_Whereas_, Cornelius Vanderbilt of New York, did, during the

spring of 1862, make a free gift to his imperilled country of his

new and staunch steamship "Vanderbilt," of five thousand tons

burthen, built by him with the greatest care, of the best

materials, at a cost of eight hundred thousand dollars, which

steamship has ever since been actively employed in the service of

the republic against the rebel devastations of her commerce; and

_Whereas_, The said Cornelius Vanderbilt has in no manner sought

any requital of this magnificent gift, nor any official

recognition thereof; therefore,

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the thanks

of Congress be presented to Cornelius Vanderbilt for this unique

manifestation of a fervid and large-souled patriotism.

SECTION 2. _And be it further resolved_, That the President (p. 408)

of the United States be requested to cause a gold medal to

be struck, which shall fitly embody an attestation of the

nation's gratitude for this gift; which medal shall be forwarded

to Cornelius Vanderbilt, a copy of it being made and deposited

for preservation in the library of Congress.

Approved January 28, 1864.

_____

_The Secretary of State to Cornelius Vanderbilt._

To Department of State,

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, Esq., Washington, April 17, 1866.

New York.

Sir: I have to inform you that the Congress of the United States,

by a resolution of the 28th of January, 1864, an attested copy of

which is herewith sent, offered you their thanks for your

generous gift to the nation during the last war, of the steamer

"Vanderbilt," and requested the President to cause a gold medal

to be struck and forwarded to you, commemorative of that gift. It

is now my pleasing duty to forward the medal to you accordingly.

I avail myself of the occasion to express a hope that it may

prove acceptable, and also to congratulate you upon the proud

consciousness, which you cannot fail to cherish, of having, by

the act referred to, rendered your country a signal service at a

critical period in its history.

I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,

William H. SEWARD.

_____

_Cornelius Vanderbilt to the Secretary of State._

To the Honorable

William H. SEWARD, New York, May 3rd, 1866.

Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Sir: Your communication of the 17th of April ult., informing me

that the Congress of the United States had, by their resolution

of the 28th of January, 1864, tendered to me their thanks for the

gift of the steamer "Vanderbilt," and requested the President to

cause a gold medal to be struck and forwarded to me in

commemoration of the gift, has been placed in my hands.

I have also received the medal, together with an attested copy of

the resolution in compliance with which you have caused it to be

transmitted.

You have been pleased to express the hope that the medal would be

acceptable to me, with your congratulations for the consciousness

which you consider I cannot fail to cherish of having, by the act

which its presentation commemorates, rendered a service to my

country at a critical period in its history.

Permit me, Sir, to return my acknowledgment for this (p. 409)

national recognition of the act referred to, and to express the

satisfaction with which I have received this generous token of

remembrance. It may not be inappropriate for me to refer to the

transaction which gave rise to the resolve of Congress which your

Department has now so gracefully executed.

About the year 1856, I formed the design and commenced the work

of a steamship for the purpose of demonstrating that individual

enterprise could, without the aid of governmental encouragement,

place upon the ocean steamships equal at least in magnitude,

power and speed, to any which had been constructed under

governmental patronage and protection in any part of the world.

An expenditure of about one million of dollars produced the

steamship "Vanderbilt," which carried the flag of our country

across the sea in a lesser space of time than any national banner

had been hitherto borne.

On the 16th of March, 1862, I received at my residence in this

city a letter from the War Department enquiring if I would

undertake to prevent the Confederate steamer "Merrimac" from

coming out of the harbor of Norfolk, and urging my immediate

attention, as the danger was most imminent and "there was no time

to be lost." I answered by telegraph that I would go to

Washington the next day. On the morning of the 17th of March I

called at the War Department, where I saw for the first time Mr.

Stanton, the Secretary of War. He requested me to accompany him

to the executive mansion, where I was introduced to Mr. Lincoln,

to whom I was then personally a stranger. The President asked me

if I thought I could, with the aid of my steamships, do anything

to prevent the "Merrimac" from getting out of Hampton Roads. I

replied to him that it was my opinion that if the steamship

"Vanderbilt" was there properly manned, the "Merrimac" would not

venture to come out, or if she did, the chances were ten to one

that the "Vanderbilt" would sink and destroy her. Mr. Lincoln

asked me to name the sum of money for which I would undertake the

service; I replied to him that nothing would induce me to become

a speculator upon the necessities of the government, and that I

would not mention a sum as the value of her charter, but that I

would make a gift of her to the government for the service

proposed. The President replied, "I accept her." I left him

promising that the "Vanderbilt" should be at Fortress Monroe

properly equipped and officered under my direction within three

or four days at the farthest, and she was there within the time.

The requisite instrument of transfer was subsequently executed by

me and transmitted to the War Department.

The resolution of Congress of which you have informed me truly

states that I have in no manner sought requital for the gift, and

the recognition of it, which in the discharge of your official

duty you have given me, was altogether unsolicited. I shall

proudly preserve the splendid token of appreciation which you

have transmitted to me, and it is my hope that those who come

after me, as they read the inscriptions of the medal and are

reminded of the event in their father's life which caused it to

be struck, will inflexibly resolve that should our Government be

again imperilled, no pecuniary sacrifice is too large to make in

its behalf, and no inducement sufficiently great to attempt to

profit by its necessities.

I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,

C. VANDERBILT.

No. 75. (p. 410)

PLATE LXXV.

_April 16, 1865--March 4, 1869._

Andrew Johnson, President of the United States 1865. [Rx]. Peace.

PRESIDENT ANDREW JOHNSON.

[_Seventeenth President of the United States of America._]

ANDREW JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 1865. Undraped bust of

President Johnson, facing the right PAQUET, F. (_fecit_).

America is giving her hand to an Indian chief, before a mausoleum,

upon which, in a crown of laurel, is the word PEACE. The mausoleum is

surmounted by a small undraped bust of Washington, facing the right;

to the left, at the feet of the Indian, are the attributes of savage

life, and behind him a buffalo hunt; to the right, at the feet of

America, are the emblems of civilization, and behind her a railway

train. PAQUET. F. (_fecit_).

ANDREW JOHNSON was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, December 29,

1808. He settled in Greenville, Tennessee, 1826; was a member of the

State Legislature, 1835 and 1839; State senator, 1841; member of

Congress, 1843-1853; governor of Tennessee, 1853-1857; and United

States senator, 1857-1863. He remained true to the Union when his

State seceded, and was appointed military-governor of Tennessee, 1864;

became vice-president of the United States, March 4, 1865; President,

after the assassination of President Lincoln, April 16, 1865-1869. He

was an unsuccessful candidate for the Senate of the United States in

1870, and for Congress in 1871; but was elected to the Senate in 1875.

He died July 31, 1875, near Elizabethtown, Carter County, Tennessee.

No. 76. (p. 411)

PLATE LXXVI.

_December, 1853._

By Joint resolution of Congress to the rescuers of the passengers

officers and men of steamship San Francisco, etc. [Rx]. July 26

1866.

WRECK OF THE STEAMSHIP SAN FRANCISCO.

[_Testimonial of National Gratitude._]

BY JOINT RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS TO THE RESCUERS OF THE PASSENGERS

OFFICERS AND MEN OF STEAMSHIP SAN FRANCISCO WRECKED DEC. (_December_)

1853. TESTIMONIAL OF NATIONAL GRATITUDE FOR HIS GALLANT CONDUCT.

America, personified as a female, seated, and with the eagle, fasces,

and shield at her left, crowns with a wreath of laurel a sailor, who

is kneeling before her; to the right, the United States capitol; to

the left, a ship at anchor. PAQUET. F. (_fecit_).

Thirty-nine stars; a man and a woman on a raft at sea; a ship coming

to their rescue. On the raft, PAQUET. F. (_fecit_). Exergue: JULY 26

1866--An anchor and a branch of laurel.[120]

[Footnote 120: See INTRODUCTION, page ix.]

As this medal was not voted by Congress until 1866, it is placed here

according to the chronological order adopted.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 412)

_Resolutions of Congress Voting Medals to Captains Creighton, Low, and

Stouffer._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: SECTION 1. That

the President of the United States be requested to procure three

valuable gold medals with suitable devices, one to be presented

to Captain Creighton, of the ship Three Bells, of Glasgow; one to

Captain Low, of the bark Kilby, of Boston; and one to Captain

Stouffer, of the ship Antar(c)tic, as testimonials of national

gratitude for their gallant conduct in rescuing about five

hundred Americans from the wreck of the steamship San Francisco;

and that the cost of the same be paid for out of any money in the

Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

SECTION 2. _And be it further resolved_, That the sum of seven

thousand five hundred dollars each is hereby appropriated, out of

any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the

above named captains respectively, as a reward of their humanity

and heroism in the rescue of the survivors of the said wreck, and

in case either of the said captains may have died, then the

amount hereby appropriated shall be paid to the widow of said

deceased captain respectively; if no widow surviving, then to the

respective child or children of such deceased captain; and in the

event of there being no child or children of said deceased

captain surviving, then the amount hereby appropriated shall be

paid first, to the father, or if the father be not living, then

to the mother of such deceased captain respectively.

SECTION 3. _And be it further resolved_, That there shall be paid

to each mate of the three above-named vessels the sum of five

hundred dollars, and to each man and boy the sum of one hundred

dollars, and in case of the death of the respective mate or

mates, or men or boys, that the said respective sums shall be

paid in the same way and under the same conditions as the payment

is to be made in case of the death of the respective captains.

Approved July 26th, 1866.

_____

_Major Wyse to the Adjutant-General of the Army._

To Fort Wood

COLONEL S. COOPER, New York Harbor, January 14th, 1854.

Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.

Colonel: I have the honor to enclose the above[121] informal

report, for the information of the proper authorities, with the

following remark: We were wrecked about 7 A.M. of the 24th of

December, 1853 (Saturday), the sea sweeping overboard Brevet

Colonel Washington, Brevet Major Taylor, Brevet Captain Field,

Lieutenant Smith, and about 120 men. We were much disabled and

leaking a great deal, mostly under our guards, which were (p. 413)

all broken up. On the 28th of December, 1853, we put on

board the bark Kilby, bound for Boston, Colonel Gates, Major

Merchant, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Burke, Doctors Saterlee and

Wirtz, Captain Judd, Captain Gardner, Lieutenant Fremont,

Lieutenant Loeser and Lieutenant Van Voast, with all the ladies

and their children, and about fifty men. Lieutenants William A.

Winder, Charles Winder, J. G. Chandler and myself, with the rest

of the men remained on board the wreck.

