Grey ' s raid In September 1778 , as part of British operations in the American Revolutionary War , Major General Charles Grey raided the Massachusetts communities of New Bedford , Fairhaven and Martha ' s Vineyard . The raid was one of the first in a series between 1778 and 1781 executed by the British against American coastal communities . Originally intended as a relief force for the British garrison that was briefly besieged at Newport , Rhode Island , Grey ' s force of 4 , 000 arrived after the Americans had already retreated , and was diverted for raiding by General Sir Henry Clinton . On September 5 and 6 Grey raided New Bedford and Fairhaven , only encountering significant resistance in Fairhaven . His troops destroyed storehouses , shipping , and supplies in New Bedford , where they met with light resistance from the local militia , and did less damage at Fairhaven , where militia resistance had time to organize . He then sailed for Martha ' s Vineyard , which was undefended . Between September 10 and 15 its residents surrendered 10 , 000 head of sheep and 300 oxen , as well as most of the island ' s weapons . Background . In December 1776 British forces occupied Newport , Rhode Island . American forces in New England were not strong enough to dislodge the garrison there , which was also supported by Royal Navy vessels that used Newport as a base . This situation changed in 1778 , following the entry of France into the war , when the French and Americans agreed to embark on joint operations against the British . The French sent a fleet under the command of the comte d ' Estaing to provide troops and naval support that arrived off New York City in July 1778 . Finding the port well defended and believing its bar to be too shallow for his largest ships to cross , d ' Estaing sailed instead for Newport , where he and General John Sullivan prepared to besiege the British garrison . In response to the threat to Newport , General Sir Henry Clinton ordered 4 , 000 men under General Charles Grey to prepare for transport to Rhode Island while Admiral Lord Richard Howe sailed from New York to oppose d ' Estaing . D ' Estaing sailed out of Newport harbor on August 10 , preparing to do battle with Howe . As the fleets maneuvered for position , a storm arose that scattered and damaged both fleets . D ' Estaing decided then to abandon Newport , and sailed for Boston to make repairs . General Sullivan had by then already begun siege operations against Newport without French assistance , which prompted Clinton to order Grey ' s force to sail for Newport on August 26 . Clinton accompanied the force , which made slow progress due to contrary winds . By the time they arrived at Newport on September 1 , the Americans had not only been put on the defensive , but had retreated from the island after the inconclusive August 29 Battle of Rhode Island . Rather than disembark Grey ' s troops at Newport , Clinton decided to pursue other objectives . His orders , issued in March 1778 , included instructions to raid coastal communities , destroying shipbuilding facilities and supplies . Acting on this idea , he ordered the fleet to sail to New London , Connecticut , a potential raiding site . Finding too few ships there to bother with a landing , Clinton ordered Grey to " proceed without loss of time to the eastward " to raid New Bedford and Fairhaven on the Massachusetts mainland , and the island of Martha ' s Vineyard . New Bedford and Fairhaven . Early on September 4 , Grey ' s fleet , led by the Royal Navy frigate under Captain Robert Fanshawe , sailed for Buzzard ' s Bay . En route they encountered Lord Howe ' s fleet ; the earl agreed to remain near Block Island until the raids were completed . Arriving in Buzzard ' s Bay that afternoon , the " Carysfort " had the misfortune to twice strike rocks ; fortunately , neither incident was serious , and the fleet proceeded up the Acushnet River toward New Bedford and Fairhaven . That evening , Grey landed his troops at Clark ' s Point on the west bank of the river . They spent the night and the next morning destroying vessels , warehouses , and wharves " in the whole Extent of the Accushnet River " . Many of the ships destroyed were prizes captured by privateer s operating out of the two towns . The conflagration caused by the fires they lit also destroyed homes and houses of worship , and was bright enough that it was seen in Newport , some away . During the evening the 38 - man artillery garrison , manning a small fort on the Fairhaven side of the river ( today known as Fort Phoenix ) , fired on the British ships , then spiked the fort ' s guns and abandoned it , leaving their colors flying . The British briefly returned fire , and then destroyed the fort ' s guns . Grey ' s troops marched around the head of the Acushnet River to the eastern banks and camped . The next day they reembarked on their boats , but General Grey decided that Fairhaven should also be raided . In the meantime , militia were beginning to arrive to defend Fairhaven , with Major Israel Fearing taking command from an elderly colonel who was reluctant to pursue an active defense . When the British approached Fairhaven on the morning of September 6 , Fearing arrayed about 150 men between the village and their landing point . After setting fire to a few nearby buildings the British headed for the village . At this point Fearing ' s men unleashed a withering volley of musket fire , and the British precipitately retreated to their boats . Martha ' s Vineyard . Dispatching his aide , Captain John André , to New York to request transports for livestock , Grey then set sail for Martha ' s Vineyard . Contrary winds slowed the fleet ' s progress , and it did not reach the harbor at Holmes Hole ( present - day Vineyard Haven ) until September 10 . Because of the bad winds , Grey abandoned the idea of raiding Nantucket , and focused on acquiring livestock on Martha ' s Vineyard . A deputation of three citizens came to the " Carysfort " to see what the British wanted , and Grey made his demands : he wanted the militia ' s weapons , any public funds , 300 oxen , and 10 , 000 sheep . He threatened to land his troops and seize these items if they were not delivered up by the defenseless islanders . After two days , the islanders had driven 6 , 000 sheep and 130 oxen to the fleet . Not satisfied with this progress , Grey landed small contingents of troops on September 12 to accelerate the process and to destroy vessels found in the area . By the 14th he had received all 10 , 000 sheep and 300 oxen , as well as local militia arms and £950 intended as a tax payment for the Second Continental Congress . He sailed from Martha ' s Vineyard on September 15 , and reached New York City two days later . Aftermath . Grey ' s report on the expedition lists one man killed , four wounded , and sixteen missing . He reported that the defenders had four men killed ; he also took sixteen prisoners in New Bedford to exchange for his missing . The raid was followed others ( not led by Grey ) : one against Little Egg Harbor , New Jersey in October 1778 , and two in 1779 against communities on Chesapeake Bay and the Connecticut shore . In 1781 a raiding expedition led by turncoat General Benedict Arnold began the decisive Yorktown campaign in Virginia ; Arnold also led another raid in September 1781 against New London and Groton , Connecticut ( not far from where he grew up ) that was notorious for its severity . In New Bedford eleven houses , 21 shops , 34 ships of various size , and one ropewalk were destroyed , along with goods and naval stores . Estimates of the damage done there and at Fairhaven ranged from £20 , 000 to nearly £100 , 000 , most coming in damage to ships and goods . The residents of Martha ' s Vineyard petitioned for compensation in excess of £10 , 000 due to the losses incurred in the raid . General Clinton ' s successor , Sir Guy Carleton made payment of £3 , 000 against these claims . The fort at the mouth of the Acushnet River was rebuilt and named Fort Phoenix . It was manned in the War of 1812 , and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places .