THE BATTLE OF RHODE ISLAND.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE EVENT BY THE SOCIETY, AUG. 29, 1900.

A celebration of the anniversary of the battle of Rhode Island took place at Newport, R. I., Aug. 29, in accordance with the following notice, sent to each member:

RHODE ISLAND CHAPTER, AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

CELEBRATION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF RHODE ISLAND.

Dear Sir: The Rhode Island members of the American-Irish Historical Society will observe the anniversary of the battle of Rhode Island on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 1900.

The celebration will take place at Newport, R. I., and every member of our Society throughout the country is cordially invited to be present and participate with us in the exercises of the occasion.

Headquarters for the day and evening will be established at the Aquidneck House, where a reception committee will be in attendance. Invitations to be present have been extended the governor of Rhode Island, the state record commissioner, and the presidents of the Rhode Island and Newport Historical societies.

During the day many points of historical interest will be visited. Dinner will be served at 8 p. m. at the Aquidneck. After dinner, patriotic addresses and other appropriate features will take place.

The battle of Rhode Island, as is well-known, was fought Aug. 29, 1778, the American forces being commanded by Gen. John Sullivan. In this battle Sullivan repulsed the British and maintained the field. The anniversary is, therefore, one of note and will, we 47hope, be observed by a very large attendance. Please notify the secretary if you intend to be present.

Fraternally,

Patrick J. Boyle (mayor of Newport),

State Vice-President for Rhode Island.

Thomas Hamilton Murray

(Editor The Evening Call, Woonsocket, R. I.),

Secretary.

Aug. 1, 1900.

In response to the foregoing, a number of the members from out of the state visited Newport and were received by the local members of the Society. Mayor Boyle presided at the banquet in the evening. He made an address, as did also Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn.; Hon. James F. Brennan of Peterborough, N. H.; T. F. O’Malley of Somerville, Mass., and one or two other gentlemen. A patriotic poem was recited by John J. Rooney of New York city.

Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, announced that since the annual meeting the following members of the organization had died: Hon. Andrew J. White, New York city; Hon. William F. Reddy, Richmond, Va.; Rev. Michael Gilligan, Medford, Mass.; Michael Cavanagh, Washington, D. C.; Eugene T. McCarthy, Lynn, Mass.; Dr. William H. O’Hearn, Lawrence, Mass.; Daniel B. Kelley, Haverhill, Mass.; William H. Quinn, Hallowell, Me., and Hon. John J. Hayes, Boston, Mass. Appropriate tributes were paid the memory of the foregoing and minutes adopted expressive of esteem and regret.

The accession of the following new members was announced: Michael F. Cox, M. D., M. R. I. A., of the senate of the Royal University of Ireland; Hon. James D. Phelan, mayor of San Francisco; Francis Q. O’Neill, president of the Hibernian Bank, Charleston, S. C.; M. le Comte Margerin de Cremont, Paris, France; Rev. James C. Walsh, Providence, R. I.; Joseph Madden, Keene, N. H.; P. F. Leonard, Cambridge, Mass.; Thomas O’Hagan, Toronto, Can.; William T. Cox, Elizabeth, N. J.; Christopher S. Ryan, Lexington, Mass.; Capt. James 48F. Redding, Charleston, S. C.; Hugh Ferguson, Charleston, S. C.; Dr. P. F. Gavin, Boston, Mass.; Rev. John A. Sheridan, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; William J. Storen, Charleston, S. C., and P. F. Magrath, Binghamton, N. Y.

It was announced that, in addition to the foregoing, the Knights of St. Patrick, an influential organization of San Francisco, had joined the Society in a body and had forwarded their life membership fee. Congratulations were also announced from the Association Artistique et Litteraire de Saint-Patrice, of Paris, and a communication was received from the committee of the Pan Celtic Congress.

The announcement was made, and applauded, that Hon. Edward A. Moseley, recently president-general of the Society, had been elected to membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, and that Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, of our organization, had been chosen a director of the Bunker Hill Monument Association.

A communication was read from T. M. Bryan of Montesano, Wash., giving a sketch of his great-grandfather, John Bryan, an Irishman who came to this country and served in the patriot ranks during the War of the Revolution. He is mentioned in the Pennsylvania archives and is believed to have been at Valley Forge during the terrible winter of 1777‒8.

A letter was also received from Rev. Fred B. Cole, chancellor of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of Rhode Island, in which he very kindly offered his services as guide in a contemplated pilgrimage of the Society to the grave of “Old Parson” MacSparran. Rev. Dr. MacSparran was an Irishman born toward the close of the seventeenth century, and who for nearly forty years, was pastor of St. Paul’s church in Narragansett, R. I. A vote of thanks was tendered Rev. Mr. Cole.