I continued the disembarkation until about 8 P.M. the same day,

when the weather forced us to stop, and that night we parted with

the bark in a gale. On Friday night, the 30th of December, 1853,

we fell in with the English ship "Three Bells," Captain

Creighton, who after finding our condition stuck by us _most

nobly_, until the sea calmed sufficiently to take our men off,

which was on Tuesday morning the 3d of January, 1854. At this

time the ship "Antarctic" of Liverpool came to our relief and

also commenced taking off our men. We continued this

disembarkation throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Wednesday

evening, about 6 P.M., having removed every man, woman and child

of my command, I embarked myself on board the "Three Bells." The

commander of the San Francisco, Captain Watkins, with his

officers and crew, remained on the wreck that night, and left the

next morning about 10 A.M., after which we parted with the

wreck, the ship "Antarctic" steaming for Liverpool, and our ship

the "Three Bells" for New York, where I have the happiness to

inform you we arrived last evening. Words cannot express the

gratitude we owe to Captain Creighton for laying by us so

faithfully during so many stormy days, his ship disabled in the

storm which wrecked us, and leaking at the rate of four inches

per hour, and to whom I trust our government may make some

suitable testimonial. Our own captain also behaved throughout the

whole trouble with the most untiring courage, energy and

perseverance. Both of our surgeons being on the bark Kilby, I

don't know what we should have done had it not been for the

accidental presence of Doctor Buell, a citizen physician, who

labored incessantly night and day to alleviate the sufferings of

our numerous sick, who were dying hourly with the cholera, and to

make things still worse the small pox made its appearance on

board. All our hospital stores were swept overboard the morning

of the wreck, with the exception of two or three boxes of brandy

and wine, and a little opium.

I feel that I would be doing injustice to Lieutenants Charles S.

Winder, James Van Voast, and J. G. Chandler, did I not recommend

them to the favorable notice of the President, for their untiring

and noble exertions, night and day for ten successive days, in

keeping the ship clear of water, and mingling among the sick and

desponding men, to minister to their wants and cheer them up with

hope. The other officer with me, Lieutenant Wm. A. Winder, was

sick nearly all the time and that prevented him from rendering

the services which otherwise he would have done. I am also happy

to say that under the most trying circumstances, my

non-commissioned officers and men behaved well.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

F. O. WYSE,

_Captain and Brevet Major 3d Artillery_, _commanding_.

[Footnote 121: See ENCLOSURE, page 414.]

[_Enclosure._] (p. 414)

CONSOLIDATED MORNING REPORT OF COMPANIES A, B, D, G, H, I, K AND L, OF

THE 3D ARTILLERY.

Stationed at Fort Wood, New York Harbor, January 14, 1854.

======================================================================

Number of ||Letters

Companies. || of Companies.

|| |

|| |Present

|| |for Duty.

|| | |

|| | |Present Sick.

|| | | |

|| | | |Absent.

|| | | | |

|| | | | |Absent Sick.

|| | | | | |

|| | | | | |Dead.

|| | | | | | |

|| | | | | | |Total Present.

|| | | | | | | |

|| | | | | | | |Total Present

|| | | | | | | |Absent, and

|| | | | | | | |Dead.

|| | | | | | | | |

|| | | | | | | | |Commissioned

|| | | | | | | | |Officers

|| | | | | | | | |Present.

|| | | | | | | | | ||Aggregate.

|| | | | | | | | | || ||

-----------||----------------------------------------||----||

Field and || | | | 1 | | | | | || ||

Staff || | | | | | | | | || ||

Regimental || | 7 | 1 | 7 | | 7 | 8 | 22 | || 22 ||

Band || | | | | | | | | || ||

1 || A | 17 | 1 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 54 | || 54 ||

2 || B | 12 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 68 | || 68 ||

3 || D | 21 | 4 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 56 | 1 || 57 ||

4 || G | 14 | | 23 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 55 | 1 || 56 ||

5 || H | 11 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 51 | || 51 ||

6 || I | 10 | 1 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 46 | || 46 ||

7 || K | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 36 | 13 | 57 | || 57 ||

8 || L | 16 | 1 | 16 | | 41 | 17 | 74 | || 74 ||

-----------------------------------------------------||----||

Total || |120 |12 |174 |18 |160 |132 |483 | 2 ||485 ||

=============================================================

Number of Companies. REMARKS.

Field and Staff: Lieutenant C. Winder and Sergeant Major Gorham

embarked for Liverpool.

Regimental Band: 7 embarked for Liverpool.

1: 2 embarked on board the bark Kilby for Boston,

and 26 for Liverpool.

2: 23 embarked for Liverpool.

3: 9 embarked for Boston, and 15 for Liverpool.

4: 2 privates embarked on board the bark Kilby

for Boston, and 21 for Liverpool.

5: 24 embarked for Liverpool, and 2 for Boston.

6: 29 embarked for Boston, and 4 for Liverpool.

7: 1 private embarked on board the bark Kilby

for Boston, and 7 for Liverpool.

8: 16 embarked for Liverpool.

_____

_Colonel Gates to the Adjutant-General of the Army._ (p. 415)

To Headquarters, 30 Artillery,

COLONEL S. COOPER, New York City, Jan. 16, 1854.

Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.

Colonel: I have the honor to report my arrival in this city, with

a remnant of my regiment.

As you are already aware I embarked on the 22d of December last,

with eight companies of my regiment, on the steamship San

Francisco for California. On the 24th December, when about three

hundred miles from New York, the engine of the ship gave way, and

in a few hours a heavy sea boarded her, carrying away the entire

upper cabin, and with it four officers and about two hundred

enlisted men, the wife of Major Taylor, my eldest son, and a

number of citizen passengers.

Every exertion was now made by both officers and men to assist

the crew in keeping the ship afloat; by clearing her of water and

throwing overboard freight.

A constant succession of gales continued for four days, rendering

it almost certain (to human foresight) that she must go down. But

by the merciful goodness of God we were preserved, and I am happy

to inform you that all the survivors have been taken from the

wreck and are now in this harbor, and on the ship "Antarctic" for

Liverpool, except eighteen men that volunteered to remain, and

help work the old bark Kilby into port.

On the 27th of December the bark Kilby of Boston hove in sight,

and her noble commander, Captain Low, said he would lay by us

until the sea would permit him to remove us on board his vessel.

On the 28th, the sea having in a measure become quiet, he came

alongside, sent his boats and removed all the ladies, children,

passengers (citizens), a number of officers, and about fifty

soldiers, when suddenly a squall of wind separated the two

vessels, parting the hawser by which they were attached, and

continued to blow all night a violent gale. This squall came on

so suddenly that my quarter-master and acting adjutant, 1st

Lieutenant Fremont, who came on board the bark for a few hours to

urge the sailors on to renewed exertions, and offer them large

inducements to work the boats all night, was left on the bark

unable to get back.

Brevet Major Wyse, the senior officer, undisabled, was, by my

orders, detailed to superintend the transfer of troops, and was

thus left in command of those remaining on the wreck. For two

days and nights the gale continued, and though we tried

constantly to regain the wreck, it was found impossible to do so,

with the old bark in her crippled condition, and as we were put

on an allowance of bread and water, it was finally resolved to

make if possible an American port.

We drifted before the wind for fifteen days, and were at last,

after living on parched corn five days, taken off by the packet

ship Lucy Thompson, of this port, Captain Pendleton, a noble

hearted sailor.

I cannot close this brief report without expressing my high

admiration of the noble conduct of every undisabled officer, and

most of the men. Brevet Major Wyse, Captain Judd, my only staff

officer (quartermaster and acting adjutant), 1st Lieutenant

Fremont, who, in addition to his own duties, served at the (p. 416)

pumps, 1st Lieutenant Loeser, acting Commissary, 1st

Lieutenant W. A. Winder, 2d Lieutenants C. S. Winder, Van Voast,

and Chandler.

These officers, some of them though slightly disabled, never

faltered in their duty, working day and night at the pumps and

elsewhere, and I would specially notice the three 2d lieutenants

who, being unencumbered with the cares of family, labored

unremittingly, and deserve the highest praise.

My regiment is broken up and disorganized, and it will be many

months before it can take the field successfully. We were all

anxious to reach California; our "all" was embarked in the

expedition, and by the providence of God it has been swept away,

and we are now penniless and destitute. We claim that our tour of

duty in California has been performed, by every military

principle, we have suffered more in the last three weeks than we

could, ordinarily, during a five-year tour in California. "We

have marched off parade," sought our destination, and been

crushed, cruelly crushed, and we now ask that due consideration

be shown us.

I further request that the officers of companies "B" and "L" now

under orders for California be directed to report to me in this

city for duty, with the remnants of those companies.

The officers lost are Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Washington,

Brevet Major George Taylor, Brevet Captain H. B. Field, and 1st

Lieutenant R. H. Smith.

As soon as possible a detailed report with a return of the

survivors will be made to you.

The troops taken off by the "Kilby" and "Three Bells" are at

Bedloe's Island.

I am, Colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

William GATES,

_Colonel commanding_.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Acts of Congress Voting Eight Months' Pay to Lieutenant Francis

Key Murray and others._

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States in Congress assembled_: That there shall be paid,

under the direction of the President, to each of the officers,

non-commissioned officers, musicians and privates, who, on the

twenty-first day of December, eighteen hundred and fifty-three,

embarked at New York, under orders to California, on the steamship

San Francisco, and who was on board the vessel on the occasion of

her recent disaster at sea, and to Lieutenant Francis Key Murray,

and any other officer or seaman of the United States Navy, who was

on board the said steamship, under orders, a sum equal in amount

to his pay and allowance for eight months.

SECTION 2. _And be it further enacted_, That if any such (p. 417)

officer, non-commissioned officer, musician or private, shall have

died before receiving such payment, from any cause consequent upon

said disaster, his widow, if one survive him, and if not, then his

minor children, if any there be, shall be paid a sum equal in

amount to six months' pay, and allowances of the deceased; and

that the widows and minor children of those officers,

non-commissioned officers and privates, who perished by this

disaster, or who died from disease in consequence thereof, shall

be allowed pensions in the same manner in all respects as if the

said officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates had been

killed in battle.

Approved March 27th, 1854.

SECTION 3. _And be it further enacted_,

That the amount which it may be found necessary to pay under the

act of twenty-seventh March, eighteen hundred and fifty-four, to

the widows and orphans of United States troops, who perished by

the recent disaster to the steamship San Francisco, be paid out of

any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved August 5th, 1854.

No. 77. (p. 418)

PLATE LXXVII.

_1866._

Honor and fame are the reward. [Rx]. By resolution of the

Congress of the United States. March 2, 1867. to Cyrus W. Field,

of New York, etc.

CYRUS WEST FIELD.

[_Laying of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable._]

Within a circle formed by a telegraphic cable: HONOR AND FAME ARE THE

REWARD. On clouds in the midst of sunbeams the undraped bust of Cyrus

West Field, facing the left. A hand from above places a crown on his

head; below is the Atlantic Ocean; two ships going in opposite

directions are paying out the cable; to the left, the western

hemisphere, AMERICA; to the right, the eastern hemisphere, EUROPE;

beneath, in a band formed by the Atlantic cable and a chain uniting

the two worlds, INDOMITABLE PERSEVERANCE AND ENDURING FAITH ACHIEVED

THE SUCCESS, J. G. BRUFF D. (_delineavit._) BARBER F. (_fecit_).

