Society of the Cincinnati - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American independence. Now in its third century, the Society is a nonprofit historical, diplomatic, and educational organization that promotes public interest in the American Revolution through its library and museum collections, exhibitions, programs, publications, and other activities.

Origins

The concept of the Society of the Cincinnati was originated from Major General

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

Henry Knox

Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....

. The first meeting of the Society was held in May 1783 at a dinner at Mount Gulian

Mount Gulian

Mount Gulian is a reconstructed 18th century Dutch manor house on the Hudson River in the town of Fishkill, New York, United States of America. The original house served as the...

(Verplanck House) in Fishkill, New York

Fishkill, New York

Fishkill is an upscale village within the much larger town, Town of Fishkill, one of the fastest growing towns in the region, in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The village population was 1,735 at the 2000 census...

, before the British evacuation from New York City

Evacuation Day (New York)

Following the American Revolution, Evacuation Day on November 25 marks the day in 1783 when the last vestige of British authority in the United States — its troops in New York — departed from Manhattan...

. The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

, and the participants agreed to stay in contact with each other after the war. Membership was generally limited to officers

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

who had served at least three years in the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

or Navy

Continental Navy

The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War, and was formed in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively...

but included officers of the French Army

Military history of France

The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, greater Europe, and European territorial possessions overseas....

and Navy

History of the French Navy

Although the History of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, its history can be said to effectively begin with Richelieu under Louis XIII.Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on the naval level:...

above certain ranks

Military rank

Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...

.

Later, membership was passed down to the eldest son after the death of the original member. Present-day hereditary members generally must be descended from an officer who served in the Continental Army or Navy for at least three years, from an officer who died or was killed in service, or from an officer serving at the close of the Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. Each officer may be represented by only one descendant at any given time, following the rules of primogeniture

Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

. ( The rules of eligibility and admission are controlled by each of the 14 Constituent Societies to which members are admitted. They differ slightly in each society and some allow more than one representative of an eligible officer.)(It was this aspect, that of primogeniture, which caused the society initially to be controversial, as primogeniture was associated with the rules governing European nobilities.)

The Society is named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

Cincinnatus

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was an aristocrat and political figure of the Roman Republic, serving as consul in 460 BC and Roman dictator in 458 BC and 439 BC....

, who left his farm to accept a term as Roman Consul

Roman consul

A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...

and then served as Magister Populi

Roman dictator

In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...

(with temporary powers similar to that of a modern era dictator), thereby assuming lawful dictatorial control of Rome

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

to meet a war emergency. When the battle was won, he returned power to the Senate

Roman Senate

The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...

and went back to plowing his fields. The Society's motto reflects that ethic of selfless service: Omnia reliquit servare rempublicam ("He relinquished everything to save the Republic"). The Society has from the beginning had three objectives, referred to as the "Immutable Principles": "To preserve the rights so dearly won; to promote the continuing union of the states; and to assist members in need, their widows, and their orphans."

Within 12 months of the founding, a constituent Society had been organized in each of the 13 states

Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...

and in France

France

. Of about 5,500 men originally eligible for membership, 2,150 had joined within a year. King Louis XVI

Louis XVI of France

Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....

ordained the French Society of the Cincinnati, which was organized on July 4, 1784 (Independence Day

Independence Day (United States)

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

). Up to that time, the King of France had not allowed his officers to wear any foreign decorations, but he made an exception in favor of the badge of the Cincinnati, and membership in the Society was so eagerly sought that it soon became as coveted as membership of certain orders of French nobility

French nobility

The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...

.

George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

was elected the first President General of the Society. He served from December 1783 until his death in 1799. The second President General was Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

. Upon Hamilton's death due to his duel with Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...

, the third President General of the Society was Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Charles Cotesworth “C. C.” Pinckney , was an early American statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was twice nominated by the Federalist Party as their presidential candidate, but he did not win either election.-Early life and...

who, in 1808, ran for President of the United States against James Madison

James Madison

James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...

