Remote Sensing of American Revolutionary War Fortification at Butts Hill (Portsmouth, Rhode Island)

Authors

• James G. Keppeler, University of KentuckyFollow
• Marcus Rodriguez, William S. Webb Museum of AnthropologyFollow
• Samuel Koontz, University of KentuckyFollow
• Alexander Wise, University of KentuckyFollow
• Philip Mink, William S. Webb Museum of AnthropologyFollow
• George Crothers, University of KentuckyFollow
• Paul R. Murphy, Battle of Rhode Island AssociationFollow
• John K. Robertson, United States Military Academy at West PointFollow
• Hugo Reyes-Centeno, University of KentuckyFollow
• Alexandra Uhl, Stonehill CollegeFollow

Abstract

The Battle of Rhode Island in 1778 was an important event in the revolutionary war leading to the international recognition of U.S. American independence following the 1776 declaration. It culminated in a month-long campaign against British forces occupying Aquidneck Island, serving as the first combined operation of the newly formed Franco-American alliance. The military fortification at Butts Hill in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, served as a strategic point during the conflict and remains well-conserved today. While LiDAR has assisted in the geospatial surface reconstruction of the site’s earthwork fortifications, it is unknown whether other historically documented buildings within the fort remain preserved underground. We therefore conducted a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey to ascertain the presence or absence of architectural features, hypothesizing that GPR imaging could reveal structural remnants from the military barracks constructed in 1777. To test this hypothesis, we used public satellite and LiDAR imagery alongside historical maps to target the location of the historical barracks, creating a grid to survey the area with a GPR module in 0.5 m transects. Our results, superimposing remote sensing imagery with historical maps, indicate that the remains of a barracks building are likely present between circa 5–50 cm beneath today’s surface, warranting future investigations.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2025

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: © 2025 by the authors.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3390/heritage8100430

Archival?

Archival

Repository Citation

Keppeler, James G.; Rodriguez, Marcus; Koontz, Samuel; Wise, Alexander; Mink, Philip; Crothers, George; Murphy, Paul R.; Robertson, John K.; Reyes-Centeno, Hugo; and Uhl, Alexandra, "Remote Sensing of American Revolutionary War Fortification at Butts Hill (Portsmouth, Rhode Island)" (2025). Anthropology Faculty Publications. 41.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_facpub/41