About Us
Our History
The Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA) grew out of an effort started in February 2021 by the Portsmouth (RI) Historical Society to restore Butts Hill Fort, the largest period earthwork still extant in southeastern New England. Started by colonial militia in 1775, the Fort was in succession occupied by British, American, French, and finally Rhode Island State troops. It was the headquarters of American forces during the Rhode Island Campaign in 1778 and anchored the American defensive line in the Battle of Rhode Island.
This history is not just of local importance. The Campaign was the first combined American-French operation of the War. It included militia, not only from Rhode Island, but also from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, along with Continental Line units under General Nathanael Greene and General le Marquis de Lafayette. The Rhode Island Campaign taught both allies lessons that were critical to the victory at Yorktown.
Despite its historical importance, the existence of the Fort has not been generally known, even to long time Portsmouth and Aquidneck Island residents. It was overgrown with trees, vines, briars, poison ivy, etc. One would have to know exactly where to look and what to look for, to find it. The Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) began efforts in April 2021 and scored an immediate success by having the Fort listed on the National Park Service’s Washington-Rochambeau National Historic Trail (NPS WARO). However, it became obvious that the effort to restore and maintain the Fort would require support from far beyond the Town of Portsmouth, its owner. It was also obvious that before we could count on that support, we would need to conduct our own campaign to broaden the public knowledge of the Campaign, the Fort, and moreover Rhode Island’s significant role in the Revolutionary War.
Thus, BHFRC in October 2021 formed a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, the Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA), which subsumed the BHFRC, leaving the Committee to deal with the restoration and the Association to provide the wherewithal to do so.
Our Goals & Plans
BoRIA has a twofold mission:
- To research, document and share RI’s significant Revolutionary War history, particularly the Rhode Island Campaign and Butts Hill Fort; and
- To support the BHFRC with funding and publicity.
Accordingly, the BoRIA established the following goals:
- Participate in the web of historical, educational, military, and patriotic groups interested in RI in the Revolutionary War
- Enhance history education by broadening recognition of Rhode Island’s Revolutionary War experiences, particularly those pertaining to the Rhode Island Campaign, the British Occupation, the arrival and departure of the French, and the Black Regiment.
- Create a website to serve as an exchange of historical information and documentation, educational resources, and events related to Rhode Island’s role in the War for Independence.
- Develop a social media presence.
- Share RI’s story by talks, events and outreach.
- Partner with local, State, and federal groups and tourism agencies to encourage visits to Revolutionary Era sites.
- Fund the restoration and reconstruction of the Fort and provide for its long-term maintenance.
Long term goals included:
- 2026: assist in hosting the 250th celebration of Declaration of Independence in RI towns.
- 2028: host the 250th celebration of the Battle of RI at BHF and other locations
"from whence there is a very fine view... beautiful bays and inlets, with the distant view of towns, farms, and cultivated lands intermixed with woods, together with the many views of the adjacent waters, contribute to make this, even at this bleak season of the year, the finest, most diversified, and extensive prospect I have seen in America."
