Battle of Rhode Island 1778
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 29 August 1778 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1778 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Revolutionary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.5960, -71.2630 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Rhode Island (or Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and militia forces commanded by Major-General John Sullivan had been on Aquidneck Island besieging British forces occupying Newport, Rhode Island. They chose to lift the siege and planned to withdraw to the northern part of Aquidneck Island. The British then sortied, supported by recently arrived Royal Navy ships, and attacked the retreating Americans. The battle ended inconclusively, but Continental forces then chose to withdraw further to the mainland, leaving Aquidneck Island including Newport in British hands. The soldiers in combat were about 4,875 in the American army and 2,950 in the British army, for a total of 7,825 making it the largest battle in New England based on numbers.
The battle was the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following France's entry into the war. Joint operations against Newport were planned, but frustrated by difficult relations between the commanders and a storm that damaged both the French and British fleets shortly before joint operations were to begin.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Rhode Island (revision 1371954625), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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Other battles of the American Revolutionary War
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- Siege of Fort Henry (1777) 1777
- Siege of Fort Mifflin 1777
- Siege of Fort Stanwix 1777
- Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) 1777
- Affair at Little Egg Harbor 1778
- Battle of Alligator Creek Bridge 1778
- Battle of Barren Hill 1778
- Battle of Chestnut Neck 1778
- Battle of Cobleskill 1778
All 190 battles of the American Revolutionary War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · Early modern battles