Page 33 - Sojourner Newsletter FALL 2022

Volume 99, Issue 4 33

HISTORIAN’S CORNER (HEROES OF ‘76)

“THE SPIRIT OF '76”

The “Spirit of ‘76” painting depicts two drummers—a boy and an old man, and a fifer marching across a
battlefield during the American Revolutionary War. The 8-foot x 10-foot oil painting was created by Mr.
Archibald M. Willard for the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Originally entitled “Yankee Doodle,” Willard began the painting at his home in Wellington, OH. He
moved in Feb 1876 to Willis Ame's studio to facilitate modeling sessions. Mr. Hugh Moser, a Civil War
veteran and friend of Willard's, was the fifer. Mr. Henry K. Devereux, son of GEN John H. Devereux was
the young drummer. Willard's father, Reverend Samuel Willard, was the older drummer. The painting's
popularity led Willard to paint a minimum of 14 "original" versions. The original, substantially altered by
Willard in 1893, is currently in Marblehead, MA.

Young Drummer: Henry Kelsey “Harry K.” Devereux, (10 Oct. 1859-1 May 1932) was the son of
Antoinette (Kelsey) and John H. Devereux. At 16, he attended Brooks Military Academy in Cleveland,
Ohio, and was chosen as the drummer boy for Willard’s painting, “The Spirit of '76.” After graduating from
Yale University in New Haven, CT in 1883, he worked for the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati &
Indianapolis Railroad, and later managed the Chicago-Cleveland Roofing Co. Devereux was fascinated with
harness racing and made his greatest contributions to harness racing although he was an able business
follower of his father. Devereux devoted both time and capital advancing harness racing. He invested in
horses and drove them in amateur races at the Glenville Racetrack, winning more than 3,000 cups and
ribbons, while accumulating 14 records. In 1895, he organized the Gentlemen's Driving Club of Cleveland
and competed with other clubs. In 1908, sportsmen organized the village of North Randall, and Devereux
financed the building of Randall Park Racetrack and was its first president. When Devereux died, he left his
horses and racing paraphernalia to a pair of faithful stablemen.

Fifer: Hugh Mosher (29 Jan 1819-15 Aug 1892) was born in Perry, OH, east of Cleveland. He married
Hester B. Smith in 1848 and lived in Brighton, OH from 1850 to his death. An ardent fifer, he formed a
martial band before enlisting in the Civil War on 25 Oct 1861 as a fifer major in Company H, 43rd
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was dismissed for physical disability on 4 Sep 1862.

Old Drummer: Reverend Samuel R. Willard (2 Oct 1801-14 Mar 1876) was Archibald M. Willard’s
father. He was born in Rutland, VT, about two hours south of Burlington. He lived much of his adult life in
Geauga County in northeast Ohio. His death in Lorain, OH occurred prior to the completion of the painting.

Of note in the original painting is the presence of a Betsy Ross Flag. Both Willard’s “Spirit of ‘76”
painting in 1876 and Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware” in 1851 portrayed the Betsy
Ross Flag. Neither painting is historically accurate. No Betsy Ross Flag or a remnant of such a flag has
ever been found that can be traced to 1776-1781. All surviving artifacts date to the 1850s to 1870s. The
reason for this disparity is due to a story told by Marcus Canby, Betsy Ross’ grandson. He remembered his
grandmother telling him before she died in 1836 (Marcus was 9 years old) about George Washington
visiting his grandmother and creating the flag. However, George Washington never wrote about a meeting
with Betsy Ross or creating a flag, the Continental Congress has no record of purchasing such flags, and
even Betsy’s records do not indicate such a sale. This legend, which we all learned in elementary school, is
the stuff of 1850-1870 dime novels when the nation was approaching its centennial celebration. President
Woodrow Wilson perhaps said it best, “Were that the legend were true.”

The opinion or assertions contained herein, unless otherwise noted, are the private ones of the
writers and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of National Sojourners,
Inc., or any branch of the Federal Government.