National commander honored in Rhode Island

American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett was sworn in as an honorary member of the Artillery Company of Newport during his recent visit to the Department of Rhode Island.

Chartered in 1741 by Great Britain’s King George II, the Artillery Company of Newport now is a ceremony unit of the Rhode Island Militia, Council of Historic Military Commands. The company provides cannon salutes, color guards and honor guards for official state and local ceremonies, as well as for privately sponsored patriotic and veterans events.

The Artillery Company served in the French Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the First Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. Individual members of the company have served in each of this country's 20th and 21st century military engagements.

The company also operates a military museum in its armory in Newport. The museum houses one of the country's most extensive collections of military uniforms and memorabilia, as well as four bronze cannon cast by Paul Revere in 1798 for the State of Rhode Island, three Civil War artillery pieces, and a letter written to the men of the Artillery Company in 1794 by George Washington.