The Institution of the Society of the Cincinnati

The most important and iconic treasure of the Society of the Cincinnati’s archives is the Institution, the document that formally established the organization of Revolutionary War veterans. On May 13, 1783, a group of Continental Army officers gathered at General Steuben’s headquarters near Newburgh, New York, to finalize and adopt the Institution. The Institution lays out the tenets and organizational structure of the Society, the rules of eligibility to membership, the establishment of constituent societies and details of the Society’s insignia. Library Director Ellen McCallister Clark discusses the history and importance of this founding document of the Society.