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Learn About The Battle of Rhode Island
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Turkey Hill
At 8 AM the British forces under the command of Von Der Malsburg chased Col. John Laurens and his American troops. There were skirmishes up West (Main) Road as the two sides made contact.

The Mackenzie Diaries
Frederick Mackenzie’s Diary is a valuable source for information on the British Occupation of Rhode Island (Aquidneck Island). He began writing his diary in 1748…

The Gaspee Affair: A Rhode Island Perspective on Its 250th Anniversary
“In a certain sense, the War for Independence began at sea when patriots clashed with the British on Narragansett Bay some two years before the momentous engagements at Lexington and Concord…”

The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee
With but few exceptions, it has usually been surmised by historians that the 1772 attack on the Royal Navy schooner Gaspee was a spontaneous response to the accidental grounding of the King’s vessel…

The Aftermath of the Battle
August 30th. “A Cloudy morning and the wind very high it rained a Considerable in the night the Enemy Remained on their Ground this morning two English friggats Came up yesterday

Skirmish Timelines & Maps
Action in the Battle of Rhode Island took place along what we call East and West Main Roads. It was the East Road and West Road to them. Sometimes there were two or more actions going on at approximately the same time.

Skirmish at West Main Road and Union Street
The first skirmish in the Battle of Rhode Island was around 7AM on August, 29, 1778.

Skirmish at East Main Road and Union Street
Early the morning of August, 29, 1778, British General Pigot sent General Smith up the East (Main) Road toward Quaker Hill.

Significant People
Some of those young soldiers who fought in the Battle of Rhode Island or participated in the Siege of Newport went on to brilliant careers.

Quaker Hill
After a skirmish with Wade’s American forces, British General Smith and the 43rd Regiment pushed up Middle Road while the 22nd Regiment proceeded up East Main Road.

Butts Hill Fort: A History
The Americans called this area “Butts Hill” after the John Butts family that held the land when the war began.

Militia Fortifications on Rhode Island
At the beginning of the War for Independence, Rhode Island’s active military force consisted of companies of “Train Bands” and independent militias.

Introduction to Occupation
The British had ample reason to invade and occupy Aquidneck Island (called Rhode Island at that time). Newport had a fine harbor from which the British fleet could raid up and down the coast…

Occupation of Middletown: Patriot Raid Captures British General Prescott
Two hundred forty-five years ago, a band of American soldiers, led by Lt. Col. William Barton, conducted a daring raid on Aquidneck Island during the British occupation.

Portsmouth
The Portsmouth landscape was beautiful before the Occupation. British officer Frederick Mackenzie was quartered there, and his December 16th, 1776 journal entry described the beauty of the local area, even in winter…

The Mackenzie Diaries
Frederick Mackenzie’s Diary is a valuable source for information on the British Occupation of Rhode Island (Aquidneck Island). He began writing his diary in 1748…

Turkey Hill
At 8 AM the British forces under the command of Von Der Malsburg chased Col. John Laurens and his American troops. There were skirmishes up West (Main) Road as the two sides made contact.

The Gaspee Affair: A Rhode Island Perspective on Its 250th Anniversary
“In a certain sense, the War for Independence began at sea when patriots clashed with the British on Narragansett Bay some two years before the momentous engagements at Lexington and Concord…”

The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee
With but few exceptions, it has usually been surmised by historians that the 1772 attack on the Royal Navy schooner Gaspee was a spontaneous response to the accidental grounding of the King’s vessel…

The Aftermath of the Battle
August 30th. “A Cloudy morning and the wind very high it rained a Considerable in the night the Enemy Remained on their Ground this morning two English friggats Came up yesterday

Skirmish Timelines & Maps
Action in the Battle of Rhode Island took place along what we call East and West Main Roads. It was the East Road and West Road to them. Sometimes there were two or more actions going on at approximately the same time.

Skirmish at West Main Road and Union Street
The first skirmish in the Battle of Rhode Island was around 7AM on August, 29, 1778.

Skirmish at East Main Road and Union Street
Early the morning of August, 29, 1778, British General Pigot sent General Smith up the East (Main) Road toward Quaker Hill.

Significant People
Some of those young soldiers who fought in the Battle of Rhode Island or participated in the Siege of Newport went on to brilliant careers.

Quaker Hill
After a skirmish with Wade’s American forces, British General Smith and the 43rd Regiment pushed up Middle Road while the 22nd Regiment proceeded up East Main Road.

Patriot’s Retreat to Tiverton
Sullivan justifies the retreat:
“Lord Howe and his fleet were approaching…”

French Arrival and Departure: Introduction
On July 29, 1778 a French squadron sailed into Narragansett Bay. It created a military alliance between the United States and France against Great Britain. On the American side it was negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee.
![Plan de Rhodes-Island, et position de l'armée françoise a Newport. [1780] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress](https://boria.staging.boone.design/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Plan-de-Rhodes-Island.jpeg)
French Arrival and Departure: Arrival
On July 11, 1780 a squadron of French warships approached Newport. Their journey was started on February 2, 1780…