USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century : a history, Volume 1 > Part 53
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The troops approached the town in irregular order, as the soldiers in small squads departed from the line of march to plunder and harass the people along the route. The first house entered was that of Joseph Reynolds, who was made a prisoner and carried off. As the main body of the British entered the town the small force of Ameri- cans retreated before them, thus leaving the town defenseless. The work of destruction was then begun and about thirty houses were set on fire and destroyed. Through mistake, they set fire and destroyed "the church instead of the Meeting-house", as an English historian1 ten years later expressed it. This was a church of England, St. Michael's, and laboring under the misapprehension that it was the Congregational meeting-house, it was burned. Some of the circum- stances attending this disaster are found in a letter from Mr. John Usher, jr., to the secretary of the society, written in 1784. "A mem- ber of the church acquainted the second in command under Colonel Campbell in that excursion, that the church had not been open since the commencement of the war, for any purpose whatever, and the members of that church were friends to Government, upon which the Officer ran to the Church Door, but 'twas too late, the Pulpit was all on fire. Two minutes sooner would have saved the church." It was also related that when the sexton was informed of the destruction of the edifice, he evinced considerable surprise and was loth to believe it, "for", said he, "I have the key here in my pocket". Dr. Gordon, 1Dr. Gordon.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
the English historian, referring to the destruction of property at Bristol, says : "The destruction of houses and places of worship was afterwards attributed chiefly to the lieentiousness of the soldiers, who treated both friends and foes with cruelty, plundering houses and robbing women of their shoe buekles, gold rings, and handker- ehiefs."
The news of the depredations at Warren was received by General Sullivan at Providenee about eight o'clock that morning, a messenger having hurriedly been dispatehed at the first news of the approach of the enemy.
Col. William Barton was at the time with his regiment at Provi- denee, and was informed of the situation in his native town almost at the same moment that the commander-in-chief was notified. Hastily colleeting a few horsemen, Barton set out for Warren at a rapid gait, and as the party lastened along the road, aroused the country people, and by the time Warren was reached a considerable foree had been eolleeted and was following elosely at his heels. The enemy had eom- pleted their ravages here before his company arrived upon the seene, and had begun their work of destruction at Bristol.1 He was in time, however, to harass the rear guard and considerable blood was spilled. During this skirmish Colonel Barton received a painful, if not dan- gerous, wound. He was sitting on his horse, observing one of his men who was struggling to get forward, when, as he raised himself in his stirrups in the act of flourishing his sword, a bullet from the enemy "entered his right thigh, just above the knee, and glaneing upwards lodged in the right hip". It was not until after the enemy had left the mainland that he made known the faet that he was wounded. He was taken to a neighboring house, where the bullet was extraeted by Dr. Winslow, assisted by Governor Bradford, who, in his earlier life, had been a student of medieine and surgery. This aeeident to Colonel Barton prevented him for many months from taking any active part in the events which later transpired in Rhode Island. The British force retreated before the advancing body of Americans to Bristol Ferry, where the tenders that had accompanied the expedition were on hand to receive them. Before leaving, however, they succeeded in making prisoners the entire eoast-guard at Popasquash, consisting of ten men under the command of Captain Westeott; these, with the others, were taken across the Island of Rhode Island and the next day were marehed into Newport under a strong Hessian guard.
'This was the second attack that had been made on the town of Bristol. On the morning of the 7th of October, 1775, a British fleet, under command of Lieut. James Wallace, appeared off the town with demands for provisions, and in order to enforce its demand opened fire upon the town, but no lives were lost or great damage done. Provisions were secured and the fleet with- drew.
487
THE WARS AND THE MILITIA.
About thirty buildings1 were destroyed in Bristol before the enemy departed, and had it not been for the prompt response of Colonel Barton and his body of volunteers, supplemented by a detachment which later followed from headquarters, there would have been little of the town left undestroyed.
The day after this attack on Warren and Bristol, Governor Greene, alarmed at the boldness of the enemy and anxious for the security of the other towns and villages along the seaboard, sent the following communication to Governor Trumbull and President Powell at Con- necticut :
"State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, "Council Chamber Providence, 26th May 1778.