Within an endless chain: BY RESOLUTION OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED

STATES. MARCH 2, 1867. TO CYRUS W. (_West_) FIELD, OF NEW YORK FOR HIS

FORESIGHT, FAITH, AND PERSISTENCY, IN ESTABLISHING TELEGRAPHIC

COMMUNICATION, BY MEANS OF THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH, CONNECTING THE OLD

WITH THE NEW WORLD. To the left, the American shield; to the right, a

star formed of thirty-one smaller stars; below, the terrestrial globe,

showing AMERICA and EUROPE, surrounded with electric sparks,

surmounted by a torch and a caduceus crossed, and resting on branches

of laurel and of oak.

J. GOLDSBOROUGH BRUFF was in 1872 one of the designing artists (p. 419)

attached to the Treasury Department in Washington. He designed

the face of this medal.

WILLIAM BARBER, at present engraver to the United States Mint in

Philadelphia, was born in London, England. The principal medals

engraved by him are those of Cyrus W. Field, Elliot, Rittenhouse,

James Pollock, Joseph Pancoast, and Dr. Linderman.

CYRUS WEST FIELD was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, November 30,

1819. He went to New York city at the age of fifteen, and entered a

commercial house. He was one of the first promoters of an Atlantic

telegraph, and founded the New York, Newfoundland, and London

Telegraph Company in 1854; organized the Atlantic Telegraph Company in

1856; and took a leading part in the various attempts to lay a

transatlantic cable. He received a vote of thanks and a gold medal

from Congress for the final success of this great undertaking. He is

still living.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Resolution of Congress Voting a Medal to Cyrus W. Field._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the thanks

of Congress be, and they hereby are, presented to Cyrus W. Field

of New York, for his foresight, courage and determination in

establishing telegraphic communication by means of the Atlantic

cable, traversing mid-ocean and connecting the Old World with the

New; and that the President of the United States be requested to

cause a gold medal to be struck, with suitable emblems, devices,

and inscription, to be presented to Mr. Field.

_And be it further resolved_, That when the medal shall have been

struck, the President shall cause a copy of this joint resolution

to be engrossed on parchment, and shall transmit the same,

together with the medal, to Mr. Field to be presented to him in

the name of the people of the United States of America.

_And further_, That a sufficient sum of money to carry this

resolution into effect is hereby appropriated out of any money in

the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved March 2, 1867.

_____

_The Secretary of State to Cyrus W. Field._ (p. 420)

To Department of State,

Cyrus W. FIELD, Esq., Washington, January 7, 1869.

New York.

Sir: Pursuant to the resolution of Congress of March 2, 1867, the

President has caused to be prepared, for presentation to you, in

the name of the people of the United States, a gold medal, with

suitable devices and inscriptions, in acknowledgment of your

eminent services in the establishment of telegraphic

communication, by means of the Atlantic cable, between the Old

World and the New.

This testimonial, together with an engrossed copy of the

resolution referred to, is herewith transmitted to you by

direction of the President.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

William H. SEWARD.

No. 78. (p. 421)

PLATE LXXVIII.

_February 7, 1867._

[Rx]. The people of the United States to George Peabody, etc.

GEORGE PEABODY.

[_Promotion of Universal Education._]

Bust of George Peabody, facing the left.

THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO GEORGE PEABODY IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF

HIS BENEFICENT PROMOTION OF UNIVERSAL EDUCATION.[122]

[Footnote 122: See INTRODUCTION, page viii.]

This is not, properly speaking, a medal, but rather a medallion

forming the center of a piece of gold plate, the work of Messrs. Starr

and Marcus, goldsmiths, of New York. A female figure, representing

Benevolence, leans over the medallion on the right, holding in her

right hand a branch of laurel, while with her left she points to the

bust of George Peabody. On the opposite side, under a palmetto tree,

are two children, the one white, the other a negro, typical of

education in the Southern States. The group is placed upon a pedestal

of solid gold, in the center of which are the arms of the United

States of America in enamel, resting upon two branches, one of oak,

the other of laurel. To the right, BENEVOLENCE; to the left,

EDUCATION. On the reverse of the pedestal, beneath the medallion, are

a globe, books, a map of the United States, a square, a compass, etc.,

emblems of Art, Science, and Education. This piece of plate is eight

inches high, six inches wide, and its depth is an inch and a half.

The allegorical figures are modeled and finely chased, and the (p. 422)

portrait in the medallion is in alto relievo.

GEORGE PEABODY was born in Danvers, Massachusetts, February 18, 1795.

In 1806 he began life as an apprentice to a grocer. He afterward

entered into partnership with Mr. Elisha Riggs, in Baltimore, and when

the latter retired from business, in 1830, he became the head of the

house; in 1843 he settled in London as a banker. In 1852 he gave

$200,000 for the foundation of a free library and educational

institute in Danvers; and in 1857 he founded in Baltimore the Peabody

Institute, to which he gave $1,000,000. He also contributed, at

various times, $2,500,000, for the amelioration of the condition of

the London poor. The freedom of the city of London was presented to

him, and Queen Victoria offered him a baronetcy or the grand cross of

the Order of the Bath, both of which honors he respectfully declined.

Her Majesty then wrote him a private letter of thanks, and sent him,

in March, 1866, a beautiful miniature portrait of herself. During a

visit to America, in 1867, he made a gift of $2,000,000 to promote

education in the Southern States, for which Congress gave him a vote

of thanks and a gold medal; and on April 13, 1868, Massachusetts

passed an act changing the name of his native town, Danvers, to

Peabody. He returned to England, and died in London, November 4, 1869.

A funeral service was performed over his body in Westminster Abbey,

November 12; and in December it was, by order of Her Majesty, the

Queen of Great Britain, taken on board the iron-clad turret

ship-of-war Monarch, Captain Comerell, C. B., V. C. (_Knight Companion

of the Bath_,[123] _Victoria Cross_), and conveyed to America under

escort, by order of President Grant, of the United States screw

sloop-of-war Plymouth, Commander Macomb. It was landed in Portland,

Maine, January 26, 1870, and was deposited, February 8, 1870, in the

memorial church erected to his mother at Peabody, amid an immense

concourse of people, among whom were Prince Arthur of England, the

governors of Maine and Massachusetts, and numerous deputations. The

bronze statue of Mr. Peabody, by Story, erected by the citizens of

London behind the Royal Exchange, was unveiled in presence of the

Prince of Wales, July 23, 1869.

[Footnote 123: The Most Honorable Military Order of

the Bath is composed of three classes:

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.]

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 423)

_Resolution of Congress Voting a Medal to George Peabody._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the thanks

of Congress be, and they hereby are, presented to George Peabody

of Massachusetts, for his great and peculiar beneficence in

giving a large sum of money, amounting to two million dollars,

for the promotion of education in the more destitute portions of

the Southern and Southwestern States, the benefits of which,

according to his direction, are to be distributed among the

entire population without any distinction, except what may be

found in needs or opportunities of usefulness.

_And be it further resolved_, That it shall be the duty of the

President to cause a gold medal to be struck, with suitable

devices and inscriptions, which, together with a copy of these

resolutions, shall be presented to Mr. Peabody in the name of the

people of the United States.

_And further_, That a sufficient amount of money to carry this

resolution into effect is hereby appropriated out of any money in

the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved March 16, 1867.

_____

_George Peabody's Gift for Southern Education._

Washington, February 7, 1867.

To Hon. Robert C. WINTHROP, of Massachusetts;

Hon. Hamilton FISH, of New York;

Right Rev. Charles P. MCILVAINE, of Ohio;

GENERAL U. S. GRANT, of the United States Army;

Hon. William C. RIVES, of Virginia;

Hon. John H. CLIFFORD, of Massachusetts;

Hon. William AIKEN, of South Carolina;

William M. EVARTS, Esq., of New York;

Hon. William A. GRAHAM, of North Carolina;

Charles MACALESTER, of Pennsylvania;

George W. RIGGS, Esq., of Washington;

Samuel WETMORE, Esq., of New York;

Edward A. BRADFORD, Esq., of Louisiana;

George N. EATON, Esq., of Maryland;

and George PEABODY RUSSELL, Esq., of Massachusetts.

Gentlemen: I beg to address you on a subject which occupied my

mind long before I left England, and in regard to which one, at

least, of you (the Hon. Mr. Winthrop, the distinguished and

valued friend to whom I am so much indebted for cordial sympathy,

careful consideration, and wise counsel in this matter,) will

remember that I consulted him immediately upon my arrival in May

last.

I refer to the educational needs of those portions of our beloved

and common country which have suffered from the destructive

ravages, and the not less disastrous consequences of civil war.

With my advancing years my attachment to my native land has but

become more devoted. My hope and faith in its successful and

glorious future have grown brighter and stronger, and now, (p. 424)

looking forward beyond my stay on earth, as may be permitted

to one who has passed the limit of three score and ten years, I

see our country united and prosperous, emerging from the clouds

which still surround her, taking a higher rank among the nations,

and becoming richer and more powerful than ever before.

But to make her prosperity more than superficial, her moral and

intellectual development should keep pace with her material

growth, and in those portions of our nation to which I have

referred, the urgent and pressing physical needs of an almost

impoverished people must for some years preclude them from

making, by unaided effort, such advances in education, and such

progress in the diffusion of knowledge among all classes, as

every lover of his country must earnestly desire.

I feel most deeply, therefore, that it is the duty and privilege

of the more favored and wealthy portions of our nation to assist

those who are less fortunate, and, with the wish to discharge so

far as I may be able my own responsibility in this matter, as

well as to gratify my desire to aid those to whom I am bound by

so many ties of attachment and regard, I give to you, gentlemen,

most of whom have been my personal and especial friends, the sum

of one million of dollars, to be by you and your successors held

in trust, and the income thereof used and applied in your

discretion for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual,

moral, or industrial education among the young of the more

destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States of our

Union; my purpose being that the benefits intended shall be

distributed among the entire population, without other

distinction than their needs and the opportunities of usefulness

to them.

Besides the income thus derived, I give to you permission to use

from the principal sum, within the next two years, an amount not

exceeding forty per cent.

In addition to this gift I place in your hands bonds of the State

of Mississippi, issued to the Planter's Bank, and commonly known

as Planter's Bank bonds, amounting, with interest, to about

eleven hundred thousand dollars, the amount realized by you from

which is to be added to and used for the purposes of this trust.

These bonds were originally issued in payment for stock in that

bank held by the State, and amounted in all to only two millions

of dollars. For many years the State received large dividends

from that bank over and above the interest on these bonds. The

State paid the interest without interruption till 1840, since

which no interest has been paid, except a payment of about one

hundred thousand dollars, which was found in the treasury

applicable to the payment of the coupons, and paid by a mandamus

of the Supreme Court. The validity of these bonds has never been

questioned, and they must not be confounded with another issue of

bonds made by the State to the Union Bank, the recognition of

which has been a subject of controversy with a portion of the

population of Mississippi.

