VVooll.. 2233 NNoo.. 11 SSpprriinngg 22000055

Magna Chartaand its

American Legacy

IInnssiiddee

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I wish to publicly thank Dr. Michael D.Frost and the Missouri Society for the out-standing job they did hosting the 2004 Boardof Managers Meeting in Kansas City

Also, I want to again thank Dr. Frost andhis Company for the work that they are doingto create the Sons of the Revolution onlineshopping cart and the new Patriot Index. TheGeneral Society would like to encourage allmembers to visit our web page atwww.sr1776.org. The web page is evolving withinformation added from time to time.

Dr. William J. Acuff, President, Samuel A.Maner, Jr., Registrar, and the Tennessee Societyare to be congratulated. Over the past yearthey have brought in more than 100 new mem-bers. The secret to their success is creatingchapters. They now have five chapters, eachwith a President actively recruiting.

I am looking forward to being in Atlanta onMarch 19th, to assist in granting a Charter tothe newly formed General Nathanael GreeneChapter of the Georgia Society. ChapterPresident, J. V. Michael Motes is starting offwith 32 members. This is the result of a lot ofhard work by all parties concerned.Congratulations to you all.

The Pennsylvania Society is gearing up forthe Let Freedom Ring Ceremony. This is anoutstanding patriotic event, led by the Sons ofthe Revolution throughout the World. Whenattending this event at Independence Hall inPhiladelphia last year, I learned from ViceAdmiral Keating that our troops overseas alsoparticipate in the bell ringing on the Fourth ofJuly. So it really is world wide and not justlimited to the United States. I encourage allmembers of the Sons of the Revolution to joinwith the Pennsylvania Society in making theCeremony a success in your area.

We are forming a Memorials Committee toassist state societies in planning and possiblyfunding memorials and ceremonies honoringevents and people of the Revolutionary period.

The Illinois Society is busy planning for ourBoard of Managers Meeting in the Chicago area October 21st - 23rd 2005. They have assuredme that they are keeping the cost down, yetcreating an active and memorable event. Moreinformation is included in this issue. I lookforward to seeing you there.

The Publications Committee regrets that

the first issue under the new editor was lategetting out. When starting off with a new per-son, new place, new software, and with materi-als not received in a timely manner, things gotbehind. I have been assured by thePublications Committee that future issues willbe out on time. I wish to request that all StateSocieties send articles for inclusion in theDrumbeat and Flintlock & Powderhorn.

I want to thank all the members who gra-ciously made a donation to the Society. Thesedonations are needed to carry out our patriot-ic and charitable endeavors.

PPrreessiiddeenntt’’ss RReeppoorrttby M. Hall Worthington, Jr.

IInnddeexxPPrreessiiddeenntt’’ss RReeppoorrtt........................................................................2MMaaggnnaa CChhaarrttaa aanndd iittss AAmmeerriiccaann LLeeggaaccyyThe influence of Magna Charta on theAmerican Constitution.........................................................3DDrruummbbeeaattCommittee and Society Reports................................6

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Every successful revolution shares certaincommon elements. One of them is a succinctslogan that everyone understands. Liberty,Equality, Fraternity suited the FrenchRevolution. Peace, Bread and Land carried theday for the Bolsheviks. And every revolutionhas to have some rallying point against a per-ceived common grievance. In France, it wasthe overbearing aristocracy. In Russia, it wasthe continued existence of the feudal agricul-tural system into the Twentieth Century. Andevery successful revolution has to make refer-ence to some historical precedent to justifythe break from the old order. In France, it wasthe reference to the inalienable Rights of Manespoused by 18th century FrenchEnlightenment philosophes, like Rousseau.

Thus, before the Founding Fathers begancomposing the Declaration of Independence in1776, they searched for a historical precedentfor asserting their rightful liberties from theBritish Crown and Parliament. They found itin an event which occurred some five andhalf-centuries before 1776. In the distant pastof England in an open field known asRunnymede, the Founders recalled just suchan historic precedent: Magna Charta.

Who today in school or among theAmerican public even knows what MagnaCharta was or how it came about? But thisone document is the historical basis for theAmerican Revolution and today's modernAnglo-American legal system. In addition tothe US. Constitution, it is the most importanthistorical and political paper in the English-speaking world.

What happened in 1215 that led to MagnaCharta? What does it say?

Let's go back in time to June 15, 1215,almost eight centuries ago. England was a feu-dal state at the height of the Middle Ages, thetime of knights and serfs, endless battlesbetween France and England, plagues, illitera-cy, superstition, the Crusades, and politicaluncertainty everywhere.

Our story begins with the English nobility

in the Middle Ages. At the top of the kingdomsat the king, easily the most powerful and ten-uous office in the realm. Kings in those dayswere not great candidates for life insurancepolicies. Below the king sat the immediatemembers of the royal family, the princes.

Next outside the royal family came the topof the nobility, the barons. They were titledowners of large estates usually, but notalways, featuring a castle and surroundingfarmland worked by their serfs. Their titlescould be hereditary or could have been earnedby their having rendered some important ser-vice, usually military, for the king. The serfswho worked the baron's lands were tied to theland for life and gave a certain (large) percent-age of their yield to the baron, as well as theiryoung men for the baron's army. The baronwould provide protection to the serfs.

The baron in turn gave a percentage of hisearnings to the crown and fielded an army forthe king when needed. If the baron did notwant to send his men to the king, he wouldhave to send money instead to pay for othersoldiers to take their places, called scutage.The small minority of Englishmen who werenot serfs were freemen, merchants and otherswhose services could be sold for a price, likeartisans.

The barons were very powerful in theirown way, and looked upon the king as merelythe chairman of the board of barons.

In 1215, King John sat on the throne andwas roundly detested by many of the baronsand the people as a despot and tyrant.Remember, England in those days was a newidea. William the Conqueror had vanquishedthe Anglo-Saxon kings and establishedNorman rule in England in 1066, just 150 yearsearlier.

At Runnymede, near today's WindsorCastle, on June 15th, 1215, an assembly ofbarons confronted a cash-strapped King John.The barons demanded that traditional rightsbe written down under the royal seal, and sentto each of the counties to be read to allfreemen. The result was Magna Charta.

MMaaggnnaa CChhaarrttaa aanndd iittss AAmmeerriiccaann LLeeggaaccyyby David B. Mitchell, Esq.

Mr. Mitchell is Counselor of the SR in Florida and Secretary of the Order of the Founders and Patriots inFlorida, and member of the Order of the Crown, Baronial Order of Magna Charta, Society of Magna Chartaand the Order of St. George. He delivered this lecture before the Gathering of Hereditary Societies organizedby the Sons of the Revolution in Florida on October 16th 2004.

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would not be universal in England for 700more years.

Once Magna Charta was signed, its impactexploded. In September 1215, at King John'surging, Pope Innocent II annulled the agree-ment as shameful. The civil war that followedended only with John's convenient death oneyear later.

John's successor, his son Henry III, reissuedMagna Charta with some changes in 1217 and1225. With the 1225 re-issuance, however, nofurther changes were made.

With each re-confirmation by succeedingEnglish monarchs, copies of the documentwere made and sent to the counties so thateveryone would know their rights and obliga-tions. Seventeen original issues of MagnaCharta survive, including the 1297 version nowon display at the National Archives and ownedby H. Ross Perot.

Despite its historical significance, however,Magna Charta may have remained legallyinconsequential had it not been resurrected bySir Edward Coke in the early 17th Century. Hewas one of the most important legal writers ofall time and the man who singlehandedlyrevived Magna Charta.

Sir Edward Coke's reinterpretation ofMagna Charta provided an argument for uni-versal liberty in England and gave Americancolonists a basis for their condemnation ofBritish colonial policies.

Who was Edward Coke?Coke was Attorney General for Elizabeth I,

Chief Justice during the reign of James I, anda leader in Parliament in opposition to CharlesI. He used Magna Charta as a weapon againstthe oppressive tactics of the Stuart kings andargued that even kings must comply with thecommon law. As he proclaimed to Parliamentin 1628, MMaaggnnaa CChhaarrttaa......wwiillll hhaavvee nnoo ssoovveerreeiiggnn.

During this period, the charters for theAmerican colonies were written. Each includedthe guarantee that those sailing for the NewWorld and their heirs would have all the rightsand immunities of free and natural subjects.

As our forefathers developed legal codes forthe colonies, many incorporated liberties guar-anteed by Lord Coke's interpretation of MagnaCharta and the 1689 English Bill of Rightsdirectly into their own colonial statutes.

Although few colonists could afford legaltraining in England, they remained remark-ably familiar with English common law.

Through Coke, young colonial lawyers suchas John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and JamesMadison learned of the spirit of Magna Charta

Magna Charta was the result of KingJohn's failed military adventures and theresulting emptying of the royal treasury. Johnhad suffered a disastrous military defeat in1214, losing a war with France and all hope ofregaining the French lands John had inherit-ed. When the defeated John returned home, heattempted to rebuild his coffers by demandingscutage from the barons who had not joinedhis war with France.

The dissenting barons protested, condemn-ing John's policies and insisting on a reconfir-mation of a traditional limit on the king's abil-ity to obtain funds.

But John refused. By spring, most baronialfamilies began to take sides. The rebellingbarons were losing their revolt, but with theunexpected capture of London, they earned asubstantial bargaining chip. John agreed togrant a charter.

The document agreed-to by John in 1215,however, was not what we know today asMagna Charta but rather a set of baronialstipulations. After John and his barons nego-tiated on the final wording, they issued a for-mal version on June 19. This document cameto be known as Magna Charta, the GreatCharter.

The key to Magna Charta and theAmerican Revolution was a minor wordingchange, the replacement of the term any baronwith any freeman in stipulating to whom theprovisions applied. In centuries to come, thiswould justify the application of the Charter'sprovisions to a greater part of the population.

Why? While freemen were a minority in13th-century England, the term would eventu-ally include all English, just as We the Peoplewould come to apply to all Americans in the20th Century.

The Charter was a feudal document andmeant to protect the rights and property ofthe few top feudal families. In fact, the majori-ty of the population, the serfs, are only men-tioned once, in a clause concerning the use ofcourt-set fines to punish minor offenses.

Magna Charta's primary purpose was toforce King John to recognize the supremacy ofancient liberties, to limit his ability to raisefunds, and to reassert the principle of dueprocess. Note that no one envisioned MagnaCharta as giving Englishmen the principle ofmajority rule. Democracy and the granting ofuniversal rights were not the barons' goals. Itdid include some concessions to the Church,merchants, townsmen and the lower aristocra-cy. But as written, that was it. Democracy

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and the common law--or at least Coke's inter-pretation of them. It is no wonder then that asthe colonists prepared for war they would lookto Coke and Magna Charta for justification.

Great Britain was burdened with substan-tial war debts and the continuing expense ofkeeping troops on Colonial American soil.Parliament thought the colonies shouldfinance much of their own defense and leviedthe first direct tax, the Stamp Act, in 1765. TheAmericans felt it was very intrusive, as itrequired virtually every written paper--news-papers, licenses, insurance policies, legal writs,even playing cards--to carry a stamp showingthat required taxes had been paid.

The colonists argued that without eithertheir local consent or direct representation inParliament, the act was "taxation without rep-resentation." They also objected to the law'sprovision that those who disobeyed could betried without a jury.

Coke's influence on Americans showedclearly when the Massachusetts Assemblyreacted by declaring the Stamp Act aaggaaiinnssttMMaaggnnaa CChhaarrttaa aanndd tthhee nnaattuurraall rriigghhttss ooffEEnngglliisshhmmeenn,, aanndd tthheerreeffoorree,, aaccccoorrddiinngg ttoo LLoorrddCCookkee,, nnuullll aanndd vvooiidd.

While Magna Charta did include some pro-visions reaffirming the principles of trial byjury and taxation by consent for the baronage,these privileges were originally never intendedto apply to all levels of society.

But regardless of whether the MagnaCharta forbade taxation without representa-tion or if this was merely implied by the "spir-it," the colonists used this "misinterpretation"to condemn the Stamp Act. Parliament quick-ly rescinded the tax. But the damage was done.

