Battle of Rhode Island Site

The Battle of Rhode Island Site is the partially preserved location of the Battle of Rhode Island, fought August 29, 1778 during the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place in the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, located on Aquidneck Island north of Newport, and was the only major action of the war that took place in Rhode Island. It was also significant as the only battle of the war in which an entirely segregated unit of African-American soldiers fought. At the time of the action, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment consisted of companies of locally recruited African Americans with white officers. The two main areas associated with the battle were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974.HistoryIn December 1776, a British force occupied Newport, Rhode Island. France decided to enter the war as an ally of the United States following the pivotal Battles of Saratoga in September and October 1777. The two militaries then sought possibilities for working together to defeat the British in North America. The first significant effort in this regard took place in July 1778, when a French fleet commanded by the Comte d'Estaing arrived off the east coast of North America. The ships originally were ordered to blockade Delaware Bay, but d'Estaing altered his target to New York City after learning that the British had evacuated the city of Philadelphia. However, he concluded that the bar at the mouth of New York Harbor was such that his largest ships could not safely enter. As a result, French and American military leaders decided to operate against the British at Newport.