State of Kentucky / Battle of Lake Erie Medal
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry arrived at Sandusky's Bay on Lake Erie on
August 16, 1813 with a new fleet ready to engage the British for control
of Lake Erie. He requested a company of volunteer militia to act as
marines and Kentuckians answered the call. Some 100 to 150 men joined
Commodore Perry in defeating the British fleet on September 10, 1813.
After the war several attempts were made to commemorate this victory and
during one of these it was discovered that there were still
participants of the battle living in Kentucky. The State Legislature
passed a joint resolution on December 17, 1859 to honor them each with a
gold medal but the Civil War delayed this till 1867. Fifty-four years
after the battle 6 living Kentuckians were awarded these medals.
|
State of Kentucky / Battle of Lake Erie Medal
Original gold medal awarded to Samuel Hatfield, 42mm
 |
 |
(image courtesy of the American Numismatic Society)
|
A Chapman's Auction catalog of an I.F.
Wood Sale, 1894,
states that Wood had silver, bronze, and brass restrikes done
with only 5 in silver struck. No mention is made of white metal
restrikes so these may have been done by George H. for his own use.
(Thanks to Joe Levine for this information.)
|
Silver, 41.9mm
 |
 |
||
Brass, 41.9mm
|
|||
 |
 |
||
Bronze, 42mm
|
|||
 |
 |
||
White metal, 42mm
To read A.C. Quisenberry's article
"Kentuckians In the Battle of Lake Erie" from the
Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society go to
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23367297?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents
 |  |
To read A.C. Quisenberry's article
"Kentuckians In the Battle of Lake Erie" from the
Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society go to
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23367297?seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents