Late 18th century American school Woman mourning the ashes of John ... on a background of U.S. and French flags Captioned "DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI Hor: UBI LIBERTAS IBI PATRIA Virg." Oval miniature (broken) on ivory. Under glass. Gold frame engraved "A tribute sacred to the Virtues of James Locock Cusack an ardent son of South Carolina inspired by Patriotism and the Rights of Man, the cause of France, his own, quitted his natal shore, thro perilous scenes, joining the Gallie arms, in juvenile glow and fervour of battleat Brussels 24th october 1794 at 19 years magnanimously fell. Exemplary Youth. Peace to thy shade." 71 x 54 mm - Gross weight: 40g A.B.E. Biography: The astonishing destiny of this young American, James Loocock Cusack, who came to France at 18 for the cause of liberty, serving in the Army of the North with the dragoons. He died in Brussels on October 20, 1794. The Monitor tells his story: "May 24, 1793, year 2. Your newspaper, citizen, is one of the most widely distributed; we therefore ask you to include the following details, which will be useful to many trading houses and interesting for everyone. A young Charlestownian, eighteen years of age (James Loocock-Cusack), of a most distinguished South Carolina family, son-in-law of Colonel Huger, Mayor of Charlestown, full of enthusiasm for the principles of the French Revolution, left his family, his properties, his habits and his enjoyments, to come and offer his services to the French Republic. He embarked last March on the ship l'Heureux, from Bordeaux, sailing for France, which was taken after a month's crossing by an English privateer who took it to Guernsey. Young Cusack was a prisoner for twenty-two days on this island, and after all efforts in vain to disgust him from his project, he was allowed to follow his destination. The young republican immediately acquired a boat, took with him some poor Frenchmen held back by the embargo to whom he offered passage; he abandoned himself with them to the care of Providence, and soon landed on the French coast a short distance from Cherbourg. This young man, seeing a coastline bristling with craggy rocks, wanted to move away to land on a nearby shore, which seemed more favorable. At this retrograde movement, the locals, who thought it was an enemy fleeing, fired their rifles within range, and immediately a fisherman's boat, boarded by several national guards, boarded the foreign boat and brought it ashore. The zealous municipal officers led the young foreigner and his passengers before us. What was our surprise when, instead of an enemy or emigrant as we had been told, we recognized by a number of letters from citoyen Mangourit, Consul of the French Republic in Charlestown, written both to ministers and to many members of the Convention, etc., that we had in our midst an ardent friend of liberty and the republic, specially recommended to Generals Custine and Biron! We made it our duty to introduce this young man to the municipal officers and the Republican Society: he was received with applause".