S2E7 - The Battle of Rhode Island

Hello and welcome to the Story of Rhode Island. The podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In last week’s episode we watched the Americans' plan of retaking the city of Newport come crashing down when a hurricane and the British fleet unexpectedly arrived in Rhode Island . And now, After losing the support of the French, the Americans must find a way to safely retreat back onto the Rhode Island mainland while the enemy attempts to run them down. As we jump into Episode 7, it’s late August of 1778 and General John Sullivan, a man anxious to repair is tattered reputation, can be seen standing atop a 200-foot high hill known as Butts Hill. The hill is located within the town of Portsmouth on the northern end of Aquidneck Island. Surrounding that hill is a well constructed fort that was built by the British army back in September of 1777 but one that will now act as the central command post for General John Sullivan and his other commanding officers. One of those officers, Major General Nathanael Greene is a man we’ve come to know quite well throughout the war. However, the other, General John Glover is new to us. Glover is a seasoned military officer from Massachusetts and a man who has been fighting in the Revolutionary War since it first began. And while these men are all from different states there’s one thing they all have in common; a deep devotion to the cause they are fighting for, something that can also be said for the 7,500 American soldiers within their ranks. And that’s a good thing, because these men are going to need that devotion to accomplish the incredibly difficult task at hand. The American army must keep the enemy soldiers at bay so that they can lead an orderly retreat across the Sakonnet River and back onto the Rhode Island mainland. If they fail, then thousands of American soldiers will be either killed or taken prisoner. If they succeed, then they will live to fight another day and continue to defend their newly acquired independence. It won’t be easy as some of these men have never seen a day of battle in their lives and they’re fighting an extremely well trained army. Both sides know that over the next several hours, men will die and blood will be shed throughout Aquidneck Island. The story of the Americans fighting to defend their ground during the Battle of Rhode Island is what we’ll cover in this week’s episode of the Story of Rhode Island Podcast.

Intro Music

It’s early in the morning on August 29th 1778 and Generals johns Sullivan, Nathaniel Greene, and John Glover can be seen standing around a table at their command center on Butts Hill. As the sleepless group of men rub their tired eyes they study the map of Aquidneck Island sitting on the table in front of them. Located in the top right hand corner of the map, about 2 miles East from where they stand, is Howland’s Ferry. It’s at this location where American troops will eventually be rowed across the Sakonnet River and back into Tiverton, allowing them to retreat North up to Providence. Guarding that escape route are 7,500 American soldiers stationed at various defensive positions throughout Portsmouth. Closest to the ferry are 2,500 militia soldiers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, a group of inexperienced troops tasked with guarding the boats they’ll use to escape. Then, there’s the American officers and their command center on Butts Hill. This location is the American Army’s last line of defense. If Butt’s Hill is overrun then all hope is lost and the Americans will have to make a mad dash across the Sakonnet River, an outcome that would inevitably lead to part of their army being taken prisoner. South of Butt’s Hill are the American’s two main wings. Their right wing, positioned on the west side of the island, stretches about a half mile southwest from Butts Hill to Durfee’s Hill or what is known as Lehigh Hill today. This wing is commanded by Major General Nathanael Greene. To the east of that wing is the American’s left wing, commanded by John Glover. It expands almost a mile and a half south past the right wing, first to Turkey Hill which is located at the present day intersection of route 114 and Hedly Street and then at Quaker Hill, right about where route 138 intersects with Middle Road today. Even closer to the enemy, about 2 miles south of the right and left wings, are two light infantry units that will act as the Americans’ advance guard. One of the units, led by Colonel John Laurens, is located on the West side of Aquidneck, while the other, led by Colonel Henry Beekman Livingston, is located on the East. It will be up to these brave soldiers to bear the initial brunt of the British and German forces. These are the various locations and regiments that the officers study while standing at their command center on Butt’s Hill. The men point at the different hills and roads on the map to make sure they’ve prepared for whatever the enemy throws at them. But Then, only about a half hour after the sun has risen above the horizon, the three officers are informed that Colonel John Laurens’ advance Guard, stationed about 5 miles south from where they stand, has begun engaging with the Hessians. The men lift their heads up from the map, walk out of their tent, and direct their vision south, each one of them knowing that The Battle of Rhode Island has begun.

