either exposing the army to the greatest distresses by remaining in boston,
or of withdrawing from it under such straitened circumstances.

[9:40] A party blew up Castle William, on today’s Castle Island, and then one by one, the ships began sailing out of the harbor and heading north over the next several days and weeks,
while the americans finally entered the town of boston, that they’ve been staring at across the lines for almost a year.

[9:58] That day. General Washington wrote to the governor of neighboring Rhode island this morning. The ministerial troops evacuated the town of boston without destroying it, and we are now in the full possession.

[10:13] It took time for word of this great tactical and strategic victory to reach the Second Continental Congress in philadelphia.
But pretty much as soon as john Adams heard the news, he laid a proposal to commemorate the victory before his colleagues.
He noted in his diary On Monday 25 March 1776, I made a motion and laid it in writing on the table in these words,
resolved that the thanks of this Congress, in their own names and in the name of the 13 United Colonies whom they represent, be presented to his excellency.
General Washington and the officers and soldiers under his command for their wise and spirited conduct in the siege and acquisition of boston,
and that a medal of gold be struck in commemoration of this great event, and presented to his excellency, and that a committee of three be appointed to prepare a letter of thanks and a proper device for the medal.
His diary also notes that the committee tasked with drafting a letter of congratulations and choosing a design for the medal would consist of john Adams, john jay and Samuel Hopkins.

[11:22] On April one, John Adams wrote to Washington, offering his personal congratulations on the victory at Boston and asking if the general had any suggestions for an appropriate design for the medal.
I congratulate you sir, as well as all the friends of mankind on the reduction of boston,
an event which appeared to me of so great and decisive importance that the next morning after the arrival of the news, I did myself the honor to move for the thanks of Congress to your excellency and then a Medal of gold should be struck in commemoration of it.

[11:56] Congress had been pleased to appoint me with two other gentlemen to prepare a device.
I should be very happy to have your excellency sentiments concerning a proper one.
I have the honor to be with very great respect, sir. Your most obedient and affectionate servant, john Adams, as far as I can tell, Washington never offered any suggestions for the design.
He was probably a wee bit busy leading an army and fighting a war.

[12:27] The day after Adams and his personal congratulations, Congress sent the official letter of congratulations that Adams had proposed and helped the draft, though it would carry the signature of another famous bostonian.

[12:40] Those pages in the annals of America will record your title to a conspicuous place in the Temple of Fame,
which shall inform posterity that under your directions an undisciplined band of Husband Ben in the course of a few months became soldiers.
And that the desolation meditated against the country by a brave army of veterans commanded by the most experienced generals, but employed by bad men in the worst of causes, was by the fortitude of your troops and the address of their officers.
Next to the kind interposition of providence confined for near a year within such narrow limits as scarcely to admit more room than was necessary for the encampments and fortifications.
They lately abandoned accept therefore, sir, the thanks of the United Colonies unanimously declared by their delegates to be due to you, and to the brave officers and troops under your command,
and be pleased to communicate to them this distinguished mark of the approbation of their country.
Congress have ordered a golden medal adapted to the occasion to be struck, and when finished to be presented to you.
I have the honor to be with every sentiment of esteem, sir, your most obedient and very humble servant, john Hancock president.

[13:59] Washington’s response to Hancock in Congress is dated april 18th 17 76 and it shows the tight, careful language in regard for honor and propriety that are so characteristic of Washington’s writing.

[14:13] Sir, permit me, through you to convey to the honorable Congress the sentiments of gratitude I feel for the high honor they have done me, and the public mark of approbation contained in your favor of the second instant which came to my hand last night.
I beg you to assure them that it will be ever my highest ambition to approve myself.
A faithful servant of the public, and that to be in any degree instrumental in procuring to my american brethren.
A restitution of their just rights and privileges will constitute my chief happiness, agreeable to your request.
I have communicated in general orders to the officers and soldiers under my command, the thanks of Congress for their good behavior in the service.
And I am happy in having such an opportunity of doing justice to their merit.
They were indeed at first a band of undisciplined husband, Hman.
But it is under God to their bravery and attention to their duty, that I am indebted for that success which has procured me the only reward I wish to receive the affection and esteem of my countrymen.

[15:19] The metal intended to be presented to me by your honorable body. I shall carefully preserved as a memorial of their regard.
I beg leave to return you, sir my warmest thanks for the polite manner in which you have been pleased to express their sentiments of my conduct, and am with sincere esteem and respect, sir, yours and their most obedient and most humble servant,
George Washington.

[15:46] The plan, at least at first, was to have someone near the seat of Congress in philadelphia design, and make the metal with input on the design from Adams, J. And Hopkins.
While it wasn’t the number one concern for the leaders of a nation at war, the committee did make some progress towards creating the medal in 1776, with John Adams writing to abigail on August 14 about the artist he had started working, with.

[16:12] I am put upon a committee to prepare a device for a Golden Medal to commemorate the surrender of boston to the american arms.
There’s a gentleman here of french extraction, whose name is Deus mots, a painter by profession, whose designs are very ingenious, and his drawings well executed.
He has been applied to for his advice. I waited on him yesterday, and saw his sketches for the medal. He proposes liberty with her spear and pill ius meaning a conical liberty, had leaning on general Washington.
The british fleet in boston harbor, with all their sterns towards the town.
The american troops marching in this mr du cemetery is a very curious man.
He has begun a collection of materials for a history of this revolution.
He begins with the first advices of the tea ships. He cuts out of the newspapers, every scrap of intelligence, and every piece of speculation and pastes it upon a clean paper,
arranging them under the head of the state to which they belong, and it tends to bind them up in volumes.
He has a list of every speculation and pamphlet concerning independence and another of those concerning forms of government.

[17:29] That November. Congress paid to cemetery a sum of $32 for designing, making and drawing a medal for George Washington.

[17:39] As far as I’ve been able to discover there’s no record of the design he came up with for the medal and the Congressional Committee seems to have stopped working with him soon after this payment was made.
At this point, the effort to create a gold medal for Washington seems to have lost momentum With Congress busy managing the war effort, seeking alliances and fleeing Philadelphia in a near panic.
When the British captured the city in 1777, Three years went by before anyone made a serious effort to get the metal made until the summer of 1779.
That july Congress told the Treasury Board, which was in charge of finances for the war, that the metal was to be struck without delay,
robert Troop, the Secretary of the Treasury Board quickly realized that with everything else is Committee was responsible for.
And with the lack of experienced artisans in philadelphia, his chances of successfully carrying out this order were slim to none.

[18:39] Who could someone turn to with a delicate and complex problem like that. In 1779, I’ve been franklin of course.
Troop wrote to franklin in paris that september saying the impracticality of,
executing the work in this part of the world obligates the board to forward them to you With an earnest request to have the medals voted by Congress struck as soon as possible.

[19:04] Why did I say metals as a plural there?
Because by this time the word progressed far enough that there were other victories and moments of glory that the continental Congress wanted to commemorate with gold medals.
By the summer of 1779, Congress had authorized six gold medals.
Our boston medal for Washington, one for General Horatio Gates for his capture of Burgoyne british army at Saratoga,
one each from matt, Anthony, wayne, francois de fleury and Jon Stewart for a bayonet charge that carried the day at stony point and one for Major Henry lee, who led a bayonet charge against the ford at Palace Hook and was praised for his humane treatment of his prisoners.
Afterward, Congress was not done.
However, over the next several years, they had authorized seven more gold medals for john paul jones daniel morgen, john eager howard William Washington and Nathaniel Greene,
as well as a diplomatic medal for the french foreign minister and a medal Commemorating the victory at Yorktown.
Together these medals are known as the Comedia Americana medals, which is latin for american Congress medals.

[20:16] The three medals Commemorating the victory at stony point would be the only ones completed before the end of the war.
Lieutenant Colonel de fleury returned home to France on leave in early 17 80 basically demanded that franklin give him his medal before you had to return to the front lines in America.

[20:34] Franklin found a Parisian artisan who could create the die and stamp the gold medal for the colonel.
But the price was astronomical.
In an attempt to save some money he had, the artisan used the same dies and just changed the name to create medals for generals, wayne and Stuart.
But those additional medals were not of usable quality.
He wrote to the Treasury Board asking them to forward suitable designs for the other metals.
But no reply is recorded in his papers, and he soon got distracted with other projects.

[21:05] Progress on the Washington before boston medal would not resume until after the treaty of paris was signed ending the Revolutionary War,
In the summer of 1780 for David Humphreys was appointed to join Adams, Jefferson and Franklin in France as a member of the commission that was negotiating treaties to open up commerce with the nations of Europe,
Humphries had enlisted in the Continental Army in Connecticut in the summer of 1776, rising to the rank of major and serving as an aide to camp on general Washington staff.
In a note about the Committee of Americana medals, the editors of founders online point out that his relationship with Washington made Humphries more motivated to see the medals to fruition than anyone else who had been involved with the project.
Thus far among all of those commended by Congress at the close of the war,
no one had better cause than David humphreys to be zealous in pressing the execution of medals long since voted for Washington and others for he owed his own recognition by Congress to the influence of the Commander in chief,
Humphries later recalled that financier robert Morris had informed him verbally that he would take the necessary arrangements for procuring all the honorary presence which had been directed to be given to different officers during the late war,
that Morris requested him to have them executed in europe,
and that sometime after his arrival, he had received a letter and list of medals, etcetera and a description of those intended for general morrigan and Colonels Washington Howard.

[22:35] Along with this important diplomatic work, Humphries treated the medals as a priority, especially the medal for his mentor and former commander.
In May 1785, he wrote a letter to Washington from Paris explaining the work he had done to finalize the design of the generals medal.

[22:53] My dear General. Upon leaving America mr Morris invested me with the power of procuring the several honorary presence which had been voted by Congress to different officers in their service during the late war.
The Royal Academy of Inscriptions and Belles, letters to whom I addressed a letter on the subject have furnished me with the following device and inscriptions for the Gold Medal, which is to be executed for your excellency,
On one side, the head of the general legend, Giorgio Washington Supremo Dukie exercise item add Sartori Liberace Comedia Americana,
on the reverse, taking possession 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 shore to embark on board the vessels with which the harbor is covered in the front of the American army appears.
The general on horseback and a group of officers whom he seems to make observe the flight of the enemy legend.
Hasta Miss Provo. Foodgoddess bostonian recuperate. Um.

[24:04] I think it has the character of simplicity and dignity, which is to be aimed at in a memorial of this kind, which is designed to transmit the remembrance of a great event. To posterity.
You really do not know how much your name is venerated on this side of the atlantic.

[24:19] As he got ready to return to Connecticut in late 1785, colonel Humphries had to leave the work of completing the medals to one of the commissioners would be staying behind in Paris thomas.
Jefferson was chosen for the task with Humphries, giving them pretty detailed instructions on what needed to happen next.
Now that there is no obstacle to commencing the medal for General Washington.
Since Haden’s return, I could wish should not be giving you too much trouble that you would send for Duvivier who lives in the old Lovre and proposed to him undertaking it upon exactly the terms he had offered,
Which I think were 2400 libras.
Besides the golden expensive coinage.
If he should not choose it, we must let it rest until Dupree shall have finished.
General Green’s Ghetto has a paper on which is the description of General Washington’s medal,
as the letter implies, the Washington before boston medal was not the first the Committee of Americana medals to be struck despite having been the first one authorized,
Nathaniel Greene’s medal commemorated the attack on a british encampment at Utah Springs.
It was more of a draw than an american victory, but it was the last battle in the Carolinas and they needed to recognize Green for something.

