THE BATTLE OF RHODE ISLAND 240 YEARS AGO
The British had captured Newport in December of 1776, and had taken over the rest of Rhode Island (a.k.a. Aquidneck Island). Tiverton Heights Fort had been erected in early 1777 (read its story in Tales of Tiverton) to protect the mainland and to prohibit any British from moving northeastward.
Many thousands of men were gathered at Tiverton Heights Fort in the summer and fall of 1777 for an October invasion of Aquidneck. However, because of the allowance of insufficient time for the amassing of supplies, the inexperience of the officer-in-charge, and the accompanying bad weather at the designated times of invasion, two half-hearted attempts to establish beachheads across from Howland’s Ferry were thwarted.
However, in the spring of 1778, 240 years ago, General George Washington selected Major General John Sullivan to assume command of Fort Barton and to direct staging operations for a new invasion attempt of Aquidneck. The Marquis de Lafayette was to coordinate the participation of a French fleet and landing force, and a Grand Plan of a strike by land and sea was formulated. This was the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following France’s entry into the war as an American ally.
On August 9th, the Battle of Rhode Island began with the crossing at Howland’s Ferry of 11,000 Continental line troops and militia. The French Navy blocked Narragansett Bay, forcing the British to scuttle their small naval force. The American Army, under Sullivan, landed at Rhode Island and forced the smaller British/German force to withdraw behind fortifications built around the Town of Newport.
Within a few days, a large British naval force arrived to challenge the French fleet. The French fleet sailed out of the Bay to do battle on the open ocean. As the two fleets maneuvered preparing for battle, a hurricane came upon them and scattered the fleets from August 13-14, causing severe damage to both sides. For the land forces, the high winds and rain also did great damage to both sides, but the British defenders fared better because they were behind prepared positions and in a town.
All of the French ships sailed to Boston for repairs. Lafayette’s disappointment at a reduced role of command, the French d’Estaing’s failure to contribute landing troops, and the sever damage sustained by the French fleet brought the full force of the defending British, Hessian, and Loyalist troops to bear on the hardy invaders from Tiverton’s shores. Without the sea attack to draw the attention of many of the defenders away from the land attack, the British line held.
The American Army, which was much larger than the British, was composed largely of short-term militia soldiers who had joined up just for this campaign. When the French fleet sailed away, they became very discouraged, knowing that they could not take Newport and hold it without strong naval support. By the end of the month, the disheartened army began to withdraw.
On August 29th, the British perceived that the Americans were attempting to leave the island, and sallied out of their lines to attack, hoping to disrupt the retreat. The Americans were moving to the north end of the long, narrow island, and crossing the narrow water back to the mainland at Howland’s Ferry. The Americans made a stand on Butt’s Hill (where the wind turbine is by Portsmouth High School), which they had fortified.
The British tried to turn their right wing in the morning, when Greene, commanding it, changed front, assailed the pursuers vigorously, and drove them to their strong defense on Quaker Hill. A general engagement ensued, when the British line was broken and driven back in confusion to Turkey Hill (Hedley Street). The day was very sultry, and many perished from the heat. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment, under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene (cousin to General Nathanel Greene), the first such regiment in America’s history consisting of Africans, Native Americans, and white colonists, took part in the action. Located on the right (west) side of the American line, they defended their part of the hill against fierce attacks by the German troops. Numbering 400 men, the 1st Rhode Island acquitted themselves well, repulsing three separate and distinct charges from 1,500 Hessians under Count Donop. They beat them back with such tremendous loss that Count Donop at once applied for an exchange, fearing that his men would kill him if he went into battle with them again for having exposed them to such slaughter.
After a siege of twelve days by the Americans dug in on Honeyman’s Hill in Middletown, a weary and disappointed Sullivan realized the land attack alone could not penetrate the English line. With extreme regret, Sullivan was obliged to order withdrawal.
On August 30th, near midnight, the last of the Continental soldiers were removed from the island. The regular troops were sent to rejoin Washington, the militia returned home, and only a small force was left to man the guns at Tiverton Heights Fort. The Battle of Rhode Island was over.
For those wanting to know the names and details of the 1st Regiment in the Battle of Rhode Island, visit the monument off of Route 114 in Portsmouth next to the Route 24N on-ramp. Be sure to look at both front and back of the monument!