In early 1779, Parliament sent a directive to General Sir Henry Clinton, commander of British forces in America, to bring George Washington into a general action at the start of the campaign. The plan was to throw a force up the Hudson River to threaten the vital Hudson Highlands while a smaller force raided the Connecticut coast, ideally forcing Washington out of his West Point stronghold. General Clinton settled … Continue reading →

The Cherry Valley massacre was an attack by British and Iroquois forces on a fort and the village of Cherry Valley in eastern New York. It has been described as one of the most horrific frontier massacres of the war. The raiders were under the overall command of Walter Butler, who exercised little authority over the Indians on the expedition. … Continue reading →

The war was a long struggle that demanded much of the American people. Rhode Island responded to those demands with patriotic fervor, enduring the dangers of invasion and occupation at home, while sending soldiers to almost every major campaign throughout the war. Some of the most noteworthy contributions were made by African-Americans, Indians, and by members of the sovereign Narragansett … Continue reading →