Various acts of the Legislature, viz.: of February 28, 1842;

February 23, 1844; February 16, 1846; February 28, 1846; March 4,

1848, and the highest judicial tribunal of the State have

confirmed their validity, and I have no doubt that at an early

date such legislation will be had as to make these bonds

available in increasing the usefulness of the present trust.

Mississippi, though now depressed, is rich in agricultural (p. 425)

resources, and cannot long disregard the moral obligation

resting upon her to make provision for their payment. In

confirmation of what I have said in regard to the legislative

and judicial action concerning the State bonds issued to the

Planter's Bank, I herewith place in your hands the documents

marked A.

The details and organization of the trust I leave with you, only

requesting that Mr. Winthrop may be Chairman, and Governor Fish

and Bishop McIlvaine Vice-Chairmen of your body; and I give to

you power to make all necessary by-laws and regulations, to

obtain an act of incorporation, if any shall be found expedient,

to provide for the expenses of the trustees and of any agents

appointed by them; and generally, to do all such acts as may be

necessary for carrying out the provisions of this trust.

All vacancies occurring in your number by death, resignation, or

otherwise, shall be filled by your election, as soon as

conveniently may be, and having in view an equality of

representation so far as regards the Northern and Southern

States.

I furthermore give to you the power, in case two-thirds of the

trustees shall at any time, after the lapse of 30 years, deem it

expedient, to close this trust, and of the funds which at that

time shall be in the hands of yourselves and your successors, to

distribute not less than two-thirds among such educational or

literary institutions, or for such educational purposes as they

may determine, in the States for whose benefit the income is now

appointed to be used. The remainder may be distributed by the

trustees for educational or literary purposes wherever they may

deem it expedient.

In making this gift I am aware that the fund derived from it can

but aid the States which I wish to benefit in their own exertions

to diffuse the blessings of education and morality. But if this

endowment shall encourage those now anxious for the light of

knowledge, and stimulate to new efforts the many good and noble

men who cherish the high purpose of placing our great country

foremost, not only in power, but in the intelligence and virtue

of her citizens, it will have accomplished all that I can hope.

With reverent recognition of the need of the blessing of Almighty

God upon this gift, and with the fervent prayer that, under His

guidance, your counsels may be directed for the highest good of

present and future generations in our beloved country,

I am, gentlemen, with great respect, your humble servant,

George PEABODY.

_____

_Action of the Trustees of the Peabody Gift._

On receipt of the foregoing letter by the Hon. Robert C.

Winthrop, the Trustees present in Washington were called upon by

him to meet on February 8th, and the letter having been laid

before them, the following resolutions, moved by Bishop McIlvaine

and seconded by Gov. Aiken, were unanimously adopted:

_Whereas_: Our countryman and friend George Peabody has, in a

letter just communicated to the undersigned, made known his

determination, out of a grateful sense of the manifold (p. 426)

goodness with which God has prospered his life, and of an earnest

desire to promote the best interests of his fellow-citizens, to

devote a munificent donation of property for certain most wise

and beneficent uses indicated in said letter, and has requested

us to take in trust the charge and management of the same,

therefore,

_Resolved_, That the undersigned, being the Trustees assembled in

Washington, deeply sensible of the honor conferred on them by a

trust of such eminent importance and responsibility, and

realizing their dependence upon the guidance and blessing of God

to be enabled to discharge its duties with such wisdom and

faithfulness as may best secure the benevolent designs of the

giver, do hereby accept the office of Trustees of the same, and

promise our best exertions in its behalf.

_Resolved_, That we hereby express to Mr. Peabody our grateful

appreciation of the enlarged and unprecedented generosity which,

after having bestowed upon the poor of the city of London a

bounty that drew forth the admiration of Europe, and after having

exceeded the same in his recent return to his native land, in

benefactions to institutions of learning and education in the

Middle and Eastern States of the Union, has now crowned the whole

with this last deed of patriotism and loving kindness, so

eminently calculated to bind together the several parts of our

beloved country in the bonds of mutual well-doing and regard.

_Resolved_, That we express to Mr. Peabody our respectful and

affectionate prayer that, in the gracious providence of our

Heavenly Father, his valuable life may be long spared to witness

the success of his benevolent contributions to the happiness of

his fellow-citizens in all parts of his native and beloved land,

and that many of those whom God has blessed with large

possessions may be induced to follow his example of wise and

noble employment of wealth for the good of man and the glory of

God.

Robert C. WINTHROP, C. MACALESTER,

Charles P. MCILVAINE, George W. RIGGS,

U. S. GRANT, Gen. U. S. A. Samuel WETMORE,

William AIKEN, George N. EATON,

William M. EVARTS, Geo. PEABODY RUSSELL.

_____

_The Secretary of State to George Peabody._

To Department of State,

Mr. George PEABODY, London. Washington, June 23, 1868.

Sir: I have the pleasure to inform you that, pursuant to the

resolution of Congress of March 16, 1867, the President has

caused to be prepared for presentation to you, in the name of the

people of the United States, a gold medal, with suitable devices

and inscriptions, in acknowledgment of your munificent donation

for the promotion of education in the more destitute portions of

the Southern and Southwestern States. This testimonial, (p. 427)

together with an engrossed copy of the resolution referred to,

will remain in the hands of this department until you shall have

communicated to it your wishes with regard to their further

disposition.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

William H. SEWARD.

_____

_George Peabody to the Secretary of State._

To the Honorable

William H. SEWARD, London, Sept 18, 1868.

Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your

communication, dated the 23d of June, informing me of the

completion of the gold medal prepared pursuant to an act of

Congress of March 16, 1867, to be presented to me in the name of

the people of the United States, and asking what may be my wishes

in regard to its further disposition.

I have heretofore delayed responding to your polite letter from

indecision on my part respecting the place to which I should wish

to have the esteemed token transmitted, whether to me here, in

London, or to the institution bearing my name in South Danvers,

which I intend shall be its final resting place; but knowing the

uncertainty of life, particularly at my advanced age, and feeling

a great desire of seeing this most valued token my countrymen

have been pleased to bestow upon me, I beg leave to submit, if

compatible with the rules of your department, that the medal with

the accompanying documents may be sent to me here, through our

legation, when I will endeavor to express myself more fully how

highly I esteem the distinguished honor.

I am, with great respect, your humble servant,

George PEABODY.

_____

_The Secretary of State to George Peabody._

To Department of State,

Mr. George PEABODY, London. Washington, October 7, 1868.

Sir: Your letter of the 18th of September has been received. In

compliance with the suggestion therein contained the

congressional medal is herewith transmitted to Mr. B. F. Stevens,

the United States despatch agent at London, with instructions to

place the honorable testimonial directly into your own hands. It

is hoped that it may receive no injury by the way, and that you

may deem it, in design and execution, a not unworthy token of

your countrymen's appreciation of your beneficence in the cause

of universal education.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

William H. SEWARD.

_____

_George Peabody to the Secretary of State._ (p. 428)

To the Honorable 64 Queen Street, Cheapside,

William H. SEWARD, London, E. C., January 6, 1869.

Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt, through the

United States despatch agent at London, of the case alluded to in

your letter of the 7th of October, containing the gold medal,

which, pursuant to the resolution of Congress, the President has

caused to be prepared for me, together with an engrossed copy of

the resolution referred to.

The package arrived in England in November, but owing to my

absence from London it was not till the evening of Christmas day

that I was enabled to examine its contents in the presence of a

circle of my intimate friends.

Of the unsurpassed beauty of the medal, and the excellence of its

delicate workmanship, there is but one opinion, and I heartily

concur with all who have seen it in appreciating the elegance of

its design and the masterly skill of its execution.

Cherishing as I do the warmest affection for my country, it is

not possible for me to feel more grateful than I do for this

precious memorial of its regard, coming as it does from thirty

millions of American citizens, through their representatives in

Congress, with the full accord and co-operation of the President.

This medal, together with the rich illuminated transcript of the

Congressional resolution, I shall shortly deposit in the Peabody

Institution, at the place of my birth, in apartments specially

constructed for their safe-keeping, along with other public

testimonials with which I have been honored. There I trust it

will remain for generations, to attest the generous munificence

of the American people in recognizing the efforts, however

inadequate, of one of the humblest of their fellow-countrymen to

promote the enlightenment and prosperity of his native land.

To you, Sir, individually, I beg to convey the assurance of my

profound gratitude for the interest which you have personally

manifested on the occasion, and for the cordial manner in which

you have consulted my wishes in relation to the transmission of

this gracious record of my country's favor.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, your humble servant,

George PEABODY.

No. 79. (p. 429)

PLATE LXXIX.

_March 4, 1869--March 4, 1877._

United States of America. Liberty justice and equality "Let us

have peace." [Rx]. On earth peace good will toward men.

PRESIDENT ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT.

[_Eighteenth President of the United States of America._]

Within a wreath of laurel, at the four points of which are shields of

the United States of America: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. LIBERTY

JUSTICE AND EQUALITY "LET US HAVE PEACE." Bust of President Grant,

facing the right; under it, a calumet of peace and a branch of laurel.

Within a circle composed of thirty-six stars: ON EARTH PEACE GOOD WILL

TOWARD MEN 1871. The western hemisphere of the globe resting on

implements of husbandry, with the Holy Bible above it and rays behind

it.

This medal, though not signed, is by Paquet.

No. 80. (p. 430)

PLATE LXXX.

_April 14, 1865._

To George F. Robinson. Awarded by the Congress of the United

States, March 1, 1871.

GEORGE FOSTER ROBINSON.

[_Heroic Conduct._]

TO GEORGE F. ROBINSON. AWARDED BY THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,

MARCH 1. 1871. Bust of Robinson, facing the left; on the coat, four

clubs, the badge[124] of the eighteenth army corps, in which he served

during the Civil War; above, two crowns, one of laurel and one of oak;

on each side, the following: FOR HIS HEROIC CONDUCT ON THE 14. DAY OF

APRIL 1865, IN SAVING THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE WM. H. (_William

Henry_) SEWARD THEN SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES.

[Footnote 124: During the war the campaign badge

was of felt, red for the first division, white for

the second, and blue for the third. For dress

occasions it was of silver, with the color of the

division inserted in the badge. The felt badge was

worn on the right side of the hat, the silver one

as in the plate. By means of the letters, figures,

and badge, any one could tell, at a glance, the

army corps, division, brigade, regiment, and

company, to which a soldier belonged, and the State

from which he came.

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.]

Secretary Seward lying in his bed, with curtains half drawn; (p. 431)

standing at its side, Robinson struggling with Payne, who holds an

uplifted dagger in his right hand. G. Y. COFFIN. DES. (_designavit._)

PAQUET. F. (_fecit_).

GEORGE FOSTER ROBINSON was born at Hartford, Oxford County, Maine,

August 13, 1832. In 1863, he enlisted in the 8th regiment of Maine

Volunteers, and was severely wounded at Bermuda Hundred, May 20, 1864.