"Sir: This is to inform you, that a party of about seven hundred of the enemy landed upon the eastern part of this State the night before last, towards break of day, and burnt about thirty houses and stores in the towns of Bristol and Warren; as also our flat bottom boats, to the number of about seventy or eighty, which lay at a place called Kickemuit, which has greatly alarmed the inhabitants of this State; especially as we have been for a considerable time past almost entirely neglected by our sister States not assisting with their quota of troops, according to the agreement entered into by the convention at Springfield; and unless we can be better furnished for the future, I see nothing to hinder immediate destruction from taking place; for unless the major part of our militia are continually upon duty, the shores cannot properly be guarded; and in that case, we shall very soon be deprived of the necessaries of life; that considering our un- happy situation, and how distressing the season has now opened, I am convinced I need not use any further arguments to convince you of the necessity of your States sending forward their troops with the utmost dispatch.
"I am, with great respect sir, "Your most obedient, humble ser vant "W. Greene."'2
To protect the State from any further incursions of the enemy, one-sixth of the militia, independent and alarm companies, were ordered into service for the space of fifteen days, and measures were adopted giving power to General Sullivan, with the advice and con- sent of the governor, and in his absence the deputy-governor, to call out the various companies of militia to do duty in case of imminent danger.
Another letter of Governor Greene's, written to the Hon. Henry Marchant at Yorktown, gives some additional facts regarding the
'A list of the houses destroyed will be found in the Story of the Mount Hope Lands. by W. H. Munro.
2 Official Letters in office secretary of state, 1778-1779, p. 38.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
destruetion at these towns, as well as the subsequent attack made on Fall River, for he says :
"Before this reaches you it is very probable you will have heard that a large body of the Enemy in the night on the 24th of last month landed at Warren towards break of day and from thence made to a place called Kakemuet where lay our flat bottom Boats, and burnt about seventy or eighty. They then proceeded baek to Warren & burnt the meeting house, parsonage house and Caleb Childs house as also the magazine in which was a considerable quantity of Powder and partly burnt one of our Galleys and a new Privateer that lay in the harbor; they then proceeded to Bristol where it is said they burnt 20 dwelling houses and a considerable number of other Buildings and then imbarked on board their boats, carrying with them about sixty prisoners; among them was Sylvester Child & Parson Thompson of Warren. On the 31st following, being perhaps flushed with their former success, they again landed at Fall River with a body of about 150 and burnt one house and a mill and were proceeding no doubt to burn the remainder of the Mills as there is two Corn mills and a full- ing mill upon the same stream, near to where they burnt the other but as there was a bridge to pass to the other mills which our people took up and then placed themselves behind a wall and then began to fire upon them they retreated with the loss of one man killed and one mortally wounded who I hear is sinee dead."
A Newport diarist1 wrote in his journal under the date of May 25: "At 2 o'clock this morning the troops came down the river and landed at Long wharf. They report that 3 o'clock this morning they landed some miles below the town of Warren, marehed up undiscovered, set fire and plundered the town without opposition, took a number of inhabitants prisoners; proceeded thence to Bristol, set fire to the town and then embarked after burning 120 flatboats, took the galley Spit- fire with men asleep and burned a number of vessels.
"This afternoon the prisoners were marehed to town from Ports- mouth under a strong guard of Hessians and committed to the Pro- vost.
"Among the prisoners were the Rev. Mr. Thompson of Warren, Major Martindale, Mr. Edward Church and a number of young men belonging to this town"; and on the next day he further writes, "The prisoners were all sent on board the prison ships. This expedition has caused universal joy among the Tories."
Although the British army took possession of Newport and the Island of Rhode Island early in Deeember, 1776, it was not until the summer of 1778 that a systematic plan to attack the enemy in his stronghold was earried into effect, although an abortive attempt had been made in October, 1777, by Gen. John Spencer, then in command
1Fleet S. Greene in Historical Magazine, 1860.
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THE WARS AND THE MILITIA.
of the military affairs of the State, to which action he had been stim- ulated by an act of the General Assembly of Rhode Island.
During the occupation by the enemy of a part of Rhode Island territory, many wanton depredations had been committed upon the people.1 Towns had been sacked and burned, the homes of the people had been invaded, private property had been confiscated, while the commerce of the State had been practically annihilated.
