Life in Newport During the British Army Occupation (NEW DATE: May 14)

With the British Army forced to leave Boston in March 1776, General Howe ordered the occupation of Newport, Rhode Island, starting December 8, 1776, seizing its vital deep-water harbor for a naval base. With approximately 7,000 British and Hessian troops fortifying Aquidneck Island until October 1779, the British were able to interrupt maritime trade between Boston and New York. Learn what life was like for the residents who faced shortages, overcrowding, forced quartering of British and Hessian troops and restrictions on movement. Patriot and Loyalist sentiments created deep community divisions. This lecture is a part of a series commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Revolution.

Murray Norcross