The BoRIA Post
The official newsletter of the Battle of Rhode Island Association featuring news, events and Rhode Island history. Learn more at www.battleofrhodeisland.org.
April 2025 Edition
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Join the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) and the Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR) as they collaborate for a living history encampment on May 3rd and 4th at Butts Hill Fort. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, this is a unique opportunity to see how the participants of those historic events looked, trained and united to take on a suffocating foe.
The Brigade will load in on Friday. It’s open to the public Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM, there will be lectures, cannon and tactical weapon demonstrations, mock skirmishes and more. Each day brings a unique opportunity to see what things were like and learn how things happened.
What to Expect:
▪ Interactive military drills and demonstrations.
▪ Authentic 18th-century encampments.
▪ Engaging historical interpretations.
▪ A chance to learn about the war from expert reenactors.
The BAR was founded with the mission to educate the public and its members about the American Revolution and the Colonial Period. Throughout the years, the Brigade has grown into a national organization with more than a thousand members. By putting on spectacular events that feature educational programs and are jam-packed with authentic action, the Brigade is proud to be a leader in the Living History Community!
Visit the Brigade of the American Revolution online here.
Parking will be available at the Portsmouth High School’s Tennis Courts. There is no parking on Butts St.
On Wednesday, May 14th at 6:00 PM, BoRIA and the Bristol Historic and Preservation Society present author and historian Christian McBurney who will be speaking at the Rogers Free Library in Bristol. During the Revolutionary War, on May 25, 1778, a large British army detachment of soldiers from Newport landed on Bristol Neck and spent the day burning parts of Bristol, Warren and boats at the Kickemuit River and seizing some 60 civilians as prisoners. This talk will focus on Bristol, where twenty percent of its houses were torched. The talk will also compare the British army’s march from Warren to Bristol, and from Bristol to Bristol Ferry, to the British army’s march at the Battle of Lexington and Concord where patriot militia inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy during its march. Come hear Rhode Island and Revolutionary War historian Christian McBurney tells this fascinating story.
Christian McBurney has authored numerous books on the history of Rhode Island including Spies in Revolutionary Rhode Island (History Press, 2014), Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee and Richard Prescott (Westholme, 2014), and The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation of the Revolutionary War (Westholme, 2011). Christian is also the founder and publisher of a leading Rhode Island history blog at smallstatebighistory.
This lecture is free and open to the public. Registration is required . Please click HERE to register.
The Bristol Historical & Preservation Society (BH&PS), the Battle of Rhode Island Association, and the Bristol 250 Commission have joined forces to sponsor a weekend of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of two Revolutionary-era incidents that occurred in Bristol, known collectively as the Bristol Raids. We invite the public to join us for a weekend of re-enactments, tours and festivities. These events will take place on May 16 through May 18, 2025, in Bristol, RI. Detailed information and updates can be found here.
The weekend will be anchored by the arrival of the tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry, which will dock at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and will be open for public tours on Saturday and Sunday. The tours cost $10/person and will be available on a first come/ first served basis (no advance tickets will be sold). Visitors can also enjoy other activities on the Herreshoff dock during these hours, including event-related crafts and other scientific demonstrations.
We are also delighted to announce that participants will have the opportunity to sail on the Oliver Hazard Perry as it arrives in Bristol.
On Saturday May 17, at 10 AM, we will host the first of two full scale re-enactments of the Bristol Raids. The public is invited to join us as members of the United Train of Artillery, Kingston Reds, HM Tenth Regiment of Foot in America, 54th Regiment of Foot, 2nd RI Regiment, and the Bristol Train of Artillery re-enact the Bombardment of Bristol at the Herreshoff Marine Museum dock, using the Oliver Hazard Perry as a stand-in for the British ships. This event is free and open to the public.
On Saturday May 17 at 1 PM, we invite the public to join our second re-enactment, as members of the United Train of Artillery, Kingston Reds, HM Tenth Regiment of Foot in America, 54th Regiment of Foot, 2nd RI Regiment, and the Bristol Train of Artillery portray the Burning of Bristol. The re-enactment teams will start “burning houses” at Guiteras Field, located at the intersection of Hope St. and Washington St. They will move south along Thames St. to Independence Park, where they will reenact a skirmish between British and Patriot forces. After the skirmish ends, the Patriots will pursue the British south along Thames St. to Rockwell Park. This event is also free and open to the public.
BH&PS Executive Director Catherine W. Zipf: “We are so excited to bring Bristol’s history literally to life. One of the best ways to learn history is through live action. We hope people will feel the impact these events had on Bristol and come to understand their importance in the overall course of the American Revolution.” In addition to these events, visitors will have other opportunities to engage with this history. Advanced tickets for most of these events can be purchased at www.