On the night of April 14, 1865, while acting as sick nurse to the

Honorable William H. Seward, then secretary of State, at the imminent

peril of his life, and at the cost of serious wounds, he saved Mr.

Seward from the knife of the assassin Payne. For his heroic conduct on

this occasion, Congress voted him five thousand dollars and a gold

medal. He was clerk in the Treasury Department, from June, 1865, to

August, 1866, when he resigned. He was appointed in December, 1868, to

a similar position in the quartermaster-general's office, Washington.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Resolution of Congress Voting a Medal to George F. Robinson._

_Be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the

Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to pay

to George F. Robinson, late a private in the Eighth Regiment of

Maine Volunteers, the sum of five thousand dollars, out of any

money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise

appropriated.

SECTION 2. _And be it further resolved_, That the Secretary of

the Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to cause to be

prepared and presented to the said George F. Robinson a gold

medal with appropriate devices and inscriptions, commemorative of

the heroic conduct of the said Robinson on the fourteenth day of

April, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, in saving the life of the

Honorable William H. Seward, then secretary of State of the

United States, the expense of said medal to be paid out of any

money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved March 1st, 1871.

_The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom were referred the (p. 432)

resolutions of the legislature of the State of Maine, declaring that

the heroic conduct of George F. Robinson, late a private in the Eighth

Regiment of Maine Volunteers, in saving the life of Secretary Seward

from the knife of an assassin, at the imminent peril of his own life,

and at the expense of permanent wounds, should receive public

recognition by the Congress of the United States, to the end that his

noble deeds may be known and remembered by the American People, and

that provision may be made for his future welfare such as right and

justice demand, and the generous impulse of a grateful people require,

respectfully submit the following report:_[125]

[Footnote 125: Reported by Mr. Porter Sheldon, of

the Committee on Foreign Affairs.]

That on the 15th day of August, 1863, George F. Robinson enlisted

in the Eighth Regiment of Maine Volunteers. On the 20th day of

May, 1864, at an attack at Bermuda Hundred, made on General

Butler's lines by the rebels, Robinson was wounded very severely

in the leg by a canister shot. He was sent to Douglas Hospital in

this city, where he lay nearly a year undergoing great suffering

from his wound. On the memorable 14th day of April, 1865,

although his wound was not then entirely healed, he was detailed

from the hospital to act as nurse to Mr. Seward, the Secretary of

State, who, it will be remembered, was confined to his bed by

serious injuries--a broken arm and jaw. At 10 o'clock that night

Robinson was on duty in Mr. Seward's room, when the assassin,

Payne, sought that room to murder the feeble, wounded, helpless

Secretary, in pursuance of the great conspiracy which ended with

filling the whole civilized world with horror. The Secretary was

sleeping; the room was darkened. Robinson hearing a disturbance

in the hall opened the door; a flood of light streamed on him

from the hall. On the threshold stood the athletic assassin, a

revolver in one hand and a huge bowie knife in the other. He saw

against the wall the wounded, crazed Assistant Secretary, with

blood pouring from his wound. He caught the gleam of that

terrible knife aimed at his throat; instinctively he struck up at

the assassin's arm to ward off the knife, partially succeeded,

but received the blow upon his head, and was prostrated to the

floor. Bounding over him, Payne rushed on to the bed, and

commenced wildly striking with the knife at the throat of the

Secretary. Already he had cut the flesh off from one cheek to the

bone, and the blood gushed in torrents over the pillow. This

soldier, just from the hospital, with his wounded leg not yet

healed, enfeebled from his year of suffering and pain, just

prostrated to the floor by a blow from that terrible knife,

springs to his feet, and without one moment's hesitation, without

one moment's thought for himself, save, as he swears, the thought

that he must die to save the Secretary; without a weapon of any

description, with a bravery never surpassed in the annals of any

country, he opposed his naked hands, his wounded and enfeebled

body, to the terrible knife of the gigantic and desperate

murderer. He seized the assassin just as the deadly knife was

about to bury itself in the throat of the Secretary, and then

commenced an unequal struggle which seemingly can only end in the

death of the brave soldier. Having succeeded in dragging Payne

from off the bed, he receives over his shoulder two deep wounds

down his back, inflicting injuries from which one side of (p. 433)

his face and two fingers of one hand are still partially

paralyzed. He received two more wounds under his left shoulder

blade, which proved nearly fatal, and received blows about the

head and face from the revolver. At last Payne, probably becoming

alarmed for his own safety should he spend more time in the

house, wrenched himself loose and fled, stabbing a messenger from

the State Department on his way down stairs. Disregarding his own

desperate wounds, the blood from which was filling his shoes,

with the help of Mr. Seward's daughter Robinson placed the

insensible and mangled form of the Secretary on the bed from

which he had fallen, and re-covering the gashed cheek with its

flesh, he placed his fingers on the wounded artery from which Mr.

Seward's life was fast passing, and with the same coolness, the

same utter self-abandonment, he kept his position, though

scarcely able to stand, and believing himself fatally wounded,

until relieved by the arrival of the Surgeon-General. After the

Secretary's wounds were dressed his own were attended to, and he

was the same night carried back to the hospital.

On the 17th day of May following Robinson was honorably

discharged from the service. Finding himself unable to labor on a

farm, by reason of his wounds, he was obliged to sell his little

place for some $1,200, and sought employment as a Government

clerk. He is now a clerk in the Quartermaster General's

Department, at a salary of $1,200 per year, and has no other

means of supporting himself, his wife, and boy, except a pension

of $8 per month for wounds received on the field of battle.

Robinson is a modest man, of excellent character, and a faithful

and efficient clerk.

The committee unanimously recommend the passage of the

accompanying joint resolution.

No. 81. (p. 434)

PLATE LXXXI.

_August 31, 1872._

By Resolution of Congress February 24, 1873.

LOSS OF THE STEAMER METIS.

[_For Courage and Humanity._]

A man standing in a boat, a coil of rope under his left arm, directs

oarsmen with his right hand to pull for the wreck of the Metis. One of

the men is lifting a woman from the sea into the boat. To the right,

in the background, a light-house.

BY RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS FEBRUARY 24, 1873. Within a wreath of Oak:

TO[126] FOR COURAGE AND HUMANITY IN THE SAVING OF LIFE FROM THE WRECK

OF THE STEAMER METIS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND AUGUST 31, 1872. W. & C.

BARBER.

[Footnote 126: Blank space for name.]

CHARLES E. BARBER, son of William Barber, chief engraver to the United

States Mint, Philadelphia, was born in London, England, in 1840. He

came to America with his parents when very young and studied the fine

arts in the city of New York. He engraved for the Government of the

United States the Metis and John Horn medals.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Resolution of Congress Voting Medals to Captain Crandall and others._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States in Congress assembled_: That the President of the

United States is hereby authorized and requested to cause to be

made and presented to each of the following persons such

suitable and appropriate medals, as in his judgment shall (p. 435)

express the high estimation in which Congress hold the

respective merits and services of Captain Jared S. Crandall,

Albert Crandall, Daniel F. Larkin, Frank Larkin, Byron Green,

John D. Harvey, Courtland Gavitt, Eugene Nash, Edwin Nash and

William Nash of the town of Westerly, State of Rhode Island, who

so gallantly volunteered to man the life-boat and a fishing boat,

and saved the lives of thirty-two persons from the wreck of the

steamer "Metis," on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the

thirty-first day of August, one thousand eight hundred and

seventy-two.

Approved February 24, 1873.

_____

_Captain David Ritchie to the Secretary of the Navy._

United States Revenue Steamer Mocassin,

To the Honorable Newport, Rhode Island, September 1st, 1872.

George S. BOUTWELL,

Secretary of the Treasury,

Washington, District of Columbia.

Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the

services rendered by this vessel, her officers and crew to the

passengers and crew of the wrecked steamer Metis on the morning

of August 30th, 1872.

On the evening of August 29th, while cruising to the westward,

weather threatening, ran in for a harbor behind the Stonington

breakwater, where we anchored. My glass falling and there being

every indication of a storm, I prepared my vessel for it.

At 8 P.M. the gale began, and continued to increase throughout

the night from southeast with heavy sea and blinding rain.

At daylight the gale moderated and it stopped raining, the wind

hauling by south to westward.

At 9.20 A.M. the first officer of the steamer "Stonington" of

the New York and Stonington Line, came alongside, and reported

that the steamer "Metis" of the New York and Providence Line, was

wrecked off Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the fate of which, together

with her one hundred and fifty passengers and crew, was unknown.

I ordered steam as quickly as possible, and at 10.15 A.M. got

under way and proceeded to the scene of the disaster, stationing

lookouts aloft and upon the house.

I soon descried two boats loaded with helpless men, women and

children, near the edge of the surf at Watch Hill Light House,

and with great difficulty and danger, on account of the heavy

sea, succeeded in getting them on board of the "Mocassin."

I then stood down for the wreck, lowered boats and picked up the

living and dead, continuing this sad duty until 3.45 P.M., when

night coming on and medical aid being required for those of the

rescued who were exhausted, I put the vessel back for Stonington,

the nearest port, having no hope of finding any more living

persons and seeing no dead bodies remaining afloat. I reached

Stonington at 6 P.M. with forty-two rescued persons and (p. 436)

seventeen dead bodies which we had recovered from the deep.

Being a stranger in Stonington, I was at a loss to know what I

should do with my precious cargo, but at the wharf I met with

unexpected aid in the person of Mr. J. P. Bigelow, chief of the

Loan Division of the Treasury Department, who, upon my wants

being made known to him, procured proper relief, obtaining

through Mrs. Bigelow and ladies in the town, clothing and proper

care for five women who were rescued in a state of entire nudity.

The men rescued were taken charge of by the citizens, who did all

in their power to relieve their distress. All the rescued were

greatly exhausted, having been in the water several hours.

I take great pleasure in informing the Department of the noble

and untiring exertions of 1st Lieutenant Joseph Irish, 2d

Lieutenant A. D. Littlefield, Chief Engineer Whittaker, Pilot

Joseph Case, Boatswain E. F. R. Denison, and each of the crew in

saving life, recovering bodies of the drowned and caring for the

sick and wounded.

In the cases of several of the shipwrecked life was apparently

extinct, but by the efforts of those on board they were

resuscitated. The women were rolled in blankets, and all in our

power was done to make them comfortable. Many of the rescued were

very weak, and I doubted my ability to get them into port alive.

I was ably seconded in my work of boating by Captain Crandall,

light house keeper at Watch Hill, and his noble crew, they having

picked up fourteen living and dead.

After the last body had been taken on board a sea caught their

boat under this vessel's quarter and split her open.

The boat was the private property of Captain Crandall, who, on

beholding her destruction, simply remarked, "She has well paid

for herself."

Five of the dead bodies were identified by those saved on board,

and when the living women were clothed and brought to identify

their friends, a sad scene presented itself, one recognizing a

lost husband, another a sister, two men their wives, and one man

his two children.

The corpses were all numbered, and together with a description

list, were delivered to the authorities of Stonington, a copy of

said list being retained on board.