The adjoining towns of Warren and Bristol suffered most severely from these incursions, but the hardships which the isolated farmers along the seaboard were forced to endure from the forays of small boats' crews were more distressing than the greater losses which more populous sections sustained. On several occasions small detachments of the two armies had met in conflict with honors about evenly divided.
In April, 1778, Gen. John Sullivan, an officer held in the highest esteem by Washington, arrived in Providence, succeeding General Spencer, whose administration of the military affairs of the State had been somewhat disappointing. At about the same time the joyous news that France had entered into an alliance with the States aroused the drooping spirits of the people.
General Sullivan at once entered upon his duties and inspired fur- ther confidence by the energy and zeal which he displayed. He promptly ordered additional defenses built, and to prevent any at- tempt at surprise in the northern part of the State, had the waters of the bay thoroughly patrolled by row galleys, and protected the port of Providence, where he established his headquarters, with a guard ship at Field's Point. Acting under instructions from General Wash- ington, preparations for a movement against the enemy on Rhode Island were commenced early in July. Sullivan was directed to or- ganize an army strong enough to insure the success of the enterprise, collect the necessary material to move such a body, and to generally familiarize himself with the situation of the enemy and its strength both by land and sea. General Lafayette was dispatched to Rhode Island to join Sullivan with two continental brigades, Varnum's and Glover's, and Gen. Nathanael Greene was ordered to his native State to take part in the proposed expedition.
The French fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral Count D'Estaing, had only a short time before reached the American coast and was in the neighborhood of Sandy Hook, but the French admiral, finding that his services would be of little value there on account of the draft of his vessels, and that a greater field of usefulness was offered in Rhode Island, acting under the advice of Washington, left the Hook and sailed for Newport to co-operate with the American
1The damage to property in the town of Middletown, R. I., during the war was estimated at $137,777,1-6 (Newport Hist. Magazine, vol. i, p. 241).
490
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
army in the proposed movements. All these preparations occupied the time until the 6th of August, when the two continental brigades commanded by Gen. James M. Varnum of Rhode Island and Gen. John Glover of Massachusetts took up their march for Tiverton, where the army was to rendezvous. Here Lafayette met them upon their arrival. The next day General Sullivan and his staff left his head- quarters at Providence and proceeded to Tiverton to take command of the expedition.
The troops from Massachusetts,1 New Hampshire,2 and Connectieut3 soon made their appearance. The resources of the towns in Rhode Island were severely taxed, and a body of about three thousand men were brought together for this expedition. In some of the towns the male population was almost entirely withdrawn, and the town of Westerly, under the date August 25, 1778, has inseribed upon its records, "the freemen being chiefly called away in the Expedition against Rhode Island".
Major-General Heath, in his Memoirs, states: "The troops on Rhode Island under the command of Gen. Sullivan, were on the 11th 10,122, including offieers, exelusive of some volunteers from New Hampshire and other eorps, arranged as follows,
Varnum's Brigade
1,037
Glover's
1,131
Cornell 's
1,719
Greene's
1,626
Lovell's
1,158
Titcomb's
957
Livingston's advanee
659
West's reserves
1,025
Artillery
810
10,122''4
Among the papers of Dexter Brown, deputy wagon master-general,
The Massachusetts State Archives contain many rolls of the troops belong- ing to that State that were engaged in this alarm.
2New Hampshire Revolutionary Rolls, ii, 500, 506.
3It is generally stated that no troops from Connecticut took part in this expedition, but it appears from a letter written by Jonathan Trumbull, dated Lebanon, 26 August, 1778, to Governor Greene, that "Six companies are on their march to providence from this state". It is also added that there are "80 men exclusive of officers in Each company", while in an account kept by Thomas Wicks of Warwick, whose home was the military headquarters in that town, ( Revolutionary defences in Rhode Island, p. 94), he states, "Capt. bomen cum in my house ye 4th of Septembr [1778], went out ye sixth of ye month they was from Connecticut", doubtless on their march homeward.
4From a Field Return of Troops on Rhode Island, August 16, 1778, in the office of the secretary of state, the number is given as "10,835 artillery included."
491
THE WARS AND THE MILITIA.
there is one bearing the title, "A list of Brigades on Rhode Island",1 and the following are there mentioned :
Gen. Titcomb,
Col. Livingstone,
Gen. Lovell,
Col. Noyes,
Gen. Cornell,
Gen. Varnum,
Col. Greene,
Gen. West,
Gen. Glover,
Gen. Whipple,
Gen. Tyler,
Col. Crane.
In order to prepare for the transportation of so large a body of troops in the movements projected, Major Silas Talbot had been or- dered to Tiverton to prepare eighty-six flat boats capable of trans- porting one hundred men each, for the boats which had been prepared for Spencer's expedition the year before and had been collected in the Kickemuet River were all destroyed at the time of the British raid on Warren. Besides these a "large number of the large flat bottomed boats" were to be conveyed from Weymouth, Mass., "taking the ad- vantage of the river to the vicinity of Rhode Island."2
A wagon master-general and a deputy were appointed, clothed with the power to hire or impress teams for the public service. Many of the accounts and papers relating to the wagon service in the expedition are now found among the manuscripts belonging to the City of Providence.
The day following Sullivan's departure for the scene of operations the French fleet, under D'Estaing, entered the harbor of Newport by the east passage, receiving, as the vessels passed the British batteries on either side, a heavy fire which the fleet as promptly and actively returned. The arrival of the fleet produced the greatest consterna- tion in the heart of the British commander, and in order to prevent their falling into the hands of the French, eleven vessels of war, with all their guns, stores and materials, were sunk or burned, the British losing by this action two hundred and eighteen guns of various calibres.
It had been arranged between Sullivan and D'Estaing that the army should move upon the island on the morning of the 10th of August, but on the morning of the 9th the information was brought to the American commander that the British had evacuated the works at the north end of the Island and had withdrawn within their lines three miles to the northward of Newport.
It was an opportunity for an advance hitherto unexpected, and an opportunity of which Sullivan felt impelled to take advantage, and contrary to his understanding with the French count, he immediately put his army in motion, and at eight o'clock on the morning of the
1 Providence Town Papers, 14790.
2 Heath's Memoirs, p. 189.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
9th the right wing, under command of Gen. Nathanael Greene, crossed over Howland's ferry, followed by the other divisions of the army, and took possession of the abandoned works. Hardly had the American forces occupied the Island when it was reported that the British flect, under Admiral Howe, which had closely followed in the wake of the French Admiral, was standing towards Newport.
Simultaneously with the move- ment of Sullivan's army to the Island, about four thousand French troops landed upon the island of Conanicut to co-operate with the Americans. Upon the landing of this body the British works on the Island were hurriedly evacuated and the German troops there located retreated to Newport, spiking the guns and destroying the magazines, however, before they left. The depression which GARDINER HOUSE, OLD WARWICK. had prevailed within the garrison The military headquarters of the troops located in Warwick during the War of the Revolution. Erected 1727. at Newport at the sight of the French squadron was at once dispelled by the news and sight of Howe's fleet, for the the American army in front of Newport and the powerful body just landed on Conanicut made a force double in number to that under Sir Robert Pigot, commanding the British forces. When D'Estaing learned of the approach of Howe he at once made preparations to put to sea and meet his foe. The troops which had been previously landed on Conanicut were ordered to their respective vessels and the fleet was soon in motion, and, says an eye witness:1 "At nine o'clock [ August 10] the English fleet was seen to stand out; it surprised us, but still it was thought it was only done to have sea room enough. What Count D'Estaing thought Heaven knows, for his haste was so great He cut all his cables and came firing through the Harbor as if the very Devil was in him, one-half the town went in the Neck to see a great sea fight, but returned exceedingly disap- pointed in a few hours. Then it was told, Lord Howe's strength was not sufficient to cope with such a fleet". During the whole day the two fleets were engaged in manœuvreing for the weather gage; while thus endeavoring to obtain advantages a storm of unusual severity for this season of the year came on, which separated the fleets and pre- vented an engagement.
Both fleets suffered severely from this tempest, which raged furious- ·
1Mrs. Almy of Newport, a royalist.