[25:35] Gates’s medal for Saratoga was completed next. And Thomas, Jefferson sent both medals plus the dyes. They were made on to Congress who received them just after independence day in 1787 and presented them to their recipients.
Now we just had to get the rest of them done as humphreys instructed, he engaged the services of Pierre Simone Benjamin Duvivier for the Washington medal.
Duvivier was the king’s own metal maker and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, who is probably one of the best engravers and metal makers of the era with the artists lined up the founders.
Online editor’s note describes the flurry of activity that thomas Jefferson took on in order to have the medals, all, or at least almost all completed.
By the time he left France, Early in 1789, Jefferson addressed himself in earnest to the business of completing the medals and preparing for their distribution,
he set about compiling exact descriptions of each of the metals in order to have a printed explication in french and english to accompany the sets to be distributed just as franklin had done in the case of the de fleury metal,
he engaged a cabinet maker of his acquaintance.
One Upton to prepare boxes lined with velvet to receive the medals.

[26:52] He made engagements with Duvivier. Gateau and Dupree to cut the dyes for the remaining medals Duvivier did those for George Washington William.
A Washington and johnny howard gato, those for wayne and Stewart and Dupree, those for more gun and jones.

[27:12] By the time Jefferson sailed for home in october, all the dyes, except those for the jones medal had been completed.

[27:21] The exact descriptions of each of the medals appear in Jefferson’s papers from February 1789.
I’ll read each line of his description and then explain a bit about what they mean.
And I’ll translate the mottoes with my terrible pronunciation from latin to english.
If you can look at the header picture in the show notes for this episode, hub history dot com slash 253, I think it would be very useful to follow along and see what we’re talking about.

[27:50] Type his head. This means that the front or obverse side of the medal featured a bust of George Washington pretty similar to the one in the U. S. Quarter.
This bus relief bust was based on a sculpture bust of Washington, that Duvivier, his friend Jean Antoine Houdon had traveled to Mount Vernon to complete in 1785.
Legend Giorgio Washington Supremo Dukie exercise item at satori libertatea. This Comedia Americana.

[28:23] This motto begins at the base of the bust and wraps around the outside edge of the metal, very roughly translated from latin.
It means George Washington’s supreme commander of the army, Defender of Liberty below the bust committee.
Americana basically means Congress of America reverse the evacuation of boston,
the american army advancing in order towards the city seen at a distance, the enemy retires with precipitation to their vessels in the foreground.
General Washington appears on horseback and a group of officers to whom he remarks the retreat of the enemy.

[29:04] The picture on the back of the metal is my favorite part, basically portraying the evacuation as seen from Dorchester Heights with an earthwork in the foreground just behind Washington and his mounted officers.

[29:18] Legend Hasta bas primo! Foodgoddess over the heads of Washington and his officers and arching over the portrayal of boston in the distance.
This motto means for the first time the enemy is put to flight.

[29:34] Um Bostonian recuperate, um the 17th marty 1776.
In small print below the boss relief on the back of the metal. This legend translates to something along the lines of Boston recaptured 17 March 1776.
With the dates, of course, in Roman numerals, With the medals completed.
Just in time, Jefferson returned to the US in September 1789 as fans of the Hamilton’s musical.
No, he barely had a chance to set his bags down when he learned that he had been nominated and Senate approved as secretary of state.
So he soon found himself.

[30:18] The founders Online editorial note describes how he gave the new president as Washington before boston medal, along with the other metals that needed to be awarded,
as well as a collector set of silver copies of all 11 committee Americana medals on March 21st, 17 90.

