apr 29, 1778 - Battle of Rhode Island (AKA: Battle of Newport AKA: Battle of Quarker Hill)

Description:

The Battle of Rhode Island was important because "it was one of the first combined American-French military operations of the war." It was also the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, a brigade composed of mixed racial backgrounds including European Americans, Native Americans, and many African Americans, all fought in this battle.

Sequence of Events:
Late 1776- Newport was occupied by the British until about 1776 and had been under siege for most of the war
May 1778- John Sullivan began laying out his plan for taking Newport
July 23, 1778- Sullivan received orders from Washington to raise about 5,000 troops (men)
July 24, 1778- Colonel John Laurens arrived at Sullivan's camp telling him that reinforcements were on the way from troops led by Marquis Lafayette. (This news brought the American morale up and the militia units from New England began pouring in.) Nathaniel Greene (originally from Rhode Island) had also been ordered by Washington to provide Sullivan some counsel.
July 29, 1778- Sullivan called for a Council or War, which included French admiral the Comte d'Estaing. Sullivan proposed that the American forces attack from the east while the French forces attacked from the west to try and isolate British forces as much as possible. Problem was, British Commander, Sir Robert Pigot quickly figured out about these plans, so he began making battle preparations.
August 8, 1778- D'Estaing's fleet sailed into Newport Harbor
August 9, 1778- Disembarked his troops and chose to seize Butt's Hill because he caught wind that it had been evacuated.
AlsoAugust 9, 1778- British Admiral Sir Richard Howe's fleet arrived challenging the French Navy.
August 10-11, 1778- A massive Atlantic storm caused severe damage to both fleets. D'Estaing headed to Boston for repairs. Sullivan was losing a bit of hope.
Somewhere between August 12 and August 28, 1778- British began reinforcing their troops with an additional 4,000 men.
August 28, 1778- Sullivan decided to abandon the siege. To "protect his rear" Sullivan ordered a defensive position across the entire island. The American defensive line was broken into two sections, one section was under the command of General James Varnum and the other was commanded by John Glover. Pigot's forces followed closely behind however the fog of war intervened and the main battle erupted. The Americans fought "stubbornly" never giving up and holding strong to their defensive lines as well as the high ground. The British finally surrendered when they decided the American position was too strong.

Some of the important leaders in the Battle of Newport were...
- John Sullivan: American Commander in charge
- Nathaneal Greene
- John Glover
- James Varnum- General that commanded part of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry
- Comte d'Estaing: French Admiral the mostly took care of the Navy
- Sir Robert Pigot: British Commander in charge
- Friedrich Wilhelm von Lossberg
- George Washington: The boss of the bosses that ordered Sullivan around during this battle

Added to timeline:

Date: