Lecture: Fred Zilian: The Rhode Island Campaign and the Battle of RI 1778

Rather than being a summer vacation playground as it is today, Newport County, during the Revolutionary War era, was a war zone. In December, 1776, British-German forces occupied Aquidneck Island and remained for almost 3 years. In the summer of 1778, American forces mounted a Rhode Island Campaign culminating in the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29th, the largest and final battle of the war in New England and the first operation jointly planned with America’s French allies. This lecture will provide the background to the campaign and its execution and explain the Battle of Rhode Island and its outcome and significance.

Tuesday, January 7th, 6:30-7:30pm, Community Room, Tiverton Public Library