An evenly circulated offering of a scarce design and denomination which has long been the subject of demand well in excess of an already limited supply of surviving notes. Featuring a portrait of Commodore Stephen Decatur who was one of the foremost American naval officers of the period. Decatur is renowned for his brazen acts of heroism during the First Barbary War such as the Burning of the USS <em>Philadelphia</em>, and his service during the War of 1812. During that conflict, Decaturs actions saw the capture of the HMS <em>Macedonian</em> in 1812 before surrendering to a superior British force in 1814 following a protracted engagement that led to his capture and short-term imprisonment in Bermuda. Following the end of hostilities, Decatur resumed his duties with the USN and saw further service against the Barbary Pirates and would later accept a political appointment upon his return from the Mediterranean, a choice that would set him on the course to a fateful duel with a fellow officer that would result in Decaturs death owing to wounds sustained. Decatur along with the likes of Farragut and Perry were rare subjects on period designs owing to their status as naval officers and largely overshadowed in favor of their counterparts from the Army. The depiction of Decatur during the 1880s would be the closest thing to honoring a naval personality from the Second World War along the lines of Nimitz or Halsey in the present.From the Hararn Family Collection.
