Lexington, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

1. Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier Marker

Inscription. VMI and the Citizen – Soldier The Virginia Military Institute program is based on the concept of the citizen - soldier, a man prepared to take his place in civilian life but trained and ready for military leadership in time of national need. It is this philosophy of higher education that has distinguished the Institute since 1839 when J. T. L. Preston, who championed the founding of the college, envisioned its graduates as “fair specimens of citizen – soldiers.” It is a concept unchanged in the long history of VMI.

“The whole history of VMI is a triumphant chronicle of the part which the citizen – soldier can play in a democracy.”President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1939
“The citizen – soldier is the guarantee against a misuse of power.”General of the Army George C. Marshall, VMI ’01, 1945
“No college in America can match the record of the Institute in training the citizen – soldier.”Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr., 1982.
“A strong body of citizen – soldiers motivated by patriotism and love of country is of vital importance not

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only to the defense of our country but to its actual survival as a nation.”Lieutenant General Sumter L. Lowry, VMI ’14, 1983

[ Second Marker : ]
Cincinnatus and the Society of
the CincinnatiLucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was born in Rome about 519 B.C. after retiring to a farm beyond the Tiber, he heeded a call in 458 B.C. to lead an army against Rome’s enemies. Victorious, he refused all rewards and returned to his farm and plow. He is acknowledged as the role model of the citizen – soldier.

In 1783, at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War, the officers of the Continental Army concluded they had emulated Cincinnatus. They took his name and founded the hereditary Patriotic Society of the Cincinnati. George Washington served as the first President General of the Society until his death in 1799. Branches of the Society were formed in each of the thirteen original American Colonies and in France.

The purposes of the Society are to perpetuate the principles of Liberty and Freedom for which the War was fought and to aid charitable and educational purposes. The Society in the State of Virginia established at VMI in 1913 the

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

2. Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier Marker

Cincinnati Medal and has supported other Institute activities.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Military. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 37° 47.384′ N, 79° 26.233′ W. Marker is in Lexington, Virginia. It is on Letcher Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located on the grounds of the Virginia Military Academy, in front of Preston Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 345 Letcher Avenue, Lexington VA 24450, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Shenandoah Valley.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Virginia Mourning Her Dead (within shouting distance of this marker);

Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

3. Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier Monument

Sigma Nu Fraternity (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. (about 400 feet away); P. Wesley Foster, Jr. (about 400 feet away); Little Sorrel (about 400 feet away); The Cadet Battery (about 500 feet away); Virginia Military Institute (about 500 feet away); George C. Marshall (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lexington.

Also see . . . Out Story. The Society of the Cincinnati website homepage (Submitted on May 21, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

4. Cincinnatus

Monument Detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

5. Monument Detail

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

6. Monument Detail

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

7. Cincinnatus Citizen-Soldier Monument

Monument at VMI image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, August 20, 2012

8. Monument at VMI

Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,353 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on August 27, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.