Nathan Harris - American Revolutionary War Soldier

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In April 1777, the Colony of Rhode Island took a military census counting all males over sixteen. Nathan Harris, his brothers and neighbors from Smithfield were counted.

Nineteen-year-old Nathan enlisted on May 7, 1777, joining the newly formed 2nd Rhode Island Battalion Regiment. Official Revolutionary War Muster Rolls often listed him as "Nathaniel" Harris, a more formalized name for Nathan.

Nathan was assigned to Captain William Tew's company. Tew was Nathan's second cousin once removed. A November 1777 military record  shows he had already achieved the rank of Corporal, a junior Non-Commissioned Officer responsible for training new soldiers.

New recruits were quartered at Brown University in Providence. They received a standard uniform: a brown regimental coat faced in red, brown breeches, a musket, bayonet, and essential gear like knapsacks and cartridge boxes. After being given smallpox inoculations, Nathan and his brigade began a 200-mile march westward to join Washington's main Continental Army encampment at Morristown, New Jersey where their muskets were stamped "U.S." and they were issued tents, each housing six men.

Beginning in October, both the 1st and 2nd Rhode Island brigades, comprising over 500 soldiers, were ordered on a hundred-mile march to Red Bank, New Jersey, just south of Philadelphia. They took up positions at Fort Mercer along the Delaware River.  On October 22, 1777, 1,200 German Hessian troops launched a furious all-day assault. Despite the intensity, the fort was held, and the enemy retreated with heavy losses. It was a significant Patriot victory.

Patriot detachments were then sent across the river to repair the nearby Fort Mifflin. Their objective was the same, to protect Philadelphia from naval attack. However, on November 14, six British warships sailed up the Delaware, completely overpowering the American soldiers’ defenses. Under the cover of darkness, the Patriots spiked their cannons, burned their barracks, and evacuated the fort.

The weary soldiers reassembled and marched northward, avoiding enemy forces. After rejoining Washington’s Army, the 2nd Rhode Island brigade arrived at Valley Forge on December 19 and began constructing huts for their 335 men to endure the harsh winter.

The Continental Army's discipline and training improved dramatically with the arrival of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian military officer, on February 23, 1778. Appointed Inspector General, he tirelessly drilled the soldiers in close-order formations.

In May new recruits from Rhode Island arrived at Valley Forge bringing much-needed wagons of new clothing and supplies. Quartermaster records list a load of hay received on the 28th of May from Solomon Lapham who would become Nathan’s future father-in-law. 

Soon after, Nathan’s Regiment broke winter camp and marched with Washington’s army eastward into New Jersey as Washington sought to engage the British forces who had departed Philadelphia.

On June 28, 1778, the 2nd Rhode Island spearheaded the attack on the British column near the village of Monmouth, New Jersey. The battle raged until five o'clock, with both sides ultimately withdrawing. American and British forces each suffered around 350 casualties, many due to heat exhaustion. While the battle was inconclusive, it significantly boosted Patriot morale.

After a short encampment at Paramus, New Jersey, in July 1778, both Rhode Island brigades embarked on a long march back to their Colony. Their mission: to assist allied efforts in expelling the British from Newport. On August 9, Nathan’s group landed on Aquidneck Island and proceeded to the hills of Middletown, where they constructed batteries for American artillery in the siege of British-held Green End Fort, just two miles away.

Artillery bombardments commenced on August 21 and continued from both sides for three days. Then news arrived that British reinforcements were enroute. Plans were quickly made to end the siege and withdraw all Patriot forces. Within four days, baggage and heavy artillery were quietly removed from the front lines and moved five miles north to Portsmouth. The 2nd Rhode Island group bravely remained on the front lines, preventing the British from attacking the retreating American army.

At night, one week later, the 2nd Rhode Island quietly struck their tents and marched north to Butts Hill, joining all other Patriot soldiers. The next day, numerous skirmishes and small enemy advances occurred. By four in the afternoon, the firing had ceased. During the night, the American army successfully retreated, crossing to Tiverton by ferry. Remarkably, casualties were few on both sides during the Battle of Rhode Island.

In October, the Nathan’s Regiment moved to Warren, Rhode Island, where they constructed barracks along the river. Some soldiers were also quartered in local shops and barns.

By December 25th, 1778, the worst blizzard of the 18th century hit Rhode Island, famously known as the "Hessian snowstorm" due to the high number of enemy soldiers who perished from its severity. Though sheltered in their barracks, Patriot soldiers faced such extreme cold that some froze to death.

Fortuitously, Nathan was granted furlough in December to January of 1779. He traveled to his boyhood home in Smithfield, just 30 miles north of his Warren encampment.

It was likely during this and other furloughs he had the opportunity to court Rhoda Lapham.

Back at his encampment at Mount Hope in Warren, Nathan spent considerable time on nearby shore guard duties. During this period, Nathan was promoted to Sergeant.

Nathan’s Regiment remained in Warren throughout that winter. Despite receiving sufficient clothing, the soldiers faced chronic issues of unpaid wages and scarce food. Soldiers often had to resort to foraging, hunting wild game, gathering edible plants, and fishing, to survive insufficient supplies.

In June, the 2nd Rhode Island group departed Warren, sailing to the west side of the Bay to North Kingstown. A new camp was established on Barber Hill, offering an unobstructed view of the enemy’s movements across Newport Bay.

The chronic lack of food and supplies for Continental soldiers led to at least nine mutinies in the Rhode Island theater of war between September 1778 and July 1779. The most dramatic incident occurred when men from Nathan’s Second Rhode Island Regiment marched to East Greenwich to free an imprisoned comrade. They succeeded in their mission and later returned to camp, receiving pardons.

In late August 1779, after four years of occupation, the British finally evacuated Rhode Island.

On September 6, 1779, the 2nd Rhode Island brigade marched 30 miles north to the center of Providence, where they were reviewed by Baron von Steuben, who gave a favorable report.

The following month, October 1779, the Regiment relocated to Camp Warwick, continuing their shore guard duties.

Following the British departure from Rhode Island, a large Continental force was no longer required. Consequently, the 2nd Rhode Island was ordered to march westward to join the main army for winter camp at Morristown, New Jersey. They arrived in mid-December and immediately began constructing their winter quarters.

The Continental Army's encampment at Morristown from December 1779 to June 1780 was again marked by a harsh winter.  At this strategic location between New York and Philadelphia, over 1,000 cabins were built, each housing 12 men.

1780 Muster rolls from March to May indicate Nathan was quartered elsewhere and not with his regiment in Morristown. Back in Smithfield Rhode Island, enjoying a long furlough during the early part of 1780, Nathan married Rhoda by March.

Having fulfilled his 3-year commitment, Nathan was officially discharged on May 7, 1780, and within a few more months moved with his new wife Rhoda to Easton, near Cambridge New York.