I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8568 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Rhode Island 
Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolu-
tionary War. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2024 
Mr. AMO (for himself, Mr. MAGAZINER, Mr. CARSON, Mr. COSTA, Mr. GREEN 
of Texas, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, 
Mr. LAWLER, Mr. LIEU, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
MOULTON, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILLIAMS of 
Georgia, Mr. NEAL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. CHU, and Ms. SCHA-
KOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Rhode Island 
Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) During the winter at Valley Forge, from 
1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty re-
cruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Con-
gress. 
(2) At the same time, the State of Rhode Island 
was ordered to supply two battalions while faced 
with the occupation of the City of Newport by the 
British. 
(3) In January 1778, at the urging of Brigadier 
General James Varnum, General George Washington 
wrote to Governor Nicholas Cooke of the State of 
Rhode Island requesting assistance recruiting men 
for the Continental Line. 
(4) On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island 
General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of 
‘‘every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man 
slave’’. 
(5) In addition, the Rhode Island General As-
sembly provided that any enlisted slave ‘‘upon his 
passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, 
be immediately discharged from the service of his 
master or mistress, and be absolutely free as though 
he had never been incumbered and be incumbered 
with any kind of servitude or slavery’’. 
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(6) As a result, between February 1778 and 
June 1778, Colonel Christopher Greene, Lt. Colonel 
Jeremiah Olney and Major Samuel Ward recruited 
almost 200 men of African heritage and Indigenous 
descent who formed the core of the First Rhode Is-
land Regiment. 
(7) The First Rhode Island Regiment became 
among the first units in American History in which 
men of every race and ethnicity were recruited to 
serve. 
(8) On August 28, 1778, at the Battle of 
Rhode Island, following an attempted siege of Brit-
ish-occupied Newport along with the newly allied 
French fleet, the First Rhode Island Regiment acted 
heroically in holding back Hessian forces and caus-
ing them to retreat. 
(9) During the Battle of Rhode Island, the 
First Rhode Island Regiment’s losses included three 
killed, nine wounded and eleven missing soldiers. 
(10) Soldiers of color from the First Rhode Is-
land Regiment continued to fight bravely to win 
American independence for five more years in an in-
tegrated Rhode Island Regiment that included men 
of African, European, and Indigenous descent. 
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(11) On December 25, 1783, the last Rhode Is-
land soldiers were discharged at Saratoga, New 
York. 
(12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah 
Olney, praised the Regiment for ‘‘faithfully pre-
serving in the best of causes, in every stage of serv-
ice, with unexampled fortitude and patience through 
all the danger and toils of a long and severe war’’. 
(13) Afterwards, some veterans of the First 
Rhode Island Regiment had to consistently resist ef-
forts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages 
from the Rhode Island General Assembly. 
(14) According to the Rhode Island State Ar-
chives, the First Rhode Island Regiment included at 
least the following soldiers: Babcock, Priamus (Pri-
mus); Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; Brown, Priamus 
(Primus); Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; Car-
penter, Cudgo; Champlin, Dick; Champlin, Jack; 
Champlin, July; Champlin, Newport; Champlin, 
Sharper; 
Champlin, 
York; 
Clark, 
James; 
Coddington, Jack; Fones, Jack; Gardner, Cuff; 
Gardner, 
Hercules; 
Gardner, 
Minkl; 
Gardner, 
Preamus (Primus); Gardner, Rutter; Gray, Ebe-
nezer; Green, Cuff; Greene, Cato; Greene, Jack; 
Greene, Pero; Greene, William; Hammond, Prince; 
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Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; 
Hazard, Jacob; Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; 
Lefavour, Thom; Mason, Warsen; Mawney, Cyrus; 
Minturn, Jack; Mowrey, Pero; Nichols, Thomas; 
Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Pot-
ter, David; Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, 
Priamus; Rhodes, Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Rich-
mond, Ebenezer; Robinson, Mingo; Rodman, Isaac; 
Rodman, Mingo; Rodman, Prince; Rose, Cesar; 
Saltonstall, Brittain; Saunders, Sampson; Sheldon, 
Cesar; Slave; Slave; Smith, Juba; Sweeling, Query; 
Talbot, Sigby; Tanner, Quam; Tillinghast, Cuff; 
Updike, Cesar; Updike, Moses; Vaughan, Prince; 
Vernon, Cato; Watson, Fortune; Wells, Cesar; 
Wickes, Nat; and Willbour, Boston. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 
(a) AWARD
AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 
of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 
award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 
of appropriate design to the First Rhode Island Regiment, 
collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during 
the Revolutionary War. 
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 
award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 
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