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Medal Name: First President of the United States of America
OBVERSE
General Washington in uniform and bareheaded, standing, facing the left, has just given the calumet of peace to an Indian chief, who is smoking it.
The Indian, standing, facing the right, has a large medal suspended from around his neck;
on the left, a pine tree;
at its foot, a tomahawk;
in the background, a farmer ploughing.
Exergue: GEORGE WASHINGTON PRESIDENT. 1792.
REVERSE
The arms and crest of the United States of America.
Arms: Paleways of thirteen pieces, argent and gules, a chief, azure.
The escutcheon on the breast of the American eagle, displayed proper, holding in his dexter talon an olive branch, and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows, all proper, and in his beak a scroll inscribed with this motto, E PLURIBUS UNUM (One out of many).
Crest: Over the head of the eagle, which appears above the escutcheon, a glory, or, breaking through a cloud, proper, and surrounding thirteen stars forming a constellation, argent, on an azure field.
BACKGROUND
It was then customary with the Indians, when they made a treaty of peace, to simulate the burying of thetomahawk. In a speech of Red Jacket's to the Honorable Samuel Dexter, secretary of War, delivered atPhiladelphia, February 11, 1802, is the following passage: "Brother, you offered to join with us in tearing up thelargest pine tree in our forests, and under it to bury the tomahawk. We gladly join with you, brother, in this work,and let us heap rocks and stones on the root of this tree, that the tomahawk may never again be found."
The engraving is a representation of the medal generally known as the Red Jacket medal, from its having been given by President Washington to the celebrated Seneca orator and chief Sa-go-ya-wat-ha (He keeps them awake), better known as Red Jacket, on the occasion of his visit to Philadelphia in March and April, 1792. On the death ofthis great chief of the Six Nations of the State of New York (Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas,and Tuscaroras), in 1830, it passed into the hands of his nephew the Seneca chief So-sa-wa (Corpulent man), James Johnson. It now belongs to James Johnson's grand-nephew, Do-ne-ho-gà-wa (Open door), General Ely S.Parker, who served during the Civil War on the staff of General U.S. Grant. He was afterward for some time commissioner of Indian Affairs, and is now living in the city of New York. It is owing to the politeness of General Parker that I am able to give an engraving of this, the only well-authenticated Washington Indian peace medal,although similar ones were given during his administration to different Indian chiefs, as will be seen from the following extract from a message addressed by General Knox, then secretary of War, to the Choctaw nation, anddated Philadelphia, February, 17, 1792: "Brothers, your father, General Washington, sends you two great silvermedals—you will point out the two great chiefs who are to receive these marks of distinction."
General Parker says that this medal was made by Dr. Rittenhouse, who was director of the United States Mint at Philadelphia from 1792 till 1795, that these medals were of three sizes from President Jefferson to PresidentFillmore's administration, and that they were given to Indian chiefs according to their rank. Since then they havebeen made of two sizes only.
Source: The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 by J. F. Loubat, LL.D. (1878)