Dress Sword and Scabbard Presented to Isaac Hull
This gold-mounted presentation dress sword and scabbard, made by Nathan Starr, was presented to Captain Isaac Hull by the State of Connecticut in 1819. The sword’s straight blade is etched and decorated. The hilt features an eagle head pommel and a large oval counterguard decorated with an engraving of the battle between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere, of which Hull, a native of Connecticut, was the victorious captain. The scabbard is inscribed: “Voted by the General Assembly of the State/ of Connecticut to their fellow citizen Captain/ Isaac Hull, in testimony of their sense of his/ virtuous gallantry and naval skill.”
Nathan Starr, a sword maker from Middletown, Connecticut, was contracted by the United States Navy in the early part of the 19th century to produce thousands of cutlasses and pikes for use aboard naval vessels. State and federal governments also contracted with Starr to produce ceremonial pieces to present to American naval heroes.
Creator
Nathan P. Starr
Date Created
c. 1819
Medium
Metal, Gold
Dimensions
Sword: [L]32 1/2 in. [W] 5 1/2 in. [D] 1 1/2 in. Scabbard: [L] 28 1/2 in. [W] 2 in. [D] 1 3/4 in.
Catalog Number
1.2022.2TL
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
