Dave Does History

The Battle of Rhode Island 1778: Alliance, Retreat, and the Valor of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment


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In August of 1778, the brand-new alliance between the United States and France got its trial by fire on the shores of Rhode Island. The plan was bold: French warships and American troops would trap the British at Newport and score a symbolic victory for the Revolution. What they got instead was a hurricane that scattered fleets, tempers that boiled over between allies, and a bloody fight that ended in retreat. The Battle of Rhode Island, sometimes called the Battle of Quaker Hill, was not the shining triumph the patriots hoped for, but it revealed two important truths. First, coalition warfare is messy, especially when pride and mistrust get in the way. Second, the courage of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, a multiracial unit of Black, Native, and white soldiers, proved impossible to ignore. Read the full article at Dave Does History to uncover the whole story.

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Dave Does HistoryBy Dave Bowman