On the morning of the 31st ultimo at daylight, kindly accompanied

by J. P. Bigelow, Captain George B. Hull, Superintendent of New

York and Providence Steamship Company (one of the rescued), and

John McGuire to assist my worn-out officers and men, I again

stood for the scene of the wreck and cruised in that vicinity,

with lookouts stationed aloft, extending my cruise as far as

Block Island. The wind was blowing strong from the northwest and

constantly increasing, with a heavy cross sea from the southeast,

breaking over and completely covering this vessel.

There being no signs of any bodies floating about, with decks

full of water, I stood for Point Judith. Still finding no signs

of the wreck, and the sea getting too heavy to lower a boat, I

stood for Newport and anchored.

Having found a jewel and pocket-book on board (the property of

one of the dead), I turned the same over to Mr. Bigelow, to take

them to Stonington for the purpose of identifying corpse marked

No. 4.

Trusting that the conduct of the Mocassin, under my command, (p. 437)

and the acts of her officers and crew may meet the approval

of the Department,

I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

David RITCHIE,

_Captain United States Revenue Marine_.

_____

_Resolution of Congress Voting Thanks to Captain Ritchie._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States in Congress assembled_: That the thanks of Congress

are due, and are hereby tendered to Captain David Ritchie,

commanding the revenue steamer Mocassin, and to the officers and

men under his command, for their heroic and humane action in

saving the lives of forty-two persons from the wreck of the

steamer "Metis" on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the

morning of the thirty-first of August, eighteen hundred and

seventy-two.

Approved January 24, 1873.

No. 82. (p. 438)

PLATE LXXXII.

_1876._

These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and

independent States. [Rx]. In commemoration of the hundredth

anniversary, etc.

CENTENNIAL MEDAL.

[_Hundredth Anniversary of American Independence._]

THESE UNITED COLONIES ARE, AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE, FREE AND

INDEPENDENT STATES.[127] A female figure, personifying the United

Colonies, is kneeling, with a sword in her right hand, while she

points with her left to a constellation of thirteen stars,

emblematical of the thirteen original United States. Exergue: 1776.

[Footnote 127: These words occur in the following

resolution of the Continental Congress:

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.]

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN

INDEPENDENCE. ACT OF CONGRESS JUNE 1874. America personified as a

maiden, coiffed with the Phrygian cap of liberty, girt with a sword,

and with the shield of the United States of America by her side, is

crowning with laurels two female figures representing Manufactures and

Arts. On the platform, 1876.

This medal, though not signed, is by William Barber.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 439)

_Act of Congress Authorizing Centennial Medals._

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States in Congress assembled_: That medals with

appropriate devices, emblems and inscriptions, commemorative of

the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, be

prepared at the mint at Philadelphia for the Centennial Board of

Finance, subject to the provisions of the fifty-second section of

the coinage act of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, upon the

payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof, and all the

provisions whether penal or otherwise of said coinage act against

the counterfeiting or imitating of coins of the United States

shall apply to the medals struck and issued under the provisions

of this act.

Approved June 16, 1874.

_____

_Official Notice Promulgated by the Centennial Board of Finance._

United States Centennial Board of Finance,

Philadelphia, March 24, 1875.

It being deemed essential "that medals, with appropriate devices,

emblems, and inscriptions, commemorative of the centennial

anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," should be

officially issued, the Congress of the United States, by special

act, approved June 16, 1874, directed the same to be prepared at

the Mint for the Centennial Board of Finance, subject to the

provisions of the fifty-second section of the coinage act of

1873, upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof,

and all the provisions, whether penal or otherwise, of said

coinage act against the counterfeiting or imitation of coins of

the United States shall apply to the medals struck and issued

under the provisions of this act. These medals having been

prepared and issued are now being sold by the Centennial Board of

Finance and its agents, and the profits arising therefrom

strictly applied in aid of the preparation for the celebration of

the anniversary which the medals commemorate. They are the only

medals relating to the great events of 1876, officially issued,

and may be readily distinguished from any of the tokens styled

Centennial medals and issued by private parties for their

individual profit, from the fact that in addition to the designs

and other wording, the larger medals have stamped upon them "Act

of Congress, June, 1874," and the others, "By authority of the

Congress of the U. S."

These official medals are of four kinds: small gilt at $1; large

bronze at $2; coin silver at $3; large gilt at $5, or all

inclosed in one case at $11. Cautionary notice is hereby given

that the Centennial Board of Finance intends to avail itself of

the protection and privilege granted by the acts of Congress

above mentioned, and that the highly penal provisions for

publishing, counterfeiting, or imitating the authorized official

medals will be strictly enforced against all infringement and

violation.

John WELSH,

_President Centennial Board of Finance_.

Frederick FRALEY, _Secretary_.

No. 83. (p. 440)

PLATE LXXXIII.

_1876._

These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and

independent States. [Rx]. By authority of the Congress, etc.

CENTENNIAL MEDAL.

[_Hundredth Anniversary of American Independence._]

THESE UNITED COLONIES ARE, AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE, FREE AND

INDEPENDENT STATES.[128] A female figure, personifying the United

Colonies, is kneeling, with a sword in her right hand, while she

points with her left to a constellation of thirteen stars,

emblematical of the thirteen original United States. Exergue: 1776.

[Footnote 128: See note 1 under No. 82, page 438.]

BY AUTHORITY OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES 1876. Within a

wreath of laurel, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF

AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.[129]

[Footnote 129: The act of Congress in relation to

the Centennial Medals, and an official notice

promulgated by the Centennial Board of Finance, are

given under No. 82, page 438.]

This medal, though not signed, is by William Barber.

No. 84. (p. 441)

PLATE LXXXIV.

_June 20, 1874._

Life Saving medal of the first class. United States of America.

[Rx]. In testimony of heroic deeds, etc.

LIFE SAVING MEDAL OF THE FIRST CLASS.

[_Saving Life from the Perils of the Sea._]

LIFE SAVING MEDAL OF THE FIRST CLASS · UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ·

Three men in a boat in a heavy sea. One is rescuing a person who has

hold of a spar, at the end of which is a block with its sheet. Another

is standing, casting a rope, and a third is seated and rowing. In the

distance, to the left, is the wreck of a large vessel. PAQUET. F.

(_fecit_).

IN TESTIMONY OF HEROIC DEEDS IN SAVING LIFE FROM THE PERILS OF THE

SEA. A female figure, standing, holds in her left hand a wreath of

oak, and with her right is preparing to inscribe the name of the

recipient on a monument which is surmounted by the American eagle, and

to the right of which are a mast, a yard with its sail bent, an

anchor, a sextant, and a branch of laurel. Exergue: ACT OF CONGRESS

JUNE 20th 1874. PAQUET.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 442)

_Act of Congress Instituting Life Saving Medals._

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the

Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed to cause to be

prepared medals of honor, with suitable devices, to be

distinguished as Life-Saving Medals of the first and second

class, which shall be bestowed upon any persons who shall

hereafter endanger their own lives in saving, or endeavoring to

save lives from perils of the sea, within the United States, or

upon any American vessel: _Provided_, That the medal of the first

class shall be confined to cases of extreme and heroic daring,

and that the medal of the second class shall be given in cases

not sufficiently distinguished to deserve the medal of the first

class: _Provided also_, That no award of either medal shall be

made to any person until sufficient evidence of his deserving

shall have been filed with the Secretary of the Treasury and

entered upon the records of the Department.

Approved June 20, 1874.

_____

_Lucien M. Clemons, A. J. Clemons, and Hubbard M. Clemons, of

Marblehead, Ohio, for rescuing two men from wreck of Schooner

"Consuello," in Lake Erie, May 1, 1875. Awarded June 19th, 1876._

Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,

Washington, D. C., June 30th, 1876.

To

Lucien M. CLEMONS, Esq.,[130]

Marblehead, Ohio.

[Footnote 130: Similar letters were written to A.

J. Clemons and Hubbard M. Clemons.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first-class, which has been awarded to you under authority of

the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of Congress,

approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic daring

manifested by you in the rescue, under circumstances of peculiar

peril and difficulty, of two men from the wreck of the schooner

"Consuello," near Marblehead, Ohio, on the 1st of May, 1875.

In sending you this medal it is remarked that it and the two

others respectively awarded to your associates in the hazardous

undertaking referred to, are the first that have been issued

under the provisions of the act above named, and the Department

is gratified that the law should commence its operations by

honoring and commemorating an action of such distinguished

gallantry.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

Charles F. CONANT,

_Acting Secretary_.

_____

_Hugh Beard, James Conley, William Gregory, Charles Danslow, (p. 443)

John Dolman, George Lee, Philip Murphy, James Munday, James Martin,

William Ruffler, Samuel Richards, and William Stewart, members of the

crew of the Mersey Docks and Harbor Board; and E. Crabtree, Charles

Eddington, William Griffith, James Godfrey, W. Jones, John Dean, James

Duncan, James Harvey, Robert Lucas, Thomas Maloney, Charles McKenzie,

John Powell, John Robinson, R. J. Thomas, and Henry Williams, members

of the crew of the "Royal National Life-Boat Institution," at New

Brighton, England, for rescuing persons at the wreck of the American

Ship "Ellen Southard" September 27, 1875, at the mouth of River

Mersey, Liverpool, England. Awarded February 27, 1877._

Treasury Department, Office of The Secretary,

Washington, D. C. March 3d, 1877.

To

Mr. James MARTIN,[131]

Master of the Mersey Docks

and Harbor Board Life Boat, Liverpool, England.

[Footnote 131: Similar letters were sent to Hugh

Beard, James Conley, William Gregory, Charles

Danslow, John Dolman, George Lee, Philip Murphy,

James Munday, William Ruffler, Samuel Richards, and

William Stewart.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first class, which has been awarded to you, under the

authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of

the Congress of the United States, approved June 20, 1874, for

the extreme and heroic daring manifested by you in the rescue,

under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty, of

seventeen persons from the wreck of the American ship "Ellen

Southard," on the 27th of September, 1875, at the mouth of the

river Mersey, near Liverpool.

It is the first time this nation has had an opportunity to offer

to other than its own citizens the medal of the life-saving

service, and it is a matter of congratulation that the occasion

is more than worthy of the token. No words, it is felt, can do

justice to the conduct of the men of the Liverpool life-boat upon

the scene of the wreck of the "Ellen Southard," and the fatal

disaster which followed the rescue, whereby nine persons

belonging to the ship and three of your gallant comrades

perished, while it saddens the glory of the deliverance, yet

throws into bolder relief the noble courage of the life-boat crew

by disclosing the dreadful hazards they dared to encounter. Upon

you, as upon each of the survivors, it is my privilege to bestow,

in behalf of the United States, this medal, provided by law in

grateful recognition of such deeds, and I beg you will accept it

with this expression of the appreciation of the gallant conduct

it commemorates.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

Charles F. CONANT,

_Acting Secretary of the Treasury_.

