I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3123 
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 
JUNE 29, 2017 
Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, 
Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. COSTA, Mrs. DIN-
GELL, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. JONES, Mr. 
LANGEVIN, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCGOVERN, 
Mr. SOTO, and Mr. SWALWELL of California) 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 consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
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’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) During the winter of 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 and Native American de-
scent who formed the core of the First Rhode Island 
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) For an additional 5 years, the First Rhode 
Island Regiment fought bravely to win American 
independence including at Fort Oswego, Saratoga, 
and Yorktown. 
(11) On June 13, 1783, at Saratoga, the First 
Rhode Island Regiment was demobilized. 
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(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; 
Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; 
Hazard, Jacob; Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; 
Lefavour, Thom; Mason, Warsen; Mawney, Cyrus; 
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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 
Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 
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devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 
gold medal in honor of the First Rhode Island Regi-
ment of the Revolutionary War under subsection (a), 
the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian In-
stitution, where it will be displayed as appropriate 
and made available for research. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 
make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 
available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 
appropriate locations associated with the First 
Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolutionary War. 
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 
SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 
(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 
this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 
of title 31, United States Code. 
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(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 
5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 
under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 
Æ 
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