Relations between Great Britain and thecolonies continued to deteriorate. The moreParliament tried to raise revenue and suppressthe growing unrest, the more the colonistsdemanded their Magna Charta rights as theyinterpreted them. The Great Seal ofMassachusetts of 1775 reflected the mood.

Not until the surrender of British forces atYorktown in 1781 wasthe military strugglewon. The constitu-tional battle, howev-er, was just begin-ning.After the Revolution,

it became clear that

the rather loose confederation of states wouldhave to be dramatically strengthened. JamesMadison expressed these concerns in a call fora convention at Philadelphia in 1787 to revisethe Articles of Confederation.

The state delegates listened attentively toMadison's ideas. Instead of revising theArticles, the delegates created a new form offederal government, embodied in theConstitution. Authority emanated directlyfrom the people, not from any governmentalbody. And the Constitution would be thesupreme Law of the Land--just as MagnaCharta had been deemed superior to all otherstatutes and royal decrees.

In 1215, when King John sealed MagnaCharta, he was acknowledging the now firmlyembedded concept that no man--not even theking--is above the law. That was a milestonein constitutional thought for the 13th century.In 1779 John Adams expressed it this way: AAggoovveerrnnmmeenntt ooff llaawwss,, aanndd nnoott ooff mmeenn.

Further, Magna Charta established impor-tant individual rights that have a direct lega-cy in the American Bill of Rights, such as theright to a trial by jury. And during our histo-ry, these rights have been expanded.

Just as Magna Charta stood againstEnglish royal tyranny, the US. Constitutionand its Bill of Rights today serve similar roles,protecting the individual freedoms of allAmericans against arbitrary and capriciousrule.

It is no surprise that even in 2004, the top-ics of debate among American legal scholarsand the public involve questions of the right ofthe Federal government to hold suspected AlQaeda operatives without trial, the proprietyof requiring the Miranda warnings to criminalsuspects in various stages of custody, just com-pensation for government taking of privateproperty, and the like.

The very fact that these debates still ragein American courts, law schools and on thetelevision nightly news in our living roomsreflects the legacy of Magna Charta inAmerica.

SSoo,, hhaappppyy 779900tthh bbiirrtthhddaayy,, MMaaggnnaa CChhaarrttaa!!

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCESend all editorial correspondence and photographs to:

Saul M. Montes-Bradley, II, Managing Editor,General Society Publications

P.O.Box 3556, Hallandale, FL 33008-3556Internet address: Drumbeat.1776@comcast.net

Please submit articles and news as you wish them to appear in the Drumbeat, and provide captions for allgraphic material. Electronic submissions are preferred. Typed, double spaced articles ready for publicationare greatly appreciated.

“By the sword we seekpeace, but peace only underliberty”.

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NUMBER 43 SPRING 2005

Reports from General Society Headquarters — Independence, Missouri

TO YOUR HEALTHSmallpox, Then and Now

(Part Two of Two)

General Surgeon William J. Acuff, MD

General Washington's decision to beginsmallpox inoculation of all his troops onFebruary 5th, 1777 was affirmed by Dr.Benjamin Rush's Continental Congress MedicalCommittee. It's my opinion that if this boldstep had not been taken by Washington, theoutcome of the Revolutionary War might havebeen totally different. It has been documentedthat most of the British army had alreadybeen inoculated for smallpox which certainlywould have given them quite a strategicadvantage over the Continental forces.

Without Washington's inoculation program,there might not have been a SouthernCampaign with the resultant defeat of MajorPatrick Ferguson's loyalist militia by theOvermountain Men in the Battle of King'sMountain on October 7th, 1780. Furthermore,the defeat of Lord Cornwallis' forces atCowpens, South Carolina in January 1781might not have taken place. The military set-backs and other factors in North and SouthCarolina and Georgia accounted for Cornwallisremoving his forces to Yorktown, Virginia andsubsequent defeat. The Battle of King'sMountain was a devastating defeat and wasthe turning point in the Revolutionary War,according to many scholars. Smallpox out-breaks in the South during this periodappeared with a vengeance, as well as mosqui-to-borne diseases, yellow fever and malaria. I'msure these added factors entered intoCornwallis' decision to move up the coast toYorktown.

In the latter stages of the siege of Yorktownin October of 1781 when British supplies weredwindling, Cornwallis sent from Yorktown alarge number of Black Loyalists, most of whomwere infected with smallpox. Many Americansbelieved this was an attempt to deliberately

spread smallpox to the Continental forces, themilitia and the civilian population. Could thishave been one of the first instances of theintentional use of biological warfare as aweapon of mass destruction?

Dr. Jenner's introduction of the techniqueof vaccination using live cowpox virus in 1796soon gained wide acceptance because of thelowered mortality. Over the years the vaccinewas slowly improved and Dryvax is the vac-cinia vaccine currently being used in theUnited States because it gives cross protectionfor monkeypox, cowpox and smallpox viruses.The monkeypox and cowpox are included toprotect veterinarian research laboratory work-ers. Dryvax was developed in the laboratoryand contains a live virus that gives immunityto smallpox but does not contain live smallpoxvirus.

In 1979 the World Health Organization(WHO) certified that smallpox had been eradi-cated from the world. This came about, as oneauthor puts it, by two decades of dogged shoe-leather epidemiology as public health workersaround the world went door to door sometimesunder extraordinary conditions, to track downand eliminate the smallpox virus. Ali MaowMaalin, a 23 year old Somalian cook, had thelast known naturally occurring case of small-pox in October, 1977. Janet Parker, an Englishlaboratory worker, died on September 11, 1978of laboratory acquired smallpox. She was thelast known death from smallpox.

The World Health Organization intendedthat the last two repositories of variola bedestroyed on June 30th, 1999. These reposito-ries were located in Russia and the UnitedStates. America reneged two months before thedeadline because of credible intelligence that

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HEADQUARTERS COMMITTEE REPORTCompiled from information submitted by William R. Gann, Chairman

which may be newsworthy, generates the mail-ing list from the database each time it is need-ed for publications, and pays the printer.

