Thank you very much. I love the enthusiasm of the postal lunch crowd. Its very exciting. Well, i am and honored and humbled to be here. To have invited to been invited to speak amongst this really incredible assembly of speakers and all of you attending and to share some the history and highlights of the society of the cincinnati collections. I have to say that throughout the past two days, ive each night back to my hotel room and because in a conversation with someone or listening to someones presentation, someone said something very smart, very insightful. And i went back and thought, i need to sort of see this differently. Im thinking about this, about our collections differently and its relationship to these other topics. So you all been sort of inspiration already. So thank you for that. So society of cincinnatis collections documenting revolutionary war and its legacy are of the broad scope of my talk today. We did begin acquiring in 1783, which is the the society was founded. So we are just a month shy of our 239th birthday, despite that long history. Ill particularly focus today on our Robert Charles lawrenceburg aside collection on the art of war in the age of the American Revolution, which was created in 1988, and it now holds many of our most important collections and draws scholars for both its breadth and specificity. So forgive me, i cant ignore sort of the primer on what the society is and talk a little bit about our early collecting as a foundation for where we go with the ferguson collection the society of the cincinnati is americas oldest Veterans Organization and among the oldest historical organizations in the nation. Founded in may 1783 by Continental Army officers camped along the hudson river near newburgh, new york. As the revolutionary war was coming to a the army was starting disband and uncertainty for. The future of the soldiers lives as well as the new nation ever present. The societys purposes were laid out in its founding document. We call the institution, which you see of here, written by henry knox and i was actually just having a conversation with a gentleman who sometimes referred to as the singular founder of the society. Although we prefer to think of all of the original members as our founders, but he he pen this document and laying out its purposes to perpetuate the memory of the war for independence, to maintain the fraternal bonds between the soldiers, promote the ideals of the revolution, support members and their families in need, and advocate for the compensation to the officers by congress congress. The society was named for the ancient roman citizen soldier lucius concha cincinnatus, who you here in an 18th century depiction. In the fifth century bce, the roman senate called on cincinnatus to lead the army of republic against the foreign invaders and granted him dictatorial powers to deal with the crisis facing rome. After leading the army to. He resigned his commission returned power to the senate and retired to his farm, refusing rewards serving the republic. So for the classical world as as in the 18th century, both in europe and america, cincinnatus, the embodiment of civic virtue, characterized by a willingness to sacrifice interest and private gain for the good of the public. Fast forward to the 18th century in america. George was widely considered an american cincinnatus and the founders of the society referred to themselves as cincinnati using the plural of the name to indicate their own commitment, the virtues of the roman hero and in that sense, putting all of those men, whether low level Junior Officers or the commander in chief, really on the same level of public service. So originally, the society had about 2200 original members who were officers, the Continental Army and navy, as well as their french, acknowledging the alliance that had helped to win the war. George washington was fittingly the first president , general and original members include henry knox, baron von steuben, gates, nathaniel green, benjamin lincoln, james monroe, Alexander Hamilton and aaron. John. Paul jones. Thaddeus kosciuszko. The marquee to lafayette. Come to russia, bo. Come to staying pure plum fun. James peel i could go on just for a little background and this society was established as a hereditary organization and the founders believing that they were sort of building in this sort of insurance that as the generations there would be these men to come along, who would have this hopefully built in and feeling this responsible party to carry on the work of the society so that future generations would not forget the sacrifices and ideals that resulted in american independence. It remains a hereditary today with more than 4000 members descended from both american and french officers of the revolution and the society is unique among hereditary organizations in america as its founders were actual participants in the event that the organization is meant to commemorate. So today i have gotten the question before it is a society, it died out. Does it still exist . We very much do both as a hereditary organization and a nonprofit and the institution today. The principle guiding document for our mission to encourage understanding and appreciation of the achievement of american and its enduring importance. The society, a Nonprofit Organization officially in 1937 and the following year, established its headquarters Anderson House, which you see here a 1905 mansion in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Washington, d. C. , donated by lars anderson, donated by isabel, the widow of Society Member lars. Anderson, this is the first and only Headquarters Building the society has ever had an Anderson House has provided a home for our Museum