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Major General Jacob Brown Medal with Original Dies by Moritz Furst, Julian MI-11

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:325.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 600.00 USD
Major General Jacob Brown Medal with Original Dies by Moritz Furst, Julian MI-11
Medals
Major General Jacob Brown Medal with Original Dies by Moritz Furst, Julian MI-11, Struck in Bronze, Mint State
"1814" Dated (1824) Major General Jacob Brown Medal, Original Dies by Moritz Furst, Julian MI-11. Struck at the United States Mint in Bronze, Mint State.
65 mm. A scarce original dies struck Major General Jacob Brown Medal circa 1824 by the United States Mint in Bronze. There are a few scattered nicks in the fields both obverse and reverse and the reverse side rims show several contact marks. Original thin planchet, chestnut-brown in color with mostly smooth hard semi-prooflike glossy surfaces. Reverse top legend reads, “Resolution Of Congress November 3. 1814.” with War of 1812 battles listed below. Jacob Jennings Brown was known for his victories as an American army officer in the War of 1812, where he reached the rank of general. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a national hero, and he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. An attractive design and a rarely encountered bronze “original”.
Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775 – February 24, 1828) was known for his victories as an American army officer in the War of 1812, where he reached the rank of general. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a national hero, and he was Awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Even as the US Army was reduced in size after the war, Brown retained commissioned status. In 1821, Brown was appointed Commanding General of the United States Army and held that post until his death. He initiated post-graduate education for staff and command officers, and the General Recruiting Service, to manage acquiring troops.

After his death, he received a military funeral in Washington, DC, with a mile-long parade along Pennsylvania Avenue to his burial at Congressional Cemetery.

The young American settlements along Lake Ontario had enjoyed a vigorous trade with Kingston and other Canadian sites before the United States imposed a boycott in 1808 on trade with Britain (and Canada) during rising tensions. Jacob Brown was nicknamed "Potash Brown" because of his activities as a smuggler of this product from Sackets Harbor, New York and along the Saint Lawrence River during this period. Sackets Harbor and other towns were the bases of widespread smuggling of goods with Canada.

During the War of 1812, Brown came to be characterized by his swift action and opportunism on the offensive. He also was known for directing meticulously planned, defensive field works, including for Sackets Harbor.

His fortifications there were instrumental in fending off British and Canadian advances. Sackets Harbor had become a major military shipyard for construction of American naval war ships to sail on the Great Lakes, and its protection was critical. Some 3,000 shipyard workers were recruited to the shipyard, and thousands of federal troops were eventually bivouacked in the area. They overwhelmed the small town.

When the War of 1812 began, Brown was a brigadier general in the New York militia, having been appointed to that rank in 1811. Though he opposed the war, he organized defenses in the Great Lakes region. On May 29, 1813, troops led by Brown defeated the British at the Second Battle of Sackets Harbor, based on his fortifications. As a result of his actions there, Brown was commissioned as a brigadier general in the regular army.

The next year Brown showed his aggressiveness during the Niagara Campaign, beginning with the capture of Fort Erie on 3 July 1814 in Upper Canada after invasion by the Americans across the Niagara River. This was followed by the Battle of Chippawa on 5 July, when he achieved overwhelming success.

The following Battle of Lundy's Lane on 25 July 1814, resulted in such high casualties on both sides that it was considered one of the bloodiest engagements of the war. It resulted in a stalemate. Brown was wounded twice in this engagement. Brigadier General Winfield Scott was serving under him and believed that Brown's decision to refrain from fully committing his strength at the outset of this battle, resulted in the destruction of Scott's brigade and a high number of unnecessary deaths.

Brown's last battle of the war was the related Siege of Fort Erie, from 4 Aug to 21 Sep 1814, when the British tried unsuccessfully to take back control of the fort. He had directed fortifications to improve defenses at Fort Erie, which contributed to the American success in defeating the British. Brown was also considered impetuous.

After the initial British assault against his forces was repulsed, Brown ordered a sortie on September 17 against the British that resulted in more than 500 casualties on each side, but changed nothing in the outcome of the siege. After both sides withdrew, the Americans destroyed Fort Erie so that it could no longer be used. Overall, Brown's successes along the northern border made him a national hero.