.

Its members have included notable military and political leaders including 23 signers of the United States Constitution. The Cincinnati is the oldest military society in continuous existence in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

France

Jean Baptiste

Jean Baptiste, marquis de Traversay

Jean Baptiste Prevost de Sansac, marquis de Traversay was a French creole seaman who distinguished himself in the ranks of Royal French Navy during American Revolutionary War. In 1791, fleeing from hostilities of the French Revolution, Traversay joined Imperial Russian Navy, rising to...

, Maxime Julien Émeriau de Beauverger

Maxime Julien Émeriau de Beauverger

Maxime Julien Émeriau de Beauverger was a French Navy officer and admiral.- American War of Independence :...

, Pierre L'Enfant, Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville

Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville

Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville was a French admiral and a hero of the American Revolutionary War and of the Napoleonic wars.-Early life:...

, Paul François Ignace de Barlatier de Mas

Paul François Ignace de Barlatier de Mas

Paul François Ignace Barlatier de Mas was the second Lord of Le Mas and a French Naval Captain who participated in the American Revolutionary War. He was the Captain of the Alexandre...

, Gilbert du Motier, Louis Marc Antoine de Noailles, Georges René Le Peley de Pléville

Georges René Le Peley de Pléville

Georges-René Le Pelley de Pléville was the governor of the port of Marseilles, a French admiral, minister for the navy and the colonies from 15 July 1797 to 27 April 1798, a senator, a knight of the Order of St Louis and the Order of Cincinnatus, and one of the very first Grand officiers of the...

, Charles Armand Tuffin

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie

Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie , also known in the United States as "Colonel Armand", was a Breton cavalry officer who served under the American flag during the American War of Independence. He was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Yorktown...

, Jean Gaspard Vence

Jean Gaspard Vence

Jean Gaspard de Vence was a French privateer, admiral and Maritime Prefect of Toulon.-Biography:In 1762 at age 15 he entered the merchant navy in Bayonne, sailed to Saint-Domingue and several years later became a captain. Transferred to the Royal Navy, served on a 74-gun battleship «Le...

, Alexandre-Théodore-Victor

Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, comte de Lameth

Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, comte de Lameth was a French soldier and politician.He was born in Paris. Having served in the American War of Independence under Rochambeau, he was sent in 1789 as deputy to the States-General by the nobles of the bailliage of Péronne...

, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur

Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau

Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...

Massachusetts

John Brooks

John Brooks was the 11th Governor of Massachusetts from 1816 to 1823; he was the last significant Federalist elected official in office in the United States....

, William Eustis

William Eustis

William Eustis was an early American statesman.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and studied at the Boston Latin School before he entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1772. He studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren and helped care for the wounded at the Battle of Bunker...

, Simon Larned

Simon Larned

Simon Larned was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Thompson, Connecticut, Larned attended the common schools.Larned served as Sheriff of Berkshire County....

, Benjamin Lincoln

Benjamin Lincoln

Benjamin Lincoln was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, William Stacy

William Stacy

William Stacy was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country...

, Major General Henry Jackson

New Hampshire

Nicholas Gilman

Nicholas Gilman, Jr. was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the U.S. Constitution, representing New Hampshire. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives during the first four...

, John Sullivan

John Sullivan

John Sullivan was the third son of Irish immigrants, a United States general in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge....

, Joseph Cilley

Joseph Cilley (state senator)

Joseph Cilley was a New Hampshire state senator and general.Cilley was born in 1734 at Nottingham, New Hampshire to Captain J. Cilley of the Isles of Shoals and his wife Alice Rawlings. In 1758 Joseph Cilley joined Rogers' Rangers and served in northern New York and Canada...

, Henry Dearborn

Henry Dearborn

Henry Dearborn was an American physician, a statesman and a veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Born to Simon Dearborn and Sarah Marston in North Hampton, New Hampshire, he spent much of his youth in Epping, where he attended public schools...

