East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical area and the Greater Boston combined statistical area.
James Mitchell Varnum was an American legislator, lawyer, general in the Continental Army, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country.
The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is today's Massachusetts National Guard evolved through many different forms. Originally founded as a defensive militia for Puritan colonists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the militia evolved into a highly organized and armed fighting force. The Massachusetts militia served as a central organ of the New England revolutionary fighting force during the early American Revolution and a major component in the Continental Army under George Washington.
The Newport Artillery Company of Newport, Rhode Island was chartered in 1741 by the Rhode Island General Assembly during the reign of King George II of Great Britain. It is the oldest military unit in the United States operating under its original charter, and the company maintains a museum in its historic armory. The company has served in wars ranging from the French and Indian War to the First World War. Individual members of the Company have served in every war fought by the United States.
The Armory of the Kentish Guards is a historic armory at Armory and Peirce Streets in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and is currently home to the Kentish Guards, a historic Rhode Island Independent Military Organization.
East Greenwich Historic District is a historic district encompassing the historic commercial and civic heart of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, United States. The district bounded on the east by Greenwich Cove, an inlet on Narrangansett Bay, on the south by London and Spring Streets, on the west roughly by Park Street, and on the north by Division Street. The district extends westward on Division Street as far Dark Entry Brook, and the district properties on its north side now lie in the city of Warwick. East Greenwich was settled in 1677 with its town center growing in the district, with a rural farm landscape to the west. The area's road network had begun to take shape by the mid-18th century, and the town center was industrialized in the 19th century.
The Colonel Micah Whitmarsh House is an historic house in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The 2-1/2 story Greek Revival style brick house was built c. 1767-1771 by John Reynolds, and acquired in 1773 by Micah Whitmarsh, a founding member of the local Kentish Guards militia, which are located nearby in the Armory of the Kentish Guards. It is distinctive as the only brick house on Main Street. It has been owned since 1966 by the East Greenwich Historical Society.
The Warwick Civic Center Historic District is a historic district encompassing three buildings at the civic heart of Warwick, Rhode Island.
The General James Mitchell Varnum House is an historic house at 57 Peirce Street in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The 2-1/2 story wood frame house was built in 1773 for James Mitchell Varnum, who later served as a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. It is five bays wide, with two interior brick chimneys. Its main entry is sheltered by a portico supported by fluted Ionic columns and pilasters. A 19th-century addition extends from the rear of the main block. Notable later residents of the house include George A. Brayton, who served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The house was purchased in 1939 by the Varnum Continentals, and has since served as a museum.
Christopher Greene was an American legislator and soldier. He is best known for leading the spirited defense of Fort Mercer in the 1777 Battle of Red Bank, and for leading the African American 1st Rhode Island Regiment during the American Revolutionary War, most notably with distinction in the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island. He was killed in May 1781 at the Battle of Pine's Bridge by Loyalists, possibly because he was known to lead African American troops.
The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) is the land force militia for the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It operates under Title 10 and Title 32 of the United States Code and operates under the command of the state governor while not in federal service. National Guard units may function under arms in a state status, therefore they may be called up for active duty by the governor to help respond to domestic emergencies and disasters, such as those caused by hurricanes, floods, or civil unrest.
The First Corps of Cadets of Massachusetts formed in 1741. Its motto is Monstrat Viam - "It Points the Way." While it has served in several wars, the sub-unit's primary contribution to Massachusetts and to the United States was as an officer-producing institution for new regiments from the Revolutionary War through World War II.
The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, known as UTA, is a member of the Rhode Island Historic Commands, and takes part in many reenactments and state events. The unit was raised during the American Revolutionary War from the Fusiliers of Providence and the Artillery Company of Providence, making it one of the largest artillery units in Rhode Island. They fought at the Battle of Rhode Island and many other battles in the American Revolutionary War. The unit used a distinctive flag which featured a coiled timber rattlesnake with the motto "Do Not Tread On Me", above an anchor and the motto "In God We Hope", and a pair of cannons. The motif was surrounded by thirteen stars on a field of gold. This flag is one of the earliest uses of a rattlesnake on a flag and may have been the basis for the Gadsden flag. It is also one of the first uses of a circle of 13 stars to represent the thirteen colonies.
The Rhode Island State Guard is the currently inactive state defense force of Rhode Island. As a state defense force, the Rhode Island State Guard served as a state military unit which assumed the stateside duties of the Rhode Island National Guard when the National Guard was in federal service. However, unlike the National Guard, the State Guard, when organized, answers solely to the Governor of Rhode Island and by law cannot be federalized or deployed outside the borders of Rhode Island.
Thomas Holden was a general in the American Revolutionary War and later a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Holden was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, and was a farmer there. He joined Varnum's Regiment in 1775 as a captain and the following year served with the Rhode Island Brigade. Holden became a Rhode Island militia colonel in 1778 and fought in the Newport Campaign that year. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1788 and 1789 and promoted to brigadier general in the militia in 1779 and to major general in 1790. Holden served as a justice of the state supreme court from 1797 until 1801.
The 243rd Coast Artillery Regiment was a Coast Artillery Corps regiment in the Rhode Island National Guard. It garrisoned the Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island 1924–1944.
The Rhode Island Independent Military Organizations are a group of independently-operated chartered militias in the state of Rhode Island, most of whose histories date back to the state's colonial and revolutionary history. Under Rhode Island law, they are considered part of state's organized militia forces but are explicitly distinct from Rhode Island's National Guard, State Guard, and Naval Militia. In the modern day, these organizations are largely ceremonial and educational in purpose, though are sometime called up for active civil service in minor capacities.
Gloucester Light Infantry is an active independent military organization of the Rhode Island militia that was founded in 1774 and currently serves primarily as a ceremonial honor guard and educational group. The Gloucester Light Infantry operates an armory museum behind the town hall at 33 Dorr Drive in Chepachet, Rhode Island which was the former ell of the Chepachet Elementary School.
The Pawtuxet Rangers is an active independent military organization of the Rhode Island militia that was founded in 1774 and currently serves primarily as a ceremonial honor guard and as historic educators. The Pawtuxet Rangers operates an armory museum in historic Pawtuxet village in Warwick, Rhode Island.
The Warren Federal Blues is an active independent military organization of the Rhode Island militia that was founded in 1798 and currently serves primarily as a ceremonial honor guard and as historic educational organization in Warren, Rhode Island. The Warren Federal Blues operate a historic armory museum at 11 Jefferson Street in Warren, which was built in 1842.
