Cincinnati Orderofthe

Cincinnati, Order of the, in American history, was founded by the officers of the revolutionary army just before it was disbanded. Membership was restricted to themselves and their male descendants, and if the direct line failed collateral branches were eligible. It was denounced by several state legislatures as a military aristocracy, and discountenanced by Benjamin Franklin and other civilian leaders of the Revolution, and in 1784 Washington prevailed on the members to abolish the hereditary principle. In several states it still survives, and is recruited by co-optation, but it is safe to say that very few Americans are aware of its existence. The name is derived from L. Quinctius Cincinnatus.