Revolutionary War Commemorative Medal
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$24.95 |
Foxfall Medals P.O. Box 710
Madison,Virginia 22727
BACKGROUND
In June of 1920 the War Department directed that regimental colors were to bear streamers in the colors of the ribbon to the campaign medal for each war in which the regiment had fought. However, since no campaign medal existed for the Revolutionary War, the Secretary of War prescribed the colors for that streamer. The streamers were to be embroidered with the name of the campaign in which the regiment participated. This was the beginning of the battle streamers which are now in common use by all branches of the Armed Forces.
THE MEDAL
This commemorative medal utilizes the colors of the Revolutionary War battle streamer and includes a medal designed to represent the Revolutionary War. In the center of the medal, there is a shield with a chevron of thirteen bars. In the center of the shield, three canon balls are superimposed over a compass rose. Beneath the shield there is a double spray of young oak. The shield and oak spray are enclosed within a ring of pellets, and between the ring of pellets and the edge of the medal is the raised inscription REVOLUTIONARY WAR in the upper half, and the dates 1775 -1783 at the bottom.
The shield was suggested by the Admiralty Seal of the Continental Army and represents the United States Navy. The chevron of thirteen bars mutually supporting each other is adapted from the Admiralty Seal and is symbolic of the newly formed United States. The three canon balls in the center of the shield (and the ring of pellets that surround it) are adapted from the War Office Seal and represent the unity of purpose of the Military Services. The stylized compass rose behind the three canon balls highlights the vital and far-ranging roles that the Armed Forces of the young Nation played in the Revolutionary War and the importance of materiel and logistics to the New Republic. The branches of oak below the shield symbolize potential, strength, and tenacity.
DESIGNER
The medal was designed by Nadine Russell, the former Chief of Creative Heraldry at the Army’s Institute of Heraldry.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR CAMPAIGNS
The Continental Army was plagued with problems and deficiencies from the beginning to the end, including State militias that were poorly trained and, in many cases, poorly led. Washington’s own staff was inadequate in both size and experience. Supplies were in chronically short supply. The situation was so bad that when Washington’s army encamped at Valley Forge for the winter of 1777-1778, their lack of food and clothing led him to fear a mutiny. Weapons and powder were likewise in short supply, and Washington was well aware that because of its deficiencies his army could not conduct frontal assaults against the British, nor could they outflank them once they were engaged in battle. As a result, Washington’s primary tactic was to wear the enemy down with swift raids and the use of light infantry. In spite of almost insurmountable problems and hardships, the Continental Army ultimately prevailed. The Army’s battle streamer for the Revolutionary War is embroidered with the following sixteen actions:
- Lexington 1775
- Ticonderoga 1775
- Boston 1775-1776
- Quebec 1775, 1776
- Charleston, 1776, 1780
- Long Island 1776
- Trenton 1776
- Princeton 1777
- Saratoga 1777
- Brandywine 1777
- Germantown 1777
- Monmouth 1778
- Savannah 1778, 1779
- Cowpens 1782
- Guilford Courthouse 1781
- Yorktown 1781
Beginning with actions in coastal waters in 1775, and followed by Commodore Esek Hopkins’ 1776 amphibious assault to capture military stores at New Providence, Bahamas, and reaching a climax in 1781 when French fleet action off the Virginia Capes led to victory at Yorktown, the war at sea was decisive in the Nation’s struggle for independence. America’s small and fragmented naval forces lacked the capability to engage in major fleet actions, but their contributions were non-the-less crucial to the ultimate failure or success of the war. General Washington’s fleet of schooners, the Continental Navy, State navies, and privateers captured numerous enemy merchant ships to provide vitally needed supplies for the hard-pressed Continental Army. On occasion armed vessels transported Washington’s troops and joined in the defense of such important port cities as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. American naval officers, including John Barry, Nicholas Biddle, Abraham Whipple, and Joshua Barney carried the patriotic cause to the sea against the overwhelming strength of Britain’s Royal Navy. Operations in European waters, especially John Paul Jones’ celebrated Bonhomme Richard – Serapis battle, even brought the war to England’s own shores. The Navy’s battle streamers bear two silver stars for the ten campaign actions listed below.
- New Providence, Bahamas Operations (March 3, 1776)
- Inland Waters and Amphibious Operations
- West Indies and European Convoy Operations
- Operations in European Waters
- Commerce Raiding Operations
- Randolph – Yarmouth
- Ranger – Drake (April 24, 1778)
- Bonhomme Richard – Serapis (September 23, 1779)
- Other Single Ship Operations
- Transport and Packet Operations
(March 7, 1776)