Congressional Gold Medal Awarded to Isaac Hull
Beginning in 1776, the United States Congress began awarding gold medals to distinguished military figures who served in the American Revolution, and later in the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War, as expressions of appreciation for their achievements and contributions. Since then the scope has broadened to include civilians such as notable public servants, humanitarians, scientists, doctors, and cultural figures.
In 1813, the U.S. Congress awarded this Congressional gold medal to Captain Isaac Hull in honor of his gallantry in the defeat of the British frigate HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812. The battle was America’s first frigate victory of the War of 1812 and earned USS Constitution the nickname “Old Ironsides.”
Date Created
1813
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
[Diam]2 1/2 in.
Catalog Number
15.1996.3TL
Credit Line
On loan to the USS Constitution Museum from a Private Collection.
Terms of Use
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
