I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2752 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 APRIL 20, 2023 Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Mr. MAGAZINER, Mr. LAWLER, and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 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- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘First Rhode Island 4 Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 (1) During the winter at Valley Forge, from 8 1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty re- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2752 IH cruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Con- 1 gress. 2 (2) At the same time, the State of Rhode Island 3 was ordered to supply two battalions while faced 4 with the occupation of the City of Newport by the 5 British. 6 (3) In January 1778, at the urging of Brigadier 7 General James Varnum, General George Washington 8 wrote to Governor Nicholas Cooke of the State of 9 Rhode Island requesting assistance recruiting men 10 for the Continental Line. 11 (4) On February 14, 1778, the Rhode Island 12 General Assembly voted to allow the enlistment of 13 ‘‘every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man 14 slave’’. 15 (5) In addition, the Rhode Island General As- 16 sembly provided that any enlisted slave ‘‘upon his 17 passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, 18 be immediately discharged from the service of his 19 master or mistress, and be absolutely free as though 20 he had never been incumbered and be incumbered 21 with any kind of servitude or slavery’’. 22 (6) As a result, between February 1778 and 23 June 1778, Colonel Christopher Greene, Lt. Colonel 24 Jeremiah Olney and Major Samuel Ward recruited 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2752 IH almost 200 men of African heritage and Indigenous 1 descent who formed the core of the First Rhode Is- 2 land Regiment. 3 (7) The First Rhode Island Regiment became 4 among the first units in American History in which 5 men of every race and ethnicity were recruited to 6 serve. 7 (8) On August 28, 1778, at the Battle of 8 Rhode Island, following an attempted siege of Brit- 9 ish-occupied Newport along with the newly allied 10 French fleet, the First Rhode Island Regiment acted 11 heroically in holding back Hessian forces and caus- 12 ing them to retreat. 13 (9) During the Battle of Rhode Island, the 14 First Rhode Island Regiment’s losses included three 15 killed, nine wounded and eleven missing soldiers. 16 (10) Soldiers of color from the First Rhode Is- 17 land Regiment continued to fight bravely to win 18 American independence for five more years in an in- 19 tegrated Rhode Island Regiment that included men 20 of African, European, and Indigenous descent. 21 (11) On December 25, 1783, the last Rhode Is- 22 land soldiers were discharged at Saratoga, New 23 York. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2752 IH (12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah 1 Olney, praised the Regiment for ‘‘faithfully pre- 2 serving in the best of causes, in every stage of serv- 3 ice, with unexampled fortitude and patience through 4 all the danger and toils of a long and severe war’’. 5 (13) Afterwards, some veterans of the First 6 Rhode Island Regiment had to consistently resist ef- 7 forts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages 8 from the Rhode Island General Assembly. 9 (14) According to the Rhode Island State Ar- 10 chives, the First Rhode Island Regiment included at 11 least the following soldiers: Babcock, Priamus (Pri- 12 mus); Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; Brown, Priamus 13 (Primus); Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; Car- 14 penter, Cudgo; Champlin, Dick; Champlin, Jack; 15 Champlin, July; Champlin, Newport; Champlin, 16 Sharper; Champlin, York; Clark, James; 17 Coddington, Jack; Fones, Jack; Gardner, Cuff; 18 Gardner, Hercules; Gardner, Minkl; Gardner, 19 Preamus (Primus); Gardner, Rutter; Gray, Ebe- 20 nezer; Green, Cuff; Greene, Cato; Greene, Jack; 21 Greene, Pero; Greene, William; Hammond, Prince; 22 Harriss, Cesar; Hazard, Backus; Hazard, Jabin; 23 Hazard, Jacob; Hazard, Peter; Hazard, Peter; 24 Lefavour, Thom; Mason, Warsen; Mawney, Cyrus; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2752 IH Minturn, Jack; Mowrey, Pero; Nichols, Thomas; 1 Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Pot- 2 ter, David; Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, 3 Priamus; Rhodes, Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Rich- 4 mond, Ebenezer; Robinson, Mingo; Rodman, Isaac; 5 Rodman, Mingo; Rodman, Prince; Rose, Cesar; 6 Saltonstall, Brittain; Saunders, Sampson; Sheldon, 7 Cesar; Slave; Slave; Smith, Juba; Sweeling, Query; 8 Talbot, Sigby; Tanner, Quam; Tillinghast, Cuff; 9 Updike, Cesar; Updike, Moses; Vaughan, Prince; 10 Vernon, Cato; Watson, Fortune; Wells, Cesar; 11 Wickes, Nat; and Willbour, Boston. 12 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 13 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the 14 House of Representatives and the President pro tempore 15 of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the 16 award, on behalf of the Congress, of a single gold medal 17 of appropriate design to the First Rhode Island Regiment, 18 collectively in recognition of their dedicated service during 19 the Revolutionary War. 20 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the 21 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the 22 Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 23 retary’’) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2752 IH devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec- 1 retary. 2 (c) RHODE ISLAND STATE LIBRARY.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 4 gold medal in honor of the First Rhode Island Regi- 5 ment of the Revolutionary War under subsection (a), 6 the gold medal shall be given to the Rhode Island 7 State Library, where it will be displayed as appro- 8 priate and made available for research. 9 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 10 Congress that the Rhode Island State Library 11 should make the gold medal received under para- 12 graph (1) available for display elsewhere, particu- 13 larly at other appropriate locations associated with 14 the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolu- 15 tionary War. 16 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 17 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 18 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 19 sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 20 materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 21 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 22 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck pursuant to 23 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 24 of title 31, United States Code. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2752 IH (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 1 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 2 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 3 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 nec- 9 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. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:09 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2752.IH H2752 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS