Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island , also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and the Siege of Newport , took place on August 29 , 1778 . Continental Army and militia forces under the command of General John Sullivan were withdrawing to the northern part of Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of Newport , Rhode Island , when the British forces in Newport sortied , supported by recently arrived Royal Navy ships , and attacked the retreating Americans . The battle ended inconclusively , but the Continental forces afterward withdrew to the mainland , leaving Aquidneck Island in British hands . The battle took place in the aftermath of the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following France ' s entry into the war as an American ally . The operations against Newport were to have been made in conjunction with a French fleet and troops ; these were frustrated in part by difficult relations between the commanders , and a storm that damaged both French and British fleets shortly before joint operations were to begin . The battle was also notable for the participation of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment , a locally recruited segregated regiment of African Americans . It was the only major military action to include a racially segregated unit on the American side in the war . Background . Following the surrender of the British Army after the Battles of Saratoga in October 1777 , France decided to formally recognize the United States of America . It had previously supported the independence effort of the Thirteen Colonies in preceding years , but by early 1778 had made the decision to openly support the American cause . France formally recognized the United States in February 1778 , and war was declared between France and Great Britain in March . French movements . For its first major attempt at cooperation with the Americans , France sent Admiral the Comte d ' Estaing with a fleet of 12 ships of the line and some French Army troops to North America in April 1778 , with orders to blockade the British North American fleet in the Delaware River . Although British leaders had early intelligence that d ' Estaing was likely headed for North America , political and military differences within the government and navy delayed the British response , and permitted him to sail unopposed through the Straits of Gibraltar . It was not until early June that a fleet of 13 ships of the line under the command of Admiral John Byron left European waters in pursuit . D ' Estaing ' s crossing of the Atlantic took three months , but Byron ( who was called " Foul - weather Jack " due to his repeated bad luck with the weather ) was also delayed by bad weather and would not reach New York until mid August . The British evacuated Philadelphia to New York City before d ' Estaing ' s arrival , and their North American fleet was no longer in the river when his fleet arrived at Delaware Bay in early July . D ' Estaing decided to sail for New York , but its well - defended harbor presented a daunting challenge to the French fleet . Since d ' Estaing ' s largest ships were believed ( by the French and their American pilots ) to be unable to cross the bar into New York harbor , French and American leaders decided to deploy their forces against British - occupied Newport , Rhode Island . While d ' Estaing was outside the harbor , British General Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Lord Richard Howe dispatched a fleet of transports carrying 2 , 000 troops to reinforce Newport via Long Island Sound ; these reached their destination on July 15 , raising the size of Major General Robert Pigot ' s garrison to over 6 , 700 men . American forces . On Aquidneck Island , where Newport is located , American and British forces had been in a standoff since the British occupation began in late 1776 . Major General Joseph Spencer had been ordered by Major General George Washington to launch an assault on Newport in 1777 , but he had not done so , and was removed from command of the Rhode Island defenses . In March 1778 Congress approved the appointment of Major General John Sullivan to Rhode Island . By early May , Sullivan had arrived in the state and produced a detailed report on the situation there . He also began logistical preparations for an attack on Newport , caching equipment and supplies on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay and the Taunton River . General Pigot was aware to Sullivan ' s preparations , and launched an expedition on May 25 that raided Bristol and Warren , destroying military supplies and plundering the towns . Sullivan ' s response was to make renewed appeals for assistance , which were reinforced by a Congressional declaration after a second raid on Freetown ( present - day Fall River , Massachusetts ) on May 31 . General Washington wrote to Sullivan on July 17 , ordering him to raise 5 , 000 troops for possible operations against Newport . Sullivan did not receive this letter until July 23 , and it was followed the next day by the arrival of Colonel John Laurens with word that Newport had been chosen as the allied target on the 22nd , and that he should raise as large a force as possible . Sullivan ' s force at that time amounted to 1 , 600 troops . Laurens had left Washington ' s camp on the 22nd , riding ahead of a column of Continental troops ( the brigades of John Glover and James Mitchell Varnum ) led by the marquis de Lafayette . News of the French involvement rallied support for the cause , and militia began streaming to Rhode Island from neighboring states . Half the entire Rhode Island militia was called up and led by William West , and large numbers of militia from Massachusetts and New Hampshire along with Continental Artillery came to Rhode Island to join the effort ; however , these forces took some time to muster , and the majority of them did not arrive until the first week of August . Washington on July 27 sent Major General Nathanael Greene , a Rhode Island native and reliable officer , to further bolster Sullivan ' s leadership corps . Sullivan had been regularly criticized in Congress for his performance in earlier battles , and Washington urged him to take counsel from Greene and Lafayette . Greene , in writing to Sullivan on the matter , reinforced the need for a successful operation . Prelude . French arrival at Newport . On July 22 , when the British judged the tide high enough for the French ships to cross the bar , d ' Estaing instead sailed from his position outside the New York harbor . He initially sailed south before turning northeast toward Newport . The British fleet in New York , eight ships of the line under the command of Lord Richard Howe , sailed out after him once they discovered his destination to be Newport . D ' Estaing arrived off Point Judith on July 29 , and immediately met with Generals Greene and Lafayette to develop their plan of attack . Sullivan ' s proposal was that the Americans would cross over to Aquidneck Island ' s eastern shore from Tiverton , while French troops , which would use Conanicut Island as a staging ground , would cross from the west , cutting off a detachment of British soldiers at Butts Hill on the northern part of the island . The next day , d ' Estaing sent frigates into the Sakonnet River ( the channel to the east of Aquidneck ) and into the main channel leading to Newport . As allied intentions became clear , General Pigot decided to redeploy his forces in a defensive posture , withdrawing troops from Conanicut Island and from Butts Hill . He also decided to move nearly all livestock into the city , ordered the levelling of orchards to provide a clear line of fire , and destroyed carriages and wagons . The arriving French ships drove several of his supporting ships aground , which were burned to prevent their capture . As the French worked their way up the channel toward Newport , Pigot ordered the remaining ships scuttled to hamper French access to Newport ' s harbor . On August 8 , d ' Estaing moved the bulk of his fleet into Newport Harbor . On August 9 d ' Estaing began disembarking some of his 4 , 000 troops onto nearby Conanicut Island . The same day , General Sullivan learned that Pigot had abandoned Butts Hill . Contrary to the agreement with d ' Estaing , Sullivan then crossed troops over to seize that high ground , concerned that the British might reoccupy it in strength . Although d ' Estaing later approved of the action , his initial reaction and that of some of his officers was one of disapproval . John Laurens wrote that the action " gave much umbrage to the French officers " . Sullivan was en route to a meeting with d ' Estaing when the latter learned that Admiral Howe ' s fleet had arrived . Storm damage . Lord Howe ' s fleet was delayed departing New York by contrary winds , and he arrived off Point Judith on August 9 . Since d ' Estaing ' s fleet outnumbered Howe ' s , the French admiral , fearful that Howe would be further reinforced and eventually gain a numerical advantage , reboarded the French troops , and sailed out to do battle with Howe on August 10 . As the two fleets prepared to battle and maneuvered for position , the weather deteriorated , and a major storm broke out . Raging for two days , the storm scattered both fleets , severely damaging the French flagship . It also frustrated plans by Sullivan to attack Newport without French support on August 11 . While Sullivan awaited the return of the French fleet , he began siege operations , moving closer to the British lines on August 15 and opening trenches to the northeast of the fortified British line north of Newport the next day . As the two fleets