The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation of the Revolutionary War

Christian McBurney will discuss his new book, the most detailed study of the joint French and American effort to capture the British garrison occupying Newport, Rhode Island, during July and August of 1778. One of the most complex and multi-faceted events of the Revolutionary War, the campaign combined land and sea strategies and featured controversial decisions on both sides. McBurney's lecture will highlight the significant involvement of Boston and Massachusetts in the campaign, including the French Fleet’s arrival in Boston, which led to a riot and then to a memorial that is now part of the Freedom Trail. He will also highlight his research findings from the Society’s archives.

Christian M. McBurney, a graduate of Brown University, is a partner in a Washington, DC, law firm. He is the author of several books and articles on early Rhode Island history, including A History of Kingston, Rhode Island, 1700–1900 and British Treatment of Prisoners During the Occupation of Newport, 1776–1779.