Retreating north from their initial position at the present day intersection of Route 114 and Union Street are 100 soldiers from the front of Laurens’ advance guard. As they head up the western side of Aquidneck Island a group of 150 Hessian chaussiers follow closely behind. After a brief engagement, the Americans have killed one German soldier while also wounding a few others. They know that the men closing in on them are anxious to get revenge. After retreating for a short while, the Americans decide that they must defend themselves, so with their hands sweating from the heat of combat, they turn and fire at the Chaussiers. Unfortunately, their fire is ineffective and they are once again forced to retreat. Beforelong, they managed to make it back to the rest of the soldiers in the advance guard, bringing their numbers up to about 300 men. Leading these men is Colonel John Laurens of South Carolina, a man in his mid twenties whose death-defying stunts earlier on in the war have left some wondering if he has some sort of death wish. Colonel Laurens comes from an extremely wealthy southern family and like most young men he often finds himself clashing with his parents' more conservative views. Unlike his parents, Laurens deplores the act of slavery and recently wrote to his father that he believes the enslaved men have been QUOTE “unjustly deprived of the Rights of Mankind” UNQUOTE. Needless to say, the ideals he is willing to die for during this fight on Aquidneck Island are more radical than most of his other countrymen. When the men retreating make it to Laurens’ line, he can tell they are afraid. Therefore, in an attempt to rally their spirits, Laurens rides his horse amongst the soldiers while waving his sword in the air. He tells them to remain steady and remember their training. Unfortunately, the men are in need of more than just training as they are severely outnumbered by the approaching enemy. After regrouping and receiving reinforcements, the number of German soldiers now total more than 1,800 men. When the American troops see the enemy soldiers charging at them from three different directions, the men promptly begin a hasty retreat. Laurens, repeating his rash acts of bravery that he committed earlier on in the war, wildly begins waving his sword in the air hoping it will convince his men to stand and fight. But his attempts have no effect and his men begin streaming past him as if they were a river flowing around a rock. Finally, showing some restraint, Laurens kicks his horse and begins retreating alongside his men through the farms and fields on Aquidneck. As the German soldiers follow closely behind them they pass by wounded American troops with blood scattered across their uniforms. During their pursuit, the Hessian soldiers come across a farm owned by a Quaker family that’s remained neutral throughout the war. The Germans, believing that these locals might be housing American rebels, burst into the house while pointing their guns directly at the family. While holding their hands in front of their faces, the Quakers beg for mercy. Then, a loud cry is heard coming from a nearby farm as the wife and kids of another Quaker family witness their innocent father be murdered by German soldiers. Amidst this chaos, a group of American troops burst into the house and take the German soldiers by surprise. Seeing that they are outnumbered, the German troops put down their weapons and surrender. Before the American soldiers leave the house the family walks over to thank the men who have potentially saved their lives. But when they approach the young men standing in front of them, men who hardly even seem to be in their early 20s, the family finds themselves taken back by the look they see in their eyes. It’s not only intense but somewhat blank as well. It’s as if the men have removed all emotion from their body so that they can simply focus on the mission at hand; holding the line and making sure their fellow patriots get off of Aquidneck Island alive. So without a word being said, the Quaker family steps away from the soldiers and allows them to get on with their mission. As the fighting continues to rage, Laurens’ advance guard makes a couple more short-lived defenses against the German troops but they are continuously forced to retreat all the way back to Turkey Hill. When they arrive on the hill, their numbers are increased by additional continental regiments who have been sent in as reinforcements. The men bravely battle the German enemy but are once again overpowered and forced to retreat back to their main lines to the west of Butts Hill. With the enemy having just taken Turkey Hill, they are inching their way closer to the Americans main lines on the western side of Aquidneck Island. While these Americans prepare to dig in their heels and attempt to hold their ground, we head over to the other side of the island to see how things are going at Quaker Hill. While there, we’ll witness some of the most intense fighting of the day and meet more of the brave men who risk their lives during this historic battle.

