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

George Peabody's Gift for Southern Education.

Washington, February 7, 1867.
To
Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Massachusetts; Hon. Hamilton Fish, of New York; Right Rev. Charles P. McIlvaine, of Ohio; General U. S. Grant, of the United States Army; Hon. William C. Rives, of Virginia; Hon. John H. Clifford, of Massachusetts; Hon. William Aiken, of South Carolina; William M. Evarts, Esq., of New York; Hon. William A. Graham, of North Carolina; Charles Macalester, of Pennsylvania; George W. Riggs, Esq., of Washington; Samuel Wetmore, Esq., of New York; Edward A. Bradford, Esq., of Louisiana; George N. Eaton, Esq., of Maryland; and George Peabody Russell, Esq., of Massachusetts.

Gentlemen: I beg to address you on a subject which occupied my mind long before I left England, and in regard to which one, at least, of you (the Hon. Mr. Winthrop, the distinguished and valued friend to whom I am so much indebted for cordial sympathy, careful consideration, and wise counsel in this matter,) will remember that I consulted him immediately upon my arrival in May last.

I refer to the educational needs of those portions of our beloved and common country which have suffered from the destructive ravages, and the not less disastrous consequences of civil war.

With my advancing years my attachment to my native land has but become more devoted. My hope and faith in its successful and glorious future have grown brighter and stronger, and now, looking forward beyond my stay on earth, as may be permitted to one who has passed the limit of three score and ten years, I see our country united and prosperous, emerging from the clouds which still surround her, taking a higher rank among the nations, and becoming richer and more powerful than ever before.

But to make her prosperity more than superficial, her moral and intellectual development should keep pace with her material growth, and in those portions of our nation to which I have referred, the urgent and pressing physical needs of an almost impoverished people must for some years preclude them from making, by unaided effort, such advances in education, and such progress in the diffusion of knowledge among all classes, as every lover of his country must earnestly desire.

I feel most deeply, therefore, that it is the duty and privilege of the more favored and wealthy portions of our nation to assist those who are less fortunate, and, with the wish to discharge so far as I may be able my own responsibility in this matter, as well as to gratify my desire to aid those to whom I am bound by so many ties of attachment and regard, I give to you, gentlemen, most of whom have been my personal and especial friends, the sum of one million of dollars, to be by you and your successors held in trust, and the income thereof used and applied in your discretion for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral, or industrial education among the young of the more destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States of our Union; my purpose being that the benefits intended shall be distributed among the entire population, without other distinction than their needs and the opportunities of usefulness to them.

Besides the income thus derived, I give to you permission to use from the principal sum, within the next two years, an amount not exceeding forty per cent.

In addition to this gift I place in your hands bonds of the State of Mississippi, issued to the Planter's Bank, and commonly known as Planter's Bank bonds, amounting, with interest, to about eleven hundred thousand dollars, the amount realized by you from which is to be added to and used for the purposes of this trust.

These bonds were originally issued in payment for stock in that bank held by the State, and amounted in all to only two millions of dollars. For many years the State received large dividends from that bank over and above the interest on these bonds. The State paid the interest without interruption till 1840, since which no interest has been paid, except a payment of about one hundred thousand dollars, which was found in the treasury applicable to the payment of the coupons, and paid by a mandamus of the Supreme Court. The validity of these bonds has never been questioned, and they must not be confounded with another issue of bonds made by the State to the Union Bank, the recognition of which has been a subject of controversy with a portion of the population of Mississippi.

Various acts of the Legislature, viz.: of February 28, 1842; February 23, 1844; February 16, 1846; February 28, 1846; March 4, 1848, and the highest judicial tribunal of the State have confirmed their validity, and I have no doubt that at an early date such legislation will be had as to make these bonds available in increasing the usefulness of the present trust.

Mississippi, though now depressed, is rich in agricultural resources, and cannot long disregard the moral obligation resting upon her to make provision for their payment. In confirmation of what I have said in regard to the legislative and judicial action concerning the State bonds issued to the Planter's Bank, I herewith place in your hands the documents marked A.

