Anderson House and Its Connection to Axel Fersen

I so love when American and French history intersect.

Michael is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati.  As such, he's cordially welcomed, as the inscription states, to stay overnight at the Society's headquarters, Anderson House, in Washington, D.C..  He was kind enough to invite Micah and me to stay there with him the night we attended the Defiant reception.


The Society of the Cincinnati, established in 1793, is a historical organization open to qualified males who descend from an officer who served in the Continental Army or Navy, or their French counterparts, during the American Revolution.  It is, as they say, kind of a big deal to be admitted.  I'm pretty sure that only one descendant of any given officer can be a member at a time.  The biggest deal, to me, is that the one and only Count Axel Fersen, was a founding member and given the order of the Society of the Cincinnati by George Washington himself.  Fersen, as you know, was the Swedish count who served as aide-de-camp to Rochambeau during the American Revolution.  And, more importanttomadeleine, Fersen was a loyal friend to Marie Antoinette and played a large part in the drama that was her life.  There's more than you ever wanted to know about Fersen on this blog already (fascinating story, really, and you can read about him by clicking on his name in the right hand column, below) so I will stay the course in the telling of our stay at Anderson House.

http://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/