Library and Educational Programs and propelled the growth of the organization in the 20th century. In 2012, the society created the American Revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati as its public face, carrying out the Historic Mission to promote understanding and appreciation. The achievements and legacy of the revolution. This also made our elevator pitch much more simple. Instead of having to first explain what the heck the society of the is. And no, were not headquartered in ohio, we can jump right to the meat of the American Revolution and our work in that space. So to achieve mission today, we support advanced, study, present exhibitions and other public programs, collect and preserve artifacts and documents of the revolution advocate, historic preservation, and provide to teachers and students to enrich understanding of the American Revolution. So to the collecting and i will say i want to point to you that anything thats part of the collection i have noted in brackets after the credit line, the date we acquired it, the year, which if you want to dig down that level, you can sort of trace where in the development of our ferguson collection we acquired these things. So here we have a wonderful revolutionary war of a connecticut officer John Hutchinson buell and his post war portrait miniature at the heart of our programs today are our collections, which are naturally critical to our library, to our temporary exhibitions, but also play a prominent role our public programs, our classroom materials and our online resources, our collections. Now number than 50,000 items. The vast majority that is in our Library Collections, our museum holds about 4500 works. And while focusing on our revolutionary war highlights today, we do also collect artifacts and documents related the history of the society up through today as well as hold the original furnishings and artworks and other material related to our Headquarters Building. Anderson house, the origins of the societys collections. Go back to our in 1783 when the Organization Began compiling its correspondence and founding documents into an archive that we continue to maintain and grow the papers in the archives collection offer rich record of the early history of society and its founders. And not only will you find there actual nuts and of the founding of the society, but topics, you know, overlapping with many of the major issues of their day at this point, the society really was only looking inward to these papers as a record of its own. But looking back with modern, i think we really can say this. The beginning of our collections. Youve seen it once already in detail. The most important document and the Society Archives is the institution. Our founding document, this First Official copy. I dont this is nearly like the declaration but was adopted the societys founding meeting on may 13th, 1783 and within days inscribed on this large of parchment, it is inscribed with the society inspiration, purpose and organizational structure and signed at the bottom. Here you can here at the head of it, George Washington. And then 35 other officers of the Continental Army who were present in the encampment along the hudson, including generals knox, steuben du ty and putnam. The institution also described emblems of the society, which put the story its namesake purpose inspiration from the world and ties to the revolution into a pictorial format that was intended for a circular metal problem. Font who was the designer of the city of washington who before that fought as an officer with the Continental Army and became an original member of the society, created these ink and washed drawings of the emblems which show on your left the obverse. Cincinnatus receiving a sword from. Three senators while at home with his family in a decidedly america and log cabin style roman dwelling and on the reverse on the right, cincinnatus having returned to his plow, triumphant, with fame overhead and the sunrise on a city in the background. These are the classic motifs of cincinnatus and really capture the spirit of these men returning home from war, putting down their swords, picking up their plows, contributing to their civilian republic. These are among a total of four drawings by john font that he did in 1783 for symbols of membership in the society, which are part of our archives. But funds crowning achievement for the society was. Designing our insignia or badge known as the eagle. And this diamond eagle is the ultimate example. The insignia was is worn by members to signify their association with the society. It bears versions of the emblems we just saw in long fonts, drawings and oval medallions on both sides of the medal in the shape of an american bald eagle suspended by a ribbon of light blue and white, signifying the union between america and france, the alliance, the eagle, is typically made of with enamel, decorations and. If youve been looking out for it, although you may not have known, you should, but you are. We should be in of the portraits weve seen, particularly in six presentation, there were a couple officers that light blue ribbon of the cincinnati eagle. But this is something a bit different. The diamond eagle was, commissioned by Charles Hector de stang, an admiral of the navy, and the first president of the French Branch of the society d as a surprise gift for george from all the french sailors who served america in our revolution. It was presented to washington, the societys first general meeting in philadel in may 1784, really just steps from here and soon as he wore it, the diamond eagle became the badge of the office of the president. General, its been worn by every president generals since, including