WHEREAS, When the Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, Newport was both strategically located and a wealthy city. The British were demanding provisions and increasingly expensive custom duties. The area became the scene of frequent confrontations as Rhode Island colonists aggressively resisted; and

WHEREAS, In May of 1776, the General Assembly ordered General Esek Hopkins to "employ a sufficient number of men to erect a fort at Beaver Tail, upon Conannicut to contain six or eight heavy cannon," to help defend the West Passage of Narragansett Bay against enemy ships; and

WHEREAS, British forces occupied this earthworks from December 1776 to 1778, rebuilding the fort in the shape that remains to this day; and

WHEREAS, French naval forces exchanged fire with the British defenders of this site in July, 1778, but with no damage to either side; and

WHEREAS, Following the British evacuation of Newport in October, 1779, French forces assumed responsibility for the defense of Narragansett Bay and probably occupied this position; and

WHEREAS, This earthen gun battery remains today much as the British left it in 1779. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a tangible connection to our revolutionary past, and a reminder of the prominent role that Rhode Islanders played in our War of Independence; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby celebrates Saturday June 29, 2002, as "Conanicut Battery Day" in the State of Rhode Island and commemorates the rich past and vital historical significance of the Conanicut Battery on Prospect Hill.