The Freedom Tree

The fight for freedom runs deep in my family tree. General Nathanael Greene, one of the most celebrated Revolutionary War generals, and General Washington’s right-hand man and strategist, is my Great Uncle many generations back. I am descended from his brother, Jacob, who was also a general in the Revolutionary War. The family were Quakers immigrated from England, and settled in Coventry, Rhode Island, where their homestead remains today on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jacob’s daughter, Julia, married into the Foster family and her great grandson, John R. P. Foster, enlisted and fought for the north in the Civil War. John R. P. is my great grandfather. He also enlisted in the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars. We have a polite rejection letter addressed to John R. P. thanking him for his many years of service to our country after he wrote to request enlistment in the First World War in 1914. He was then in his eighties.

Despite John R. P.’s death nearly four decades before my own birth, I have a fascination for him that led to much research into his life. I painted John R. P.’s portrait in color on a 36” x 40” canvas from a small black and white that survived the ages. It hangs over my fireplace where his eyes eerily follow all who enter the room. His portrait is a constant reminder of his patriotism and his love for and devotion to keeping America free.

John R. P. settled in Freemont, Ohio, after the Civil War. Wanderlust struck again when he moved his family, including my maternal grandfather, John F. Foster, to Denver by Conestoga wagon. There, he opened a mercantile and became acquainted with and eventually became a dear friend of Buffalo Bill Cody, riding the dusty trails with Cody in Colorado and beyond. They sometimes rode with Kit Carson. John R. P. was a devoted journal keeper, and following his escapades with Cody, he wrote a memoir about his experiences meeting famous American Indian Chiefs, some not-so-famous American Indians, and his experiences during the Civil War. Failing to find a publisher for his memoir, he bought a used printing press, taught himself to operate it and printed about one hundred copies of his memoir, some of which still exist today.

After a decade in Colorado, John R. P. returned to Fremont, Ohio, again by Conestoga wagon. He later retired, settling in Dayton, Ohio, as a resident of the Dayton Veterans Home around the beginning of the twentieth century. He was a dapper old gentleman, and when he wasn’t in uniform he could be found walking with a cane in an old tattered, long-tailed coat and hat typical of a gentleman of the wild west. His many war medals, letters, memorabilia and military swords were donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Library and Museum in Fremont, Ohio, so that his descendants might visit to read his memoir and his letters, and hold the awards, medals and swords that defined a patriot.

In 1916, John received a letter from his old friend, Bill Cody, handwritten on Cody’s Wild West Show stationery; it was forwarded to him from Washington to Dayton, Ohio. As far as we can tell, this was his last correspondence from Cody:

“Philadelphia, Pa., August 21, 1916

John R. P. Foster, Washington

Dear Comrade—

Have accepted invitation from Commander W. S. Hull—I will be on deck with a mounted U.S. Cavalry escort.

I remember the incident of when I invited myself and two other scouts to breakfast with the Indians in 1868. Buffalo Calf and hard tack straight. How can you beat it? Come out and see me Monday 29th.

Your friend, Bill Cody, ‘The Scout.’”

It is unclear whether the two met up in response to this letter. What is clear is that my ancestral grandfathers were steeped in American history, were dedicated patriots and were a part of the continuing efforts to keep America free. My own brother, during the Reagan years, enlisted and was stationed in West Berlin during the cold war. He, the only great grandson of John R. P. Foster, carried on our family’s dedication to freedom. We cannot and must not give an inch to those who wish to defeat freedom and democracy. We must fight the good fight every day, if not with guns and swords, then with our votes at the polls. We must make freedom available to all those who seek to experience it, while never forgetting the history that made us free.