Richmond's Regiment was a regiment formed by the state of Rhode Island in November 1775, during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

for the defense of the state against an attack by the British.

History

The regiment was authorized by the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

on October 31, 1775. It was organized in November with eight companies commanded by Colonel William Richmond and was named "Richmond's Regiment". On December 22, the regiment was stationed on

Aquidneck Island Aquidneck Island ( ), officially known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as ...

to deter a possible invasion of the vital port city of

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

by the British Army. It was engaged in constructing fortifications to defend the city. The regiment originally had eight companies but was expanded to twelve on January 8, 1776. In April 1776 soldiers of the regiment constructed an earthwork battery on

Brenton's Point Brenton Point State Park is a public recreation area occupying at the southwestern tip of Aquidneck Island in the city of Newport, Rhode Island. The state park offers wide vistas of the Atlantic Ocean where it meets Narragansett Bay. The park ...

(today the location of

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island, Newport, Rhode Island, that was established on July 4, 1799, as a Seacoast defense in the United States#First System, First System Coastal defence and fortification, coas ...

) and fired on British warships which were blockading Newport harbor on four occasions between April 6 and 14. In May 1776 the regiment was taken into Continental Service. The regiment was ordered by General Washington to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

in September of the same year. As of October 28, 1776, the regiment was in

Mastic, New York Mastic is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in the southeastern part of the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in central Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New ...

on Long Island when it assisted

William Floyd William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York (state), New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Cong ...

, delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

and signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, and his family, to flee from Long Island to Connecticut. In concert with New York Continentals led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry B. Livingston, Richmond's Regiment conducted an amphibious landing at Brookhaven and captured 23 of Oliver DeLancy's

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

Brigade and their commanding officer, Captain Jacob Smith. The Loyalists lost six killed and an unknown number of wounded. Richmond's Regiment lost one killed, and had five wounded. The eight original companies of the regiment were discharged at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

upon their return from Long Island on November 6. The regiment's artillery company was discharged on December 1. The four remaining companies were sent to bolster Colonel John Cooke's Rhode Island militia forces then assembled at Newport. In December 1776 Newport was invaded by large force of British and Hessians and the few defenders there withdrew to the mainland. The four remaining companies of Richmond's Regiment were discharged when their enlistments expired in January 1777.So Few the Brave. Anthony Walker. Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Newport. 1981. pg. 122.

Senior officers

*Colonel William Richmond, October 1775 to c. December 1776 *Lieutenant Colonel Gideon Hoxie October 1775 to c. August 1776 *Lieutenant Colonel Caleb Gardner 19 August 1776 to c. December 1776 *Major Benjamin Tallman, 1 November 1775 to 25 January 1776 *Major Caleb Gardner, 25 January 1776 to 19 August 1776

References

{{Reflist Rhode Island in the American Revolution United States militia in the American Revolution

History

Senior officers

See also

References