The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 Part 96

To Department of State, Mr. George PEABODY, London. Was.h.i.+ngton, 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 dest.i.tute 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.

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_George Peabody to the Secretary of State._

To the Honorable William H. SEWARD, London, Sept 18, 1868.

Secretary of State, Was.h.i.+ngton, 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 inst.i.tution 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 doc.u.ments 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.

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_The Secretary of State to George Peabody._

To Department of State, Mr. George PEABODY, London. Was.h.i.+ngton, 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.

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_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, Was.h.i.+ngton, 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 unsurpa.s.sed beauty of the medal, and the excellence of its delicate workmans.h.i.+p, 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.

Cheris.h.i.+ng 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 Inst.i.tution, 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 a.s.surance of my profound grat.i.tude 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 s.h.i.+elds 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 Lx.x.x.

_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 pa.s.sed the following resolution:

_Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress a.s.sembled_: 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 ent.i.tled 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 a.s.sa.s.sin 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, Was.h.i.+ngton.

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