But have you ever wondered why we know it as the "Gaspee Affair" rather than simply the "Burning of the Gaspee?" It’s because that spark that started the American Revolution had little to do with the actual lighting of that British ship on fire.

The Gaspee was an armed schooner commanded by Lieutenant Dudingston, an insolent, overbearing individual. His great delight in life was to make existence miserable for Rhode Island craft, large and small.

Rhode Island, some years before, in a most riotous Manner had rifled the Houses & hunted after the Lives of several Gentlemen, who were obnoxious by their Attachment to Government. In this Year, the Mob burnt his Majestv's Schooner Gaspee, on …

Several lines of reasoning lead to an estimate that the Gaspee raiders used long-boats well over 20 feet long and easily capable of holding at least 11 to 15 men.

We present Arthur Fenner, Jr as an unindicted co-conspiritor in the Gaspee Affair, guilty of obstruction by evading a subpoena. In doing this, we acknowledge him as a patriot to the cause of American independence.

The burning of the British customs schooner, Gaspee, on the dark and moonless night of June 9/10, 1772, has been celebrated as America's "first blow for freedom," pre-dating the outbreak of the American Revolution by four years.

The following song composed at the time of the burning of the Gaspee, is attributed to Capt. Thomas Swan, of Bristol, one of the participants in the affair:

These events are all designed to commemorate the 1772 burning of the hated British revenue schooner, HMS Gaspee, by Rhode Island patriots as America's 'First Blow for Freedom' TM. Our historical research center, the Gaspee Virtual Archives at www.gaspee.

In the year 1772, the British Government has stationed at Newport, Rhode Island a sloop-of-war, with her tender, the schooner called the Gaspee, of eight guns, commanded by William Dudingston, a Lieutenant in the British Navy, for the purpose of preventing the clandestine landing of articles subject to the payment of duty.

[p.250] Samuel Dunn (1710-87) was captain in the Continental army and assisted in blowing up the British ship “Gaspee,” off Gaspee Point, which was one of the events leading up to the Revolution.