Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Hull, Isaac 1775-1845

Naval officer; born in Derby, Conn., March 9, 1775; nephew of Gen. William Hull; when nineteen years old he commanded a merchant ship which sailed to London; entered the navy as lieutenant in 1798, and rose to captain in 1806. He was in the Constitution, and distinguished himself in the West Indies and in the Mediterranean. He sailed in the Constitution in July, 1812, and had a remarkable chase by a British squadron (see U. S. S. Constitution). In August he encountered the Guerriere, and made her a captive. For this exploit Congress voted him a gold medal. Afterwards he was a naval commissioner, and commodore of the navy-yards at Boston, Portsmouth, and Washington. He served in the American navy, afloat and ashore, thirty-seven years, and died in Philadelphia, Feb. 13, 1845. His remains rest in Laurel Hill Cemetery, and over them is a beautiful altar-tomb of Italian marble—a copy of the tomb of Scipio Barbatus at Rome. It is chastely ornamented, and surmounted by an American eagle, in the attitude of defending the national flag, upon which it stands.