6. Assists the Constitution and BylawsCommittee by preparing and making availablecopies of proposed changes. They also maintainan up-to-date copy of the Constitution, Bylawsand Standing Rules, to make available uponrequest.

7. Assists the Technology Committee by gath-ering information needed to make changes inthe website on an ongoing basis, providing infor-mation to be posted as it is received from stateSocieties, such as lists of officers and other per-tinent data.

8. Assists the Development Committee bymaintaining records of donations, sendingreceipts and thank you letters, and providing alist of contributors to the managing editor forpublication.

All members are aware of the GeneralSociety's headquarters, but few know its roleand importance in the operation of the Society. Berta Foresee, Executive Secretary, and SharonToms, Document Clerk and Secretary, preparedthe following report for the recent semi-annualmeeting of the Executive Committee. The pur-pose of this report is to show the range, varietyand importance of the daily activities of theGeneral Headquarters office in Independence.

The General Society staff:

1. Assists each of the general officers in one ormore ways in the completion of their duties.This includes such tasks as sending letters,organizing executive committee meetings,recording and disseminating minutes, corre-spondence, and more. They prepare and sendmembership tallies and dues statements, supplyinformation to the auditor, receive and depositfunds, and issue payments. The staff also pre-pares information to provide to the officers atmeetings or as needed, based upon request.They assign General Society numbers as appli-cations are received, add members' records to themembership database and mail new memberwelcome packets. They make corrections to thedatabase on a daily basis; working with infor-mation supplied by members, state society offi-cers, and the Postal Service. In 2004, the GeneralRegistrar and the headquarters office processed245 new applications, and many supplementals.For the current microfilming preservation pro-ject, 738 applications have been prepared.

2. Maintains a stock of Society merchandiseand fills orders as received.

3. Assists the General Chaplain by sending himdeath notices and keeping a necrology report.Letters of condolence are mailed fromHeadquarters.

4. Assists the Awards Committee by maintain-ing a file of each state Society's activities andreports. This information is used by the com-mittee to determine Triennial awards.

5. Forwards to the Publications Committeeitems received and marked for publication,alerts the publications staff to happenings

(continues on last page)

Sharon Toms (left) and Berta Foresee at the Independenceoffice.

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VVIIRRGGIINNIIAA

Former POW Paul Galanti, Adm. Cotton and son John Cotton,and Medal of Honor winner Wesley Fox.

Class of 2005 inductees with VSSR's massed stand of colors.

REPORTS FROM STATE SOCIETIES

TTEENNNNEESSSSEEEE

The 110th annual Washington's BirthdayDinner of the Virginia Society was held onFebruary 19th, 2005, at the CommonwealthClub in Richmond.

Well over 200 members and quests attend-ed as President J. E. B. Stuart IV inducted thir-ty new members and a new flag to add to theSociety's Stand of Colours was displayed.

The evening was dedicated to Our ArmedForces. Distinguished military guests were:Major General Claude E. Williams, AdjutantGeneral of Virginia; Major General James N.Soligan, Chief of Staff of the US Joint ForcesCommand at Norfolk, VA; Rear-Admiral CliffordI. Pearson, Commander of the Maintenance andLogistics Command Atlantic of the US CoastGuard at Norfolk, VA; and Brigadier GeneralKevin M. Sandkuhler, Staff Judge Advocate tothe Commandant of the Marine Corps at thePentagon in Washington, DC.

Colonel Stuart introduced the guest speak-er, Vice-Admiral John G. Cotton, Chief of NavalReserves at the Pentagon.

During dinner, toasts were given to GeneralGeorge Washington, President George W. Bush,and to our Armed Forces.

Music throughout the ceremony was pro-vided by the VMI Pipes and Drums and theVMI Orchestra.

by Marvin K. Heffner, Historian

The 111th Annual Membership Meeting andBanquet of the Tennessee Society was held atthe Radisson Hotel in downtown KnoxvilleFebruary 26, 2005. Approximately One hun-dred and forty members and guests attended.The following officers and members of theBoard of Managers were unanimously electedfor a one year term: William J. Acuff, President;Richard Carroll, Vice President; Jerry Creasey,Secretary; Gary Boshears, Assistant Secretary;Ralph Hickman, Treasurer; James Hail,Assistant Treasurer; Sam Maner, Registrar;Douglas Andrews, Historian; Rev. Lea Acuff,Chaplain; David Rutherford, Representative tothe General Society; Sam Albritton, Marshall;Reid Gryder, Webmaster; Terry Davenport,Editor. Board of Managers: Douglas Andrews,James W. Baker, William Christenberry,William Davis, Sr., Tracy Dobbs, TerryDavenport, Neal Ford, Donald Gibson, GeneHicks, John Rice Irwin, Earl Layman, MarkLittle, Clint Parton, Gene Purcell, Rick Reagan,Fred Sherrod, Charles Smith, William T.Watson, III, John Watts and Alan Williams.Dexter Christenberry, Sr. and Jack Westbrookwere appointed emeritus members of theBoard

The Tennessee Society honored two pastpresidents who both have attended the last 50Annual Meetings and Banquets. The first is

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MMAARRYYLLAANNDD

Roy Crawford, JD, of Maryville, Tennessee, whoserved as President of the Tennessee Society in1987, and for many years as a member of theBoard of Managers and as SocietyParliamentarian. He was first introduced tothe Sons of the Revolution by his father whoalso was a long time member. Roy rememberedattending the Annual Banquets with hisfather when he was a young boy. The secondis Don Franks, CPA, of Knoxville, who served asPresident of the Tennessee Society in 1968 andas Registrar for many years. Mr. Franks wasalso the first editor of The Tennessee Rifleman.At age ninety-seven, he continues to recruitnew members to the Society, holding theabsolute record for new recruits.

Board member and TV anchorman AlanWilliams served as Master of Ceremonies. TheKeynote speakers were Professor MarkFinchum, who spoke on Tennessee during 1785and State Representative Richard Montgomerywho spoke on Tennessee in 2005. The speakersemphasized the changes which have occurredin the interval between Revolutionary andmodern times.