, James Reed

James Reed

James Reed is an American football defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...

New York

George Clinton

George Clinton (vice president)

George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...

, Nicholas Fish

Nicholas Fish

Nicholas Fish was an American Revolutionary soldier, born in New York City.He attended Princeton but left before graduating to pursue the study of law at King's College through the office of John Morin Scott in New York...

, Peter Gansevoort

Peter Gansevoort

Peter Gansevoort was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for leading the resistance to Barry St. Leger's Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. Gansevoort was also the maternal grandfather of Moby-Dick author Herman Melville.-Early life:He was born...

, Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

, Henry Knox

Henry Knox

Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....

, Alexander McDougall

Alexander McDougall

Alexander McDougall was an American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a major general in the Continental Army, and as a delegate to the Continental Congress...

, Philip Schuyler

Philip Schuyler

Philip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...

, John Morin Scott

John Morin Scott

John Morin Scott was a lawyer, military officer, and statesman before, during and after the American Revolution.-Ancestry:...

, William Stephens Smith, Thomas Truxtun

Thomas Truxtun

Thomas Truxtun was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.Born near Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship Pitt at the age of twelve...

, Richard Varick

Richard Varick

Richard Varick was an American lawyer and politician. He was born on 15 March 1753 at Hackensack in Bergen County, New Jersey, and he died on 30 July 1831 at Jersey City in Hudson County, New Jersey....

, William Scudder, Robert Shaw

Robert Shaw

-Arts and humanities:* Bob Shaw , Irish science fiction writer* Bob Shaw , co-writer for Seinfeld, A Bugs Life and others* Robert J...

Pennsylvania

John Armstrong, Jr.

John Armstrong, Jr. was an American soldier and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and Secretary of War.-Early life and Revolutionary War:...

, Richard Butler

Richard Butler (general)

Richard Butler was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, who later died fighting American Indians in Ohio.-Early life:...

, William Butler

William Butler (colonel)

Colonel William Butler was a Pennsylvania officer during the American Revolutionary War, known for his leadership in the Battle of Monmouth, the burning of the Indian villages at Unadilla and Oquaga, and in the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition....

, Josiah Harmar

Josiah Harmar

Josiah Harmar was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolution and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for seven years....

, William Irvine, Thomas Mifflin

Thomas Mifflin

Thomas Mifflin was an American merchant and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania, President of the Continental...

, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, Lewis Nicola

Lewis Nicola

Lewis Nicola was an army officer in the American army during the American Revolutionary War. He was brevetted brigadier general in 1783...

, Arthur St. Clair

Arthur St. Clair

Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...

, William Thompson

William Thompson (general)

William Thompson was a soldier from Pennsylvania and a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.Thompson was born in Ireland and emigrated to Carlisle, Pennsylvania...

, Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...

Rhode Island

Joshua Babcock

Joshua Babcock was a physician, American Revolution general, Rhode Island Supreme Court justice, and postmaster from Westerly, Rhode Island.-Biography:...

, William Barton

William Barton (soldier)

William Barton was an officer in the Continental Army during the American War of Independence who retired with the rank of colonel. He later served as adjutant general of the Rhode Island militia....

, Christopher Greene

Christopher Greene

Christopher Greene was a US legislator and soldier.-Home life:Christopher Greene was born 12 May 1737 at Occupessatuxet, a village of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island, to Judge Phillip Greene and Elizabeth Greene...

, Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...

, Esek Hopkins

Esek Hopkins

Commodore Esek Hopkins was the first and only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was also an accomplished merchant captain and privateer.-Early life and career:...

, Daniel Lyman

Daniel Lyman

Daniel Lyman was a New England soldier, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and member of the secessionist Hartford Convention....

, Stephen Olney

Stephen Olney

Stephen Olney was a soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later a Rhode Island legislator.-Biography:...

