In May 1783, as the Revolutionary War was nearing its end, the Society of the Cincinnati was formed by its officers, some of whom had served together for as long as eight years, as a way for them to maintain their friendships and provide for their widows and orphans. The Society was named for Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a Roman general who had left his farm and family to fight for his country, as did George Washington centuries later.