The details and organization of the trust I leave with you, only requesting that Mr. Winthrop may be Chairman, and Governor Fish and Bishop McIlvaine Vice-Chairmen of your body; and I give to you power to make all necessary by-laws and regulations, to obtain an act of incorporation, if any shall be found expedient, to provide for the expenses of the trustees and of any agents appointed by them; and generally, to do all such acts as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of this trust.

All vacancies occurring in your number by death, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled by your election, as soon as conveniently may be, and having in view an equality of representation so far as regards the Northern and Southern States.

I furthermore give to you the power, in case two-thirds of the trustees shall at any time, after the lapse of 30 years, deem it expedient, to close this trust, and of the funds which at that time shall be in the hands of yourselves and your successors, to distribute not less than two-thirds among such educational or literary institutions, or for such educational purposes as they may determine, in the States for whose benefit the income is now appointed to be used. The remainder may be distributed by the trustees for educational or literary purposes wherever they may deem it expedient.

In making this gift I am aware that the fund derived from it can but aid the States which I wish to benefit in their own exertions to diffuse the blessings of education and morality. But if this endowment shall encourage those now anxious for the light of knowledge, and stimulate to new efforts the many good and noble men who cherish the high purpose of placing our great country foremost, not only in power, but in the intelligence and virtue of her citizens, it will have accomplished all that I can hope.

With reverent recognition of the need of the blessing of Almighty God upon this gift, and with the fervent prayer that, under His guidance, your counsels may be directed for the highest good of present and future generations in our beloved country,

I am, gentlemen, with great respect, your humble servant,

George Peabody.

Action of the Trustees of the Peabody Gift.

On receipt of the foregoing letter by the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, the Trustees present in Washington were called upon by him to meet on February 8th, and the letter having been laid before them, the following resolutions, moved by Bishop McIlvaine and seconded by Gov. Aiken, were unanimously adopted:

Whereas: Our countryman and friend George Peabody has, in a letter just communicated to the undersigned, made known his determination, out of a grateful sense of the manifold goodness with which God has prospered his life, and of an earnest desire to promote the best interests of his fellow-citizens, to devote a munificent donation of property for certain most wise and beneficent uses indicated in said letter, and has requested us to take in trust the charge and management of the same, therefore,

Resolved, That the undersigned, being the Trustees assembled in Washington, deeply sensible of the honor conferred on them by a trust of such eminent importance and responsibility, and realizing their dependence upon the guidance and blessing of God to be enabled to discharge its duties with such wisdom and faithfulness as may best secure the benevolent designs of the giver, do hereby accept the office of Trustees of the same, and promise our best exertions in its behalf.

Resolved, That we hereby express to Mr. Peabody our grateful appreciation of the enlarged and unprecedented generosity which, after having bestowed upon the poor of the city of London a bounty that drew forth the admiration of Europe, and after having exceeded the same in his recent return to his native land, in benefactions to institutions of learning and education in the Middle and Eastern States of the Union, has now crowned the whole with this last deed of patriotism and loving kindness, so eminently calculated to bind together the several parts of our beloved country in the bonds of mutual well-doing and regard.

Resolved, That we express to Mr. Peabody our respectful and affectionate prayer that, in the gracious providence of our Heavenly Father, his valuable life may be long spared to witness the success of his benevolent contributions to the happiness of his fellow-citizens in all parts of his native and beloved land, and that many of those whom God has blessed with large possessions may be induced to follow his example of wise and noble employment of wealth for the good of man and the glory of God.

Robert C. Winthrop C. Macalester,

Charles P. McIlvaine George W. Riggs,

U. S. Grant, Gen. U. S. A. Samuel Wetmore,

William Aiken George N. Eaton,

William M. Evarts Geo. Peabody Russell.

The Secretary of State to George Peabody.

Department of State,
Washington, June 23, 1868.
To
Mr. George Peabody, London.

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 destitute portions of the Southern and Southwestern States. This testimonial, 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.

George Peabody to the Secretary of State.

London, Sept 18, 1868.
To the Honorable
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, 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 institution 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 documents 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.

The Secretary of State to George Peabody.

