Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Blackwell, Morton: Files Folder Title: Peace Medals Box: 32 To see more digitized collections visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected] Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/ INDIAN PEACE MEDALS IN AMERICAN HISTORY FRANCIS PAUL PRUCHA THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN MADISON MCMLXXI ------ PHEFACE Thr,iugh the ages, medals have heen among the This hook, therefore, has two distind but related i::· ,-t lll! riguing of historical artifacts. There is some­ parts. Part One presents the history of the use of r h?ng in their solidity and permanence, in the tight the medals in American dealings with the Indians, :,::'.:t:t1 ion.,; placed hy their very nature upon the including enough indication of previous European ., r· :,tic· de,;igns they can bear, and in the beauty practice to set American usage in proper perspec­ , r the metals from which they are struck that make tive. Part Two is a catalog of the individual medals, r:i,-dal,; ideal vehicles for the symbols of a culture or with a brief history of the designing and manufac­ .rn ;ig,:. When in my studies of American Indian­ turing of each. I have documented both parts ex­ ,d11te relations I came upon the silver medals pre­ tensively, for materials on the medals are often •t·nt(•d by the United States government to the elusive and buried deep in other records, and the ! ndinn chiefs, I was at once caught by a strange footnotes will supply a sure g-uide for persons who Li 0 ci1rntion. Almost at every turn of my research I might want to study some aspect of medallic history f,,1ind some new reference to the use of the medals, in greater detail. It should not be thought, however, rmrl in the files of the National Archives I discovered that I have exhausted the materials on the medals. untapped sources about their history. So many medals were distributed that it is im­ Pursuit of the story of these medals led me int.o possible to tell about the circumstances in each case, a n·:i, too little visited-into a sort of cross-discipli­ even if all the documents could be found. I have n;i ry country where the artifacts of the numismatist attempted only to collect enough data to be able to :rncl the doruments of the historian demanded equal rresent a correct and balanced story. :iftt•ntion. Museums as well as libraries became my All historians must acknowledge their reliance on )::1riting ground, collectors and curators as well as the help of others, but my debts for this study are :, rd1ivist,; my guides and companions. Heretofore, unusually heavy, Because of the scat tering of data Indian medals have been the concern largely of coin on the medals and the wide diffusion of the extant and medal collectors, who delight in discovering and medals themselves, I have had to rely on many c-a I alol!ing new types and in assembling, describing, assistants. I have listed in a special section the iitld authenticating extant medals. But such a names of those who have aided in this study, with •t rict ly numismatic approach, with little reliance their institutional affiliation at the time of their u1, 1in historical documentation, does not do justice help. A number of persons, however, deserve very t" the significant use made of the medals, nor does special mention. 11 PrO\·ide sufficient data about the designing and Wilcomb Washburn of the Smithsonian Institu­ NSIN. production of the medals. By adding to the detailed tion has been a continuing stimulus to my study of RVED. work of the numismatist the special skills of the Indian policy and has particularly encouraged the ,RICA. hi,;t()rian, I have attempted to present an account of ~575. present work; Vladimir Clain-Stefenelli and R. ';-8. the production and use of the medals which will, on LeGette Burrus of the Numismatics Section of the 1 hl' one hand, provide the information needed to Smithsonian have made the rich collection of the apJneciate the medals themselves and, on the other Smithsonian available and generously shared their hand. call to the attention of students of Indian knowledge with me; Henry Grunthal, Curator of relations the vital and indispensable part played by Medals at the American Numismatic Society, aided 1 ht~ medals in American policy. me in studying the outstanding collection of medals V under his charge and arranged for numerous photo­ Library, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. graphs; Arthur \Voodward of the Amon Carter the Milwaukee Public Library, the Library of Con­ Museum and Allan Woolworth of the Minnesota gress, the Huntington Lihrary. the Historical So­ Historical Society supplied copies of their own re­ ciety of Pennsylvania. the Marquette University search notes; Herman J. Viola of the National Library, and the United States Mint at Philadel­ Archi,·es and George Chalou of Ohio State Univer­ phia merit special thanks. The Smithsonian Institu­ sity did research on medals for me while pursuing tion supplied a research grant for the project, and their own studies on Indian topics; Robert Kvas­ part of the research and writing was done while I nicka. Hope Holdkamper, and Sara Jackson of the was a Guggenheim Fellow and another part under National Archives patiently went out of their way a summer grant from the Henry E. Huntington to answer my requests for obscure materials, and Lihrary and Art Gallery. other staff members at the Archives were constantly attentive to my needs. Nancy McCormack helped FRANCIS PAUL PRUCHA, S.J. with the study as a graduate research assistant. In Marquette University addition the staffs of the Harvard University ,January, 1971 l ~ ! VI INDIAN PEACE :MEDALS IN AMERICAN HISTORY 1Stn, -, on- CONTENTS So­ ·sily .del­ itu ­ PREFACE V and le I INTRODUCTION Xlll Hier .. :ton PART ONE: THE USE OF PEACE MEDALS s ..1 . IN AMERICAN INDIAN POLICY 1. Washington Medals for the Indians 3 2. Spanish Medals in the West 11 3. Medals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 16 4. Zebulon Montgomery Pike's Expeditions 25 5. Before the War of 1812 32 6. Use of Peace Medals in the Northwest 34 7. Two Treaties with Indians in the Northwest 44 8. Indian Medals on the Missouri 48 9. The Southern Indians 54 10. The Mexican War and Postwar Period 57 11. Use of Medals after the Civil War 59 PART TWO: THE DESIGNING AND PRODUCTION OF UNITED STATES INDIAN PEACE MEDALS 12. George Washington Medals 73 13. Two Special Medals 88 14. Washington Season Medals 89 15. Thomas Jefferson Medals 90 A NOTE ON THE ARTIST OF THE ,JEFFERSON MEDALS 95 16. James Madison Medals 95 17. James Monroe Medals 99 18. John Quincy Adams Medals 100 19. Andrew Jackson Medals 103 20. Martin Van Buren Medals 106 21. John Tyler Medals 107 22. James K. Polk Medals 109 23. Zachary Taylor Medals 111 NEW PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP REVERSES 112 24. Millard Fillmore Medals 114 25. Franklin Pierce Medals 116 26. James Buchanan Medals 118 27. Abraham Lincoln Medals 120 28. Andrew Johnson Medals 122 29. Ulysses S. Grant Medal 125 30. Rutherford B. Hayes Medal 127 31. James Garfield Medal 129 ~2. Chester A. Arthur Medal 131 33. Grover Cleveland Medal 132 34. Benjamin Harrison Medals 133 ,'35. Completing the Pre;.;idential Series 135 36. Fur Trade Medal~ 139 NOTES TO THE TEXT 145 BIDLTOCRAPHY 165 ACKNOWLEDC'.11ENT~ J 73 PICTURE CREDITS 175 INDEX 177 LIST OF PLATES 1. British Indian Peace Medal xiv 2. Sir William Johnson Certificate 4 3. Red Jacket 10 4. Spanish Indian Peace Medal 12 5. Spanish Certificate 14 6. Frederick Haldiman<l Certificate 26 7. James Wilkinson Certificate 29 8. Payouska 31 9. Souligny 36 10. White Bird 40 11. Horse Chief 46 12. William Clark Certificate 49 13. George Lowrey 55 14. George Arkeketah 58 15. Sound of Eating 60 16. James Arkeketah 62 17. Pawnee Scouts 64 18. He Dog 65 19. Big Mane 66 20. Wolf Robe 67 21. Yellow Hair 69 22. George Washington Medal 1789 75 23. George Washington Medal 1792 76 24. George Washington Medal 1792 (Reverse) 77 25. George Washington Medal 1792 78 26. George Washington Medal 1792 (Reverse) 79 27. George Washington Medal 1 793 80 28. George Washington Medal 1793 (Reverse) 81 29. George Washington Medal 1793 82 30. George Washington Medal 1793 (Reverse) 83 31. George Washington Medal 1793 84 32. George Washington Medal 1793 85 33. George Washington Medal 1795 86 34. George Washington Medal 1792 87 35. George Washington Medal 1 789 88 36. Treaty of Greenville Medal 88 37. Washington Season Medals 89 38. Thomas J eflerson Medal 92 39. Thomas J eflerson Medals 93 40. James Madison Medals 97 41. Jam.es Monroe Medals 99 42. John Quincy Adams Medals 102 43. Andrew Jackson Medals 104 44. Martin Van Buren Medals 106 45. John Tyler Medals 108 46. James K. Polle Medals 110 47. Zachary Taylor Medals 113 48. Millard Fillmore Medals 115 49. Franklin Pierce Medals 117 50. James Buchanan Medals 119 51. Abraham Lincoln Medals 121 52. Andrew Johnson Medals 12:3 53. l'lysses S. Grant Medal 126 .'14. Rutherford R. Hayes Mc,cJal 128 55. James Garfield l\-1eclal 130 56. Chester A . Arthur Medal 131 57. Grover Cleveland Medal 132 58.