Watch List notes:

Foreign Medals, USA, Kittanning Destroyed, silver medal, 1756, an early 19th century restitution by Thomas Halliday, after Edward Duffield, arms of the Corporation of Philadelphia, THE GIFT OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, rev. Colonel Armstrong's militia destroys a Native American village, houses burn and, to r., a Native American is shot and falls into a river, KITTANNING DESTROYED BY COLL. ARMSTRONG., in ex. SEPTEMBER. 8. 1756, 43.5mm. (Betts 400; Julian MI-33; Tancred pp.45-46; cf. La Riviere, lot 2075; cf. John J. Ford XIV, lots 19-21), suspension loop, lightly toned, extremely fine and rare, a particularly pleasing example
The original medal was engraved by Edward Duffield (1730-1805) of Philadelphia and struck by the silversmith Joseph Richardson (1711-1784) in 1757. According to Betts, each of the commissioned British officers involved in the raid was awarded one of these medals struck in silver. It was the first military medal to be struck in North America. Lieutenant Colonel John Armstrong (1717-1795) was an Irish-born engineer who came to America in about 1740. He served throughout the British, French and Indian War, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in the Continental Army and as a Major General in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolutionary War.
The destruction of Kittanning was a reprisal to raids carried out by Native American war parties and was hailed a great victory at the time, but Armstrong's force recovered only seven captives. However the raid was brutal and did much to destroy old established links with the Native American tribes.
(1500-2500 GBP)