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In this section of
Gaspee History Page Up

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Go the section on
Gaspee Raiders
for biographical information on the Americans in the boats attacking the Royal Navy ship Gaspee.

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Books: American Colonial and Revolutionary War history or the people involved. We have suggestions for you.

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Copyright Notices, Privacy Policy, and Warnings & Disclaimers.

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This is a history education and research web site of the
Joseph Bucklin Society.

References in brackets [  ] or in curly brackets {  } on any page in this website are to books, or other materials, listed in the Joseph Bucklin Society Gaspee Bibliography, or to materials held by the Joseph Bucklin Society.

The above image is courtesy of the United States Naval War College Museum. On our inquiry as to artist or other particulars of the image, the archivist only could tell us: "The image came from a 35 mm slide I found in the archives of the Naval War College, which according to the staff at the time was taken from a painting in their collection. This was many years ago - no attribution was available save for the fact that it was from the archives of the War College."

The reason we say that it is a "good picture" is that is gives a correct feeling of the history involved. The artist has the correct size and rigging for the Gaspee and a correct size (big enough for five pairs of oars) and shape for the longboats.  Many of the pictures that have been drawn to portray the event have the longboats too small and the Gaspee too big. 

Our only complaint on historical accuracy is that when the ship was fired by the departing raiders, only one longboat was in the immediate area of the Gaspee.  The others had departed with the captured crew of the Gaspee and otherwise had already generally left the scene.  At the time the flames would have reached the scope shown in the picture, all the longboats would be out of the area.  The raiders watched the burning of the ship from afar.

Go to a narrative of the capture and burning of the Gaspee.


The Naval War College Museum, Naval War College, 686 Cushing Road, Newport, RI. of course, is the place to find much of interest regarding the naval history of Rhode Island.  While the Museum is primarily for the education and the edification of the officers attending the United States Naval War College, it is in a larger sense the corporate memory of the Navy in the region, and it serves as a clearinghouse for naval history information in New England. Further information on accessing items if you are a researcher, write to: Director, Naval War College Museum, Naval War College, 686 Cushing Road, Newport, RI 02841-1207, or telephone (401) 841-4052/2101 (DSN 948-4052/2101, or e-mail: museum@usnwc.edu  Reservations and photo identification are necessary for entry onto the Naval Station. Visitors must stop at the Pass Office before proceeding to Gate 1.