Episode 7 | The Battle of Rhode Island

With the French Navy no longer able to support the retaking of Newport, the American army on Aquidneck Island must hold their ground so that they safely retreat back to the Rhode Island mainland.

26 minutes | 1778

Hear About:

📜The places on Aquidneck Island where The Battle of Rhode Island took place and the brave individuals who took part in the conflict.

📜The fighting that took place at Turkey Hill, Quaker Hill, Durfee's Hill and Butt's Hill. 

📜One of the most extraordinary regiments of the entire Revolutionary War, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment.

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Key Historical Figures Introduced
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Obadiah Brown

A 36 year old man from Providence and a member of a regiment known as "Sullivan's Life Guards".  Brown fought at Quaker Hill and experienced some of the most intense fighting of the battle.

Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minutemen#/media/File:Minute_Man_Statue_Lexington_Massachusetts_cropped.jpg

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Prince Greene

A member of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and a former enslaved man from Potowomut.  The man who enslaved him was a close relative of Major General Nathanael Greene.

Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans_in_the_Revolutionary_War#/media/File:Soldier_in_the_Continental_Army_from_1st_Rhode_Island_Regiment.jpg

 

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The Men of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment

Made up of formerly enslaved black men, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment was one of the most extraordinary regiments of the entire Revolutionary War.  They fought splendidly during The Battle of Rhode Island. 

Visit Locations From the Show
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Butt's Hill memorial where the fort once stood.
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Desription of what the fort looked like during The Battle of Rhode Island. 

Butt's Hill | Portsmouth, RI

Originally built by the British back in 1777, the fort on Butt's Hill would become the Americans' command center during The Battle of Rhode Island.  The fort was of extreme importance as it was the Americans' last line of defense protecting their escape route at Howland's Ferry.

Maps, Graphs, and Images
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Key Locations During The Battle of Rhode Island

🚣Howland's Ferry - Americans retreat route back to the Rhode Island mainland.

🔥 Interesection of East Main Road and Union Street - A group of American soldiers launched a deadly assault on a regiment of British soldiers.

🔥Quaker hill - home to the most instense fighting of the day.

🔥Turkey Hill - Quickly taken by the British & Hessian forces and was used as a place for their soldiers to regroup throughout the battle.

🔥Durfee Hill (Lehigh Hill) - This is where The First Rhode Island Regiment at fought valiantly at this strategic location.

🏰Butt's Hill - The American's key defensive position that protected their escape route to the east.

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An Impressive Performance by the Americans

Not only did the Americans achieve their objective of the battle of holding their ground at Butt's Hill so that they could lead an orderly retreat off of Aquidneck Island but they also inflicted a comparable number of casualties on the British enemy.

Learn More
Books:
  • Rhode Island's Founders: From Settlement to Statehood by Patrick T. Conley
  • Rhode Island: A History by William G. McLoughlin
  • Colonial Rhode Island: A History by Sydney V. James
  • Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution by Terry Golway 
  • The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation in the Revolutionary War by Christian M. McBurney
  • Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution by Terry Golway
  • The Hessian Occupation of Newport and Rhode Island 1776 - 1779 by Walter K. Schroder
  • Mary Gould Almy's Journal, 1778: During the Siege At Newport, Rhode Island, 29 July to 24 August 1778 by Mary Gould Almy 
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