I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4045 

To award a Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the First Rhode Island 

Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 11, 2014 

Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Mr. BARBER, Ms. BASS, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 

Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. CHU, Ms. CLARKE of 

New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. COHEN, Mr. COSTA, Mr. 

COURTNEY, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. 

DINGELL, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. GABBARD, 

Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GARCIA, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. 

HAHN, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. HANNA, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. 

HECK of Washington, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. HIMES, Mr. HOLT, Mr. HONDA, 

Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. HOYER, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 

JONES, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KEATING, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KILDEE, 

Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. LANCE, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. 

LARSON of Connecticut, Mrs. LOWEY, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 

New York, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. MCALLISTER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 

MCNERNEY, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. MORAN, Mr. MURPHY of 

Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NEGRETE MCLEOD, Mr. NOLAN, Mr. 

O’ROURKE, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. 

POCAN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. RENACCI, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. 

ROS-LEHTINEN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHOCK, Ms. 

SCHWARTZ, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. 

SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 

THOMPSON of California, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. TIERNEY, 

Mr. TONKO, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VELA, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. WALZ, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WILSON of 

South Carolina, Mr. YARMUTH, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 


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consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To award a Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 

First Rhode Island Regiment, in recognition of their 

dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Rhode Island 

5 Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) During the winter of Valley Forge, from 

9 1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty re10 cruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Con11 gress. 

12 (2) At the same time, the State of Rhode Island 

13 was ordered to supply two battalions while faced 

14 with the occupation of the City of Newport by the 

15 British. 

16 (3) In January 1778, at the urging of Brigadier 

17 General James Varnum, General George Washington 

18 wrote to Governor Nicholas Cooke of the State of 


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1 Rhode Island requesting assistance recruiting men 

2 for the Continental Line. 

3 (4) On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island 

4 General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of 

5 ‘‘every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man 

6 slave’’. 

7 (5) In addition, the Rhode Island General As8 sembly provided that any enlisted slave ‘‘upon his 

9 passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, 

10 be immediately discharged from the service of his 

11 master or mistress, and be absolutely free as though 

12 he had never been incumbered and be incumbered 

13 with any kind of servitude or slavery.’’. 

14 (6) As a result, between February 1778 and 

15 June 1778, Colonel Christopher Greene, Lt. Colonel 

16 Jeremiah Olney and Major Samuel Ward recruited 

17 almost 200 men of African and Native American de18 scent who formed the core of the First Rhode Island 

19 Regiment. 

20 (7) The First Rhode Island Regiment became 

21 among the first units in American History in which 

22 men of every race and ethnicity were recruited to 

23 serve. 

24 (8) On August 28, 1778, at the Battle of 

25 Rhode Island, following an attempted siege of BritVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:10 Feb 15, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4045.IH H4045

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1 ish-occupied Newport along with the newly allied 

2 French fleet, the First Rhode Island Regiment acted 

3 heroically in holding back Hessian forces and caus4 ing them to retreat. 

5 (9) During the Battle of Rhode Island, the 

6 First Rhode Island Regiment’s losses included three 

7 killed, nine wounded and eleven missing soldiers. 

8 (10) For an additional 5 years, the First Rhode 

9 Island Regiment fought bravely to win American 

10 independence including at Fort Oswego, Saratoga, 

11 and Yorktown. 

12 (11) On June 13, 1783, at Saratoga, the First 

13 Rhode Island Regiment was demobilized. 

14 (12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah 

15 Olney, praised the Regiment for ‘‘faithfully pre16 serving in the best of causes, in every stage of serv17 ice, with unexampled fortitude and patience through 

18 all the danger and toils of a long and severe war’’. 

19 (13) Afterwards, some veterans of the First 

20 Rhode Island Regiment had to consistently resist ef21 forts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages 

22 from the Rhode Island General Assembly. 

23 (14) According to the Rhode Island State Ar24 chives, the First Rhode Island Regiment included at 

25 least the following soldiers: Babcock, Priamus (PriVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:16 Feb 19, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4045.IH H4045

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1 mus); Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; Brown, Priamus 

2 (Primus); Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; Car3 penter, Cudgo; Champlin, Dick; Champlin, Jack; 

4 Champlin, July; Champlin, Newport; Champlin, 

5 Sharper; Champlin, York; Clark, James; 

6 Coddington, Jack; Fones, Jack; Gardner, Cuff; 

7 Gardner, Hercules; Gardner, Minkl; Gardner, 

8 Preamus (Primus); Gardner, Rutter; Gray, Ebe9 nezer; Green, Cuff; Greene, Cato; Greene, Jack; 

10 Greene, Pero; Greene, William; Hammond, Prince; 

11 Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; 

12 Hazard, Jacob; Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; 

13 Lefavour, Thom; Mason, Warsen; Mawney, Cyrus; 

14 Minturn, Jack; Mowrey, Pero; Nichols, Thomas; 

15 Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Pot16 ter, David; Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, 

17 Priamus; Rhodes, Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Rich18 mond, Ebenezer; Robinson, Mingo; Rodman, Isaac; 

19 Rodman, Mingo; Rodman, Prince; Rose, Cesar; 

20 Saltonstall, Brittain; Saunders, Sampson; Sheldon, 

21 Cesar; Slave; Slave; Smith, Juba; Sweeling, Query; 

22 Talbot, Sigby; Tanner, Quam; Tillinghast, Cuff; 

23 Updike, Cesar; Updike, Moses; Vaughan, Prince; 

24 Vernon, Cato; Watson, Fortune; Wells, Cesar; 

25 Wickes, Nat; and Willbour, Boston. 


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1 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

2 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 

3 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

4 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

5 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 

6 of appropriate design to the First Rhode Island Regiment, 

7 collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during 

8 the Revolutionary War. 

9 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 

10 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 

11 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec12 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 

13 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec14 retary. 

15 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

17 gold medal in honor of the First Rhode Island Regi18 ment of the Revolutionary War under subsection (a), 

19 the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian In20 stitution, where it will be displayed as appropriate 

21 and made available for research. 

22 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

23 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

24 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

25 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 


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1 appropriate locations associated with the First 

2 Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolutionary War. 

3 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

4 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre5 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

6 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

7 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

8 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

9 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

10 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 

11 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

12 of title 31, United States Code. 

13 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

14 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

15 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

Æ 


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