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Granite monument to 1st Rhode Island African American Regiment — Historical Marker Database

Historic Site

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Rhode Island

West Main Road & Route 24 Patriots Park Portsmouth, RI 02871

Portsmouth, RI

In honor of the first Black slaves and freemen who fought in the Battle of Rhode Island

Historical Marker Database

By late 1777, Washington’s army was collapsing from disease, desertion, and supply shortages. Rhode Island struggled to meet its troop quotas. The state asked permission to recruit free Black, Indigenous, and enslaved men. In February 1778, the Rhode Island Assembly passed the Slave Enlistment Act, promising freedom to enslaved men who enlisted. At the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1778, the regiment fought with exceptional discipline and repelled repeated Hessian assaults.

What's Nearby

Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.

Historic Site

Granite monument to 1st Rhode Island African American Regiment

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Portsmouth, RI 02871

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1st Rhode Island Regiment

Historic Site

Tombstones in the Friends Meeting House Cemetery, Portsmouth, RI1

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Portsmouth, RI 02871

1.2354695864834

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A sunlit grassy field stretches toward a dense line of leafy trees, with long shadows cast across the ground.

Butts Hill Fort

Portsmouth, RI 02871

1.6815277804717

Butts Hill Fort

Historic Site

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode

Tiverton, RI 02878

4.9533062105847

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode Island (RI-8)

Historic Site

A rectangular historical marker to British General Prescott mounted on a red wooden wall.

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

6.0276281709942

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

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Marker

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode

Bristol, RI 02809

8.0659878446808

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode Island (RI-3)

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A white stone marker labeled “Green End Fort” stands in a grassy landscape with bare trees and a bright blue sky.

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

11.279348979483

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A white colonial‑style building with a central staircase and double doors is framed by bright pink flowering trees, with an American flag near the entrance and a clear blue sky overhead.

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02841

11.993124969027

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Historic Site

Mid-18th-century Georgian mansion museum with period furnishings.

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

13.208575421211

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Newport, RI 02840

13.333841835088

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Historic Site

A light‑colored historic building with dark shutters and a central double‑door entrance sits on a corner lot, featuring three dormer windows on the roof and a short staircase leading up from the sidewalk.

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

13.392091434151

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

13.622616228344

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

13.622616228344

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A stone fort wall with an arched entrance rises behind a grassy area where an informational sign, an old cannon, and a picnic table sit under a bright blue sky.

Fort Adams, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

15.120785349325

Fort Adams, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A tall flagpole flying the U.S. flag rises from an open grassy field, with a leafy green tree beside it and a line of trees along the horizon.

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI

Jamestown, RI 02835

17.281577016897

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI

Historic Site

A historic yellow civic building stands behind a flagpole flying the American flag.

Site of the First Colonial Navy

East Greenwich, RI 02818

17.293542646909

Site of the First Colonial Navy

Historic Site

A small white historic building with four columns and green shutters stands at a roadside; the sign above the door reads “Kentish Guards 1774.”

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

East Greenwich, RI 02818

17.294285781668

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

Historic Site

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Museum

A small fortress like brick building sits on a street corner, with arched wooden doors, battlements, and a nearby cannon.

Varnum Armory Museum

East Greenwich, RI 02818

17.340588268452

Varnum Armory Museum

Historic Site

Colonial Home of General James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich

East Greenwich, RI 02818

17.384765747599

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich, RI

Historic Site

Bronze marker on boulder to commemorate spot of the burning of the Gaspee

Gaspee Monument

Warwick, RI 02888

21.011711526234

Gaspee Monument

Historic Site

Colonial era 2-story manor house with 9 windows trimmed in white, with 2 chimneys and a red cannon in the front yard.

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Coventry, RI 02816

25.856432146207

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Historic Site

Red gambrel-roof farmhouse built in 1754 with center fireplace

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Cranston, RI 02921

26.969778294012

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A large brick building with white trim and classical details stands behind a tall white fence, framed by autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02906

27.389394718693

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Historic Site

A reddish‑brown historic wooden house with tall narrow windows and an American flag at the entrance stands behind a matching rod iron fence.

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Providence, RI 02903

27.710620969575

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Historic Site

A three‑story brick brownstone building with symmetrical windows and a central stone‑framed entrance stands behind a black streetlamp.

Old State House, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02903

28.180414952719

Old State House, Providence, RI