, James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum was an American legislator, lawyer and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:James Mitchell Varnum was born in Dracut, Massachusetts...

, Samuel Ward, Jr.

Samuel Ward, Jr.

Samuel Ward, Jr. was an American Revolutionary War soldier and delegate to the secessionist Hartford Convention.-Biography:Ward was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on November 17, 1756 as the fifth child of founding trustee of Brown University, Continental Congress delegate and colonial governor of...

, Abraham Whipple

Abraham Whipple

Abraham Whipple was an American revolutionary naval commander in the Continental Navy. Whipple was born near Providence, Rhode Island and chose to be a seafarer early in his life. He embarked upon a career in the lucrative West Indies trade, working for Moses and John Brown...

South Carolina

Isaac Huger

Isaac Huger was a planter and Continental Army general during the American Revolutionary War.-Life and work:...

, William Jackson

William Jackson (secretary)

William Jackson was a figure in the American Revolution, most noteworthy as the secretary to the United States Constitutional Convention. He also served with distinction in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War...

, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

, Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Early life in the military:...

Virginia

Christian Febiger

Hans Christian Febiger was an American Revolutionary War commander, confidante of General George Washington and an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati...

, Henry Lee III, Thomas Overton

Thomas Overton

Thomas Overton was an American military and political leader best known for having been the second to Andrew Jackson in his duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806.Thomas Overton was born in Louisa County, Virginia in 1753...

, Thomas Posey

Thomas Posey

Thomas Posey was an officer in the American Revolution, a general during peacetime, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and a Louisiana Senator.-Family and background:...

, George Washington

George Washington

Insignia

On June 19, 1783, the General Society of the Cincinnati adopted the Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...

as its insigne. It is one of America's first post-revolution symbols and an important piece of American iconography

Iconography

Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...

. It is the second official emblem to represent America as the Bald Eagle, following the Great Seal of the United States

Great Seal of the United States

The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself , and more generally for the design impressed upon it...

by 364 days. It was likely derived from the same discourse that produced the Seal.

The suggestion of the Bald Eagle as the Cincinnati insignia was made by Major

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

Pierre L'Enfant, a French officer who joined the American Army in 1777, served in the Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

and later become a member of the Society. He noted, in making his suggestion: "The Bald Eagle, which is peculiar to this continent, and is distinguished from those of other climates by its white head and tail, appears to me to deserve attention." In 1783, L'Enfant was commissioned to travel to France to have the first Eagle badges made, based on his design. (L'Enfant later planned and partially laid out the city of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

)

The medallions at the center of the Cincinnati American Eagle depict, on the obverse

Obverse and reverse

Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...

, Cincinnatus receiving his sword from the Roman Senators and, on the reverse

Obverse and reverse

, Cincinnatus at his plow being crowned by the figure of Pheme

Pheme

In Greek mythology, Pheme was the personification of fame and renown, her favour being notability, her wrath being scandalous rumors. She was a daughter either of Gaia or of Hope, was described as "she who initiates and furthers communication" and had an altar at Athens...

(personification of fame

Celebrity

A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

). The Society's colors, light blue and white, symbolize the fraternal bond between the United States and France

Franco-American relations

Franco-American relations refers to the international relations between France and the United States. Its groundwork was laid by the colonization of parts of the Americas by the European powers France and Great Britain...

.

A specially commissioned "Eagle" worn by President General George Washington was presented to Lafayette

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...

in 1824 during his grand tour of the United States

Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States (1824-25)

From July 1824 to September 1825, the last surviving French General of the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette, made a famous tour of the 24 states in the United States...

