LInks

North Carolina Society of The Cincinnati

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History of

The Society of the Cincinnati Library

Washington, D.C.

The Society of the Cincinnati Library collects, preserves, and makes available for research printed and manuscript materials relating to the military and naval history of the eighteenth century, with a particular concentration on the people and events of the American Revolution. The Robert Charles Lawrence Fergusson Collection specializes in works relating to the art of war in the period, providing context for the achievement of the volunteer American forces and their French allies in securing the independence of the United States. Complementing the library's extensive rare book collection are manuscripts, maps, graphic arts, and the archives of the Society of the Cincinnati. In addition, a modern reference collection supports research on the American revolutionary period and the history of the Society of the Cincinnati and its members.

The Society of the Cincinnati Library is located in the Harold Leonard Stuart Gallery on the lower floor of the Society's headquarters, Anderson House. The library is open for research on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Readers are required to register and show photo identification in order to access the collection. For appointments and further information about the library, please call (202) 785-2040, extension 411.

Contact the Library

Ellen McCallister Clark, Library Director

Rebecca Cooper, Manager of Reader Services

The Society of the Cincinnati

2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20008

Phone 202-785-2040 extension 411

Fax 202-785-0729

library@societyofthecincinnati.org

History of

The General Society of the Cincinnati

The Society of the Cincinnati is given a special place on this site because it is the oldest military hereditary society in the United States, and has a special place in American history. In many ways, the Society of the Cincinnati laid the foundation as a model for most hereditary societies which came after it.

The Society began as the brainchild of Major General Henry Knox. Supported by George Washington, Knox initiated the Society and helped draft the Institution upon which it is based. The basis for the creation of the Society of the Cincinnati was to provide a means of ongoing fellowship for the officers of the Continental Army, and to develop charitable funds to assist the families of original members. The Society also acted on behalf of the Army's officers in an effort to secure military pensions for surviving Revolutionary War veterans.

The structure of the Society is multi-faceted, with significant authority residing within the individual State societies, of which there are thirteen, as well as a French society. The General Society of the Cincinnati was established by the leading officers of the Continental Army, and representatives from each State line in 1783. The organizational meetings were held at the Verplank House in Fishkill, New York; home of Major General Baron von Steuben, who also presided over the first meetings. The Society was founded in May, 1783.

George Washington served as the first President General of the Society of the Cincinnati from December 1783, until his death in 1799. His advocacy of the Society's interests, as well as the sheer strength of his reputation helped establish the Society of the Cincinnati during its formative years; a time when some opposition to the Society existed. Washington's leadership stabilized and guided the Society of the Cincinnati as President General for the first sixteen years of its existence.