For most of the nation, July Fourth conjures memories of warm summer days, ice-cold watermelons, sugar-white beaches and dazzling fireworks woven with patriotism and love of country.
Joel Daves, Richard “Rick” Mitchell, Tom Van Antwerp and about a half dozen more Mobilians enjoy the national holiday too, but their celebrations come with a unique personal connection. They are all descendants of officers who fought in the Revolutionary War, in the Continental Army, back when America was simply 13 colonies and a dream. Their descendants are members of the Society of the Cincinnati, founded in 1783. Today, with 4,400-plus members in the U.S. and over 25 other countries, its mission is to perpetuate the memory of the American Revolutionary War and what it means to us today.
The Society is the nation’s first hereditary organization and the oldest private patriotic organization in the United States. It is not to be confused with the city in Ohio. “The organization took its name from the ancient Roman hero Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus,” says Mitchell. “The Roman statesman was known for selfless devotion to the republic in times of crisis and for giving up the reins of power when the crisis was over.” “Lots of people think our group was named for Cincinnati, Ohio,” Van Antwerp adds, laughing. “That is not true. Cincinnati, Ohio, was named after us.”
Membership requires tracing your heritage back to a Continental Army or Navy officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. Each society member represents one officer. Once that officer is represented, no other descendant can claim him.
Daves’ ancestor is Lt. Elisha King, Virginia Continental Line; Mitchell’s is Captain Charles Knowles, 3rd Regiment, Continental Artillery; and Van Antwerp’s is First Lt. Benjamin Hopkins, Warner’s Additional Continental Regiment.
Other Mobile members and their ancestors include: Sullivan Daves (Joel’s son), Lt. Elisha King, First Regiment, Virginia Continental Line; Robert Mitchell (Rick’s son), Lt. Samuel Stow, naval officer, killed in action; Bragg Van Antwerp (Tom’s son), Capt. Elisha Hopkins, Third Regiment, Connecticut Continental Line; Robby McClure, Lt. John Nesmith, Jackson’s Additional Continental Regiment, Sandy Stimpson, Ensign Sylvanus Reed, Second Continental Infantry, and Willliam Peebles, Capt. Alexander Brevard, 4th Regiment, North Carolina Continental Line.
The organization is composed of 14 constituent societies, representing the 13 original American colonies and France.
“It is really an amazing feeling,” notes Van Antwerp about his ancestor who fought and made the annual celebration of Independence Day a reality. Mitchell adds, “For me, there is a certain amount of pride I feel on July Fourth, knowing that I represent a man who was there and helped make it happen.”
In addition, last May, Daves assumed the role as the 41st President General of the organization. He is in good company. The first President General was George Washington. The second was Alexander Hamilton. As for membership, the Society’s ranks have included a dozen U.S. presidents, six Nobel Peace Prize winners and even Winston Churchill himself.
“I am an unworthy successor to George Washington,” says Daves of his new role and three year term. The Mobile City Council member adds, “To think that I am following in the steps of one of the greatest humans who ever trod on the face of the earth is a goosebumps experience. It also carries responsibilities.”
Like the noble Roman, the Society’s founders in 1783 were equally devoted to an innovative new idea in government called “America.” Over 242 years later, they still are.
The organization has a 9 step vision. The top three are:
1. Cultivating reverence for the heroes of the Revolutionary War and brotherly affection among members of the Society.
2. Advocating popular understanding and appreciation of the American Revolution and its heroes.
3. Promoting effective teaching on the American Revolutionary War.
The Society is different from most other hereditary groups. It was created by the participants, not the people who came along later. The General Society does not charge dues although a few of the state societies do. Its headquarters is the 50-room Anderson House in Washington D.C. Its guest lists have included Presidents William H. Taft and Calvin Coolidge, Gen. John J. Pershing, Henry A. du Pont and members of the Vanderbilt family. It is available for Society members too. “Our library is one of the finest in the world,” says Daves, “with over 50,000 items and almost unlimited materials about the American Revolutionary War.” Members, scholars, and the general public have access to it.
In addition, the three men noted that taking the message to the world, especially to citizens of the U.S., is vital. “We want to make sure that all Americans know the story of the war that gave us rights we sometimes take for granted,” notes Van Antwerp.
A detail of an oil-on-canvas mural decorating the Key Room in the Anderson House showing George Washington presenting the diploma of the Society of the Cincinnati to the marquis de Lafayette. Painting by H. Siddons Mowbray, 1909. Courtesy The Society of the Cincinnati, Gift of Isabel Anderson, 1938
The Society has lesson plans for teachers, provides lecturers and seminars, and has a social media audience of millions.
The Society’s website also notes that anyone, whether they qualify for the Society membership or not, can join as an Associate of the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati.
The Society of the Cincinnati was not without critics, however. “When it began, there was an outcry from some founding fathers,” recalls Mitchell. “Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and some others wanted no part of it. They thought it would create some sort of aristocracy that would be like a House of Lords or other noble order.” A compromise was reached.
For Society of the Cincinnati members, July Fourth means more than really great hot dogs. “We need to realize how close we came to losing the war,” notes Mitchell. All three men agree — winning the Revolutionary War was almost a miracle. “The war from our side was fought by amateurs,” Daves notes. “These men were farmers and shopkeepers, up against Great Britain, at that time the greatest power in the world. They had a great army, navy, well-trained soldiers, professional officers, and plenty of food and supplies. We had none of that.” He continues, “We were committing treason, punishable by hanging, being drawn and quartered, and more. Our men were heroes.” The Society’s founders wanted to make sure future generations would not forget what was done for them. That goal and others carry on to this day.
