The Col. Burton C. Quist Lecture Series
Don N. Hagist: British Deserters from the Rhode Island Garrison
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.
2025 Seminar Series: “The Underwritten of the American Revolution”
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 is scheduled for June 28th, 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.
This first seminar will feature keynote speakers Christian McBurney and Dr. Shirley Green, with additional talks by Dr. Norman Desmarais and Robert Geake. This series represents a significant effort to broaden public understanding of Rhode Island’s complex role in the American Revolution, bringing to light stories that have often been overshadowed in traditional historical accounts.
For tickets click here.
Butts Hill Fort Leads Off Portsmouth 250th Celebrations
Butts Hill Fort came to life on the first weekend in May 2025 as we collaborated with the Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR) to bring together reenactment regiments from six states to form an authentic living history encampment.
Hosted by the Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee (BHFRC) across two and a half days, the BAR attracted more than 200 visitors to experience troops drills, tactical weapons demonstrations and educational talks presented by authentic period military and civilian reenactors in immersive Colonial era surroundings. Opposing British and American period campsites faced off from both ends of the fort’s interior, where troops, tents, muskets, uniforms, equipment and genuine 18th century artifacts and lifeways were on exhibit.
“Brits Attack Bristol” Weekend
The “Brits Attack Bristol” event was a major living history weekend in Bristol, RI, on May 16–18, featuring ship tours, reenactments, and community festivities. It commemorated the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War-era Bristol raids of 1775 and 1778 and the town’s resilience during those difficult times. The event was designed to be educational and immersive, bringing Bristol’s Revolutionary War history to life for all ages.
This weekend of activities was organized by the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society (BH&PS), the BoRIA, and the Bristol 250 Commission. Funds through BoRIA were provided by Bank Newport, Whalley Foundation, Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, and the Heritage Harbor Foundation. The Herreshoff Marine Museum kindly donated usage of their dock for the weekend’s events.
Historical Context:
• October 7, 1775: The British Navy sailed into Bristol Harbor, demanding a ransom of 200 sheep and 30 fatted cattle. When the townspeople refused to meet the demand, the British bombed the town until a partial ransom of 40 sheep was paid and then the British raided local farms for the remainder.
• May 25, 1778: During the Bristol and Warren raids, British forces landed again, burning about 30 buildings—including St. Michael’s Church—and capturing local men and destroying weapon and powder magazines that were intended for the August Rhode Island Campaign. The raid ended with a skirmish between British and Patriot forces, with the British eventually retreating.
Although the scheduled tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry of Newport had to cancel days before the event due to mechanical issues, Tall Ships America, a BoRIA partner, through the efforts of Nicolas Hardisty, Director of Operations, was able to secure the services of the Nantucket-based tall ship Lynx.
Event Highlights
Friday, May 16
• Newport to Bristol Historic Sailing Education Program aboard the Tall Ship Lynx, a replica privateer.
• Dockside Welcome Reception at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.
Saturday, May 17
• 10 am: “Bombardment of Bristol” re-enactment: At the Herreshoff Marine Museum dock, re-enactors portrayed the 1775 British attack, with the Lynx standing in for British ships.
• Tours of the Lynx from 10:30 am to 5 pm. Admission for Bristol-Warren Regional School District Children was sponsored by the Bristol Rotary.
• 1 pm: “Burning of Bristol” re-enactment”: Starting on the bike path, just beyond Sip and Dip, re-enactors simulated the 1778 burning, moving along Thames St. to Independence Park, where the two forces skirmished.
• 5 pm: Reception and Cider Tasting, with a presentation on Bristol’s rum history by archaeologist Suzanne Chereau.
Sunday, May 18
• 7 pm: Sea Chantey night, with David Coffin, opening act The Whelks, and a whiskey tasting by O’Brien + Brough.
The attacks featured multiple reenactment groups, including the Bristol Train of Artillery, the HM 10th Regiment of Foot, the United Train of Artillery, the Kingston Reds, and the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. Seth Chiaro, Military Advisor to BoRIA, organized and directed the reenactments. Thanks to Jeff Weston, BoRIA Director representing Bristol for fundraising and organizing.
In attendance were Representative Linda Ujifisa, Representative Susan Donovan, Town Clerk Melissa Cordeiro, RI Historian Laureate emeritus Dr. Patrick Conley, and Secretary of State Greg Amore.
