The Kittanning Destroyed Medal
On May 1, 2006, western Pennsylvania began the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Seven Years’ War with an exhibit entitled Clash of Empires: The British, French, and Indian War, 1754–1763, the largest known exhibition on the conflict, at the Senator John Heinz Regional History Center in Pittsburgh. Nestled among the nearly three hundred rare artifacts and paintings was the “Kittanning Destroyed Medal,” the first documented medal engraved and struck for military honor in British North America. Originally struck in silver by order of the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia, it was presented by Mayor Attwood Shute to Colonel John Armstrong, who led the Second Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment against the Indian village of Kittanning on September 8, 1756, in retaliation for the raiding and burning of Fort Granville approximately a month before. The front of the medal displays the battle at Kittanning; it shows a military officer followed by two sol-diers, with an Indian prostrate on the ground before them. In the back-ground, the Indian village is burning. The reverse side portrays the Philadelphia Corporation’s coat of arms. Although this original medal is one of the rarest American treasures, it is easy to find in the historical literature—it is invariably mentioned as a fitting commemoration of Armstrong’s raid. Despite its historical significance and value, however, there has been no attempt to document the medal’s history or explain its meaning.