(1779) Bronze Medal Betts-575, Major Henry Lee

Coin Details

Auction Record

$16,800 SP63 11-30-2021 Stack's Bowers

Description

Betts-575 in bronze is the Comitia Americana medal honoring Major Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee for his daring raid on the British garrison at Paulus Hook, New Jersey, on August 19, 1779. Lee led approximately 300 Continental soldiers in a night attack on the fortified British post across the Hudson River from New York City, capturing over 150 prisoners and withdrawing before British reinforcements could respond. The raid, though small in scale, boosted American morale and demonstrated that Continental forces could strike British positions even near their New York headquarters. Lee would later become Governor of Virginia and father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The Continental Congress authorized this medal as one of the Comitia Americana series. The medal's design features Lee's portrait on the obverse and a scene of the Paulus Hook raid on the reverse, rendered with the artistic quality characteristic of the Paris Mint.

Rarity Notes

Bronze Comitia Americana medal for Major Henry Lee. Important Revolutionary War piece. Scarce.

Cross References

Betts-575; PCGS #528914