Dr. Catherine Zipf, Executive Director of BH&PS, noted that “The BH&PS, with its partners the BoRIA, Bristol 250, and the Herreshoff Marine Museum, was thrilled to bring this exciting moment in Bristol’s history to life. The visceral quality of our re-enactment of the Bristol Raids delighted those in attendance, who were quick to cheer the Patriots and boo the British. Bristolians feel confident that they have vanquished the British for another 250 years.”
BoRIA Educational Updates
One of the aims of the BoRIA is to provide resources for all ages on Revolutionary Rhode Island. On May 19-22, BoRIA volunteers took to the classroom to spread the word about what happened in Rhode Island during the Revolution. Forty Portsmouth High School Advanced Placement American history students took a short walk up to Butts Hill to view the Revolutionary era earthwork fort in their backyard. Many of the students had never been to this important site before even though it is so close to their high school. Their teacher, Mrs. Perry, invited BoRIA volunteers Richard and Gloria Schmidt to share a presentation they created on the Rhode Island Campaign. As a class they also participated in an activity called “Tracing the Battle.” This activity was created by Gloria to show the movements of the American and British forces during the battle and is based on a map created by a British mapmaker. The activity is available on the BoRIA website under the heading of Resources. Click Here.
Later in the week Richard and Gloria visited the fourth grade students at Portsmouth’s Hathaway Elementary School. Their presentation was on the “Background to the Battle” (Aquidneck Island during the British Occupation of 1776-1779) along with “The Battle Begins” (the Battle of Rhode Island through stories).
Gloria has been working on lesson plans and activities to provide material for teachers to introduce Revolutionary Rhode Island and the Battle of Rhode Island to students. All materials are free and available to download on battleofrhodeisland.
Michelle Girasole of Fresh Maps, a BoRIA partner, is working on a classroom resource to bring the stories of the battle that happened during the American Revolution to life! Students can learn about the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island through a short video series, with a complimentary trivia sheet handout and teacher guide. Six historians tell stories of the events of August 1778, when the Continental Army and French Navy attempted to attack British forces occupying Newport and Aquidneck Island during the Revolution.
Author Christian McBurney's Bristol Lecture
On Wednesday, May 14th, the Bristol Historic and Preservation Society and BoRIA presented author and historian Christian McBurney to a full house at Rogers Free Public Library in Bristol. During the Revolutionary War, on May 25, 1778, a large British army detachment of soldiers from Newport landed on Bristol Neck and spent the day burning parts of Bristol, Warren and boats at the Kickemuit River and seizing some 60 civilians as prisoners. The talk focused on Bristol, where twenty percent of its houses were torched. The talk compared the British army’s march from Warren to Bristol, and from Bristol to Bristol Ferry, to the British army’s march at the Battle of Lexington and Concord where patriot militia inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy during its march.
FreshMaps Learning Maps Compliment Re-enactments and Classroom Learning
Seen amidst a flurry of revolutionary re-enactments this spring were children looking at digital screens. Fortunately, they weren’t distracted from the live events; they were learning about history with FreshMaps’ History Hunt demos! After the kids had just witnessed militia marching and musket fire, they visited the Battle of Rhode Island Association table to demo the digital learning maps, watch historian videos and have fun with puzzles and trivia.
Founder Michelle Girasole observed, “The kids really enjoyed having a true immersive experience. It was the best of both worlds for them to see a re-enactment happening, then to play a game to learn more about what happened here in the 1770s.”
This month we also created a classroom resource for teachers, filling in many of the gaps identified in available resources about the Battle of Rhode Island. A series of short videos are the perfect length to keep student attention and cover the important facts, with engaging trivia and essay exercises.
Revolutionary RI History Hunt map experiences are now available for Portsmouth, Bristol, Providence, East Greenwich, and soon Coventry, Warwick and North Kingstown. If you haven’t tried one yet, visit FreshMaps at the following June events:
Wed. 6/11 – Wickford Walking Tour, 6:00-7:30 PM
Sat. 6/20 – RISHM’s Juneteenth event in Newport 11:00 AM-4:00 PM
Sat. 6/28 – Varnum Armory’s “Forgotten Founders“ event in East Greenwich 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Click here to see website for registration links and details.
