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Lecture: Fred Zilian-Life on Aquidneck Island during the British-German Occupation, 1776-79
May 10 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
May 10th at the Middletown Public Library. 2 PM
In the Revolutionary War era, Aquidneck Island was occupied by British and German military forces, December 1776 – October 1779. This lecture will cover the background to the occupation, the British-German landing and deployment on the island, the weather and landscape of the island at the time, the German forces, civil-military relations, and the economy. It will give a brief summary of the Rhode Island Campaign and the Battle of Rhode Island. It will also provide sketches of several citizens, Loyalist and Patriot.
About Fred Zilian:
After a 21-year career as an infantry officer in the Army, Fred Zilian was an educator at Portsmouth Abbey School, 1992-2015, where he taught history, ethics, and German. He was an adjunct professor (history and politics) at Salve Regina University, 2016-2022. He now lectures on a wide variety of subjects and offers tours of Newport & Boston and of the Battle of Rhode Island (1778).
Zilian holds a Ph.D. in international relations/strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and book reviews on history, American society, Germany, religion, music, education, climate change, and globalization in numerous publications from the Wall Street Journal to the Newport Daily News.