[30:36] The golden silver medals, as well as the complete set in silver ordered by Congress for Washington were handed to the President.
As soon as jefferson arrived in new york Washington at once wrote letters to Wayne and others to accompany their medals, he received his own without formality, not even recording the incident in his diary,
no descriptive texts or communications seem to have found their way into the newspapers.

[31:02] So if the Washington before boston medal was proposed in philadelphia made in paris presented in new york and kept by Washington and Virginia.
How did it wind up in the collection of the boston public library?

[31:17] It’s not clear to me what happened to the medal after it was initially awarded to President Washington at the time.
He was approaching his one year anniversary in office and he had his hands full with rivalries in his cabinet, ongoing tension with the british along the northwestern frontier.
And Hamilton’s proposal for a new national bank.
He was also very conscious of his public role as the head of a new republic and his desire to underscore his role as a civilian president may have influenced his decision not to make a big to do out of a recognition of his military leadership.
Also, by 1790, he had received every possible military honor. The young country had, so he may just not have felt like he needed another one.

[31:59] In any case. President Washington didn’t say anything publicly about the medal.
I like to imagine him taking it home to Mount vernon and quietly putting it in a sock drawer, kind of like what my uncle Glenn did with his medals from World War Two.
George Washington very famously didn’t have Children of his own, though he was a loving stepfather to Martha’s Children from an earlier marriage,
When he died, his estate, which was worth the equivalent of almost 18 million of today’s dollars, didn’t automatically go to his kids, but was instead divided among his relatives according to his will and probate law at the time.
Probably his most significant asset with the thousands of acres of land that he had bought up in Virginia, what’s now West Virginia and the Ohio country.

[32:47] Though George Washington resided along the potomac. He and many of his close relatives also had properties in the rolling hill of what’s now west Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, but was thin western Virginia.
One of those properties was a slave plantation known as Harewood, which was built for Georgia’s oldest brother, Samuel Washington in 1770.
After Samuel’s death in 1781, his son, George Steptoe Washington inherited Harewood about 3800 acres of land and several 100 people who was fathered enslaved,
When President Washington died in 1799.
George Steptoe also inherited several pieces of property from George as the son of the eldest brother, as well as the solid gold Washington Before boston Medal,
George Steptoe died at just 37 years old in 1809, and the medal again passed to his son, who was also named Samuel.
This second Samuel Washington also died in his 30s, and this time his widow Louisa gave the medal to their son George Lafayette Washington while she was still alive.
George Lafayette Washington was still the proud owner of the medal when the Civil War broke out, and he was still living either at Harewood or a related property outside the town of Charlestown.

[34:07] He worried about what might happen to the medal because the house was in a strategic location as described in the history of the medal prepared by George E.
Ellis as part of the 1876 centennial of the evacuation During our civil war.
It’s thin owner, George Lafayette Washington was residing 11 miles from Harpers ferry on the main route to Winchester, where the Belligerents held alternate possession.

[34:34] This description conveniently glosses over the other reason, George Lafayette was worried about what might happen to his inherited metal.
In 1863 he made an enormous colossal blunder.
From a world historical perspective, He decided to sign up with the granddaddy of all seditious conspiracies even bigger than January six,
George Lafayette Washington joined the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion under Col John Mosby.
There were an irregular partisan outfit somewhere between highway robbers and guerilla fighters.
They harassed federal forces, stealing horses, supplies in cash, sometimes disguising themselves in blue uniforms, and trying to avoid combat with regular Union forces wherever possible.
As a partisan Washington ran the risk of getting killed, injured, or even hanged as a spy, with so many risks attending his attempt to overthrow our constitutional republic and uphold slavery.
Georgie Ellis described the safeguards put in place to keep anything from happening to the Washington before boston metal.

[35:43] The metal, in its original case of green sealskin lined with velvet,
enveloped in cotton, and deposited in a box, was buried in the dry cellar of a venerable mansion, where general Washington usually spent many months of the genial portion of the year,
the original case, which fell into decay.
By this exposure accompanies the medal in his present repository.