Department of State,
Washington, October 7, 1868.
To
Mr. George Peabody, London.

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.

George Peabody to the Secretary of State.

64 Queen Street, Cheapside,
London, E. C., January 6, 1869.
To the Honorable
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, Washington, 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 unsurpassed beauty of the medal, and the excellence of its delicate workmanship, 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.

Cherishing 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 Institution, 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 assurance of my profound gratitude 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.

The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom were referred the resolutions of the legislature of the State of Maine, declaring that the heroic conduct of George F. Robinson, late a private in the Eighth Regiment of Maine Volunteers, in saving the life of Secretary Seward from the knife of an assassin, at the imminent peril of his own life, and at the expense of permanent wounds, should receive public recognition by the Congress of the United States, to the end that his noble deeds may be known and remembered by the American People, and that provision may be made for his future welfare such as right and justice demand, and the generous impulse of a grateful people require, respectfully submit the following report:[125]

That on the 15th day of August, 1863, George F. Robinson enlisted in the Eighth Regiment of Maine Volunteers. On the 20th day of May, 1864, at an attack at Bermuda Hundred, made on General Butler's lines by the rebels, Robinson was wounded very severely in the leg by a canister shot. He was sent to Douglas Hospital in this city, where he lay nearly a year undergoing great suffering from his wound. On the memorable 14th day of April, 1865, although his wound was not then entirely healed, he was detailed from the hospital to act as nurse to Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State, who, it will be remembered, was confined to his bed by serious injuries—a broken arm and jaw. At 10 o'clock that night Robinson was on duty in Mr. Seward's room, when the assassin, Payne, sought that room to murder the feeble, wounded, helpless Secretary, in pursuance of the great conspiracy which ended with filling the whole civilized world with horror. The Secretary was sleeping; the room was darkened. Robinson hearing a disturbance in the hall opened the door; a flood of light streamed on him from the hall. On the threshold stood the athletic assassin, a revolver in one hand and a huge bowie knife in the other. He saw against the wall the wounded, crazed Assistant Secretary, with blood pouring from his wound. He caught the gleam of that terrible knife aimed at his throat; instinctively he struck up at the assassin's arm to ward off the knife, partially succeeded, but received the blow upon his head, and was prostrated to the floor. Bounding over him, Payne rushed on to the bed, and commenced wildly striking with the knife at the throat of the Secretary. Already he had cut the flesh off from one cheek to the bone, and the blood gushed in torrents over the pillow. This soldier, just from the hospital, with his wounded leg not yet healed, enfeebled from his year of suffering and pain, just prostrated to the floor by a blow from that terrible knife, springs to his feet, and without one moment's hesitation, without one moment's thought for himself, save, as he swears, the thought that he must die to save the Secretary; without a weapon of any description, with a bravery never surpassed in the annals of any country, he opposed his naked hands, his wounded and enfeebled body, to the terrible knife of the gigantic and desperate murderer. He seized the assassin just as the deadly knife was about to bury itself in the throat of the Secretary, and then commenced an unequal struggle which seemingly can only end in the death of the brave soldier. Having succeeded in dragging Payne from off the bed, he receives over his shoulder two deep wounds down his back, inflicting injuries from which one side of his face and two fingers of one hand are still partially paralyzed. He received two more wounds under his left shoulder blade, which proved nearly fatal, and received blows about the head and face from the revolver. At last Payne, probably becoming alarmed for his own safety should he spend more time in the house, wrenched himself loose and fled, stabbing a messenger from the State Department on his way down stairs. Disregarding his own desperate wounds, the blood from which was filling his shoes, with the help of Mr. Seward's daughter Robinson placed the insensible and mangled form of the Secretary on the bed from which he had fallen, and re-covering the gashed cheek with its flesh, he placed his fingers on the wounded artery from which Mr. Seward's life was fast passing, and with the same coolness, the same utter self-abandonment, he kept his position, though scarcely able to stand, and believing himself fatally wounded, until relieved by the arrival of the Surgeon-General. After the Secretary's wounds were dressed his own were attended to, and he was the same night carried back to the hospital.