On May 31, 1778, the little town of Fall River (then still Freetown) witnessed its only military action of the American Revolution at the mouth of the Quequechan River.
On Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, you are invited to the Fall River Heritage State Park to commemorate the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Fall River with a weekend-long living history event on the same riverbanks that witnessed the battle. The Battle of Fall River Reenactment Weekend (May 31 – June 1, 2025) will feature a variety of engaging activities designed to immerse visitors in the Revolutionary War era and the history of Fall River.
Click here for more information!
401Gives and Butts Hill Fort
The Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee successfully raised $2,245 from donors during 401Gives to support restoration efforts at this historic Revolutionary War earthwork in Portsmouth, RI. On April 1st, 664 Rhode Island nonprofits collectively garnered nearly $5 million through the annual 401Gives fundraising initiative.
BHFRC Participated in American Battlefield Trust's Park Day
The BHFRC had their Park Day cleanup on Saturday April 26th. Ten volunteers braved the rain and wind Saturday and came back Sunday, from Noon to 4 PM for the double header. The entire Southern Battery Green area was raked, clipped and cleared; logs from the 2024 clearing that were inside the parade ground were cut into firewood in preparation for the upcoming BAR Living History Weekend. The hydroseeding has sprung its winter rye mix and there is stabilizing greenery on both sides of all seven segments of the earthworks from the Main Gate to the West Path. The BHFRC would like to thank all the volunteers who made it out and continue to help us reestablish Butts Hill Fort.
For more information on Butts Hill Fort, click here.
2025 Seminar Series: “The Underwritten of the American Revolution”
The Varnum House, FreshMaps, RI 250 Commission, and the BoRIA are collaborating with historian Robert Geake to present a new seminar series titled “The Underwritten of the American Revolution.” This multi-year initiative aims to shed light on lesser-known stories from Rhode Island’s involvement in the Revolutionary War. The inaugural seminar is scheduled for June 28th, 2025, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The event promises to be a rich educational experience, featuring a panel of invited speakers who will share their expertise on overlooked aspects of Rhode Island’s Revolutionary War history. In addition to the presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in guided tours and visit local museums, offering a comprehensive immersion into one of the state’s historical narratives.
This first seminar will feature keynote speakers Christian McBurney and Dr. Shirley Green, with additional talks by Norman Desmarais and Robert Geake. This series represents a significant effort to broaden public understanding of Rhode Island’s complex role in the American Revolution, bringing to light stories that have often been overshadowed in traditional historical accounts.
Donation from the RI Society of the Sons of the Revolution
The Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Revolution (SoR) has generously donated 50 copies of historian Dr. John Hattendorf’s transcription and annotation of a Revolutionary War diary and letters to the BoRIA.
The diary, written by Charles Stuart—a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British 26th Regiment of Foot—was written in 1778 and eventually found its way to Barrington, Rhode Island, through the Peck family. Covering the period from July 29 to September 8, 1778, just after the Battle of Rhode Island, Stuart’s writings provide valuable insights into military operations and daily life during that time. This long-overlooked manuscript now helps fill gaps in our understanding of Rhode Island’s role in the Revolutionary War.
The donated books will be presented as gifts to speakers or used as raffle prizes at BoRIA-sponsored events.
Spring 2025: FreshMaps Revolutionary RI History Hunt Events
Thanks to all who came out to our Revolutionary RI History Hunt Series of events in North Kingstown, Portsmouth, East Greenwich and Bristol over school vacation week! Springtime is such a great season for getting out and exploring, and we enjoyed helping students and adults alike learn more about Rhode Island’s cast of American Revolution characters!
Check out a quick video recap here.
If you haven’t had a chance to experience one of our history hunts, take a peek at the upcoming events in May and June:
Sat. 5/3 – Smith’s Castle Opening Day, North Kingstown
Sun. 5/4 – Butts Hill Fort event, Portsmouth
Sat. 5/17 – Brits Attack Bristol event at Hereshoff Dock
Sat. 6/20 – RISHM’s Juneteenth event in Newport
Sat. 6/28 – Varnum Armory’s “Forgotten Founders“ event in East Greenwich.
See website for registration links and details, click here.
- May 2nd-4th: BAR, Living History Event, Butts Hill Fort, 10 AM
- May 3rd: Opening Day, Smith’s Castle, North Kingstown, 11 AM
- May 7th: Fred Zilian Lecture: Paul Revere’s Ride, Longfellow’s Mistakes. Portsmouth Library, 6:30 PM
- May 9th: Lecture: Rick Atkinson: The Fate of the Day. Colony House, Newport 6 PM
- May 10th: Fred Zilian Lecture: Life on Aquidneck Island during the British Occupation Middletown Public Library, 2 PM
- May 14th: Christian McBurney Lecture: The Brits Attack Bristol Reevaluated, Rogers Free Library, Bristol, 6 PM
- May 16th-18th: 250th British Raids on Bristol Events
- May 31st: Battle of Fall River 250th Reenactment, Heritage Park, 10 AM
- June 1st: Battle of Fall River 250th Reenactment, Heritage Park, 10 AM.
by Gloria H. Schmidt
BoRIA has sponsored valuable research on the construction of Butts Hill Fort by Dr. Robert Selig and Dr. John K. Robertson. I am just now getting around to digesting the reports as I work on a timeline of what happened at the fort during the “Camp Butts Hill” period of 1780 to 1781. This is the first in a series of “Digging In” to the research. Today I am doing a close reading of Robert Selig’s article “Rochambeau’s Engineers at Butts Hill Fort July 1780 to June 1781.” The article appears in the Battle of Rhode Island website here.
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Did You Know?
These facts highlight Middletown’s pivotal yet often overlooked contributions to Rhode Island’s Revolutionary War history!
1. The Landing of the British
On December 8, 1776, a force of 6,000 British troops landed at the Greensdale section of Middletown (area at the end of present day Greene Lane) to begin the occupation of Newport and Aquidneck Island.
2. Occupation and Destruction of Colonial Farmhouses
As all of Aquidneck Island during the British occupation, many colonial-era farmhouses in Middletown were occupied and later destroyed by British forces prior to the 1778 Siege of Newport to prevent Americans from using them as shelter or for firewood.
3. Role of Middletown Patriots during British Occupation
Middletowners Isaac Barker and William Taggart secretly provided vital information about British forces on Aquidneck Island to American Forces located across the Sakonnet in Tiverton and Little Compton.
4. The Siege of Newport
Middletown played a key role in the August 1778 Siege of Newport, part of the Rhode Island Campaign. American forces under Major General John Sullivan established siege lines on Honeyman Hill and bombarded British positions on Bliss Hill.
5. Strategic Locations
Critical landmarks in Middletown during the Siege included Bailey’s Brook, Easton’s Pond, and Honeyman Hill. These areas were used for troop movements and artillery placements. During the Siege, cannonballs flew back and forth between American positions on Honeyman Hill and British defenses on Bliss Hill, with some landing near Bailey’s Brook.
6. Joint American-French Operation
The Siege marked the first joint military operation between American and French forces during the Revolutionary War. The French Toulon Fleet, lent by King Louis XVI, was involved until a severe storm damaged their ships, forcing them to withdraw.
7. French Occupy Aquidneck Island
After British forces vacated Aquidneck Island in 1779, French forces disembarked at Middletown’s Smith (now Third) Beach to occupy the Island.
8. Green End Fort (Redoubt Saintonge)
Green End Fort (now named Redoubt Saintonge) on Vernon Street was constructed in 1780 by American and French forces (the Regiment Saintonge) to defend against a possible British return after their departure from Aquidneck Island in 1779. It served as a key defensive position overlooking Easton’s Pond and the Sakonnet River.
9. Preservation Efforts
Green End Fort (Redoubt Saintonge) was preserved by prominent citizens in 1894 and later entrusted to the Newport Historical Society in 1923. It remains a historical site maintained by the Newport Historical Society.
10. Legacy of Middletown’s Role
Although overshadowed by other events like Saratoga or Yorktown, the 1778 Siege of Newport, in which Middletown played a key role, was significant for its strategic importance and its contribution to early American-French military cooperation that later succeeded in the successful Battle of Yorktown. George Washington once wrote his brother that had the Siege of Newport succeeded, the War might have ended in 1778. .
In 2016, the Middletown Historical Society published a 364-page report funded by the National Park Service, “The Siege of British Forces in Newport County by Colonial and French in August of 1778.” The report’s principal investigator was Dr. Kenneth Walsh and the chief editor was Christina Alvernas, with substantial assistance from several professors and a number of students from Salve Regina University.
The full report can be downloaded here.
Other information about Middletown’s role during the Revolutionary War can be found in “An Historical Sketch of Middletown, R.I.,” a booklet written by Samuel G. Arnold to commemorate the American Centennial in 1876. Copies are available at The Middletown Historical Society.