493
THE WARS AND THE MILITIA.
ly for forty-eight hours. During it D'Estaing's own ship, the Lan- guedoc, of 90 guns, lost her rudder and all her masts, in which condi- tion she was overtaken along in the evening of the 13th by the British ship Renown of 50 guns. A sharp but brief engagement occurred, which was suddenly brought to a close by the appearance of six vessels of the French fleet, and the Englishmen, deeming discretion the better part of valor, sailed away. About the same time the Preston of 50 guns came down upon the French vessel, the Torrent of 80 guns. This ship, too, was nearly as badly off as the Languedoc, having only her main mast standing, but darkness put an end to an encounter which otherwise might have resulted disastrously for the Frenchman. Three days later the British ship Iris of 50 guns and the French ship Cæsar met in a desperate engagement at close quarters. Both vessels had escaped injury in the storm and fought "with the greatest ob- stinacy for an hour and a half", resulting in the escape of the Cæsar. Both fleets suffered more severely from the elements than they did from their encounters, and the British admiral, after collecting his scattered vessels, sailed for New York for the purpose of refitting. A few days later, August 20, D'Estaing returned with his ships to Rhode Island and came to anchor near Newport. As they lay at anchor it was noticed from the town that the vessels were in a shat- tered condition ; some had lost their topmasts and there was one ship less in the fleet than before sailing. In this condition the French admiral determined to sail at once for Boston to repair, for his fleet was in no condition to withstand another contest.
The storm which had played such havoc with the two contending fleets severely affected the American army in its exposed situation on the island. The wind blew with great violence, driving a flood of rain before it, accompanied by thunder and lightning; in fact, says an observer, "it never rained harder since the flood". As night came on the tempest increased in fury, leveling the tents and so damaging the ammunition in the hands of the troops that the whole army for the time was practically defenseless. Several of the soldiers died from exposure, and horses, too, succumbed to this notable August storm. The next day the weather came off clear, finding the American army in a deplorable condition. Both American and British officers agree that had the enemy made a vigorous attack on the 14th, the result would have been disastrous to the cause of the Colonies.1 Fortune
1The British forces during the operation on Rhode Island consisted of the following regiments: Of the German auxilleries there were the Regiment Landgraf (sometimes called Wutgenau) ; Regiment Prinz Carl; First Division of the Regiment von Dittfurth; Garnison's Regiment von Huyn; Garnison's Regiment von Bunan; Regiment Anspach; Regiment Bayreuth, and Feld Jager Corps. Of this latter corps the Anspach chasseurs formed a part. Of the English army there were the following regiments: 4th, 10th, 20th, 22d, 38th, 43rd, 46th, 54th, 56th, 71st Highlanders, Queen's Rangers, Prince of Wales
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
favored the army, however, as the enemy kept within his lines, allow- ing the shattered troops to dry their clothes and recover from the effects of the storm.
On the 13th Jabez Bowen, one of the Council of War, who was with the army before Rhode Island, sent the following communication to Governor Greene :
"Tiverton August 13, 1778. "Dr Sir;
"Genl. Sullivan has inclosed a couple of Letters for me to forward which contain all the particulars of our situation. The storm has been distressing beyond description to the soldiers and when it will clear away we know not.
"The Genl. is determined to advance on the Enemy as soon as the weather clears up. The Event will be important to us and all America; may God Prosper the undertaking, please to forward all the cartridges in your power.
"I am Sir "Your Humble Servant "Jabez Bowen".1
There is a vein of humor in the latter clause of this letter, but in those stirring days that homely old maxim to "trust in God and keep your powder dry" was a solemn and serious one.
Early on the morning of the 15th of August, Sullivan put his army in motion and advanced down the island in three divisions, one by the East road, one by the West road, while the third, equidistant between the other two, took up a position on Honeyman's Hill and on the heights entirely to the northward of the hill, within two miles of the enemy's works, where a battery of seventeen pieces of heavy artillery was established to cover their right flank and commanding the British works on Bliss Hill at Green End. Between these two hills is a deep ravine, terminating at the south at Easton's Pond, with a narrow pass separating the pond from the waters of the ocean. To prevent any attempt on the part of the American army from ap- proaching the town by this means, the enemy, on the 19th, began to throw up a line of works commanding this pass and the ravine. For five days a heavy cannonading was exchanged between Sullivan's advance and the outer works of the enemy, when, on the afternoon of the 20th, the French fleet was discovered standing in. Early that evening General Greene and General Lafayette were dispatched to the flag ship Languedoc to consult with the French admiral upon a plan of action to be pursued. This consultation was prolonged until mid-
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