On the 17th day of May following Robinson was honorably discharged from the service. Finding himself unable to labor on a farm, by reason of his wounds, he was obliged to sell his little place for some $1,200, and sought employment as a Government clerk. He is now a clerk in the Quartermaster General's Department, at a salary of $1,200 per year, and has no other means of supporting himself, his wife, and boy, except a pension of $8 per month for wounds received on the field of battle. Robinson is a modest man, of excellent character, and a faithful and efficient clerk.

The committee unanimously recommend the passage of the accompanying joint resolution.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled: That the President of the United States is hereby authorized and requested to cause to be made and presented to each of the following persons such suitable and appropriate medals, as in his judgment shall express the high estimation in which Congress hold the respective merits and services of Captain Jared S. Crandall, Albert Crandall, Daniel F. Larkin, Frank Larkin, Byron Green, John D. Harvey, Courtland Gavitt, Eugene Nash, Edwin Nash and William Nash of the town of Westerly, State of Rhode Island, who so gallantly volunteered to man the life-boat and a fishing boat, and saved the lives of thirty-two persons from the wreck of the steamer "Metis," on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the thirty-first day of August, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.

Approved February 24, 1873.

Captain David Ritchie to the Secretary of the Navy.

United States Revenue Steamer Mocassin,
Newport, Rhode Island, September 1st, 1872.
To the Honorable
George S. Boutwell, Secretary of the Treasury,
Washington, District of Columbia.

Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the services rendered by this vessel, her officers and crew to the passengers and crew of the wrecked steamer Metis on the morning of August 30th, 1872.

On the evening of August 29th, while cruising to the westward, weather threatening, ran in for a harbor behind the Stonington breakwater, where we anchored. My glass falling and there being every indication of a storm, I prepared my vessel for it.

At 8 p.m. the gale began, and continued to increase throughout the night from southeast with heavy sea and blinding rain.

At daylight the gale moderated and it stopped raining, the wind hauling by south to westward.

At 9.20 a.m. the first officer of the steamer "Stonington" of the New York and Stonington Line, came alongside, and reported that the steamer "Metis" of the New York and Providence Line, was wrecked off Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the fate of which, together with her one hundred and fifty passengers and crew, was unknown.

I ordered steam as quickly as possible, and at 10.15 a.m. got under way and proceeded to the scene of the disaster, stationing lookouts aloft and upon the house.

I soon descried two boats loaded with helpless men, women and children, near the edge of the surf at Watch Hill Light House, and with great difficulty and danger, on account of the heavy sea, succeeded in getting them on board of the "Mocassin."

I then stood down for the wreck, lowered boats and picked up the living and dead, continuing this sad duty until 3.45 p.m., when night coming on and medical aid being required for those of the rescued who were exhausted, I put the vessel back for Stonington, the nearest port, having no hope of finding any more living persons and seeing no dead bodies remaining afloat. I reached Stonington at 6 p.m. with forty-two rescued persons and seventeen dead bodies which we had recovered from the deep.

Being a stranger in Stonington, I was at a loss to know what I should do with my precious cargo, but at the wharf I met with unexpected aid in the person of Mr. J. P. Bigelow, chief of the Loan Division of the Treasury Department, who, upon my wants being made known to him, procured proper relief, obtaining through Mrs. Bigelow and ladies in the town, clothing and proper care for five women who were rescued in a state of entire nudity. The men rescued were taken charge of by the citizens, who did all in their power to relieve their distress. All the rescued were greatly exhausted, having been in the water several hours.

I take great pleasure in informing the Department of the noble and untiring exertions of 1st Lieutenant Joseph Irish, 2d Lieutenant A. D. Littlefield, Chief Engineer Whittaker, Pilot Joseph Case, Boatswain E. F. R. Denison, and each of the crew in saving life, recovering bodies of the drowned and caring for the sick and wounded.

In the cases of several of the shipwrecked life was apparently extinct, but by the efforts of those on board they were resuscitated. The women were rolled in blankets, and all in our power was done to make them comfortable. Many of the rescued were very weak, and I doubted my ability to get them into port alive.

