| Society of the Cincinnati | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Omnia reliquit servare rempublicam[1] |
| Formation | May 13, 1783 |
| Purpose/focus | Patriotism, Universal Rights, Franco-American friendship |
| Headquarters | Anderson House, Washington D.C. |
| Membership | private hereditary |
| President General | Kleber Sanlin Masterson, Jr. |
| Website | societyofthecincinnati.org |
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American independence.[3] 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.
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The concept of the Society of the Cincinnati was originated from Major General Henry Knox. The first meeting of the Society was held in May 1783 at a dinner at Mount Gulian (Verplanck House) in Fishkill, New York, before the British evacuation from New York City. The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, and the participants agreed to stay in contact with each other after the war. Membership was generally limited to officers who had served at least three years in the Continental Army or Navy but included officers of the French Army and Navy above certain ranks.
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. Each officer may be represented by only one descendant at any given time, following the rules of primogeniture. ( 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, who left his farm to accept a term as Roman Consul and then served as Magister Populi (with temporary powers similar to that of a modern era dictator), thereby assuming lawful dictatorial control of Rome to meet a war emergency. When the battle was won, he returned power to the Senate 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").[1] 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 and in France. Of about 5,500 men originally eligible for membership, 2,150 had joined within a year. King Louis XVI ordained the French Society of the Cincinnati, which was organized on July 4, 1784 (Independence Day). 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.
George Washington 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. Upon Hamilton's death due to his duel with Aaron Burr, the third President General of the Society was Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who, in 1808, ran for President of the United States against James Madison.
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.
Jean Baptiste, Maxime Julien Émeriau de Beauverger, Pierre L'Enfant, Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville, Paul François Ignace de Barlatier de Mas, Gilbert du Motier, Louis Marc Antoine de Noailles, Georges René Le Peley de Pléville, Charles Armand Tuffin, Jean Gaspard Vence, Alexandre-Théodore-Victor, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur
James Lingan, Nathaniel Ramsey
John Brooks, William Eustis, Henry Jackson, Simon Larned, Benjamin Lincoln, Rufus Putnam, William Stacy
Nicholas Gilman, John Sullivan, Joseph Cilley, Henry Dearborn, James Reed
George Clinton, Nicholas Fish, Peter Gansevoort, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, Alexander McDougall, Philip Schuyler, John Morin Scott, William Stephens Smith, Thomas Truxtun, Richard Varick, William Scudder, Robert Shaw
John Armstrong, Jr., Richard Butler, William Butler, Josiah Harmar, William Irvine, Thomas Mifflin, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, Lewis Nicola, Thomas Proctor, Arthur St. Clair, William Thompson, Anthony Wayne
Joshua Babcock, William Barton, Christopher Greene, Nathanael Greene, Esek Hopkins, Daniel Lyman, Jeremiah Olney, Stephen Olney, James Mitchell Varnum, Samuel Ward, Jr., Abraham Whipple
Isaac Huger, William Jackson, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Thomas Pinckney
Christian Febiger, Henry Lee III, Thomas Overton, Thomas Posey, George Washington
On June 19, 1783, the General Society of the Cincinnati adopted the Bald Eagle as its insigne. It is one of America's first post-revolution symbols and an important piece of American iconography. It is the second official emblem to represent America as the Bald Eagle, following the Great Seal of the United States 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 Pierre L'Enfant, a French officer who joined the American Army in 1777, served in the Corps of Engineers 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.)
The medallions at the center of the Cincinnati American Eagle depict, on the obverse, Cincinnatus receiving his sword from the Roman Senators and, on the reverse, Cincinnatus at his plow being crowned by the figure of Pheme (personification of fame). The Society's colors, light blue and white, symbolize the fraternal bond between the United States and France.
A specially commissioned "Eagle" worn by President General George Washington was presented to Lafayette in 1824 during his grand tour of the United States. This medallion had remained in possession of the Lafayette family,[4] until sold at auction on December 11, 2007, for 5.3 million USD by Lafayette's great-great granddaughter. It was purchased by the Josée and René de Chambrun Foundation and will be displayed at Chateau La Grange, Lafayette's home 30 miles east of Paris. 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, Washington's former home in Virginia.[5] This was one of three eagles known to have been owned by Washington. Washington most commonly wore the "diamond eagle," a diamond-encrusted design that was given to him by the French matelots (sailors). 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 (named for the Society) at Fountain Square, alongside the U.S. flag and the city flag. The flag of the Society displays blue and white stripes and a dark blue canton (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.
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. Some outsiders, including Thomas Jefferson, were alarmed at the apparent creation of a hereditary elite; membership eligibility is inherited through primogeniture, and excludes enlisted men and in most cases militia officers, unless they were placed under "State Line" or "Continental Line" forces for a substantial time period. Benjamin Franklin 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, but also the Society's use of the eagle in its emblem as evoking the traditions of heraldry. It was in his writings on the Cincinnati Eagle that he also safely attacked its brother symbol, the 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:
Influence of the Cincinnati was another cause for concern. When delegates to the Constitutional Convention were debating the method of choosing a president, James Madison (the secretary of the Convention) reported the following speech of Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts:
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), Tadeusz Kościuszko, John Brooks, William Eustis, Christian Febiger, Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de La Fayette, Charles McKnight, Baron Von Steuben, Josiah Harmar, Thomas Posey, Richard Butler, John Trumbull, Rufus Putnam, William Stacy, James Mitchell Varnum, David Ziegler, Ebenezer Denny, Richard Varick, John Paul Jones, John Barry, Thomas Truxtun, Nathanael Greene, Anthony Wayne, Peter Gansevoort, Nicholas Gilman, Horatio Gates, Benjamin Lincoln, Charles C. Pinckney, Thomas Pinckney, the Piatt brothers Daniel, William and Jacob, John Sullivan, Thomas Truxton, Nathaniel Ramsey, Aaron Burr, Isaac Huger, William Stephens Smith, James Lingan, Henry Lee III, Lachlan McIntosh, William Jackson and several of the first U.S. Marshals, including Robert Forsyth and Allan Maclane.
(In the portraits left and right, note the different versions of the Society of the Cincinnati Eagle medal)
The Cincinnati were integral in establishing many of America's first and largest cities to the west of the Appalachians, most notably Cincinnati, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first governor of the Northwest Territory, 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 was the first Mayor of Cincinnati. Richard Varick was Mayor of New York City. Lt. Ebenezer Denny (1761–1822), an original Pennsylvanian Cincinnatus, was elected the first mayor of the incorporated city of Pittsburgh in 1816. Pittsburgh grew from Fort Pitt, 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 (George Washington and James Monroe were original members). The General Society no longer admits honorary members. Andrew Jackson and Zachary Taylor 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 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, also known as Larz Anderson House, located at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., houses the Society's national headquarters, historic house museum, and research library on Embassy Row -- the most fashionable avenue in turn-of-the-century Washington—and across the street from the famed academic social circle, the Cosmos Club. Anderson House was built between 1902 and 1905 as the winter residence of Larz Anderson, an American diplomat, and his wife, Isabel Weld Perkins, an author and American Red Cross volunteer. Architects Arthur Little and Herbert Browne of Boston, Massachusetts designed Anderson House in the Beaux-Arts style.
Anderson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and was further designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996.[7][8]
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. Anderson House has been featured on the A&E television series, America's Castles, as well as C-SPAN.
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 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.
The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire owns and operates through a board of governors the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire. 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, 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.
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