. This medallion had remained in possession of the Lafayette family, until sold at auction on December 11, 2007, for 5.3 million USD

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

by Lafayette's great-great granddaughter. It was purchased by the Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation

Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation

The Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation is a non-profit charitable foundation based in Paris, France.Recognized by the French government as a nonprofit organization on October 19, 1959, the Foundation was founded by René de Chambrun , a lawyer at the Court of Appeals of Paris and of the New York...

and will be displayed at Chateau La Grange, Lafayette's home 30 miles east of Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. The medal, believed to have its original ribbon and red leather box, will be displayed in Lafayette's bedroom. It also might be displayed at Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon

The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...

, Washington's former home in Virginia. This was one of three eagles known to have been owned by Washington. Washington most commonly wore the "diamond

Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...

eagle," a diamond-encrusted design that was given to him by the French matelots (sailor

Sailor

A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

s). This diamond eagle continues to be passed down to each President General of the Society of the Cincinnati as part of his induction into office.

The Cincinnati Eagle is displayed in various places of public importance, including the city center of Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

(named for the Society) at Fountain Square

Fountain Square, Cincinnati

Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.- History :...

, alongside the U.S. flag

Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

and the city flag. The flag of the Society displays blue and white stripes and a dark blue canton

Canton (heraldry)

Canton is a square charge placed in the upper dexter corner. It is classed by some heraldic writers as one of the honorable ordinaries; but, strictly speaking, it is a diminutive of the Quarter, being two-thirds the area of that ordinary. However, in the roll of Henry III the quarter appears in...

(containing a circle of 14 stars around the Cincinnati Eagle to designate the thirteen colonies and France) in the upper corner next to the hoist. Refer to the section below on "The Later Society" for the city's historical connection to the Cincinnati.

Reaction to the Society

In the years soon after the revolution, membership continued to expand. Members have served in all the major offices of the United States and many state governments

State governments of the United States

State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...

. Some outsiders, including Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

, were alarmed at the apparent creation of a hereditary elite; membership eligibility is inherited through primogeniture

Primogeniture

, and excludes enlisted men

Enlisted rank

An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...

and in most cases militia

Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

officers, unless they were placed under "State Line" or "Continental Line" forces for a substantial time period. Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...

was among the Society's earliest critics, though he would later accept its role in the Republic and join the Pennsylvania Society under honorary membership after the country stabilized. He voiced concerns not only about the apparent creation of a noble order

Order (decoration)

An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...

, but also the Society's use of the eagle in its emblem as evoking the traditions of heraldry

Heraldry

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

. It was in his writings on the Cincinnati Eagle that he also safely attacked its brother symbol, the Great Seal of the United States

Great Seal of the United States

, without having to do so directly.

On January 26, 1784, in a letter to his only daughter, Sarah Bache, Franklin commented at length on the ramifications of the Cincinnati and the eagle's image for national character. Because the image was to appear on the medallions of the Cincinnati, he wrote:

The Gentleman who made the Voyage to France to provide the Ribbands & Medals has executed his Commission. To me they seem tolerably done, but all such Things are criticised... For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly... [The eagle] is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country, tho' exactly fit that Order of Knights which the French call Chevalieres d'Industrie.

Influence of the Cincinnati was another cause for concern. When delegates to the Constitutional Convention

Philadelphia Convention

The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from...

were debating the method of choosing a president

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, James Madison

James Madison

(the secretary of the Convention) reported the following speech of Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Thomas Gerry was an American statesman and diplomat. As a Democratic-Republican he was selected as the fifth Vice President of the United States , serving under James Madison, until his death a year and a half into his term...

of Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

A popular election in this case is radically vicious. The ignorance of the people would put it in the power of some one set of men dispersed through the Union & acting in Concert to delude them into any appointment. He observed that such a Society of men existed in the Order of the Cincinnati. They are respectable, United, and influential. They will in fact elect the chief Magistrate in every instance, if the election be referred to the people. [Gerry's] respect for the characters composing this Society could not blind him to the danger & impropriety of throwing such a power into their hands.

It is interesting to note that most, if not all, of those who opposed the Society, such as Jefferson, Franklin, Gerry, and John Adams, were not eligible for membership having not served in any branch of the Continental armed forces.