_____

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary, (p. 444)

Mr. John DEAN,[132] Washington, D. C., March 3, 1877

Member of the crew of the Life-Boat

of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution

at New Brighton, England.

[Footnote 132: Similar letters of the same date

were sent to E. Crabtree, Charles Eddington,

William Griffith, James Godfrey, W. Jones, James

Duncan, James Harvey, Robert Lucas, Thomas Maloney,

Charles McKenzie, John Powell, John Robinson, R. J.

Thomas, and Henry Williams.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first class which has been awarded to you, under the

authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of

the Congress of the United States, approved June 20, 1874, for

the extreme and heroic daring manifested by you in the rescue,

under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty, of eight

persons from the wreck of the American ship "Ellen Southard," at

the mouth of the river Mersey, near Liverpool.

In transmitting this offering to you, as to each member of the

crew of the Life-Boat of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution

stationed at New Brighton, it is proper to remark that it is the

first time an opportunity has arisen for bestowing the medal of

the life-saving service of this country upon subjects of a

foreign nation. It was the fortune of your crew to arrive upon

the scene of disaster after the Liverpool life-boat men had

effected a deliverance, and been in turn subjected to a dreadful

casualty, whereby nine of the persons they had rescued and three

of their own number were drowned: and the remaining eight persons

from the vessel and the twelve men of the Liverpool crew,

clinging to the capsized boat in a fearful sea, owe their lives

to you and your comrades. The extreme jeopardy and hardships you

encountered upon the occasion of their rescue are deeply

appreciated, and, in behalf of the United States, I beg you to

accept this testimonial, provided by law in recognition of such

deeds of bravery and compassion. In sending it, allow me to add

the expression of the sense of the gallantry and the devotion to

high human duty which marked the conduct of yourself and of your

comrades upon the occasion under notice, and of the assurance

that each member of your crew, in his own person, by this deed of

valor and mercy, confers fresh and just honor upon the great name

of England.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,

Charles F. CONANT,

_Acting Secretary of the Treasury_.

_____

_Report of the United States Life-Saving Service._

Treasury Department,

To the Honorable United States Life-Saving Service,

LOT M. MORRILL, Washington, D. C., November 30, 1876.

Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.

Sir:

- - - - -

AWARDS OF MEDALS.

During the year three life-saving medals of the first class and

two of the second class have been awarded under the provisions of

the act of June 20, 1874. The medals of the first class were (p. 445)

bestowed upon Messrs. Lucien M. Clemons, Hubbard M. Clemons,

and A. J. Clemons, of Marblehead, Ohio, three brothers, who

displayed the most signal gallantry in saving two men from the

wreck of the schooner Consuelo, about two miles north of that

place, on May 1, 1875. It appears from the evidence of the

transaction that the schooner, which was heavily laden with

blocks of stone, was seen by a number of spectators on the shore

laboring in apparent distress in the passage between Kelley's

Island and Marblehead, the sea at the time being tremendous and

the wind blowing a gale from the northeast, when her cargo of

stone blocks, which had been left upon rollers, thereby causing

the disaster, suddenly shifted, and the vessel at once capsized

and went down. Five of her crew immediately perished; but the

remaining two succeeded in getting a hold in the cross-trees of

the mainmast, which were above water, where they clung for nearly

an hour. It was then that the three heroic brothers took a small

flat-bottomed skiff, twelve feet long, three feet wide, and

fifteen inches deep, the only boat available on the coast, and

leaving their weeping wives and children, who formed a part of

the watching group of forty or fifty persons on the shore, went

out in this frail shell to the rescue. The venture was, in the

judgment of the lookers-on, several of them old sailors,

hazardous in the extreme, but after nearly an hour's hard

struggle with the waves, the Clemons brothers gained the wreck

and delivered the two exhausted men from their perilous position

in the rigging. With the added burden in their skiff they were

then unable to make the shore, but remained for a long time

tossing about upon the high sea in momentary danger of

destruction, when fortunately they were descried by a steam-tug

at Kelley's Island, which came to their assistance. Under these

circumstances the medals of honor awarded them must be considered

justly due to their self-forgetful heroism.

The medals of the second class were given to Messrs. Otis N.

Wheeler and John O. Philbrick, in recognition of their services

in saving the lives of two men wrecked on Watts' Ledge, on the

coast of Maine, on Tuesday, the 30th of November, 1875. It

appears that Mr. Wheeler happened to see at 9 o'clock in the

morning, from the window of a house on Richmond Island, a man

standing on the ledge, which is about a quarter of a mile

distant, waving his hat as a signal of distress, and called on

Mr. Philbrick, the only other man on the island, to assist in

rescuing him. The wind was blowing a gale from the northwest, the

ocean was rough and covered with vapor, and the weather was very

cold, being at sunrise 16° below zero. The two life-savers went

out in a dory, one rowing and the other making thole-pins for the

pull back, there being but one pair. Arrived at the ledge, they

found there two men, one lying at length on his side, where he

had resigned himself to death, and got them with considerable

difficulty into the dory, great care being necessary to prevent

the boat being stove on the sharp rocks on account of the dashing

of the sea upon the ledge. The return was effected with two pairs

of oars, the second set of thole-pins being finished, and

involved a hard pull dead to windward.

The men saved were badly frozen. They had been on the ledge since

9 o'clock of the night preceding, and at high tide, which was

during the night, had stood in a foot and a half of water, which

is the height to which the sea rises at that time over the

highest point of the rock. When they were taken off they were

almost helpless, and probably could not have survived an hour

longer. Their boots had to be cut off; their feet and hands (p. 446)

kept for hours in cold water; great blisters which puffed up

two and three inches high on their extremities were opened

with a knife, and they were put to bed in a forlorn condition.

Mr. Wheeler then took the dory and rowed two miles dead to

windward with extreme difficulty, the wind blowing very hard, and

the sea feather-white with foam, till he reached Cape Elizabeth,

where he purchased rum, liniment, corn-meal and coffee. He got

back to the island about dark, bringing with him Mr. Andrew J.

Wheeler. The rescued men were then in great suffering; and rum,

gruel and coffee were administered to them, and their feet,

hands, and heads bathed in liniment and rum. They were constantly

and tenderly cared for by Messrs. Wheeler and Philbrick, assisted

by Mr. Andrew J. Wheeler, until Thursday noon following, when

they were taken off the island by the revenue-cutter Dallas.

The active and steadfast humanity of Messrs. Wheeler and

Philbrick, involving such marked labors, hardships and sacrifices

in the interest of two poor castaways, can only be recognized,

not recompensed, by the medals of honor bestowed upon them. It

appears that they also, together with Mr. John N. Wheeler, of

Cape Elizabeth, were subjected to considerable pecuniary loss on

account of supplies and medicaments furnished these unfortunate

men, clothing and bedding spoiled by the ichor from their sores,

and journeys by team to Portland, to notify the Collector of

their situation and necessities; and it is matter for deep regret

that there is no appropriation available under the law to satisfy

claims so intrinsically just, and arising under such

circumstances.

Correspondence has been received from the Honorable the Secretary

of State in relation to aid rendered by English life-boat crews

to the crew of the American ship Ellen Southard, including a

dispatch from the American consul at Liverpool, dated October 16,

1875, recommending recognition of the gallantry of these crews

upon that occasion, and suggesting that this might take the form

of a medal for each one of the members thereof. It appears that

the Ellen Southard was wrecked by stranding on Sunday, the 26th

of September, 1875, in a furious gale and frightful sea, at the

mouth of the river Mersey. The ship soon began to break up, and

unavailing efforts to construct a raft were made by her officers

and men, who remained in extreme peril during the whole night.

The next morning, news of the disaster having reached Liverpool,

the life-boat belonging to the Mersey Docks and Harbor Board, and

the life-boat stationed at New Brighton, of the Royal National

Life-boat Institution, came to the rescue. The Liverpool boat

arrived in advance of the other, and, after much difficulty and

danger, succeeded in taking off all the persons on the wreck,

seventeen in number, including the pilot. A few moments after,

while all on board were congratulating themselves upon the

fortunate escape, a terrific wave, which appeared, as averred by

the deposition of some of the survivors, to be as high as a

house, threw the life-boat entirely over, and eight of those

belonging to the ship, including the captain and his wife, the

pilot, and three of the fifteen life-boat men, making twelve

persons in all, were drowned. The life-boat, which appears not to

have been of the self-righting variety, remained bottom upward,

and after struggling in the water for a considerable time, the

survivors, being twelve of the life-boat crew and eight of the

crew of the ship, managed to get on to her, where they clung for

about an hour in great peril, when the New Brighton life-boat

arrived and took them on board.

This melancholy disaster sets in the strongest relief the (p. 447)

gallant devotion of the crews of the two English life-boats,

all the members of which risked their lives, while three of them

died in the brave effort to save our countrymen. The sorrow that

must be felt for those who perished in this manly endeavor is

tempered with satisfaction that the terms of the law permit us to

bestow upon their living comrades in the enterprise the fitting

tokens of our appreciation; and gold medals of the first class

have been awarded to the twenty-seven survivors, and will be

struck as soon as possible.

- - - - -

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. I. KIMBALL,

_In charge of life-Saving Service_.

_____

_Colonel J. S. Crosby, U. S. Consul at Florence, Italy, for rescuing

the life of Miss Edith May, and endeavoring to rescue the late Miss

Adele Hunter, and Mr. W. T. Garner and his wife, at the sinking of the

Yacht "Mohawk," in New York Harbor, July 20, 1876. Awarded June 8,

1877._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,

COLONEL J. SCHUYLER CROSBY, Washington, D. C., June 30, 1877.

United States Consul, Florence, Italy.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first class, and which has been awarded to you, under

authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of

Congress approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic

daring manifested by you in saving the life of Miss Edith May,

and endeavoring to rescue the late Miss Adele Hunter and Mr.

William T. Garner and his wife, under the circumstances of

peculiar peril and difficulty which attended the sinking of the

yacht "Mohawk," on the 20th of July, 1876.

The sorrowful catastrophe of that day will not soon be forgotten,

and will be all the more remembered for the noble manhood it

called into action. The vessel sank within four minutes. In that

brief time you saved one life from the sinking cabin. There you

re-entered, and remained until submerged, engaged in the

desperate and heroic efforts to save the others, escaping

yourself finally only by swimming upward through the broken

sky-light, guided by the faint light shed from the above through

the water. In sending you this medal, the highest recognition of

your conduct which the Government can give, it is felt that no

words can add distinction to the splendid gallantry which the

token seeks to commemorate and honor.

I have the honor to be, Sir, very respectfully,

John SHERMAN,

_Secretary_.

_____

_Carl Fosberg, for endeavoring to save the late Miss Adele Hunter (p. 448)

and Mr. William T. Garner and his wife, at the sinking of the

Yacht "Mohawk," in New York Harbor, July 20, 1876. Awarded June 8,

1877._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,

Mr. CARL FOSBERG, Washington, D. C., September 22, 1877.