I was ably seconded in my work of boating by Captain Crandall, light house keeper at Watch Hill, and his noble crew, they having picked up fourteen living and dead.

After the last body had been taken on board a sea caught their boat under this vessel's quarter and split her open.

The boat was the private property of Captain Crandall, who, on beholding her destruction, simply remarked, "She has well paid for herself."

Five of the dead bodies were identified by those saved on board, and when the living women were clothed and brought to identify their friends, a sad scene presented itself, one recognizing a lost husband, another a sister, two men their wives, and one man his two children.

The corpses were all numbered, and together with a description list, were delivered to the authorities of Stonington, a copy of said list being retained on board.

On the morning of the 31st ultimo at daylight, kindly accompanied by J. P. Bigelow, Captain George B. Hull, Superintendent of New York and Providence Steamship Company (one of the rescued), and John McGuire to assist my worn-out officers and men, I again stood for the scene of the wreck and cruised in that vicinity, with lookouts stationed aloft, extending my cruise as far as Block Island. The wind was blowing strong from the northwest and constantly increasing, with a heavy cross sea from the southeast, breaking over and completely covering this vessel.

There being no signs of any bodies floating about, with decks full of water, I stood for Point Judith. Still finding no signs of the wreck, and the sea getting too heavy to lower a boat, I stood for Newport and anchored.

Having found a jewel and pocket-book on board (the property of one of the dead), I turned the same over to Mr. Bigelow, to take them to Stonington for the purpose of identifying corpse marked No. 4.

Trusting that the conduct of the Mocassin, under my command, and the acts of her officers and crew may meet the approval of the Department,

I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

David Ritchie,
Captain United States Revenue Marine.

Resolution of Congress Voting Thanks to Captain Ritchie.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled: That the thanks of Congress are due, and are hereby tendered to Captain David Ritchie, commanding the revenue steamer Mocassin, and to the officers and men under his command, for their heroic and humane action in saving the lives of forty-two persons from the wreck of the steamer "Metis" on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the morning of the thirty-first of August, eighteen hundred and seventy-two.

Approved January 24, 1873.

Act of Congress Authorizing Centennial Medals.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled: That medals with appropriate devices, emblems and inscriptions, commemorative of the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, be prepared at the mint at Philadelphia for the Centennial Board of Finance, subject to the provisions of the fifty-second section of the coinage act of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof, and all the provisions whether penal or otherwise of said coinage act against the counterfeiting or imitating of coins of the United States shall apply to the medals struck and issued under the provisions of this act.

Approved June 16, 1874.

Official Notice Promulgated by the Centennial Board of Finance.

United States Centennial Board of Finance,
Philadelphia, March 24, 1875.

It being deemed essential "that medals, with appropriate devices, emblems, and inscriptions, commemorative of the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," should be officially issued, the Congress of the United States, by special act, approved June 16, 1874, directed the same to be prepared at the Mint for the Centennial Board of Finance, subject to the provisions of the fifty-second section of the coinage act of 1873, upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof, and all the provisions, whether penal or otherwise, of said coinage act against the counterfeiting or imitation of coins of the United States shall apply to the medals struck and issued under the provisions of this act. These medals having been prepared and issued are now being sold by the Centennial Board of Finance and its agents, and the profits arising therefrom strictly applied in aid of the preparation for the celebration of the anniversary which the medals commemorate. They are the only medals relating to the great events of 1876, officially issued, and may be readily distinguished from any of the tokens styled Centennial medals and issued by private parties for their individual profit, from the fact that in addition to the designs and other wording, the larger medals have stamped upon them "Act of Congress, June, 1874," and the others, "By authority of the Congress of the U. S."

These official medals are of four kinds: small gilt at $1; large bronze at $2; coin silver at $3; large gilt at $5, or all inclosed in one case at $11. Cautionary notice is hereby given that the Centennial Board of Finance intends to avail itself of the protection and privilege granted by the acts of Congress above mentioned, and that the highly penal provisions for publishing, counterfeiting, or imitating the authorized official medals will be strictly enforced against all infringement and violation.

John Welsh,
Frederick Fraley, Secretary. President Centennial Board of Finance.