Several awards were presented, includingthe most coveted Patriot Award. This award isusually given to the member who best person-ifies the mission of our society which is to keepalive the memory of our Revolutionary Warancestors and General George Washington'sbirthday. There were three winners this year: 1.Gary Boshears; only a Yale graduate with anengineering degree could accomplish all thatGary has done. He has planned in detail all theramifications of the Triennial 2006 that will beheld in Knoxville, September 28th to October1st, 2006. (Please make plans to attend.) He alsohas planned and supervised the AnnualMeeting and Banquet, the Annual Luncheon inJuly, the annual golf tournament and theRinging of the Liberty Bell at the state Capitolin Nashville, all for the past three years. 2. SamManer; Sam is the genealogist for the SevierCounty Library System and the Registrar forthe Tennessee Society. He is being honoredbecause he recruited forty-eight new membersthis year. This is a one year record. The totalnumber of new members who joined theTennessee Society this year was one hundredand fifteen. Sam is also an active member ofthe Chapters' Committee, and is responsible fordeveloping three new chapters added to theTennessee Society. It is our belief that thedevelopment of new chapters is the primarysource for new members. And, 3. TerryDavenport; a very busy man with business,

young family and church responsibilities.Somehow he found time to assume the editor-ship of the Tennessee Rifleman and convertedit to a less costly computerized version withmany additional features.

The Tennessee Society thanks these threemembers for their service beyond the call ofduty.

Submitted by by William J. Acuff, MD, President

March 6, 2004-March 5, 2005The election and installation of Officers and

Board of Managers was conducted on theevening of our annual meeting and dinnerdance on March 6th, 2004. Our membership,with our lovely ladies in attendance, enjoyed avery pleasant evening. We welcomed four newmembers into our Society and we had thelargest attendance in several years.

The 36th President of the Society, RichardM. Patterson accepted his new position of trustwith great appreciation. In his comments tothe gathering, he issued some challenges to theSociety for the year ahead, with some reflec-tions on the great heritage we have receivedfrom our forefathers. He stated: "We have theresponsibility to perpetuate the memory ofthose who fought for our freedom and toinspire our Society membership in the patriot-ic spirit of our ancestors."

The theme for this year is Honoring thePast, Building for the Future and this is to beaccomplished by improving communication,enhancing our Revolutionary War educationprograms, and by increasing our membership.The President, after quoting Patrick Henry'sremarks to the Virginia Convention in 1775,said that we too must be vigilant, we must beinvolved and we must be brave if we are topreserve the freedoms which were won by ourancestors over 200 years ago.

After forming several new committees andmodifying the mission of several others, ameeting for committee chairs was held, whereeach committee chair received a manual withinstructions on his committee's responsibili-ties, to be maintained during the year and beturned over to the next chair. All Board mem-bers, except officers, were invited to join a com-mittee or were assigned to one. This will helpin developing leadership for the future of theSociety. Our two Vice Presidents have fourcommittees assigned to each of them for guid-ance and support.

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repaired on one trip and at another trip theyhelped us rig the rope on the pole.

On Monday, September 13th, 2004, theGardenville Elementary School held a programon the playground, which was attended by allteachers and students, and was a very patriot-ic event conducted primarily by the students.President Patterson spoke to the group aboutthe Society of the Sons of the Revolution andthe significance of the Flag in our Nation's his-tory. The final act was to have PresidentPatterson and Ms. Barbara Sawyer, principal ofthe school, fly the flag on the newly repairedpole. Everyone was very excited and it was asuccess because we were able to help themhave their very own flag.

We hope we are planting seeds of patriotismin children's hearts and minds that will growwith them into adulthood. The following weekwe received thirty-three letters from studentsfrom two classes, practicing their writing skillsand good manners, but full of gratitude fortheir own flag for their school.

The Publications Committee under thedirection of Editor and Past President JimWaesche, has worked for several months to cre-ate the Maryland Society's first newsletter tobetter inform our membership of social events,book reviews, historic educational events, andNational and Maryland Society news. Our goalis to create a pride of membership in theMaryland Society and to encourage our mem-bers to propose potential members to join ourSociety.

The next major event was held on thegrounds of St. John's College in Annapolis,Maryland on October 21st, 2004. This is aGeneral Society program, conducted by theMaryland Society, and this year led by GeneralPresident, M. Hall Worthington, Jr.

At a monument built by the GeneralSociety in 1911 on the burial grounds of Frenchsoldiers and sailors who fought and died inAmerica's War of Independence, there was arededication and a wreath-laying ceremony topay tribute to their bravery.

We chartered a bus, for the first time, tohelp those who are unable to drive and forthose of our membership who have neverattended this ceremony. After the program wewalked to the Naval Academy Officer's Club fordinner. This event was well received and willbe conducted again in 2005.

The Executive Committee has held fourmeetings this year to review the progress ofour Goals, and to evaluate the committee'swork and how the chairs are performing their

The first educational event was held at theWalters Art Museum on June 22nd, 2004, orga-nized by the Lecture Series committee, underthe chairmanship of Randall Beirne. Theexhibit was Conserving American's Heritagewith documents from the American War ofIndependence on display. We focused on ourown membership and invited potential newmembers for the private showing conducted byWilliam Noel, Curator of Manuscripts, and byElissa O'Loughlin, Senior Paper Conservator.This was a great success and the committee isbusy planning a spring event.

The famous Mint Julep Party was held onJune 6th, 2004, with a large gathering of mem-bers and guests at the home of Ted Stick,Assistant Secretary and chair of the Patrioticand Education Events committee. The socialoccasion with old friends and prospectivemembers was well attended.

We started a first for our Society, a NationalBell Ringing Ceremony on July 4th, 2004. Wejoined the Pennsylvania Society and othergroups around the Nation. The event fell onSunday, which did not help us in getting sup-port. However, we had five church groups joinus in encouraging their member churches toring their bells at 2:00 PM.

Next year we hope to expand on this num-ber and hold a luncheon for the Society and forother Patriotic organizations. The event will beheld in the Peabody Court Hotel, which isdirectly across from the WashingtonMonument, the State of Maryland's recognitionof George Washington, our Nation's great patri-ot and first President.

