Commodore Isaac Hull - 1812 Marker & Grave - Philadelphia, PA
N 40° 00.300 W 075° 11.379
18T E 483812 N 4428329
The grave and historical marker of this The War of 1812 American hero can be found here, at Laurel Hill Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WM73H3
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/27/2009
Views: 4
Atop his intricate, raised tomb is an eagle or falcon or some other bird of pray carved out of stone. His tomb is heavy with the carving and relief work. And all of this ornate death decoration lies beneath a portico supported by four doric columns. Beneath all of this, centered at the foot of the stone coffin is a marble slab with a bronze plaque on it. It reads
Commodore Isaac Hull
United States Naval Officer
09 March 1773-13 February 1843
A defender of American freedom and pioneer of a new nation. He
lifted the spirits of an entire nation by defeating the British on the
high seas, while commanding USS CONSTITUTION "Old
Ironsides" in battle with HMS Guerriere on 19 August 1812.
He is an American hero who dedicated his life to his country.
About the Man
War of 1812 Naval Officer. Nephew of General William Hull. Began US Navy service as a cabin boy in 1787. Commissioned 4th Lieutenant on the "USS Constitution" in 1797, and won distinction in the Quasi-War with France when he captured a French privateer. Commanded the "USS Argus" during the Barbary Wars, and provided support when American troops captured Derna (April 27, 1805). Promoted to Captain and named commander of the "USS Constitution" in 1810, and commanded it during the War of 1812. Gained fame by evading a superior British naval squadron in an incredible 66 hour chase after the British encountered the "Constitution" off Egg Harbor, New Jersey. His most endure Naval action was the defeat by the Constitution of the British frigate "HMS Guerriere", which he destroyed in less than a half hour of combat. His post-war assignments were commander of the Pacific Squadron, commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, and commander of the US Mediterranean Squadron. His last words before dying were "I strike my flag". SOURCE
I also found some background on his monument/concrete coffin. The monument to Commodore Isaac Hull erected in Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery is copied from the Roman Scipio (L. Cornelius Scipio Barbatus) sarcophagus housed in the Vatican Museum. The Hull version, its design attributed to William Strickland and carved by John Struthers, is ornamented by an alert but badly weathered eagle. The Scipio sarcophagus, it should be noted, was extensively copied in nineteenth and twentieth century design: another version, for example can be found near the Hull monument in Laurel Hill, in this instance personalized for the use of Mary Barton Cooke. -- The Revival Styles and American Memorial Art by Peggy McDowell & Richard E. Meyer, page 59
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