Rhode Island Ship Medal
In the Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a medal simply titled “Rhode Island Ship Medal.” It dates to c. 1779 and was manufactured in England. It is made of tinted brass and features Dutch inscriptions on both sides of the medal [1]. Close examination of the medal and the event it depicts—the Battle of Rhode Island—illustrates increased British desperation in the quickly escalating American rebellion.
The Rhode Island ship medal at first glance bears resemblance to a coin, although it is not legal tender of any kind. The medal was cast in England around 1779 and depicts British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship on the obverse [2]. On the reverse, the medal depicts the Continental Army fleeing across Aquidneck Island in the face of the British Navy [3]. The medal makes a powerful statement regarding the comparative strength of the British and American navies by depicting the British fleet as comprised of impressive men-of-war while its American counterpart seems to be comprised largely of canoe-like vessels.
The medal originated in England, however the inscriptions are Dutch. The inscription on the obverse simply identifies the ship as the flagship of British Admiral Howe, while the inscription on the reverse reads “The flight of the Americans from Rhode Island, August 1778” in Dutch [4]. The medal directly refers to the Battle of Rhode Island, which took place on August 29th, 1778. The Battle of Rhode Island—also known as the Siege of Newport or the Battle of Quaker Hill. A letter possibly written by British Commander Sir Robert Pigot—the overall commander of British forces in the Battle of Rhode Island—was published in the Providence Gazette with commentary from an anonymous “American Officer” [5]. According to the letter, the battle opened as one of the first joint offensives by American and French forces, as the French had recently entered the war on the side of the Americans. The French fleet deployed “rebel” troops who took position on Quaker Hill [6]. To summarize events, the battle was split into two sections: one which largely took place on Quaker Hill and the other which took place on a nearby hill called Turkey Hill [7]. In addition to the presence of French military forces, the battle featured a large number of Hessian soldiers cooperating with British soldiers [8]. This highlights the extent to which the American War of Independence had expanded beyond the original thirteen colonies. Of the four combatant armies present at the Battle of Rhode Island, two were European powers which were not originally involved in the conflict.
The Battle of Rhode Island ended in a modest victory for the British. The joint American-French forces withdrew inland and thereby surrendered control of Newport and Aquidneck Island. General Pigot in his letter reports 256 casualties, although the American Officer decries this as a gross exaggeration of British success and asserts that actual British losses were 1023 [9].
Given the events of the battle, the purpose of the Dutch inscription on the reverse becomes clear. The medal is propaganda intended to dissuade the Dutch from taking any action against the British in the American War of Independence. Specifically, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation states that the medal was struck to attempt to convince the Dutch not to sign the Treat of Armed Neutrality [10]. During the War of American Independence, the British instituted a very liberal search and seizure policy, in which they asserted their right to search all neutral shipping and inspect it for French contraband bound for the new world. The Treaty of Armed Neutrality, comprised of Russia, Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal and others challenged the legitimacy of this practice and responded by arming their merchant convoys [11]. As evidenced by the production of the medal, the British were concerned about the Dutch signing the Treaty of Armed Neutrality, and struck the medal as a propaganda campaign to attempt to prevent that from happening.
The medal reveals much about how the British believed the Battle of Rhode Island could be used to strengthen their position in Europe. As a maritime trading power, the Dutch would no doubt have been very concerned with the control of important trading centers throughout the Atlantic. The fact that the British considered the Battle of Rhode Island consequential enough to potentially dissuade the Dutch from confronting them likely speaks to the prominence of Newport in Atlantic trading networks. The medal is also telling in its omissions. Despite being struck with a Dutch audience in mind, the medal makes no explanation of where or what Rhode Island is [12]. The fact that Rhode Island is mentioned on the medal by name and without additional explanation indicates that the manufacturer expected the Dutch recipient to already be familiar with Rhode Island, again suggesting that it played an important role in trading networks. Furthermore, the medal makes no indication that the French were involved in the Battle of Rhode Island at all [13]. Although the Battle of Newport was a joint effort by both American and French troops, the French are entirely absent from depiction on the medal. It is very likely that the British manufacturer of the medal did not want to draw attention to the fact that he French were now actively supporting the American rebels in the war, as this would likely lead the Dutch to feel more secure in confronting the British.
The medal is a manifestation of how quickly the American War of Independence, regarded by the British as no more than a simple rebellion, was spiraling out of control and developing into an increasingly bigger problem for the British government. The Battle of Rhode Island demonstrates that the war had expanded to include European states which were originally uninvolved. The medal itself reflects a fear that the Dutch, too, would soon act against British interests. The commissioning of a Dutch-language medal as propaganda demonstrates that the British took serious measures to prevent this from occurring, indicating their need to inhibit the further escalation of the conflict.
[1] "Rhode Island Ship Medal." Colonial Williamsburg Online Collections, accessed March 02, 2017, http://emuseum.history.org/view/objects/asitem/search@/0/title-asc?t%3Astate%3Aflow=a8348ad5-dbb9-4c54-abf6-ded15b06c25c.
[2] "Rhode Island Ship Medal"
[3] "Rhode Island Ship Medal"
[4] "Rhode Island Ship Medal"
[5] "The Several Printers in the United States Are Requested to Publish (with General Pigot's Letter To Sir Henry Clinton of the 31st of August) the following Observations," The Providence Gazette and Country Journal (Providence, Rhode Island), February 1, 1779, accessed March 1, 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1056B0AD31E115AC).
[6] "The Several Printers"
[7] "The Several Printers'
[8] "The Several Printers"
[9] "The Several Printers'
[10] "Rhode Island Ship Medal"
[11] John Cannon,A Dictionary of British History: Oxford University Press, 2009, accessed March 1, 2017. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199550371.001.0001/acref-9780199550371
[12] "Rhode Island Ship Medal"
[13] "Rhode Island Ship Medal'
Bibliography
Cannon, John. A Dictionary of British History: Oxford University Press, 2009. Accessed March 1, 2017. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199550371.001.0001/acref-9780199550371
"Rhode Island Ship Medal." Colonial Williamsburg Online Collections. Accessed March 02, 2017. http://emuseum.history.org/view/objects/asitem/search@/0/title-asc?t%3Astate%3Aflow=a8348ad5-dbb9-4c54-abf6-ded15b06c25c.
"The Several Printers in the United States Are Requested to Publish (with General Pigot's Letter To Sir Henry Clinton of the 31st of August) the following Observations." The Providence Gazette and Country Journal (Providence, Rhode Island), February 1, 1779. Accessed March 1, 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1056B0AD31E115AC).
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