Mr. Patterson, as Vice President, workingwith the Patriotic and Education EventsCommittee, presented flags that had flown overFort McHenry, to two Baltimore elementaryschools at a ceremony in each school. Theseflags were in need of repair, and one of ourSons, Bernie Boykin, repairs them to regula-tion standards before they are presented to theschools.

President Patterson had contacted theBaltimore City School Administration for thenames of schools that did not have flags fortheir schools, and one of those schools had notbeen able to fly a flag for several years becausethe flagpole was broken. This year we accept-ed that challenge to repair the pole, andworked with the local Fire Department to havethem bring their hook and ladder truck to theschool, in order for us to reach the pole whichwas high on the side of the school and couldnot be reached from the ground. The pole was

11

As has been a tradition for the past eightyears, The Order of Lafayette joined theMassachusetts Society at its Gala ChristmasLuncheon on December 2, 2004. Memberspostponed any business until after the first ofthe New Year to enjoy an extended receptiontime, meeting new friends and greeting oldones, as Christmas music played softly in thebackground. Enthusiastic Society PresidentAndre R. Sigourney who has been, over theyears, the gracious host for the holiday was-sail bowls (this year generously donated bythe Union Club), served as Luncheon PresidingOfficer. He brought a large contingent of hisfamily with him as guests. Everyone was inthe holiday spirit, with many of the women --

MMAASSSSAACCHHUUSSEETTTTSS

leadership roles. Our goal is to have the Boardof Managers make the big decisions for theSociety, based on the findings of the commit-tees and their recommendations to the Board.There have been committee meetings inhomes and other locations and the system hasworked well, with greater partici-pation by Board and Society mem-bers.

The Society membership hasbeen reduced over the past severalyears through attrition and thenew membership growth has notkeep pace. The MembershipCommittee, under the leadership ofWill Somerville, Secretary of theSociety, has amassed a pipeline ofpotential members and, with dili-gent pursuit, will change our num-bers for the better. New proceduresinstituted will also aid in theadministration of the membershipprocess.

Dick Patterson and his wifeGini invited the Officers and Boardof Managers and their ladies, to acocktail and dinner party at theirhome on September 18th, 2004.

The annual Fall President'sReception held on November 7th,2004 at the Green Spring ValleyUpper Club was a great success. Itwas a fine time for good fellowshipand another opportunity to intro-duce potential members to the Society.

We are happy to report that the MarylandSociety is financially sound, alive and well,with a renewed spirit for the future.

and men-- dressed in Christmas red, green, orjewel tones. Thanks to the kindness of JoanneFantucchio, the Society's Executive Director,every table was decorated with a beautifulcyclamen plant, in shades of white, pale pink,or hot pink.

Traveling from New York City to be guestof honor and speaker was the PresidentGeneral of the Order of Lafayette, LieutenantColonel Bruce Antonio Laue, who was accom-panied by his wife, Sherry, and his mother,Yolande Laue. Colonel Laue's fascinating talk,entitled French-American Relations in thePost 9-11 World, was warmly received. At theconclusion of his presentation PresidentSigourney gave to Colonel Laue, as a memen-to of his visit, a book entitled His Excellency,George Washington, containing significant ref-erences to Washington's great friendship with,and respect for, the Marquis de Lafayette.

The Vice President of The Order ofLafayette, Commander Robert W. Selle, USNR(Ret.), a faithful supporter of theMassachusetts Society, paid tribute to theefforts of Joanne Fantucchio during the pastyear.

A most enjoyable gathering, the last meet-ing of 2004 also produced the best attendance,with forty-one members and guests present.

Busy Registrar Thomas Mayhew Smith (at left) took time to chat with PresidentAndre R. Sigourney, who served as Luncheon Presiding Officer. PresidentSigourney captured the holiday spirit with his red and green tartan shirt andgreen tie.

12

PPEENNNNSSYYLLVVAANNIIAA

This year marked the PennsylvaniaSociety's 101st anniversary of the celebration ofGeorge Washington's birthday. The dinner washeld at the Union League of Philadelphia onSaturday, February 19th. After dinner, societymembers and their guests enjoyed severalhours of dancing with music provided by theJon Lewis Orchestra. Honored guests includedPresident General M. Hall Worthington, Mary A.Bomar, Acting Director of the NE Region of theNational Park Service, and Thomas M. Daly,President and CEO of the AmericanRevolutionary Center at Valley Forge.

The Society used this year's event to fea-ture another of its rare items from its collec-tion of historical artifacts. Last year theRembrandt Peale portrait of Washington wasdisplayed. This year the society exhibited twoswords that belonged to General AnthonyWayne on loan to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.

The "small sword" was manufactured inEngland, between 1770 and 1790, and was partof a gentleman's formal attire during the eigh-teenth century. It was worn by officers for cer-emonial occasions. The larger sword was forgedin the 1750's. It is made of silver and steel andis 39" high, 4" wide, with a depth of 3". Its urnfinial is described, as follows: Urn finial withpierced upper edge, straight grip with spiralbraid design, "c" shape handle with three inter-locking loops at center, bottom of handle withtwo flaring tips, fastened at center to a castoval stop with elaborate radiating piercingswith linear engravings, fastens to a taperedblade of evenly triangular profile featuringengraved floral decoration on the upper third.Both items were purchased at auction in 1979by the Pennsylvania Society. They werepreviously owned by our late member,Anthony Wayne Ridgway.

some words from General Washington and ledthe participants in the pledge of Allegiance, fol-lowed by a musket salute by members of theNewport Artillery Company.

The Statue is of considerable historical sig-nificance. It is a replica of the famous Houdonoriginal cast by the Gorharn Company, andwas meticulously restored to its present condi-tion in 2003 by the Conservation TechnologyGroup of Newport. The group will be responsi-ble for maintaining the patina of the statue toprevent oxidation. The Rhode Island Societycontributed $3,000.00 to this restoration.

