Washington Before Boston

This bronze medal commemorates the commanding role played by George Washington in the siege and liberation of Boston during the American War of Independence in 1776. That year the American Congress decided that a gold medal should be struck in honour of Washington. Benjamin Franklin arranged for the accomplished French medallist Pierre Simon Duvivier to execute the design in Paris. The medal was finally struck and presented to Washington in 1790. Bronze versions like this one were also struck from the original dies at the Paris Mint. This example is a re-issue struck sometime after 1880.

On the obverse of the medal is a portrait of Washington in profile beneath a Latin inscription meaning, 'The American Congress to George Washington, Supreme Commander of the Army, Defender of Liberty'. On the reverse, Washington is depicted on horseback with four other officers. They are surveying Boston from a fortified position on the Dorchester Heights. As American revolutionary troops surround the city below, the British ships can be seen sailing away in the distance. The Latin inscription translates as 'With the enemy having first fled, Boston was recaptured on 17th March 1776'. The victory over British forces at Boston proved decisive in the eventual success of the American Revolution. Washington became the first President of the United States of America in 1789.