As the international firestorm during the Society's early years subsided, the Cincinnati emerged in the 19th century as a pool of educated civil servants that would push America westward, while helping to build unity in Washington.

Members of the Society have included Count Axel von Fersen the Younger (rumoured lover of Queen Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....

), Tadeusz Kościuszko

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...

, John Brooks

John Brooks

John Brooks was the 11th Governor of Massachusetts from 1816 to 1823; he was the last significant Federalist elected official in office in the United States....

, William Eustis

William Eustis

, Christian Febiger

Christian Febiger

Hans Christian Febiger was an American Revolutionary War commander, confidante of General George Washington and an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati...

, Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...

, Marquis de La Fayette, Charles McKnight

Charles McKnight

Charles McKnight was an American physician during and after the American Revolutionary War. He served as a surgeon and physician in the Hospital Department of the Continental Army under General George Washington and other subordinate commanders...

, Baron Von Steuben, Josiah Harmar

Josiah Harmar

Josiah Harmar was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolution and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for seven years....

, Thomas Posey

Thomas Posey

, Richard Butler

Richard Butler (general)

Richard Butler was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, who later died fighting American Indians in Ohio.-Early life:...

, John Trumbull

John Trumbull

John Trumbull was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary War and was notable for his historical paintings...

, Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam

Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, William Stacy

William Stacy

William Stacy was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country...

, James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum

, David Ziegler

David Ziegler

David Ziegler was a German immigrant to the United States who served in the U.S. military and became the first mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.-Early life and career:...

, Ebenezer Denny

Ebenezer Denny

Ebenezer Denny was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War whose journal is one of the most frequently quoted accounts of the surrender of the British at the siege of Yorktown...

, Richard Varick

Richard Varick

, John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...

, John Barry

John Barry (naval officer)

John Barry was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He is often credited as "The Father of the American Navy"...

Thomas Truxtun

Nathanael Greene

Anthony Wayne

Peter Gansevoort

Nicholas Gilman

Horatio Gates

Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...

, Benjamin Lincoln

Benjamin Lincoln

Benjamin Lincoln was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...

, Charles C. Pinckney, Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney

Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Early life in the military:...

, the Piatt brothers Daniel, William and Jacob, John Sullivan

John Sullivan

John Sullivan was the third son of Irish immigrants, a United States general in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge....

, Thomas Truxton, Nathaniel Ramsey

Nathaniel Ramsey

Nathaniel Ramsey was an American lawyer and soldier from Cecil County, Maryland. Ramsey fought in the Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Congress of the Confederation....

, Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr

, Isaac Huger

Isaac Huger

Isaac Huger was a planter and Continental Army general during the American Revolutionary War.-Life and work:...

, William Stephens Smith, James Lingan

James Lingan

-External links:*-Baltimore Riot of 1812:**...

, Henry Lee III, Lachlan McIntosh

Lachlan McIntosh

Lachlan McIntosh was a British-born American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he shot dead Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.-Arrival in Georgia:Lachlan McIntosh was born near Raits, Badenoch,...

, William Jackson

William Jackson (secretary)

and several of the first U.S. Marshals, including Robert Forsyth

Robert Forsyth (U.S. Marshal)

Robert Forsyth was an American patriot who served as a Captain in Lee's Legion under Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. He was selected by President George Washington to be the first United States Marshal for the state of Georgia and became the first U.S...

and Allan Maclane.

(In the portraits left and right, note the different versions of the Society of the Cincinnati Eagle medal)

The later Society

The Cincinnati were integral in establishing many of America's first and largest cities to the west of the Appalachians, most notably Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

. The first governor of the Northwest Territory

Northwest Territory

The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...