The original statue, carved in marble, wasthe work of French artist Jeanne-AntoineHoudon and was executed between 1785 and1788., and can be appreciated in all its majestyat the Rotunda of the State Capitol inRichmond, Virginia.

by James B. Smith, Historian, Rhode IslandSociety

As is its annual custom regardless of theweather, the Rhode Island Society convened onFebruary 22nd at the George Washington stat-ue in front of the Redwood Library andAthenæum --presently undergoing a completerenovation-- on the famous Bellevue Avenue inNewport. The ceremony began promptly at 12noon and, after laying a wreath at the base ofthe statue, President Frank S. Hale, II read

RRHHOODDEE IISSLLAANNDD

Photo: The Suburban and Wayne Times.

Edward Kellogg. Event chairman; President Leroy Moody Lewis,III, PSSR; General President M. Hall Worthington, MurrayGordon, Secretary, PSSR and W. Jeffrey Maiden, PresidentEmeritus, PSSR.

President Frank Hale, flanked by members of the Rhode IslandSociety and their spouses to the left and the Newport ArtilleryCompany to the right, as he reads words from our FirstPresident.

Photo by Ms. Berit Hattandorf

13

MMIISSSSOOUURRII

Robert L. Grover (in uniform)and K. Michael Smith, chap-lain of the KC chapter, dur-ing the wreath laying cere-mony.

Members of the Newport Artillery Company at the GeorgeWashington Statue in front of the Redwood Library andAthenæum in Newport

The Kansas City Chapter held its annualWashington's Birthday Meeting on Sunday,February 20th, at the Rockhill Club, with thir-ty-five members and guests attending.

A brief business meeting preceded the lun-cheon, during which Dr. Larry Simmons andMr. James Lloyd, two prospective members,were introduced.

Dr. Michael Frost gave a short talk abouthis Revolutionary War ancestor, and displayedcopies of portraits of the soldier and his wife.

Another descendant of the same couple,Kevin Lewis, gave a brief talk about one of theregimental banners from the Kansas Citychapter's collection on display at the meeting.

After lunch, Dr. Frost introduced thekeynote speaker, Dr. Larry Simmons, RN, Ph.D.,

whose application has already been submitted.Dr. Simmons spoke about Medical

Treatment in Washington's Time. To thedelight of those present, it was an informative,interesting and sometimes humorous presen-tation on this unusual topic, with manydetails on the practice of medicine in thoseearly colonial years.

At the close of the meeting, the groupadjourned to the George Washington Memorial,across the street from Crown Center--the siteof the 2004 Board of Managers meeting--wherethey conducted a wreath-laying ceremony fol-lowed by a Memorial Service.

Photo: Stanley Gunnels

IILLLLIINNOOIISS

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The Illinois Society held its Annual Boardof Managers meeting and luncheon onDecember 4th, 2004 at the North ShoreCountry Club in Glenview, Illinois. The guestspeaker was former Illinois Attorney General,The Honorable Jim Ryan. The following offi-

TThhee IIlllliinnooiiss SSoocciieettyy wwiillll ppllaayyhhoosstt ttoo tthhee 22000055 BBooaarrdd ooff MMaannaaggeerrssmmeeeettiinngg wwhhiicchh wwiillll ttaakkee ppllaacceeOOccttoobbeerr 2211--2233 aatt tthhee RRaaddiissssoonn--NNoorrtthhsshhoorree iinn NNoorrtthhbbrrooookk,, IIlllliinnooiiss..TThhee pprrooggrraamm ooff aaccttiivviittiieess wwiillll bbeeggiinnFFrriiddaayy tthhee 2211sstt wwiitthh aann eexxeeccuuttiivveeccoommmmiitttteeee mmeeeettiinngg,, ffoolllloowweedd bbyy aawwiinnee aanndd cchheeeessee rreecceeppttiioonn iinn tthheeeevveenniinngg.. SSaattuurrddaayy''ss sscchheedduullee wwiilllliinncclluuddee bbuussiinneessss mmeeeettiinnggss,, aa ttoouurr oofftthhee AArrtt IInnssttiittuuttee ooff CChhiiccaaggoo ffoorr tthheellaaddiieess,, aanndd aa bbllaacckk--ttiiee bbaannqquueett.. TThheepprrooggrraamm wwiillll ccoonncclluuddee SSuunnddaayy wwiitthhaa cclloossiinngg cceerreemmoonnyy.. LLooookk ffoorr aaddddii--ttiioonnaall ddeettaaiillss iinn tthhee SSuummmmeerr iissssuueeooff DDrruummbbeeaatt..

Photo by Ms. Berit Hattandorf

14

cers were elected through December, 2005:President, Dr. Michael T. Kelly; Vice President,Mr. James F. Barr; Treasurer, Mr. Andrew W. Ill;Secretary, Mr. Bradford H. Hedrick; Registrar,Dr. Donald E. Gradeless; and Historian: Mr.Burton L. Showers. The Society has passed aseries of amendments to its Constitution andhas placed an electronic version of the docu-ment on its web site. The Society President,Dr. Kelly, met with the staff of the NewberryLibrary in Chicago regarding the archiving ofan array of records of theSociety, some of whichdate back nearly 100years.

Illinois Society member, Dr.Patrick M. O'Shea, Director of theDepartment of Music at SaintMary's University in Winona,Minnesota, provides remarks onthe "Music of the RevolutionaryWar" at the quarterly meeting ofthe Society in June, 2004.

FFLLOORRIIDDAA

At the Winter meeting of the FloridaSociety in Lakeland, Florida, on January 15th,2005, President Montes-Bradley inducted andwelcomed Douglas H. Bridges of Miami into theSociety. Mr. Bridges is a member of the SamAdams Chapter.

The Society decided to ratify PresidentMontes-Bradley’s tentative offer to host the2009 Triennial inFlorida, and it wasagreed that thesame should be heldin or about St.Augustine, an areathat offers some ofthe best touristattractions in theState and which has

[left to right) Donald W.Pelton, II, Margaret Pelton,Past President PeterDouglas, Nelson Montes-Bradley, President SaulMontes-Bradley, William R.Stevenson, Doris Bridgesand Douglas HarmonBridges at the Wintermeeting in Lakeland, FL, onJanuary 15th, 2005

Photo by Margaret PeltonPresident Montes-Bradley welcomes Douglas H.Bridges into the Society at the Winter meeting inLakeland, Florida, on May 12th, 2005

a host of places of interest related to theRevolutionary War.

