August 10, 1775

Americans Take Cannon from the Fort at Newport while the British are Gone

A map of Newport, Rhode Island. At the bottom is the fort, on Goat Island, from which an American ship took some cannon while the British warships were away.

Yesterday [Ezra Stiles wrote on August 10th], the Men o’ War being absent from this Harbor, on a plundering Cruise, one of the Providence Privateers armed by Government (of this Colony) came and took off the residue of the Canon from our Fort, party [particularly] 2 large 18 Pounders & carried them up to Providence, a little below which they are fortifying Last Dec. the most of the Canon were removed.

That was what the Americans did while the British warships frequently stationed near Newport were off getting livestock from Fisher’s and Gardiner’s Islands. Note that “18 Pounders” weren’t cannon that weighed 18 pounds, but that could fire a cannon ball weighing 18 pounds.

Notes

A privateer was a privately-owned ship that was authorized by the government to act as a warship.

Source

Literary Diary of Ezra Stiles, vol. 1, p. 599.

Blaskowitz, Charles, and William Faden. A plan of the town of Newport in Rhode Island. [London, 1777] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/74692105/>.