[36:08] George Lafayette spheres weren’t entirely unfounded On September 19, 1860, for he was taken prisoner in Winchester Virginia just down the road from his home in Charlestown.

[36:21] Rather than being hanged, he was held as a pow in a prison camp at point lookout Maryland, a humid malarial swamp right at the point where the potomac river flows into the Chesapeake bay.
He was released when the war ended the next year, but life was hard for former insurrectionists.
In the first years of reconstruction, The family’s fortune had not recovered by the time George Lafayette Washington died in 1872,
and his widow anne reached out to the mayor of boston by way of a letter sent by a Washington cousin living in texas.
Then again through a letter sent by your father to a prominent boston judge.
The message was clear and bull Washington was broke, and she desperately hoped that someone in boston was willing to buy her husband’s great great uncle’s gold medal,
or as George Ellis put it in a masterwork of euphemism, the successive owners of this precious heirloom have often been solicited to part with it by private opportunity or for public institutions, but have always declined to do so.
Having interviewed that if it ever passed out of their hands, it should be to find its resting place in the city of boston.
The losses to which its owners were subjected during the late war, concurring with the interest of the occasion of the centennial of the day, which is commemorated, combined to induce the measures which have had such a felicitous result.

[37:47] Boston Mayor Samuel C Cobb didn’t think buying a solid gold medal was an appropriate use of taxpayer money,
but he put the offer in front of philanthropists and former US speaker of the House robert C Winthrop, who was, as the name suggests, a descendant of boston Founder john Winthrop,
went through, put together a group of about 50 prominent Bostonians with familiar names like Lawrence Wigglesworth, Lowell, Adams, Parker, Appleton, Indyk it, and brooks,
All of whom pledged to contribute up to $100 each toward the purchase of the metal.
Their offer was accepted, and on March 20, 1876, as part of the commemoration of Boston’s 100 evacuation day.
Mayor Cobb delivered this note to the city council.

[38:35] Gentlemen, It affords me much pleasure to inform you that the gold medal presented to general George Washington by the American Congress in 1776, commemorative of the evacuation of Boston by the British troops,
was recently purchased of the Washington family by a few of our citizens,
to be given by them to the city of boston, and preserved in the boston public library.
This most valuable relic so peculiarly interesting to boston is Commemorating the most important event in their history has been placed in my hands, and by me transferred to the trustees of the Public library,
in whose custody it is to remain in accordance with the wishes of the donors.

[39:17] The Washington before boston medal has remained in the custody of the boston public library ever since.
I guess it makes sense that patrons can’t check it out since it is after all, solid gold.
Administratively, it’s considered part of the library’s rare books collection, all of which are for use in the library.
Only The full set of 11 silver copies of the original medals that Jefferson presented to Washington is now in the collection of the Mass Historical Society.

[39:48] So what should you do if you want to get your grubby little hands on the Washington before boston metal?
Go to Ebay Back in 2019. I got myself a full sized bronze replica of the metal as a little evacuation day treat.
It’s probably one of the many thousands of copies that were struck in Philadelphia on new dyes created by an engraver there in 1885.
Not one of the hundreds that were struck on dice created in 1863 by impressing a bronze medal made from the original dies in Paris. And to a piece of gun metal.

[40:22] My bronze copy cost me about $35, which is how I know that it wasn’t struck on the 1863 dies and definitely not on the original Paris dies.
Just a few weeks after I got my copy, a Baltimore auction house announced that they’d be selling a newly discovered silver medal that had been struck on the original Paris, dies sometime in the 19th century.
One of only 11 silver originals in existence. It was in nearly perfect condition after being passed down within the same family for over a century.
Making it the closest thing a private collector could possibly get to owning the gold original.
It sold for $156,000 in May 2019.
Still, I’m just as happy with my bronze copy of a copy of a copy.
I keep it in a little plastic case and every march around evacuation day I pull it out and display it on the mantle, which is probably more than George Washington ever did with the original.