sought to regroup , individual ships encountered enemy ships , and there were several minor naval skirmishes ; two French ships ( including d ' Estaing ' s flagship ) , already suffering storm damage , were badly mauled in these encounters . The French fleet regrouped off Delaware , and returned to Newport on August 20 , while the British fleet regrouped at New York . French retreat to Boston . Admiral d ' Estaing , despite pressure from his captains to immediately sail for Boston to make repairs , instead sailed for Newport to inform the Americans he would not be able to assist them . Upon his arrival on August 20 , he informed Sullivan , and rejected entreaties that , with their help , the British could be compelled to surrender in just one or two days . Of the decision , d ' Estaing wrote , " It was . . . difficult to persuade oneself that about six thousand men well entrenched and with a fort before which they had dug trenches could be taken either in twenty - four hours or in two days . " Any thought of the French fleet remaining at Newport was also opposed by d ' Estaing ' s captains , with whom he had a difficult relationship due to his arrival in the navy at a high rank after service in the French army . D ' Estaing sailed for Boston on August 22 . The French decision brought on a wave of anger in both the American rank and file , and its commanders . Although General Greene penned a complaint that John Laurens termed " sensible and spirited " , General Sullivan was less diplomatic . In a missive containing much inflammatory language , he called d ' Estaing ' s decision " derogatory to the honor of France " , and included further complaints in orders of the day that were later suppressed when cooler heads prevailed . American writers from the ranks called the French decision a " desertion " , and noted that the French forces involved " left us in a most Rascally manner " . The French departure prompted a mass exodus of the American militia , significantly shrinking the American force . On August 24 , Sullivan was alerted by General Washington that Clinton in New York was assembling a relief force . That evening his council made the decision to withdraw to positions on the northern part of the island . Sullivan continued to seek French assistance , dispatching Lafayette to Boston to negotiate further with d ' Estaing . This proved fruitless in the end . D ' Estaing and Lafayette met fierce criticism in Boston , Lafayette remarking that " I am more upon a warlike footing in the American lines than when I came near the British lines at Newport . " In the meantime , the British in New York had not been idle . Lord Howe , concerned about the French fleet and further reinforced by the arrival of ships from Byron ' s storm - tossed squadron , sailed out to catch d ' Estaing before he reached Boston . General Clinton organized a force of 4 , 000 men under Major General Charles Grey , and sailed with it on August 26 destined for Newport . Battle . On the morning of August 28 , the American war council decided to withdraw the last troops from their siege camps . Over the last few days , as some of their equipment was being withdrawn , the Americans had engaged the British with occasional rounds of cannon fire . General Pigot was also made aware of the American plans to withdraw on August 26 by deserters , so he was prepared to respond when they withdrew that night . The American generals established a defensive line across the entire island just south of a valley that cut across the island , hoping to deny the British the high ground in the north . The Americans organized their forces in two sections : The British followed suit and organized their attack in a corresponding way , sending Hessian General Friedrich Wilhelm von Lossberg up the west road and Major General Francis Smith up the east road with two regiments each under orders to not make a general attack . As it turned out , this advance led to the main battle . Smith ' s assault on the American left . Smith ’ s advance stalled when it came under fire from troops commanded by Lt . Col . Henry Brockholst Livingston , who were stationed at a windmill near Quaker Hill . Pigot sent word to the commander of the British reserve , Major General Richard Prescott to dispatch the 54th Regiment and Brown ’ s Provincials to reinforce Smith . Thus reinforced , Smith returned to the attack , sending the 22nd and 43rd Regiments and the flank companies of the 38th and 54th Regiments against Livingston ’ s left flank . Livingston had also been reinforced with Col . Edward Wigglesworth ’ s regiment , sent by Sullivan , but was nevertheless driven back to Quaker Hill . Then , with a German regiment threatening to outflank Quaker Hill itself , Livingston and Wigglesworth abandoned the hill and retreated all the way to Glover ’ s lines . Smith made a probing attack but was repulsed by Glover ’ s troops . “ Seeing the strength of the American position , Smith decided against launching a major assault ” . This ended the fighting on the American left . Lossberg ' s assault on the American right . By 7 : 30 a . m . , Lossberg had advanced against the American Light Corps under Col . John Laurens , who were positioned behind some stone walls south of the Redwood House . With the Hessian chasseurs , Huyne ' s Hessian regiment and Fanning ' s Provincial Regiment , Lossberg pushed Laurens ' men back onto Turkey Hill . Despite Laurens being reinforced by a regiment sent by Sullivan , Lossberg stormed Turkey Hill and drove the defenders right back on Nathanael Greene ' s wing of the army before starting a cannonade of Greene ' s lines . By 10 a . m . , HMS " Sphynx " , HMS " Vigilant " and HMS " Spitfire Galley " had negotiated the passage between Rhode Island and Prudence Island and commenced a bombardment of Greene ' s troops on the American right flank . Lossberg now attacked Greene : German troops assailed Major Ward ' s Rhode Island Colored Regiment but were repulsed , bayoneting the American wounded as they fell back . Meanwhile , Greene ’ s artillery and the American battery at Bristol Neck concentrated their fire on the three British ships and drove them off . At 2 p . m . , Lossberg once again attacked Greene ' s positions without success . Greene counterattacked with Col . Israel Angell ' s 2nd Rhode Island Regiment , Brigadier General Solomon Lovell ' s brigade of Massachusetts militia and Henry Brockholst Livingston ' s troops . Failing in a frontal attack , Greene sent his 1 , 500 men forward to try to turn Lossberg ' s right flank . Heavily outnumbered , Lossberg withdrew to the summit of Turkey Hill . By 3 p . m . , Greene ' s wing was holding a stone wall three hundred paces from the foot of Turkey Hill . Towards evening , an attempt was made to cut off the Hessians on Lossberg ' s left flank but Huyne ' s Hessians and Fanning ' s Provincials drove off Greene ' s men . This ended the battle , although some artillery fire went on through the night . Out of 260 British casualties , 128 were German . Aftermath . Continental forces withdrew to Bristol and Tiverton on the night of August 30 , leaving Aquidneck Island under British control . However , their withdrawal was orderly and unhurried . According to an account in the New Hampshire Gazette , it was accomplished " in perfect order and safety , not leaving behind the smallest article of provision , camp equipage , or military stores . " The inflammatory writings of General Sullivan reached Boston before the French fleet arrived ; Admiral d ' Estaing ' s initial reaction was reported to be a dignified silence . Under pressure from Washington and the Continental Congress , politicians worked to smooth over the incident , and d ' Estaing was in good spirits when Lafayette arrived in Boston . D ' Estaing even offered to march troops overland to support the Americans : " I offered to become a colonel of infantry , under the command of one who three yars ago was a lawyer , and who certainly must have been an uncomfortable man for his clients . " The relief force of Clinton and Grey arrived at Newport on September 1 . Given that the threat was over , Clinton ordered Grey to instead raid several communities on the Massachusetts coast . Admiral Howe was unsuccessful in his bid to catch up with d ' Estaing , who held a strong position at the Nantasket Roads when Howe arrived there on August 30 . Byron , who succeeded Howe as head of the New York station in September , was also unsuccessful in blockading d ' Estaing : his fleet was scattered by a storm when it arrived off Boston , after which d ' Estaing slipped away , bound for the West Indies . General Pigot was harshly criticize by Clinton for failing to await the relief force , which might have successfully entrapped the Americans on the island . He left Newport for England not long after . Newport was abandoned by the British in October 1779 ; its economy was ruined by the war . Legacy . The Battle of Rhode Island Site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . It partially preserves the ground on which the battle was fought . The underwater site of and , two Royal Navy ships scuttled during the French fleet ' s advance on Newport , is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places , as is Fort Barton , one of the American defenses in Tiverton , and the Conanicut Battery , an earthworks on Conanicut Island built in 1775 and expanded by the British during their occupation of Newport . The site was abandoned by the British after the arrival of the French fleet . The Joseph Reynolds House in Bristol , a National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island , was used by General Lafayette as his headquarters during the campaign .