Van Antwerp and Mitchell agreed, noting that “winning big battles was not how the Continental Army won the war. Battles were won by small yet significant events, perseverance, determination, and help from France.” But also note that America had one thing the Red Coats did not: a George Washington who has been referred to as the “The indispensable man,” of the Revolution. “Washington and his officers met for the last time in a New York tavern where he told them goodbye. He and his officers were overcome with emotion. They were barely able to speak and could only offer a silent toast to their leader, the future first president of the United States.”
Fast forward to 2025. To this day, the Society’s events include a silent toast in homage to George Washington. “I have seen that toast 10 times in four years,” recalls Van Antwerp. “I got choked up every time.”
Washington has a special meaning for Daves, too, in the form of the Diamond Eagle. The jeweled badge was presented by the French naval officers to George Washington. It has been worn by Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and by each of the President General successors in their three-year terms of office. The Society’s website notes, “The badge symbolizes the creation of the American republic, the importance of French contributions to the cause, and the commitment of the patriots’ descendants to preserving the memory of our Revolution.” Joel Daves is the badges’ latest recipient.
In the month we observe our victory in the Revolutionary War, Society members remind us that the significance of defeating England in war is beyond our borders. Other countries followed suit, such as the French Revolution, 1789 – 1799. Daves notes, “The American victory in the Revolutionary War changed the world. Before the war, the world was ruled by kings and queens, czars. We showed the world that you can rise up. You can cast off the shackles of dictatorship. You can govern yourself.”
The Society of the Cincinnati wants us to never forget that. This is not just a hereditary group celebrating its ancestors. It is a group that wants us to remember what their ancestors did, not just for them but for all of us. Because of these brave Americans — shopkeepers, farmers and ordinary men turned soldiers three centuries ago — the rest of us enjoy July Fourth with family and friends in peace.
Their descendants, members of The Society of the Cincinnati, are proud of them and rightly so. The rest of us are proud of them too.
Rick Mitchell
Descended from Captain Charles Knowles’ great-grandfather, Richard Knowles, his 9th great-grandfather. Charles was born in Connecticut in 1746
Soon after the battle of Lexington, Charles joined Capt. Meig’s Company in Middletown, Conn. and marched to Cambridge. In 1776, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in Col. Henry Knox’s Artillery Regiment which took part in the Siege of Boston, the Invasion of Quebec and the New York – New Jersey Campaign. Following the battle of Valcour Island in 1776, Knox was promoted to Brigadier General in charge of all American Artillery, and his regiment was disbanded. Capt. Knowles then served with the 3rd Continental Artillery Regiment, where he was promoted to Captain in 1780, until the conclusion of the war in 1783. This regiment served with George Washington’s main army and was engaged in the Philadelphia Campaign (1777) and the Battles of Saratoga (1777), Monmouth (1777), Rhode Island (1778) and Springfield (1780). Knowles was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati; he died in 1796 at the age of 50.
Joel Daves
Four times great grandnephew of Elisha King who was born in Virginia in 1753
On January 1, 1777, Elisha enlisted in Captain Moses Hawkins’s Company of the 14th Virginia Regiment, one of the six regiments authorized by the General Assembly in October of 1776. In March of 1777 the regiment was ordered to join the main army, the soldiers supplying their own arms, blankets and clothes. After joining Gen. George Washington’s forces, they fought at Brandywine (1777), Germantown (1777) and Monmouth Courthouse (1778). In July of 1779 he was commissioned ensign in the 10th Virginia Rigiment. Elisha fought at the Battle of Cowpens (1781) with the Virginia troops attached to the command of Lt. Col. John Eager Howard of Maryland. While there is no doubt he was there, exactly how he came to be there with a very small contingent of Virginia Continentals is unknown. Shortly thereafter he joined the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons, under the command of Col. William Washington. He later participated in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse where some of the bloodiest fighting took place. When the British 2nd Battalion of Guards attempted to puncture the line of the 2nd Maryland regulars, Washington led his men on a desperate charge across a ravine, attacked the British Guards on their flank and “repulsed the guards with great slaughter.” Guilford Courthouse, while a British tactical victory, was for them a strategic defeat in that it left Cornwallis’s army tired, much reduced, and without food or forage in hostile territory. The battle set the stage for Cornwallis’ retirement to Yorktown and eventual defeat.
Tom Van Antwerp
Seven times great-grandson of First Lieutenant Benjamin Hopkins who was born in New Hampshire
Benjamin served in Warner’s Additional Continental Regiment. He was killed in action on September 6, 1780. The regiment was raised for its third time by the Continental Congress on July 5, 1776. The regiment fought a successful rearguard action at Hubbardton, Vermont to protect the retreating Northern army. At Bennington, Vermont, the Regiment arrived in time to defeat Brunswick reinforcements who were threatening to defeat the American forces. These two engagements crippled British General Burgoyne’s elite Advanced Corps., and as part of the Pawlett Expedition to threaten the British rear, the Regiment was instrumental in setting the stage for Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga, New York.
