Service During The American Revolution
At the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, Colonel West was placed second in command of the Rhode Island Militia under Esek Hopkins, and West served as a brigadier general from 1775 to 1777. From January to March 1776, West assumed command at Rhode Island (Aquidneck Island) which was then under siege from the British warships in Narragansett Bay. As general, his main task was to root out Tories who were supplying the British. In March, he resigned the command at Newport in disgust after the Rhode Island legislature freed several imprisoned Newport Tory leaders, such as Joseph Wanton, Jr..
When the British army finally occupied Newport in December 1776, West retreated to Bristol with the militia. During the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778, General West led the Rhode Island militia in the unsuccessful invasion of Aquidneck Island. His troops served as reserves for the regular Continental troops and provided cover during the retreat.
West played an active role in the affairs of his town throughout the Revolution. On May 4, 1776, as a Scituate representative, West signed Rhode Island's declaration of independence, which preceded the American Declaration of Independence by two months. He was put in charge of raising troops in the Scituate in 1777 and served on various committees concerning the British blockade, army blankets, salt rationing and firearms. West was made again made brigadier general of the Providence County brigade in 1779. General West was also purported to have invested in privateers during the war. Two cargoes were lost, which supposedly damaged his finances.
West was also several times chosen as the moderator of the town, as he was allegedly a man of "intelligence, and a marked degree of enterprise." During the war, West was elected Deputy Governor of Rhode Island and served from May 1780 to May 1781. As Deputy Governor, West served on a committee which was integral to the formation of the state of Vermont. Westfield, Vermont, was named after Governor West in 1780 because of his support for Vermont statehood as a legislator. West was also granted land in Vermont for his political services, which he sold in 1785 because of his financial concerns.
Read more about this topic: William West (Rhode Island Politician)
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