II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3607 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. REED, and Mr. GRAHAM) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

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 at Valley Forge, from 

9 1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:38 Feb 10, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3607.IS S3607

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1 cruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Con2 gress. 

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

4 was ordered to supply two battalions while faced 

5 with the occupation of the City of Newport by the 

6 British. 

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

8 General James Varnum, General George Washington 

9 wrote to Governor Nicholas Cooke of the State of 

10 Rhode Island requesting assistance recruiting men 

11 for the Continental Line. 

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

13 General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of 

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

15 slave’’. 

16 (5) In addition, the Rhode Island General As17 sembly provided that any enlisted slave ‘‘upon his 

18 passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, 

19 be immediately discharged from the service of his 

20 master or mistress, and be absolutely free as though 

21 he had never been incumbered and be incumbered 

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

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

24 June 1778, Colonel Christopher Greene, Lt. Colonel 

25 Jeremiah Olney and Major Samuel Ward recruited 


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1 almost 200 men of African heritage and Indigenous 

2 descent who formed the core of the First Rhode Is3 land Regiment. 

4 (7) The First Rhode Island Regiment became 

5 among the first units in American History in which 

6 men of every race and ethnicity were recruited to 

7 serve. 

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

9 Rhode Island, following an attempted siege of Brit10 ish-occupied Newport along with the newly allied 

11 French fleet, the First Rhode Island Regiment acted 

12 heroically in holding back Hessian forces and caus13 ing them to retreat. 

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

15 First Rhode Island Regiment’s losses included three 

16 killed, nine wounded and eleven missing soldiers. 

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

18 Island Regiment fought bravely to win American 

19 independence including at Fort Oswego, Saratoga, 

20 and Yorktown. 

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

22 Rhode Island Regiment was demobilized. 

23 (12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah 

24 Olney, praised the Regiment for ‘‘faithfully pre25 serving in the best of causes, in every stage of servVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:38 Feb 10, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3607.IS S3607

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1 ice, with unexampled fortitude and patience through 

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

3 (13) Afterwards, some veterans of the First 

4 Rhode Island Regiment had to consistently resist ef5 forts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages 

6 from the Rhode Island General Assembly. 

7 (14) According to the Rhode Island State Ar8 chives, the First Rhode Island Regiment included at 

9 least the following soldiers: Babcock, Priamus (Pri10 mus); Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; Brown, Priamus 

11 (Primus); Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; Car12 penter, Cudgo; Champlin, Dick; Champlin, Jack; 

13 Champlin, July; Champlin, Newport; Champlin, 

14 Sharper; Champlin, York; Clark, James; 

15 Coddington, Jack; Fones, Jack; Gardner, Cuff; 

16 Gardner, Hercules; Gardner, Minkl; Gardner, 

17 Preamus (Primus); Gardner, Rutter; Gray, Ebe18 nezer; Green, Cuff; Greene, Cato; Greene, Jack; 

19 Greene, Pero; Greene, William; Hammond, Prince; 

20 Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; 

21 Hazard, Jacob; Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; 

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

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

24 Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Pot25 ter, David; Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, 


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1 Priamus; Rhodes, Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Rich2 mond, Ebenezer; Robinson, Mingo; Rodman, Isaac; 

3 Rodman, Mingo; Rodman, Prince; Rose, Cesar; 

4 Saltonstall, Brittain; Saunders, Sampson; Sheldon, 

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

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

7 Updike, Cesar; Updike, Moses; Vaughan, Prince; 

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

9 Wickes, Nat; and Willbour, Boston. 

10 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

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

12 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 

13 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

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

15 of appropriate design to the First Rhode Island Regiment, 

16 collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during 

17 the Revolutionary War. 

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

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

20 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec21 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 

22 devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec23 retary. 

24 (c) RHODE ISLAND STATE LIBRARY.— 


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

2 gold medal in honor of the First Rhode Island Regi3 ment of the Revolutionary War under subsection (a), 

4 the gold medal shall be given to the Rhode Island 

5 State Library, where it will be displayed as appro6 priate and made available for research. 

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

8 Congress that the Rhode Island State Library 

9 should make the gold medal received under para10 graph (1) available for display elsewhere, particu11 larly at other appropriate locations associated with 

12 the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolu13 tionary War. 

14 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

15 Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre16 scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

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

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

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

20 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

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

22 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

23 of title 31, United States Code. 


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

2 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

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

4 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

5 SALE. 

6 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

7 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

8 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec9 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

10 this Act. 

11 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

12 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

13 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

14 Enterprise Fund. 

Æ 


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