Alexander Hamilton, who succeeded his former commander in as president general in 1800. Its made of 198 diamonds, emeralds and rubies that form the body of the eagle. And this circular trophy section above. I could give a whole 45 minutes on the diamond eagle, but quickly, whats so i think still deserving some exploration but seems to suggest this is not just a pretty assemblage of various shapes of diamonds these are actually have been put in to create of the alliance as well the revolution. So you have a pair of epaulets right above the of if you chanan some unfurling on either side here a birds head, an ancient symbol of france. But but moving on from our origins in the 19th century and the First Quarter of the 20th century, the society really honestly wasnt focused on collecting it was dealing with a membership in the civil war period, then contributing to centennial celebrations, and then into the early 20th century, reviving. Honestly most of its state branches that had gone dormant through the 19th century. The acquisition of andersen house, as i mentioned, as the societys Headquarters Museum in 1938, really spurred the organization on to build a collection documenting the revolutionary war, that it had a physical space to do that, and it did energize organization to envision what its museum and Library Programs could become and lest you look at these images and think that this building has nothing do with the revolution, i could show you a few photos of some murals, some ways that Lars Andersen incorporated the insignia of the society and the societys history into the building. But what i think is so cool and completely coincides well. Is that andersen house on land . That was the site of the only revolutionary war encampment in the district of columbia what are the chances . So in july 1782, as the french army marching back north from the williamsburg yorktown area to, boston, they had a very structured march, very structured series of camps along the way and in four successive nights as had divided up the french army the french army encamped july 20th, 1782 and several nights around that date on the grounds of andersen house. So we stand on that sacred ground. Well, so so from the 1930s into the 1970s, the societys collecting were not as well defined as they are today. Ill say that. But a focus the experiences of the american officers in the war naturally emerged owing the societys own history and honestly, because of our donor pool in this period, almost all of acquisitions were gifts of Society Members and their relatives who donated items had descended in their families. Since Society Members had to be descendants of revolutionary war officers to join, they already strong connections to the revolutionary war ancestors and the objects and documents that they came with very strong provenance. So we were lucky for that. This resulted in many of our objects retaining an association with their original owner. Like a large collection of artifacts and documents that youre seeing some of here owned by Lieutenant ColonelTench Tilghman of maryland, who was George Washingtons longest serving aide de camp during the war. These objects were donated and bequeathed his great great grandson, harrison tilghman, in the 1950s and sixties. And one of the things youll see is one of my favorite things in the collection on lower left, the congressional presentation sword awarded to Tench Tilghman. In 1781, or at least resolved to award to him in 1781. So during this period strengths emerged in the collection by virtue of what was being donated paintings. One of the most frequently acquired items these early years, and perhaps not a surprise as portraits would likely be more likely to be passed down and preserved and survived the 200 year journey from the revolutionary era. Two standouts that i picked out from this a watercolor miniature of barnabas binney, who was a boston born surgeon in the Continental Armys Hospital Department in the war painted during war, wearing the uniform of that surgeons wore that was donated a descendant in 1955. Its incidentally also on exhibition currently in new exhibition saving soldiers medical treatment in the revolutionary war and on right you see an oil portrait of jacob kubrick, who was a charleston native, a wealthy, prominent charleston family wearing the uniform of the second South Carolina regiment. He was killed in april 1778 in service. But his his story and his likeness go on in this portrait painted by ben bridge, the philadelphia born who made his name in the south. This was also donated by a descendant in 1968. Weapons and other military were similarly frequently donated in this period. And something i dont understand and i dont know if its common in other collections of this period, swords were much more frequently donated in this in this than firearms were one of the most important in our still is the cut that you see lower right made by john bailey in fredericksburg, new york that was owned by massachusetts officer adams bailey made about 1778, donated the senate in 1964. What you see on left is the first revolutionary war firearm to enter collections in 1978. So took that long donated by or but first its a french model 1766 charleville musket and its one of the ones marked on the barrel to a New Hampshire regiment. This the New Hampshire battalion and this was donated by the noted john dumont, whose has come up a few times in addition to being a collector, he was a member of the society in new york and actually served as one of our president s general. So he would have worn that. Domenico once upon a time of the manuscript and printed materials that were acquired during this time these years, among the most noteworthy on the left, the fi