Quartermaster, Yacht "Madeleine,"

Care of Commodore John S. Dickerson,

No. 29 Cliff Street, New York.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first class, which has been awarded to you, under authority

of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of Congress

approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic daring

manifested by you in endeavoring to rescue the late Miss Adele

Hunter and Mr. William T. Garner and his wife, under

circumstances of peculiar peril and difficulty, which attended

the sudden sinking of the yacht "Mohawk," on the 20th of July,

1876.

It is regretted that, owing to the inability of the Department to

discover your address, the medal could not sooner be forwarded.

In now sending it to you I recur to the circumstances of the

conduct it is intended to recognize and commemorate. The record

shows that the "Mohawk" sank within four minutes. During that

time and when the vessel was on her beam ends, you rushed down

into her cabin, where Colonel Crosby was already, and remained

there with him until the cabin was almost filled with water,

engaged in devoted though unavailing efforts to extricate the

unfortunate ladies from the furniture which had fallen upon them,

and escaping finally only by swimming upward through the broken

skylight, guided by the faint light which penetrated the water.

It must be noted that you were not bound by any tie of friendship

or kindred to those you tried to rescue, and that you were not

impelled by any consideration of reward, but solely by the

gallant instincts of manhood. Language has no power to add

distinction to heroism like yours, but in sending you this medal,

which is the highest tribute to your conduct that the Government

can bestow, it is a satisfaction to be able to express the

feeling that in men like you the traditional nobility of the

sailor is preserved.

Very respectfully,

John SHERMAN,

_Secretary_.

_____

_Report of the United States Life-Saving Service._

Treasury Department,

To the Honorable United States Life-Saving Service,

John SHERMAN, Washington, D. C., November 29, 1877.

Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.

Sir:

- - - - -

AWARDS OF MEDALS.

Two life-saving medals of the first class, and six life-saving

medals of the second class, have been awarded during the year

under the provisions of the act of June 20, 1874.

The medals of the first class were awarded to Colonel J. (p. 449)

Schuyler Crosby, of New York, at this date the American consul at

Florence, and Carl Fosberg, a seaman belonging to the yacht

Mohawk, in recognition of their extraordinary gallantry upon the

occasion of the sudden sinking of that vessel in New York Harbor

on the afternoon of the 20th of July, 1876. The horror which this

dreadful catastrophe diffused for days through New York and its

environs was only relieved by their action, which revealed some

of the noblest traits of the human soul. The Mohawk was the

largest and costliest of the fleet of pleasure vessels belonging

to the New York Yacht Club. She was the property of Mr. William

T. Garner, a wealthy merchant of New York, residing near New

Brighton, Staten Island, and was sumptuously furnished and

appointed. On Thursday afternoon (July 20, 1876) she lay at her

anchorage in New York Bay, off Stapleton, Staten Island. At about

half past three o'clock Mr. Garner arrived on board with a party

of friends, consisting of Mr. Gardiner G. Howland, Mr. Louis B.

Montant, Colonel J. Schuyler Crosby, Mr. Frost Thorne, together

with Mrs. Garner, Miss Adele Hunter, and Miss Edith May,

arrangements having been made for a sail down the bay. The day

had been somewhat dark and cloudy, with occasional squalls and

showers, and at the time of the company coming on board a

thunder-storm was rising in the southwest, of which no other

notice was taken by the guests than to retreat into the cabin

from the already dropping rain. The order had been given by Mr.

Garner to get under way, and under the direction of the

sailing-master, Rowland, the anchor had been lifted from the

bottom, but was still in the water, and all the working sails

were set except the flying-jib. The neighboring craft, of which

there was a number, had all taken in sail, and the men upon the

decks waited to see how the Mohawk would behave in the coming

squall. At that moment although there was hardly a breath on

deck, a wind smote the upper sails, and the sailing-master gave

orders to let go the fore-sheet, the jib-sheets, and the

fore-topsail. The order had only been obeyed in respect to the

fore-topsail, when the squall struck the yacht with such fury

that she careened, and lurched violently to port.

There was an instant tumult of cries, and the gentlemen rushed up

on deck from the cabin. In a moment the vessel was on her side

with the water pouring over the rail. While she was going over,

Mr. Garner and Colonel Crosby hurried back into the cabin to save

the ladies. Miss May was far over on the port side as they

entered, and Colonel Crosby, calling to her to get out as quickly

as possible, met her half way as she came across, got her to the

companion-way, where he pushed her up to Mr. Howland and Mr.

Montant, and sprang back into the cabin. The bravery of this

action will be realized when it is stated that the water was then

pouring down the companion-way in a steady stream. To enter the

filling cabin down this narrow way, in a vessel keeled over on

her side and rapidly sinking, seemed certain death. This Colonel

Crosby did, and with equal courage, the seaman Fosberg rushed in

with him. The scene in the cabin was frightful. The rich and

heavy furniture had shifted, and Mrs. Garner and Miss Hunter were

caught and pinioned by it against the sideboard. Mrs. Garner was

screaming and her husband was making frantic efforts to release

her and her companion, by throwing off the heavy articles which

held them down. In these endeavors Colonel Crosby and Carl

Fosberg desperately joined, pulling away the furniture and

handing it up to Mr. Montant and Mr. Howland, who threw in (p. 450)

out on deck. The water, meanwhile, continued to pour in and

the cabin rapidly filled. Although nearly submerged, the three

men never stopped their perilous work while it could be

continued. Their labors were, however, ineffectual, and were

ended by the sinking of the vessel. It was only four minutes from

the moment she capsized till she went down. Mr. Garner was

drowned, clinging to his wife, whom he would not leave. Colonel

Crosby and Carl Fosberg, toiling to the last second, were

engulfed, and nearly lost their lives. Swallowed by the flood in

the cabin, they only escaped by swimming upward, guided by the

faint light shed through the water from the broken skylight. The

aperture was fortunately large enough to enable them to pass

through, and they reached the surface, and were picked up by one

of the many boats which at once began to gather around the sunken

vessel.

The yacht sank so rapidly that Miss May, after being saved by

Colonel Crosby from the cabin, was again placed in the greatest

danger. She had not instantly quitted the vessel, being advised

to remain by Mr. Montant, who, with Mr. Howland, was engaged in

throwing the cabin furniture out on deck from the companion-way.

Consequently, when the vessel went down, they were all three

caught between the companion-way and the furniture, which was now

washed back into the cabin, and were completely covered by the

rushing flood. Fortunately, Miss May had her arm outside the

companion-way, which prevented her from being swept back into the

cabin, and Mr. Montant, in his struggles, losing hold of her, she

was enabled to swim, and with a few strokes gained the surface of

the water, coming up near Mr. Howland, who supported her till

they were picked up by a boat from a neighboring yacht. Mr.

Montant also escaped, though unhappily he did not long survive

the shock of the disaster.

The gold medals of the life-saving service have never been

awarded more deservedly than in this instance. It was no common

courage and humanity that impelled these two brave men to plunge

within the sinking vessel, where in the half darkness, amidst the

confusion of huddled furniture and rushing water, they strove for

the lives of the unfortunate victims. The perfect behavior of the

one in his manful efforts for his friends is matched by the

action of the other in imperilling his life for strangers.

Writing of him to the department, Colonel Crosby expresses a true

feeling, the utterance of which adds new honor to his own

conduct, in these words: "Too much cannot be said in favor of

this man, who was governed simply by his own brave instincts

rather than the hope of any reward. Nor did he have friendly or

loyal considerations to prompt him to risk his own life, which he

did by remaining to the last moment on board."

It deserves to be stated in this connection that Mr. Carl Fosberg

completed his gallantry by his modesty. After the affair in which

he behaved so well, he kept out of the way. When reporters sought

him he hid. It was with difficulty, and after some time, that he

could be found to give him the medal to which his conduct had

entitled him.

The life-saving medals of the second class were bestowed upon six

men who, at the risk of their own lives, saved a crew of nine

persons from the wreck of the bark Tanner. This vessel, bound for

Buffalo with a cargo of wheat, stranded about ten o'clock (p. 451)

on the night of September 9, 1875, on the beach south of the

harbor of Milwaukee. A severe northeast gale was prevailing,

and the vessel being submerged in about 20 feet of water, her

captain and crew were forced to take to the rigging, where they

remained all night, with the heavy sea breaking over them. At

daylight the captain jumped into the sea, and in the effort to

gain the shore was drowned. The unfortunate crew remained in the

utmost peril, one of the masts of the sunken vessel having

fallen, and the vessel herself fast going to pieces. Their rescue

was ineffectually attempted by the revenue-steamer Johnson, aided

by the tug F. C. Maxon. It was finally accomplished toward noon

of that day (September 10, 1875) by the following contrivance: A

scow held by a long line from a steam-tug was allowed to drift

down near the wreck, and a yawl-boat, similarly held to the scow,

was let down still nearer. The men in the rigging then dropped

one by one into the water and were picked up by those in the

yawl, which was then drawn up with its burden to the scow, which

in turn was drawn to shore. The six men referred to manned the

yawl and scow, volunteering for this difficult and hazardous

duty. Their names were Henry M. Lee, N. A. Petersen, Barnt

Oleson, Anton Oleson, Henry Spark, and John McKenna. The skill

and daring they displayed in the task of deliverance won hearty

applause from many spectators, and fully entitled them to the

recognition expressed by the medals awarded them.

The twenty-seven gold medals, mentioned in the last report as

having been awarded to the crew of the life-boat of the Royal

National Institution, and the twelve survivors of the crew of the

Mersey Docks and Harbor Board life-boat, in recognition of their

efforts to rescue the persons on board of the American ship Ellen

Southard, wrecked at the mouth of the river Mersey, near

Liverpool, on September 26, 1875, efforts which cost three of the

life-boatmen their lives, have since been struck, and delivered

to the members of the respective crews. The presentation took

place on the 16th of April, 1877, at the Town Hall, in Liverpool,

the proceedings being attended by a large number of corporation

officials, officers of mercantile associations, the principal

American merchants in Liverpool, and most of the masters of

American ships in port. The deputy mayor of Liverpool presided,

and the affair assumed the gratifying character of an ovation to

the brave recipients of the medals, and was also the occasion for

cordial and enthusiastic references, on the part of the

distinguished gentlemen at the meeting, to the action of our

government in the matter, which met with a suitable response from

General Fairchild, the American consul at Liverpool, who was also

present. The same cordial spirit appeared in the comments which

the occasion elicited from the English press.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. I. KIMBALL,

_General Superintendent_.

_____

_Philip C. Bleil, of the Metropolitan Police force of New York (p. 452)

City, for rescuing, at different times, several persons from

drowning, from November, 1876, to June, 1877. Awarded January 4.

1878._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,

Mr. PHILIP C. BLEIL, Washington, D. C., January 15, 1878.

Patrolman, New York Metropolitan Police,

New York City.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of

the first class, which has been awarded to you under authority of

the Act of Congress approved June 20, 1874, in recognition of

your services in rescuing from drowning, at the peril of your own

life, six persons, on as many occasions, since 1875.