[41:24] To learn more about the Washington before boston medal. Check out this week’s show notes at hub history dot com slash 253.
I’ll be sure to include pictures of both sides of the metal so you can follow along with the descriptions I gave earlier.
As you can just see how striking it is.
I’ll also link to all the letters and comments about the medal and the jefferson and Adams papers that I quoted from, the letters from Washington and how about the evacuation of boston and the correspondence from David humphreys about trying to get the metal made in paris,
there will be a link to the agenda for the 18 76 evacuation day centennial celebration, which also details how the BPL acquired the metal.
Plus I link to a few helpful articles about the Washington before boston medal and the rest of the Committee of Americana series, As well as more recent articles about the pristine silver copy that was auctioned off in 2019.

[42:23] Before I let you go. I have some listener feedback to share.
Sam wrote in with a question and a personal connection to episode 196 about the 1974 theft of the grasshopper weather vane from the top of annual hall.
Do you have any more interesting facts about frank price? The grasshopper thief? He and my mom graduated from high school together.

[42:47] I was able to point Sam to a handful of globe articles that included details that didn’t make it into the show.
Thanks for asking. Sam Terry got in touch because he’s a longtime fan of Joshua Slocum whose solo circumnavigation of the globe. We discussed in episodes 2 47 and 2 48.
Hi there, I listened nearly every week and love the double episode on Joshua Slocum and his family.
I did not know or perhaps remember what a big factor his wives were and his adventures nor about the libertad.
However, I did read sailing alone around the world about 10 years ago when I was dreaming of big adventures to escape the confines of corporate life.
I probably will not sail around the world as I don’t know how to sail, But I did take off five months to complete a southbound through hike of the Appalachian trail from July to December 2021.
People like Slocum were and are a huge inspiration. Keep up the great work and programming.

[43:49] Thanks terry Virginia. Slocum in particular was a truly inspirational woman.
I was almost tempted to cut Joshua out of his own episode, but I’m glad I got you thinking about adventures. Again, jay and Richard both reacted to my comments When Aaron from pilgrims Die Aggress interviewed me in episode 2 50.
I talked a little bit about how I’m trying to break the habit of saying we in us when I’m podcasting, like telling guests thanks for joining us today,
where our tagline saying that the show is where we go far beyond the Freedom Trail after all.
Co host American Nikki left the show years ago and these days we is really just me.
In his note, Jay said Jake congrats on 250 episodes.
I enjoyed the role reversal and learning more about the pods, history, present and future.
My two cents on the royal We is that to me it seems totally fine because as the listener, I always hear it in a we’re in this together sense, even though we listeners aren’t really doing anything but listening.
So in that sense when you say we’re going to be taking a look at, it’s true.
We are again, congratulations P. S.
I very much enjoyed the interview with ERic J. Dolan. He had a lot of interesting things to share and you did a nice job conduct again. Thanks jay.

[45:18] Richard has some very similar feedback writing. I’m listening to episode 250, please don’t stop using we us an hour.
It honestly feels like we’re on this journey with you through the past.
You guys do great work and I’m happy to sponsor and listen, I’m glad to hear that you don’t mind me saying we too much, because at this point it’s a habit that we are not likely to break.

[45:44] We love getting listener feedback whether you’re looking for more information about a famous criminal your family knows or whether an episode inspires you to tackle a big adventure.
If you want to leave us some feedback on this episode or any other, you can email us at podcast at hub history dot com.
We’re hub history on twitter, facebook and instagram. Or you can go to hub history dot com and click on the contact us link while you’re on the site, hit the subscribe link and be sure that you never miss an episode.
If you subscribe on apple podcasts, please consider writing us a brief review. If you do drop us a line and I’ll send you a hub history sticker as a token of appreciation.

Music

Jake:
[46:28] That’s all for now. Stay safe out there listeners.