, Arthur St. Clair

Arthur St. Clair

, was a member of the Society. He renamed a small settlement "Cincinnati" to honor the Society and to encourage settlement there by Society members such as Captain Jacob Piatt, who served on Washington's staff and settled across the river from Cincinnati in northern Kentucky on land granted to him for his service during the War. Captain David Ziegler

David Ziegler

David Ziegler was a German immigrant to the United States who served in the U.S. military and became the first mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.-Early life and career:...

was the first Mayor of Cincinnati. Richard Varick

Richard Varick

was Mayor of New York City

Mayor of New York City

The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...

. Lt. Ebenezer Denny

Ebenezer Denny

Ebenezer Denny was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War whose journal is one of the most frequently quoted accounts of the surrender of the British at the siege of Yorktown...

(1761–1822), an original Pennsylvanian Cincinnatus, was elected the first mayor of the incorporated city of Pittsburgh in 1816. Pittsburgh grew from Fort Pitt

Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)

Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...

, which was commanded from 1777-1783 by four men who became original members of the Cincinnati.

In 1802, the society donated their entire treasury to Washington College in Lexington, Va in reflection of George Washington's donation to the same school years earlier.

Today's Society supports efforts to increase public awareness and memory of the ideals and actions of the men who created the American Revolution and an understanding of American History, with an emphasis on the period from the outset of the Revolution to the War of 1812. The Society of the Cincinnati, through its headquarters at Anderson House in Washington, DC, maintains one of the largest manuscript, textual, portrait, and model collections pertaining to events of and military science during this period. Members of the Society have contributed to endow professorships, lecture series, awards, and educational materials in order to educate their fellow Americans about the importance of the United States' representative democracy in the context of a republican governance structure. The definition and acceptance of membership has remained with the constituent societies rather than with the General Society in Washington.

Each member of the Society of the Cincinnati holds a federal civil rank equivalent to a warrant officer pursuant to Congressional Order of Thursday, January 29, 1885. The Society's President General has the rank equivalent to that of a federal territorial lieutenant governor.

Many of the Society's goals have already become reality. The Society was instrumental in ensuring that the Federal government provided pensions for veterans of the Revolutionary War. The concept of military retirement pay, health care and benefits for disabled veterans and retired and former military personnel, and compensation for war widows and orphans, were also primary goals of The Society. It took many years to bring these visions and goals to fruition. As an example, it was not until 1834 that Revolutionary War Veterans received pensions, and 1865 before service-connected disability and survivors' compensation programs came into existence.

With the veterans' agenda of the Society of the Cincinnati largely achieved, the Society's purpose has shifted to educating the public about the history, principles and values that served as the foundation for the inception of the United States of America.

Over the years, membership rules have remained essentially intact. There is a provision for approving the application of a collateral heir if the direct male line dies out. Membership has been expanded in the state societies to include descendants of those who died during the war but remains highly restrictive. While no official record has been made public, it is estimated that membership is roughly 3,700 worldwide today, including a former President of the United States, cabinet members, and their eldest sons.

An officer of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War can generally be represented in the Society of The Cincinnati by only one descendant at a time with some exceptions. The only U.S. President who was a true hereditary member was Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...

(George Washington and James Monroe

James Monroe

James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...

were original members). The General Society no longer admits honorary members. Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

and Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...

were honorary members before becoming presidents. Other presidents became honorary members while in office, and after leaving office.

Each of the fourteen constituent societies also has honorary members, who, however cannot designate an heir (referred to as a successor member) to become a member when he dies.

The Society maintains a tradition of service in American government, especially in the federal executive branch. Beyond the presidency itself, the Cincinnati has a long record of service in the State Department and other presidential appointments. For example Envoy Larz Anderson

Larz Anderson

Larz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan ....

III, was a great-grandson of Richard Clough Anderson of the Virginia Society. He built a large winter residence (now called Anderson House) in Washington, D.C., which his widow presented to the General Society following the ambassador's death in 1937, along with much of the building's original art and furnishings.

Anderson House, National Headquarters

Anderson House, also known as Larz Anderson House, located at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue

Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it....

, NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

, houses the Society's national headquarters, historic house museum, and research library on Embassy Row

Embassy Row

Embassy Row is the informal name for a street or area of a city in which embassies or other diplomatic installations are concentrated. Washington, D.C.'s Embassy Row lies along Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., and its cross streets between Thomas Circle and Ward Circle, although the vast majority of...

-- the most fashionable avenue in turn-of-the-century Washington—and across the street from the famed academic social circle, the Cosmos Club

Cosmos Club

The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...

. Anderson House was built between 1902 and 1905 as the winter residence of Larz Anderson

Larz Anderson

Larz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan ....

, an American diplomat, and his wife, Isabel Weld Perkins

Isabel Weld Perkins

Isabel Weld Perkins , mostly known as Isabel Anderson or Mrs. Larz Anderson after her marriage, was a Boston-area heiress and author who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. She is interred in the St...

, an author and American Red Cross

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

volunteer. Architects Arthur Little and Herbert Browne of Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

designed Anderson House in the Beaux-Arts style.

Anderson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1971 and was further designated a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

in 1996.

Today, Anderson House continues to serve its members and the public as a headquarters, museum, and library. In addition to the Andersons' original collection, the Society's museum collections include portraits, armaments, and personal artifacts of Revolutionary War soldiers; commemorative objects made to remember the war and its participants; objects associated with the history of the Society and its members, including Society of the Cincinnati china and insignia; portraits and personal artifacts of members of the Anderson family; and artifacts related to the history of the house, including the U.S. Navy's occupation of it during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Anderson House has been featured on the A&E

A&E Network

The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...

television series, America's Castles, as well as C-SPAN

C-SPAN

C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...

Library

The library of the Society of the Cincinnati collects, preserves, and makes available for research printed and manuscript materials relating to the military and naval history of the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, with a particular concentration on the people and events of the American Revolution

American Revolution

and the War of 1812. The collection includes a variety of modern and rare materials including official military documents, contemporary accounts and discourses, manuscripts, maps, graphic arts, literature, and many works on naval art and science. In addition, the library is the home to the archives of the Society of the Cincinnati as well as a collection of material relating to Larz and Isabel Anderson. The library is open to researchers by appointment.

Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire

The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire owns and operates through a board of governors the American Independence Museum

American Independence Museum

The American Independence Museum is located in Exeter, New Hampshire. Its campus includes the Ladd-Gilman House , a registered National Historic Landmark, and the Folsom Tavern ....

in Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...

. The American Independence Museum is a private, not-for-profit institution whose mission is to provide a place for the study, research, education and interpretation of the American Revolution and of the role that New Hampshire, Exeter, and the Gilman family played in the founding of the new republic. Museum collections include two rare drafts of the U.S. Constitution, an original Dunlap Broadside of the United States Declaration of Independence, as well as an original Badge of Military Merit

Badge of Military Merit

The Badge of Military Merit is considered the first military award of the United States Armed Forces. Although the Fidelity Medallion is older, after being issued to three soldiers for a specific event in 1780 it was never awarded again, so the Badge of Military Merit is often considered the oldest...

, awarded by George Washington to soldiers demonstrating extraordinary bravery. Exhibits highlight the Society of the Cincinnati, the nation’s oldest veterans’ society, and its first president, George Washington. Permanent collections include American furnishings, ceramics, silver, textiles and military ephemera. See below for a link to the museum.

Affiliations

American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...

(many Cincinnati were among its first board members and contributors; modern societies maintain informal, collegial relationships only)

External links

Society of the Cincinnati Webpage
Société des Cincinnati de France
Society of the Cincinnati at Political Graveyard
The American Independence Museum, Exeter, NH
The Pennsylvania Society
The Society in France
Article on the foundation of the Society of the Cincinnati - explains origin of wording of the Latin motto
Daughters of the Cincinnati
Mount Gulian Historic Site, located in the Hudson Valley in Fishkill, New York,

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