Object: Coin, Commemorative Medal
Accession#: 2008.0017
This brass1 coin medal is after the original gold one, issued by Congress after the Battle of Paulus (Powles) Hook to Major Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee. The front depicts a bust of Major Lee with Latin reading, “The American Congress to Henry Lee, Colonel of Cavalry.” The reverse shows ivy leaves encircling Latin which reads, “Nothwithstanding rivers and entrenchments, he with a small band conquered the foe by warlike skill and prowess and firmly bound by his humanity those who had been conquered by his arms. In memory of the conflict of Paulus Hook, nineteenth of August 1779.”
This brass1 coin medal is after the original gold one, issued by Congress after the Battle of Paulus (Powles) Hook to Major Henry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee. The front depicts a bust of Major Lee with Latin reading, “The American Congress to Henry Lee, Colonel of Cavalry.” The reverse shows ivy leaves encircling Latin which reads, “Nothwithstanding rivers and entrenchments, he with a small band conquered the foe by warlike skill and prowess and firmly bound by his humanity those who had been conquered by his arms. In memory of the conflict of Paulus Hook, nineteenth of August 1779.”
Henry Lee III, who became known as Light Horse Harry Lee, was born on January 29, 1756 on a 2,000 acre plantation called Leesylvania, near Dumfries, Virginia. His parents were Lucy Grymes Lee and Henry Lee II. Henry Lee III represented Virginia in the Continental Congress from 1786-88 and argued in favor of ratifying the Constitution in 1788. According to one historian “It was on the field of battle during the Revolutionary War, however, that Henry Lee III provided the most significant public service and earned his greatest laurels.” One of his best remembered victories, commemorated in this coin medal, was the Battle at Paulus Hook.
General Washington commanded Maj. Gen. Hugh Mercer
to evacuate Paulus Hook after their loss at the Battle of Long Island on August
1, 1776 and the fall of New York City September 15, 1776. The British took over
the fort and it became their only permanent stronghold in New Jersey. From
1776-1779, New Jersey was the scene of constant skirmishes and major battles.
American morale was high following the successful assault of Stony Point by
General Anthony Wayne, a British garrison with over 600 men defending the
“rocky promontory rising 150 feet above the [Hudson] river,” in July 1776. Major Lee wrote General Washington with the
proposal to attack Powles Hook which was protected by the Hudson River on three
sides and by a large marsh on the west that flooded at high tide. He gained
Washington’s “cautious consent” after acquiring enough information about the
garrison to plan the attack.
As Major Lee and his men approached the garrison,
they found it weaker than expected, the main gate open in expectation of the
return of a large Tory patrol. General Washington praised Major Lee’s victory
that took place that day:
The
General has the pleasure to inform the army that on the night of the 18th
instant, Major Lee at the head of a party composed of his own Corps, and
detachments from the Virginia and Maryland lines, surprised the Garrison of
Powles Hook and brought off a considerable number of Prisoners with very little
loss on our side. The Entreprise was executed with a distinguished degree of
Address, Activity and Bravery and does great honor to Major Lee and to all the officers and men under his command, who are
requested to accept the General’s warmest thanks.
However, not all were
as generous with their praise but eventually Generals Woodford and Muhlenberg
urged the court martial of Major Lee saying he should have turned the command
over to Major Clark. They argued that Major Lee, a cavalry officer, should not
have been placed in command of an infantry.
Despite his critics, Major Lee was awarded one of
only nine medals in the whole war by Congress. The gold medal was directed
to be struck and presented to him for “the remarkable prudence, address, and
bravery, displayed on the occasion”. The medal was designed by Joseph Wright of
Bordentown, New Jersey who was the first draftsman and die-sinker for the
Philadelphia Mint, where it was struck. Major Lee was the only officer of
his rank to receive such a distinction in the American Revolution.
The Randolphs of Wilton were well-involved with the American Revolution and would have heard of the attack on Paulus Hook as well as other victories during this struggle. Peyton Randolph, son of William III, was commissioned as a Major in the militia in 1777 and, according to the family, was also an aide-de-camp to General Lafayette.
1 an alloy of
copper and zinc; known for its hardness and durability
Bibliography
Cecere, Michael. Wedded to my sword: The
Revolutionary War Service of Light Horse Harry Lee
Heritage Books Inc. Maryland,
2012.
Richardson, William H. and Walter P. Gardner. Washington and "the entreprise against Powles Hook". New Jersey Title Guarantee and Trust Co. Jersey City, 1929.
Richardson, William H. and Walter P. Gardner. Washington and "the entreprise against Powles Hook". New Jersey Title Guarantee and Trust Co. Jersey City, 1929.
“Battle of Paulus Hook”. HistoryNet.com. 26
July 2013. <http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-paulus-
hook.htm>
“Brass”. Encyclopeadia Britannica. 15 August
2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/77876/brass>
Image
Credit
http://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/image_gal/indeimg/lhenry.html