Upcoming Events
June 14th: Gaspee Days Parade, Warwick, 10 AM
June 21st: 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration, Washington Square, Newport, 11 AM
June 28th: Forgotten Founders Seminar, Varnum House Museum, East Greenwich, 8:30 AM
July 4th: RI Sons of the Revolution 4th of July, Washington Square, Newport, 10 AM
Shared Articles
By Talya Leodari
Agrippa Hull was a free black man who enlisted in the Continental Army from Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and served for six and a half years until the end of hostilities. In early 2024 the Museum & Archives of the Stockbridge Library Association acquired, through a private sale, Agrippa Hull’s certificate of discharge from the Continental Army, dated July 24, 1783 and signed by Gen. George Washington. The return of this extraordinary document to his hometown enhances the ability of the Museum & Archives to more fully interpret the significance of Hull’s life and service and has a treasured place in our collection of Hull-related artifacts that include his portrait and personal items.
How do I enter?
You can enter our monthly raffle by reading any of our articles and filling out the form at the bottom of the article page. Entering the contest will also add you to our mailing list, which you can opt out of at anytime. Winners will be chosen at the beginning of each month and notified via the email they used to register. Limit one entry per person per month. Enter every month to increase your odds of winning!
Congratulations to our April contest winner Matt C. from Bridgewater, MA |
Recently voted the #1 Historic Small Town by USA Today, Wickford Village is a special place to visit. Having just turned 350 years old, Wickford possesses one of the largest collections of “owner occupied” Colonial and Federal period homes in America, visit them online here.
- The circa 1710 Ten Rod Road, which starts in eastern Connecticut and ends in Wickford, was devised as a “livestock drover’s turnpike” with pastured right of ways that were 165 feet (ten rods) wide. The livestock driven down to Wickford in the colonial period would be sold to Newport-based livestock brokers who would have the livestock shipped to the Caribbean in support of the British sugar industry there.
- In the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, due to the fact that most men in the village were either going to sea or working in the village’s 5 shipyards, women and free blacks were allowed to be property owners, run businesses, and be community leaders.
- Unlike Newport, which was occupied by the British, Wickford was largely untouched by direct military action during the Revolutionary War.
- During the war, Wickford became a haven for prominent Newport residents fleeing the British occupation of their city. These wealthy individuals were essentially refugees from their own occupied seaport town, looking for a safe place to wait out the war.
- The Newtown (Wickford) Rangers: This local militia unit, composed of Wickford residents,
played a role in local defense during the Revolutionary period.
- The “Wickford Gun”: In 1776, the British attempted to raid Wickford, but the town used a
cannon known as the “Wickford gun” to repel the attack. This cannon was later moved to Point Judith, where it helped force a British ship to surrender.
- The Old Narragansett Church, the oldest Episcopal church building in the
northeastern United States, was closed from 1774 until 1787 due to the disruptions caused by the war.
- Post-War Growth: After the war, Wickford experienced slow development at first, but by the 1790s, it grew rapidly as a port and shipbuilding center, fueled by renewed trade and fishing activity.
- Prominent residents of Wickford played notable roles during the Revolutionary War:
- Captain Daniel Fones: Fones (1713–1790) was recognized for his earlier military exploits during the 1745 capture of Louisbourg and for his leadership and patriotism in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.
- Lodowick Updike: A major landowner, Updike owned the Cocumscussoc plantation (Smith’s Castle). During the war, enslaved men from his estate, including Moses and Caesar, enlisted in the Continental Army in exchange for their freedom, reflecting both Updike’s prominence and the area’s contribution to the war effort.
- Capt. Thomas Cole served during the Revolution for nearly 8 years. He took part in numerous battles and suffered alongside General Washington through that long hard winter at Valley Forge. He was tasked to assist Col. Christopher Greene with raising, training and commanding a battalion of enslaved black and native soldiers who were offered freedom if they served through the war, more than 20 of his charge hailed from North Kingstown. Cole returned to Wickford a hero in 1782.
- Major Samuel Phillips in concert with Colonel Barton of Warwick led a volunteer expedition of 40 men in 5 whaleboats, and commando-style, successfully captured British General Prescott the commander of all British forces operating in the Narragansett Bay area. The abduction of Prescott was a moral victory for the Americans and a blow to the British and their sense of superiority and invincibility. After completing a two year stint in the Army, he then served four more years in the fledgling US Navy. He completed his service in 1783 and returned to Wickford.
Tim Cranston, Town Historian.