Congratulations were extended the Rev. Austin Dowling, a member of the Society, on the completion of his history of the Roman Catholic diocese of Providence, R. I., the same containing much valuable material in the Society’s line of work.

During the evening, letters regretting their inability to be present were announced from Governor Gregory of Rhode 49Island, President Faunce of Brown University, R. H. Tilley, state record commissioner of Rhode Island; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Col. D. S. Lamson, Weston, Mass.; James L. O’Neill, Elizabeth, N. J.; Rev. Owen Kiernan, Fall River, Mass., and from other gentlemen.

The following letter, which had just been received by Secretary T. H. Murray, aroused special interest when read to the assembled company:

My Dear Mr. Murray:

Mr. R. H. Tilley has advised me to write you, as a valuable man to interest in a project which should be of interest to every loyal Rhode Islander.

The old historic fort on Butts Hill in Portsmouth is being surveyed with the idea of selling in small lots, and thus totally obliterating the fort where General Sullivan and his troops fought so well and so bravely. Does it not seem as if this spot should be preserved if possible? I believe a bill was introduced into the legislature some time ago, making this fort a state park, but nothing has since been heard of it, so far as I can find out.

Miss Swinburne, regent of William Ellery Chapter, D. A. R., and I are very desirous of rousing among the patriotic societies a sufficient interest to save this well-preserved relic of Revolutionary days. It seems a peculiarly fitting season to begin the agitation, and I hope that some of the speakers on Wednesday, both at the celebration by your own Historical Society and also at the meeting of the Sons of the Revolution on the same day, may feel inclined to call attention to this subject.

I talked with Mr. Tilley^[2] yesterday and found him as kindly disposed to help as I could desire, and he has promised to add his 50word in support of my request whenever he may chance to see you. I can answer for my own Gaspee Chapter, D. A. R., if our assistance is needed, but with such influence as you could wield, coöperating with the S. A. R and S. R. of the state, I feel very hopeful of success in our patriotic project.

I do not feel as if I had at all adequately presented my case, but it is very hard to condense all that might be said on such a subject into the limits of a reasonable note. I hope you will recognize my endeavor to save your valuable time, and read into my words an enthusiastic interest which I have not expressed.

Very sincerely yours,

Margaret B. F. Lippitt,^[3]

Regent, Gaspee Chapter, D. A. R.

Newport, R. I., August twenty-sixth.

The following letter on the same topic as the foregoing was received by Mayor Boyle of Newport, state vice-president of our Society for Rhode Island:

Dear Sir:

At the meeting of the Irish patriotic society to be held on August twenty-ninth, to celebrate the battle of Rhode Island, would it be possible to bring up the subject of the old fortifications on Butts Hill and call attention to the danger which threatens them, namely, their destruction?

Few such spots remain on this island, and is it not the duty as well as privilege of all loyal patriots to help preserve such spots where our forefathers so hardly fought and whose names we honor and revere?

51I hope this may receive your support and that you will consider it of sufficient importance to bring before your society.

Yours very truly,

Susan P. Swinburne,

Regent, William Ellery Chapter, D. A. R.

August twenty-eight,

245 Broadway, Newport, R. I.

Butts Hill, to which Mrs. Lippitt and Miss Swinburne refer, is in Portsmouth, R. I. The fortifications alluded to were constructed by Gen. John Sullivan in 1778, in connection with the siege of Newport and the subsequent battle on Rhode Island.

The meeting expressed itself as heartily in favor of the project mentioned in the two letters and referred the subject-matter to the executive council of the Society.

On the same evening that this celebration of the battle anniversary was being held by our members at the Aquidneck, another celebration of the anniversary was taking place at the Newport Casino, under the auspices of the Newport Sons of the Revolution.

During the evening, greetings were sent by the Sons assembled at the Casino to our members at the Aquidneck. Messrs. Sanborn and Garrettson of Newport, and Lieutenant Commander Murdock, U. S. N., were delegated to proceed to the Aquidneck and present our members a handsome floral tribute. The presentation speech was made by Mr. Garrettson, and the tribute was accepted, on behalf of our Society, by Mayor Boyle. Later, several of our members accepted an invitation from the Sons to be their guests, and proceeded to the Casino, where they were warmly greeted and hospitably entertained.

John P. Sanborn of the Sons, who was then presiding, paid a glowing tribute to Gen. John Sullivan and to the Irish element, generally, in American history. While at the Casino, several of our members were called on for remarks and responded. Thus Mayor Boyle made a brief address, as did Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn. John J. Rooney of New York recited a patriotic poem, and Hon. James F. Brennan of Peterborough, N. H., spoke eloquently of the services of General Sullivan.

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PAPERS OF THE YEAR.

READ BY MEMBERS AT MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY, OR CONTRIBUTED FOR PUBLICATION IN THIS VOLUME.