The nominating committee presented aslate of officers for consideration of the mem-bership, and it was determined that theAnnual Meeting will take place in Sarasota onMay 1st, 2005 at a place to be announced.

President Montes-Bradley also informed theBoard that in the past year and a half theSociety has approved nineteen new membersand one junior member with three more appli-cations pending, representing a growth ofapproximately twenty per cent.

15

HELP CONSERVE 45 SIGNIFICANT PAINTINGSOF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

AAnn AAppppeeaall ffrroomm tthhee FFrraauunncceess TTaavveerrnn®® MMuusseeuumm

Fraunces Tavern® Museum, founded in1907 by the Sons of the Revolution in the Stateof New York, Inc., has launched an ambitiousproject to conserve their collection of 45 paint-ings of the American Revolution by notedillustrator John Ward Dunsmore, and mountan exhibit in 2007 in conjunction with theMuseum's 100th anniversary.

Please support this important undertakingby the Sons of the Revolution and help restorethis historic collec-tion of Dunsmorepaintings! TheMuseum needsassistance fromstate societiesand/or individualsto sponsor therestoration of indi-vidual paintings,which illustrateimportant eventsof the war, includ-ing Valley Forge,the Battle ofBunker Hill andthe Surrender atYorktown.

The John WardD u n s m o r eCollection at theMuseum shows the people of the RevolutionaryWar, ranging from the common soldier toheroes such as Molly Pitcher, Lafayette andGeorge Washington; all essential to theAmerican Revolution.

John Ward Dunsmore was a late 19th-early20th century painter best known for his real-istic and historically accurate paintings. Hismaternal grandfather was a soldier in NewJersey's Middlesex regiment. Dunsmore stud-ied with artist Thomas Couture in Paris in1875 and spent the next fifteen years paintingportraits and genre scenes. He was the firstdirector of the Detroit Museum of Art, wherehe also taught painting. He also served aspresident of the American Watercolor Society

from 1923 to 1930. Dunsmore, a member of theSons of the Revolution, served as chairman ofthe Museum Committee for Fraunces Tavern®Museum. Dunsmore himself donated themajority of the collection, first exhibitedtogether in 1915, to the Museum.

The landmark exhibition of the 45 paintingcollection, the largest Dunsmore collectionanywhere, is planned for the Museum'sCentennial in 2007 and will be supported with

a catalogue andpublic program-ming. Therefore,the Museum needsto restore the col-lection to perfectcondition.

The estimatedcost of conservingthe paintings andframes is approxi-mately $100,000 ofwhich $9,000 hasbeen raised thusfar. The Museumr e s p e c t f u l l yrequests yourassistance inmeeting the goalby sponsoring apainting; the aver-

age cost of conservation is $3,500. Please contact Elizabeth Slocum,

Development Officer, at 212-425-1778 ext. 21 forfurther details and images. Thank you inadvance for being part of this historic event.

Paintings Available for Sponsorship: Arousing the Minute Men Battle of Monmouth Bunker Hill: Fight at the Rail Fence Captured Flags from Yorktown Fox Hunt at Mt. Vernon: The Meet John Adams Proposing Washington ForGeneral Lafayette & Washington at Valley Forge Lydia Darrah & the British Adjutant-General

Fox Hunt at Mount Vernon, one of the Dunsmore paintings in need ofrestoration.

(Continues on last page)

HELP CONSERVE45 SIGNIFICANT PAINTINGS

© 2005 by the General Society, Sons of the Revolution,

a not-for-profit corporation instituted in 1890.

Offices of The General Societyare located at

201 West Lexington Ave., Suite 1776Independence, MO 64050-3718

Telephone 1-800-593-1776 • 1-816-254-1776open Monday-Friday noon-4:00 p.m. Central time

Larry Nathan Burns, EditorDr. William S. Christenberry, Editor

Saul M. Montes-Bradley, II, Managing Editor

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLancaster, PA

Permit No. 472

GENERAL SOCIETY,SONS OF THE REVOLUTION

201 West Lexington Ave., Suite 1776Independence, MO 64050-3718

FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED

9. Assists the Membership and New SocietiesCommittee by processing membership inquiries,which are directed to the appropriate officers inthe applicant's state of residence. Member-at-large prospects are sent an information packet toassist them in completing their membership.Application forms are also provided when need-ed, and membership brochures are distributed tostate societies for their use.

10. Assists the Public Relations Committeethrough promotion of the society by e-mail, webpage, regular mail, and telephone. These con-tacts with the general public promote awarenessof the Society.

11. Assists each state Society by providing a widerange of support services and backup to the gen-eral officers and committee chairmen, fieldingquestions, and supplying requested materials.

Those who have visited the office or contacted itare well aware of how busy it can be. The officestaff is keenly aware of the variety and impor-tance of what they do on a daily basis and findseach day to be a new and interesting challenge.

HEADQUARTERS REPORT(Continues from page 7)

supplies of variola were probably in the handsof terrorists who could use it as a biologicalweapon.After 9-11, the Center for Disease Control set upguidelines for all states to follow in the forma-tion of medical teams to expediently and effec-tively vaccinate the entire population of theUnited States against smallpox, if necessary.This would be strictly on a voluntary basis.There is enough smallpox vaccine for everyperson in the United States without cost to theindividual.

TO YOUR HEALTH

Molly Pitcher News from Yorktown, 1781 Paul Revere, 1775 Return from the Fox Hunt The Defense of Fort Washington, NY The First Gentlemen of Virginia The Spirit of '76 The Surrender at Yorktown (Call to Parley) Valley Forge: Lafayette at Washington'sHeadquarters Washington & Family at Mt. Vernon Washington & Members of Congress LeavingChurch Washington & Staff at Ft. Lee Washington Inspecting First Silver Coins

(Continues from page 15)

(Continues from page 6)

CCoovveerr:: UUSS CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn aanndd MMaaggnnaa CCaarrttaa..Concept: Saul M. Montes-Bradley.Design: Alex Manfredini Digital Studio,