First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act

This Act may be cited as the “First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act”.

Congress finds the following:

(1) During the winter at Valley Forge, from 1777–1778, the Continental Army had difficulty recruiting the necessary quotas of men set by the Congress.

(2) At the same time, the State of Rhode Island was ordered to supply two battalions while a British force occupied the City of Newport.

(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 Assembly 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 encumbered with any kind of servitude or slavery”.

(6) As a result, between February 1778 and June 1778, Colonel Christopher Greene, Lieutenant Colonel Jeremiah Olney, and Major Samuel Ward recruited men of African heritage and Indigenous descent 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 29, 1778, at the Battle of Rhode Island, following an attempted siege of British-occupied Newport along with the newly allied French fleet, the First Rhode Island Regiment acted heroically in holding back Hessian forces and causing 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 Island Regiment continued to fight bravely to win American independence for 5 more years in an integrated Rhode Island Regiment that included men of African, European, and Indigenous descent.

(11) By early 1784, the last Rhode Island soldiers were discharged at Saratoga, New York.

(12) Their commander, Colonel Jeremiah Olney, praised the Regiment for “faithfully preserving in the best of causes, in every stage of service, 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 efforts at re-enslavement and fought for back wages from the Rhode Island General Assembly.

(14) According to the Rhode Island State Archives, the First Rhode Island Regiment included at least the following soldiers: Babcock, Priamus (Primus); Bent, Prince; Bours, Cato; Brown, Priamus (Primus); Burk, Africa; Burroughs, John; Carpenter, 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, Ebenezer; 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; Minturn, Jack; Mowrey, Pero; Nichols, Thomas; Perry, Ganset; Phillips, Philow; Pierce, Titus; Potter, David; Randall, Prince; Rhodes, Bristol; Rhodes, Priamus; Rhodes, Richard; Rhodes, Samuel; Richmond, 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.

(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 “Secretary”) shall strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.

(c) Rhode Island State Library.—

(1) In general.— Following the award of the gold medal in honor of the First Rhode Island Regiment of the Revolutionary War under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the Rhode Island State Library, where it will be displayed as appropriate and made available for research.

(2) Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that the Rhode Island State Library 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.

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 thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.

(a) National medals.— Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

(b) Numismatic items.— For purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

(a) Authority To use fund amounts.— There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under this Act.

(b) Proceeds of sale.— Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.