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.
June 2025 Edition
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On Thursday June 19th at 6:30 PM, the BoRIA alongside our partners the Portsmouth Historical Society (PHS) and the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati present the third annual Col. Burton C. Quist Lecture Series. at the PHS Museum, 870 East Main Rd. in Portsmouth, This year, Don N. Hagist is the featured speaker with his presentation: “British Deserters from the Rhode Island Garrison.”
During the three years that British troops occupied Rhode Island, some of them absconded. Who were these men who risked their lives to desert from the army and why did they do it? This talk will discuss the individuals who deserted, their motivations, and what became of them.
Don N. Hagist, managing editor of Journal of the American Revolution, is an independent researcher specializing in the demographics and material culture of the British Army in the American Revolution. He maintains a blog about British common soldiers (http:/
This talk is our third annual under the banner of “The Col. Burton C. Quist Lecture Series”, in memory of our late founding Director, friend, and mentor who passed away in January, 2023. This event is free and open to the public and will be filmed for our website and YouTube channel.
BoRIA Welcomes New Director of Military Affairs
The Board of the BoRIA has elected Seth Chiaro as the new Director of Military Affairs, succeeding Steve Gardner, who served in the position for nearly two years. The Board extends its gratitude to Steve for his dedicated service.
Seth brings a wealth of experience from his time with the Rhode Island Army National Guard, where he served from 2007 to 2013 before being medically retired in 2016. His primary Military Occupational Specialty was as an 88M Motor Transport Operator, and he also served as an 11B Infantryman. Additionally, Seth contributed to the RI Funeral Detachment, providing military honors to veterans and their families.
Active in historical nonprofit organizations since 2015, Seth has been involved with both the Battle of Rhode Island Association and the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee since their founding in 2021. He is also a member of the 54th Regiment of Foot, a group dedicated to reenacting the American Revolutionary War, including the occupation of Newport and the Battle of Rhode Island.
Seth is on track to graduate this fall with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from College Unbound and plans to pursue a Master’s degree with the goal of teaching history at the college.
A Portsmouth resident, Seth played the key role in organizing two reenactments during the recent “Brits Attack Bristol” weekend, further demonstrating his commitment to local history and community engagement.
On Saturday July 5th, BoRIA Director of PR Jim Stearns was a guest on WEEI 103.7’s ‘”Community Matters” with host Scott Cordischi. Jim spoke about the RI Society Sons of the Revolution’s July 4th events and how he got interested in helping BoRIA and the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee. The interview was early in the morning. If you missed it you can click here to listen.
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 has been rescheduled for October 4th, 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.
Summertime Boredom Busters & General Nathanael Greene's Birthday Celebration
Now that school is out for the summer, “I’m bored, there’s nothing to DO!” is a common phrase dreaded by parents and grandparents alike. Good news! The BoRIA and FreshMaps have created an innovative way for kids to have fun for a couple of hours while learning about American history, right in our own state.
Pack water bottles and snacks, then download a mobile app to your smartphone or tablet before you hit the road. Choose from five “RevolutionaryRI History Hunts” – walking or driving tours located around the state. Explorers on the East Bay can enjoy driving tours in Portsmouth and Bristol. Explore the West Bay by visiting Varnum House/Armory in East Greenwich, the Gen. Nathanael Greene Homestead in Coventry, or drive-by Revolution-era locations in Providence. Additional maps in North Kingstown and Warwick/Cranston will be available soon!
No matter which one you choose, the kids will be entertained by finding pins on the map, watching short video stories from local historians at each stop, then answering trivia and puzzle challenges to earn points. Download to two or more devices and make it a contest to see who learns the most! These self-guided tours are available on your own time, at your convenience, all summer long. (Shhh… you can also enable the maps remotely, if you need to stay cool in the A/C, but if you have time, we recommend getting out to see these cool places!). Summer Special – $25 per device download, for all 5 maps! Learn more at here!
Upcoming Public Event: Sun. July 27, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ~ free! If you’re looking for an immersive, in-person experience, plan to visit the kickoff event for the new History Hunt at the General Nathanael Greene Homestead in Coventry. It’s a birthday party for our famous general, and not only will the History Hunt be free that day, but there will be re-enactors and tours of the Homestead as well.
For more information click here.
