The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation in the Revolutionary War

by Christian M. McBurney

On July 29, 1778, a powerful French naval squadron sailed confidently to the entrance of Narragansett Bay. Its appearance commenced the first joint French and American campaign of the Revolutionary War. The new allies’ goal was to capture the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island. With British resolve reeling from the striking patriot victory at Saratoga the previous autumn, this French and American effort might just end the war.

As the French moved into the bay, surprised British captains scuttled or burned many of their vessels rather than risk capture, resulting in the most significant loss of warships suffered by the British navy during the war. French Admiral Comte d’Estaing then turned to sea to engage the main British fleet but his ships were scattered and damaged by a huge storm. After his flagship and two other ships were attacked, d’Estaing’s squadron was taken out of the campaign. The American army under General John Sullivan, meanwhile, was stranded on a small island near Newport without the expected French naval support. When they tried to retreat off the island, British and Hessian regulars were sent to destroy Sullivan’s army; instead of a rout, a running battle ensued that lasted for more than six hours. Continentals, brimming with confidence after their training during the winter of Valley Forge, once more proved that they were an effective fighting force. While the Rhode Island Campaign ended in failure for the Americans and French, there were positive signs for the future of the alliance and the Revolution.

The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation of the Revolutionary War unravels one of the most complex and multi-faceted events of the war, one which combined land and sea strategies and featured controversial decisions on both sides. Many prominent patriots participated, including Nathanael Greene, Marquis de Lafayette, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. Most important, while the campaign’s failure led to harsh criticism of the French in some quarters, leaders such as Greene, Lafayette, and George Washington steadfastly worked to ensure that the alliance would remain intact, knowing that the next joint operation could well succeed. Relying on in-depth research from American, French, British, and German original sources, author Christian McBurney has written the most authoritative book on this fascinating episode in American history.

"McBurney has written an important book. Using sources that have been heretofore overlooked, he provides a fresh, nuanced, and compelling reinterpretation of the United States’ first joint operation. Moreover, he does it with readable style. This work will be the standard for years to come." — Dennis Conrad, Editor, Naval Documents of the American Revolution and Papers of General Nathanael Greene

Genres: American Revolutionary War, American Revolution

427 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2011

Reviews

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and well-written book on the Rhode Island campaign of 1778. McBurney’s research is top-notch, and his writing is clear very readable. I had read of this campaign elsewhere before, but I do not think it is that well-known to readers of this period, even if the characters are: Benedict Arnold, Lafayette, and Nathanael Greene.

In 1778, the French fleet arrived at Newport under the command of the Comte d’Estaing, known as an admiral even though he was actually a land general. Friction between General Sullivan and the thin-skinned d’Estaing quickly developed, and by the end d’Estaing abandoned operations in the area. Renewed British operations forced the Americans to escape.

The book is rather interesting, and McBurney tells the story of the many raids, privateers, naval battles, and the climactic battle at the end. Although a few parts of the campaign are open to debate, McBurney never lets these issues get in the way of a good story.

There are a few minor issues: McBurney never translates any of the French used in the book, but the phrases used are pretty basic and not too hard to figure out. McBurney also writes of Captain Pierre-André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, "Suffren would have a brilliant career in the Napoleonic Wars until his untimely death in 1788." Suffren never fought in the Napoleonic Wars, which in any case didn't even take place on or before 1788.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and extremely thorough. The book's one shortcoming is that it fails to adequately explore the reasons for the American army's tactical adequacy at Newport, which is almost the entire basis for the author's argument that the Rhode Island campaign is deserving of more attention than historians of the Revolution have previously granted it.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little known element of the American Revolutionary War is the occupation of Newport, Rhode Island. While the early portion of the war seemed to largely kick off in New England, much of the focus shifted to New York as well as the middle and southern colonies. With that said, the English did successfully take Aquidneck Island, which has three of Rhode Islands communities on it: Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport. The latter was particularly important because it was the capital of the colony and one of the colony's two most important cities. The hope was that taking Newport would provide a springboard to attack both Boston and Providence while also breaking New England off from the rest of the rebellious colonies.

This volume explore the events that occurred as part of the very drawn out attempts to push the British from their garrison on the island while also highlighting the importance of the Rhode Island Campaign in bringing the French into the war on the side of the Americans as part of their new alliance.

In the end, the Rhode Island Campaign is considered by many to be a draw since neither side had a major victory and little actually changed in the short term. With that said, the Americans did successfully attack the British on the island while holding their own. Some would say that the French, who did not fully live up to their responsibility in providing naval forces as part of the Battle of Rhode Island as they were pulled away for repairs to many of their vessels. While not a major turning point, it did seem to provide a boost to the revolutionaries, particularly in New England.

I did enjoy this read. It was disheartening to see how military and political leaders on both sides seemed to struggle in successfully achieving their goals, whether it was the British general Pigot in using Newport as a springboard for further conquest or the American General Sullivan in successfully forcing the British out. Overall, I did find the book to be particularly interesting, particularly as the presentation named locations in Rhode Island that I knew well.

[Elliott Bristol]

Excellent

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of the Rhode Island campaign should be required reading for high school students in the state. Well-written and loaded with fascinating detail, this book brings to life a little-known chapter of Revolutionary history with verve and clarity.

Two issues, however, hold this book back from a 5-star review. First, the author assumes a familiarity with the local geography that this reader, having lived on Aquidneck Island for only three years, can't match. Combine this with the other issue, a lack of modern maps, and I sometimes found myself confused as to where some events actually happened.

Nevertheless, I found this book to be well worth my time and I've been recommending it to local friends. I borrowed 'The Rhode Island Campaign' from the library, but I intend to purchase a copy for my own bookshelf.

Recommended for: Revolutionary War buffs, New Englanders, Naval War College Alumni