Butts Hill Fort Plans, Land, Get Clearer

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James Merolla

Slowly, but surely, like the dream that impels it, the Butts Hills Fort, the most significant berm of land in Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War, is being shaped into something recognizable.

High atop a hill at the end of a private road, under the shadow of a wind turbine, and bordering Portsmouth High, only a 4-by- 6-foot stone slab marks this hallowed historical ground.

The dreamers – the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee, established in January by the Portsmouth Historical Society to restore and maintain this historic site in time for the 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026 and the anniversary of the Battle of Rhode Island in 2028 – inch ever closer to their vision. “We’ve got a treasure here,” said Col. Burton Quist, Ret. U.S. Marine, of Middletown, who serves on the committee. “Not only a Rhode Island treasure; it’s a national treasure. The people on Aquidneck Island ought to realize that, and [many] of them don’t even know it’s here.”

Members of the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee, Paul Murphy, Col. USAF (Ret) and Seth Ciaro, also a member of the British 54th Regiment re-enactor unit with a map of the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island near Portsmouth Town Hall.
Members of the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee, Paul Murphy, Col. USAF (Ret) and Seth Ciaro, also a member of the British 54th Regiment re-enactor unit with a map of the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island near Portsmouth Town Hall.

Quist walked the grounds in June with Col. Paul Murphy, Ret. USAF, the sub-committee lead for master plan and land management, along with landscape architects who are reshaping what is the largest remaining Revolutionary War fortification in southeastern New England. It is the only earthwork fort named a National Historical Landmark being transformed into something “family friendly.”

The committee is slowly bringing in experts to remediate this historic site over the next six years. 

“We are trying to restore the earthworks to the maximum extent possible,” said Murphy. “It’s actually like uncovering a hidden gem. It’s here. You just can’t see it. We are bringing in a landscape architect, an archaeologist and an arborist to restore it, as much as we can afford to do as a nonprofit.” 

The work is being done in concert with the town, which maintains the open space on a monthly basis.

Since Newport This Week last visited the site more than one year ago, stone walls have been unearthed to begin a framework. Cuts in the landscape, rediscovering the original site shape, are slowly evolving out of the rocks. 

Much of this work was done on April 23, when Murphy said stumps were ground up with enough debris to fill three 30-foot dumpsters. 

This is what has been forgotten about the site and why it is considered historically important:

 

1776
In 1776 Americans built a fort on what was known as Windmill Hill. After British troops invaded Aquidneck Island, British and Hessian troops occupied the fort.
1776
1777
According to the Portsmouth Historical Society, records show that Portsmouth residents were pressed into service in 1777 to construct a more substantial earthworks fort and barracks for 200 men. The British added more cannons and wanted 300 men on the hill, instead of the 50 they first placed there.
1777
Once the Declaration of Independence was declared and adopted, it became obvious that Newport would become a major object of interest to the British because of its wide deep harbor. The area was cleared of obstructed views to Bristol Ferry landing and Howland’s Ferry, which connected to Tiverton. It also provided a watch over East and West Main streets, Quist said, so if the British, coming north, secured the city, they would control two exit routes off the island.
1778
In 1778, the French fleet was expected in Newport, so the British abandoned the fort and prepared defenses closer to Newport. The Americans, coming over from Tiverton, occupied Butts Hill Fort, making it their headquarters, and laid siege to the British from positions in Middletown. With the Americans attacking from the north, the French were to attack Newport from the south to pin the British in between. Unfortunately, a hurricane did so much damage to the French fleet that they had to go to Boston for repairs. The now outnumbered Americans decided to retreat from the island. The British attacked the retreating forces. In what became known as the Battle of Rhode Island, the Americans withstood three charges by British and German forces and were able to successfully withdraw to Tiverton with their army and all its equipment.
1778
August 1778
In August 1778, the fort was the headquarters of the Colonial forces under Gen. John Sullivan. The battle is noted for the participation of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment (The Black Regiment), which is honored with a large monument in Portsmouth on Rte. 114.
August 1778
1779
In 1779, when the British abandoned Aquidneck Island in 1779, the Americans once more controlled the Portsmouth fort.
1779
1907
By 1907, land around the fort was developed into housing lots. Rev. Dr. Roderick Terry of the Newport Historical Society purchased the 6.5 acres upon which the Fort stands. A large ceremony with military units, cannons and bands was held in 1923 to mark Dr. Terry’s donation to the Newport Historical Society with certain ongoing conditions for its open preservation.
1907
1934
By 1934, Butts Hill Fort was overgrown and the state took over the property. By 1968, the state transferred the property to Portsmouth for $1. Water towers, Portsmouth High and a wind turbine surround it. Even if you miss a turn off Sprague Street, you wouldn’t know what you had discovered.
1934
Revolutionary War soldier re-enactors of the 54th Regiment have been part of many living history events in the Fort
Revolutionary War soldier re-enactors of the 54th Regiment have been part of many living history events in the Fort

“We want this to look like something other than a mere tree line,” said Quist. “We want a picnic area . . . [and] to get enough trees out of the way and look at that battlefield and have markers and a little map of what was going on at the time.” 

Murphy pointed east. “You can see from here to Fort Barton,” he said. 

He pointed north. “You can see Bristol on a clear day. Facing Portsmouth High, you see the other hills where the British were. It is the first time, after Saratoga, that the French enter the war on our side and they do it here,” he said. 

“It is time to change the idea held by Rhode Islanders that nothing ever happened here during the War for Independence,” Quist said.

 Public support for the project is critical. Tax free donations can be made to the Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA) at P.O. Box 626, Portsmouth, RI 02871.

Previously published by Newport This Week in Vol. 50 No. 26 June 30th, 2022

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