“Wickford in the American Revolution” Walking Tour with Tim Cranston
On a pleasant June evening in old Wickford Village, 45 people were seen gathering outside several Revolutionary era homes, churches and taverns. North Kingstown historian and author Tim Cranston regaled them with stories of sea captains, merchant sailors, blacksmiths and minutemen whose lives were changed by the American Revolution. Depending on which side you were on – Loyalist Tories or Colonial Patriots – you suffered or prospered for your beliefs about independence from England. Families were divided, businesses and livelihoods destroyed. Alternatively, heroes and fortunes were made for risking everything on rebellion. Such is the outcome of war, and Cranston spared no detail as he remembered citizens of the historic village, which thrived during the time of the Newport occupation by the British forces. The video, captured by the FreshMaps team for their upcoming North Kingstown History Hunt, featuring Cranston, is now available on YouTube here.
Credits: written by G. Timothy Cranston, produced by Michelle Girasole, FreshMaps.
By Gloria Schmidt
Did Rochambeau visit Butts Hill? In a letter dated August 2, 1780, from Newport, Lafayette wrote to American General William Heath about how to prepare for Rochambeau’s visit.
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Did You Know?
Did You Know: Portsmouth
- The Rhode Island militia system began in Portsmouth. At the first meeting of settlers in 1638, it was ordered that every inhabitant be equipped with certain arms and prepared to perform certain military duties. At a later meeting, a military company or “Train Band” was organized and William Baulston and Edward Hutchinson named as officers, the first officers of Rhode Island’s military forces.
In August 1638, a general muster of all male inhabitants capable of bearing armswas issued.
- Portsmouth had a British spy, Metcalf Bowler, whose farm was on Wapping Road, and he volunteered to spy if they protected his property from damage. Research confirmed that the spy who signed his name as “Rusticus” was actually Bowler. Among the letters was one of December 12, 1776, in which Rusticus claimed that even though he had accepted government positions in the American side of the war, he is still acting loyally to the British king.
- Portsmouth residents were pressed into service to build fortifications at Butts Hill. In September 1777 British soldier Frederick Mackenzie recorded that “there was a summons to the Inhabitants of the township of Portsmouth, to assemble in order to be employed to work on the Redouts, 17 only appeared this morning at the place appointed. The Majority of the Inhabitants being Quakers, they informed the General that it was contrary to their principles to assist, in any manner in matters of War, and that therefor they could not appear. They even refuse to be employed in constructing Barracks for the accommodations of the troops.”
- The British called it “Windmill Hill” because there had been a windmill there starting in 1688. Today a wind turbine marks the hill. Americans called it “Butts Hill” after the John Butts family that owned the land.
- Butts Hill did not become a fort until the French and Americans finished the enclosure during 1780-81. The British had fortifications to the north and the Americans created fortifications to the south. Rochambeau and Lafayette promoted the completion of the fort because it would be a communications point with the mainland.
- Julia Ward Howe, the Portsmouth summer resident who penned the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, was the granddaughter of Samuel Ward Jr., one of our heroes in the Battle of Rhode Island. He commanded the 1st Rhode Island Regiment (known as the Black Regiment). Their efforts helped to give American soldiers time to make a successful retreat.
- The cannon in Legion Park in front of the Friends (Quaker) Meeting House on East Main Road had been part of important action during the Revolution. When the French fleet arrived in Newport in July 1778, the British did not want the French to capture their ships so they scuttled seven of their vessels and 13 transports. The cannon is from one of those ships, the Flora, which was raised from the harbor but the British again burned the ship as they left Newport in 1779. In 1940 .workmen repairing Long Wharf came across this cannon and it was given to Portsmouth.
- “Wilcox House burnt by fire from the frigate Lark which blew up August 1778”, a note on the Huntington Map of 1779. The frigates Lark, Cerberus, Orpheus and the Juno were along the west shore of Portsmouth when the French arrived. Like the Flora above, these frigates were also ordered destroyed. The Lark’s Captain Smith ran his ship aground and set her on fire. Her 76 barrels of gunpowder exploded and ignited the Wilcox home. Flaming debris landed as far away as three miles. In his diary, British soldier Mackenzie wrote: “It was a most mortifying sight to us, who were Spectators of this conflagration, to see so many fine Frigates destroyed in so short a time, without any loss on the part of the Enemy.”
- During the British Occupation (1776-1779) just about every tree in Portsmouth was cut down for fuel. Some trees in the Glen were saved because they were in a steep location that made them hard to remove.
- Portsmouth townspeople at first voted “no” to the adoption of the Constitution. As a farming community, they were concerned about war debt repayment and “paper money” issues as well as waiting for the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Townspeople began to favor the new constitution when it seemed that the national government would start putting heavy fines on Rhode Island trade with other states. Portsmouth voted for the Constitution and Rhode Island became the thirteenth state in 1790.
