The Congressional Presentation Sword of Lieutenant (Master Commandant) Andrew Sterret, USN, the first Congressional sword to be presented to a US Navy Officer after the establishment of the United States Navy by the ratification of the Constitution, for the action between the Enterprise and a Tripolitan Corsair on August 1, 1801. Sterret's Congressional resolution authorizing this sword reads:

"Act [of Congress] of February 3, 1802. - That they [Congress] entertain a high sense of the gallant conduct of Lieutenant Sterett and the other officers, seamen and marines on board the schooner Enterprise, in the capture of a Tripolitan corsair of 14 guns and 80 men. That the President of the United States be requested to preset to Lieutenant Sterret a sword, commemorative of the aforesaid heroic action; and that one month's pay be allowed to all the other officers, seamen and marines who were on board the Enterprise when the aforesaid action tool place." 

The sword has a 27.75" curved, single edged blade with a nearly full length stopped median fuller and a 1.38" wide blade at the ricasso. The blade is .29" thick at the spine at the ricasso. The overall length is 34.5" with a 5.5" gilt brass hilt with a large beaked and heavily feathered American Eagle Head pommel and flat round capstan nut. The highly detailed knuckle bow is chased with oak leaves and terminates in a silver boat with fouled ropes at the lower face of the guard. The guard is highly detailed with flowing open work oak leaves, chased silver panoplies of arms and terminates in a silver anchor in the quillon position at the top of the guard. The grip has a highly detailed fasces pattern design with "E PLURIBUS UNUM" crossing in the center of the grip on both sides. Remnants of a red fabric throat washer are present on the face of the guard. The blade was almost certainly originally blued and gilt decorated but has been lightly cleaned and is now bright steel. Decorative engraved motifs remain visible on the blade and consist of flowing foliate themes, an armed Native American warrior and an American Eagle and shield surmounted by a group of stars on the obverse. The reverse is decorated with a classical goddess with a laurel bough, a Native American bust and with classical, foliate and martial themes. The sword is accompanied by its gilt brass mounted back seamed leather scabbard with the highly detailed open work mounts engraved with detailed floral and geometric patterns and chased with applied silver ropes. The upper mount is 5.75" in length with a key-shaped suspension swivel. The middle mount is 4.875" in length with the same pattern suspension swivel as found on the upper mount. The drag is 10.5" long. The top face of the throat is engraved  in two lines: "Watson, Strand" over "London, Facit". William Watson was a goldsmith and jeweler in England, whose address was on the Strand from circa 1784 through 1811. During the period that the sword was made, his address was at 149 Strand.

The sword is for all practical purposes the twin of the Congressional presentation sword of US Navy Captain Stephen Decatur. The Decatur sword is pictured and described on pages 122-124 of Peter Tuite's U.S. Naval Officers - Their Swords and Dirks. Decatur was authorized his Congressional sword for his actions on February 16, 1804 in Tripoli harbor, where he led a boarding effort to cut out or destroy the captured US Navy ship Philadelphia. That sword now resides in the collection of the US Navy Academy at Annapolis, MD. The key evidence that the sword offered here is the one that was presented to Sterett is found in a letter dated 30 May 1805 from Jacob Crowningshield to US Consul in London, George W. Erving. It reads in part:

"...Referring to my letter of April ye 28th to Mr. Smith accompanying two swords purchased here by order of the Government, as Presents from Congress to Lieut. Sterritt and Captain Decateur (sic), which were sent under the care of Mr. Ryland Randolph of Virginia, I have now the honor to incluse (sic) to you the receipt of the manufacturer for 87.3.0 Sterling being the amount of the Bill transmitted in the Letter referred to."

This letter makes it clear that sword that was procured of the same type, and from the same source as Decatur's sword, was intended for Sterett. Sterrett's sword was authorized by Congress some two years before Decatur's action even took place, making it the first Congressionally authorized presentation sword for a US Naval officer in the newly establish United States. The letter suggests the each sword cost nominally 43 pounds, 4 shillings circa 1804-1805. In today's money, that would be roughly 5,340 pounds sterling, or more than $7,000 US dollars in 2025. A  significant amount of supporting research is provided with the sword to verify that it is in fact the Sterrett sword and that this is the only example of such a Congressionally authorized sword to be in private hands, since the Decatur sword is at Annapolis, as noted. Interestingly the research additionally indicates that Congressionally approved swords were intended to be presented to the officer's in command of Commodore Preble's squadron and to Captain William Eaton but were never actually commissioned by Congress. As such, only two swords were actually authorized by Congress and subsequently produced and then presented by the President for gallantry during the Barbary Wars; the Decatur sword and this one.

Andrew Sterett (1778-1807) was born in Baltimore on January 27, 1778, the son of successful shipping merchant and Revolutionary War naval Captain John Sterrett. Andrew joined the US Navy on March 1798 during the period of the Quasi-War with France and initially served as third lieutenant under Capt. Thomas Truxton of the USS Constellation. Sterret came to national prominence when the Constellation captured the French frigate Insurgente on February 9, 1799. In that action the only American casualty was a US seaman who abandoned his post in fear during the fighting and who was summarily "run through" by Sterrett who later noted that "We put men to death for even looking pale on this ship." Despite the negative publicity the event created at home, the US Navy saw the grit of this young officer and they promoted him from third to first lieutenant in February of 1800 and later that year gave him command of the schooner USS Enterprise. Sterret joined the squadron under Commodore Richard Dale during the early days of the Barbary Wars in 1801 and on August 1st fought the action for which this sword was presented. During the fight Enterprise took the 14 gun corsair Tripoli, which suffered 30 dead and 30 wounded in the engagement with no loss of American lives. As the war was not an officially declared one, and Sterrett was forbidden by international law from taking the Tripoli as prize, he had her crew throw their cannons overboard and the survivors were allowed to take their ship and return home. Sterrett remained the commander of the Enterprise until April of 1803 when he turned the ship over to the command of the aforementioned Stephen Decatur, who would eventually be awarded the other sword of this pattern. Sterrett was promoted to master commandant that year and was to take command of a ship that was then under construction. Although Sterett was Decatur's senior in rank, Decatur's length of service allowed him to be promoted over Sterrett, something that Sterret could not abide. As a result of the perceived slight, Sterett took dramatic action and resigned from the service on June 29, 1805. He would go on to have a successful career in the merchant marine but would die in Lima, Peru on June 9, 1807, at the age of 29 from a self inflicted gunshot wound, once again the result of his dramatic action based upon his belief that his honor had been offended by another man.

[CONGRESSIONAL PRESENTATION] [BARBARY WARS] [SWORD] [MILITARIA]

Very Good. Blade lightly cleaned with bright with most of the engraved patterns remaining visible, if weak in some areas. Blade with a couple of minor chips and nicks along the cutting edge. Hilt with much of the gold intact and with the silver decorations deeply tarnished. Capstan nut remains untouched. Blade, hilt and grip all remain tight and secure. Scabbard with some gilt remaining on the mounts which are crisp and fine. Leather scabbard body with some light wear, flaked loss to the enameled finish and missing all of the stitching from the rear seam.