Standing on the eastern side of Aquidneck Island is Quaker Hill. The hill is of immense importance to the Americans as it is only about 2 miles south of Butt’s Hill, the American’s last line of defense protecting their escape route at Howland’s ferry. Defending Quaker hill is a handful of American regiments consisting of Colonel Wigglesworth’s regiment, two regiments of advance guards who, just like we just saw with General Lauren’s advance Guard, have retreated from their initial position, and a militia unit, known as “Sullivan’s Life Guards”. This final regiment is led by Lieutenant Aaron Mann of Providence and it’s made up entirely of Rhode Island men. One of these brave individuals is Obadiah Brown, a 36 year old man from Providence with 2 daughters waiting for him at home. While he stands beside his fellow countrymen he feels his heart relentlessly pounding as he watches the British enemy moving towards him. With sweat dripping off of his eyebrows Brown takes a moment to calm himself by thinking of his daughters, Martha and Nancy. He reminds himself that once this is all over he’ll be reunited with them once again. But before that can happen there’s a battle that needs to be won. Brown begins loading his weapon by lifting a paper cartridge out of his cartridge box and biting off its top. After spitting the top out of his mouth he starts pouring some of the gunpowder down the priming pan. As he does, his trembling hand causes him to accidentally pour some of the powder onto the grass. Then, he pours the rest of the gun powder and musket ball down the gun barrel, rams it home, and then holds the musket vertically against his chest. While recalling the training that’s been drilled into his memory, Brown stands there patiently until given the order to engage the enemy, or at least as patient as one can be during the heat of battle. While standing there, he hears Lieutenant Mann shout out “steady men, wait for my order”. To Brown, each second that passes feels like an eternity. He wants nothing more than to fire his weapon at the troops heading his way. Finally, at around 9:00am, Mann shouts out the first order, “Make Ready”. Brown holds his musket out in front of him and cocks the trigger. Then, Mann yells, “present”. Brown proceeds to point his weapon towards the British soldiers who are now within 50 yards of him. Just as he begins to exhale after taking a king, deep breath he hears Mann yell “FIRE!”. Brown pulls his trigger and instantaneously a loud bang comes from the gun while a cloud of smoke rises up in front of his face. By the time it clears, a group of British troops are seen screaming on the ground. Then, shortly after Brown finishes reloading his weapon, Mann shouts out the same set of orders and the men fire their weapons again. By the time a third volley is fired hardly a minute has passed and even more enemy soldiers are seen lying on the ground. With the British now in full retreat Brown begins rushing forward alongside his fellow militiamen. Eventually, some of the men take control of a British cannon and begin turning it towards the enemy. But just as the men finish turning the cannon, Brown notices that the once retreating British soldiers have since been reinforced by other regiments. As he once again lines up beside his men, he prepares for the wave of enemy troops who are now on the offensive. And before long a loud bang is heard yet again but this time the bullets heading his way. Not even a second later, Brown feels something smack against his body and a searing pain burning into his side. Finding himself in a state of shock, Brown stumbles backwards and drops his weapon. After hitting the ground, he realizes he’s been shot and begins clutching his wound. One of the men next to him tries to help him up but as he does Brown screams in pain. With bullets still flying in the air, and the enemy now charging forward with their bayonets, the pain only continues to get worse. As the seconds pass, Brown finds himself growing tired as his heartbeat continues to slow. Then, with the enemy just a few yards away, Brown is lowered back onto the ground and his brother in arms begins retreating with the rest of the men. Beforelong the life drifts out of Obadiah’s body and he passes away on the battlefield, making him just one of the many men who will lose their life during the Battle of Rhode Island. After a retreat from their short-lived advance, the rest of the soldiers eventually regroup on Quakers Hill and defend the strategic location while British troops relentlessly attack them from multiple angles. The man in charge of defending the hill, Edward Wigglesworth, rallies his men throughout the fighting, continuously doing whatever he can to encourage his men to hold their ground. For the next hour, the Americans valiantly defend the hill, showing the enemy forces how this once rag tag group of farmers and artisans has been turned into a respected army. But nonetheless, the fighting grows more intense every minute and some of the commanders begin to wonder just how long they can hold their ground. Then, Colonel Wigglesworth, notices a group of soldiers approach from the west. Believing they are Americans, the Colonel smiles as he’s now positive they’ll be able to defend the hill. But just moments later, a man by the name of John Trumbull rides up beside him on his horse. After the war, Trumbull will become an American icon for the pictures he paints of the American Revolution, but for now he’s been sent to Quaker Hill to tell Wigglesworth that he must retreat. Having a hunch of the errand that Trumbull’s just been sent on, Wigglesworth vehemently exclaims QUOTE “Don’t say a word, Trumbull.‘I know your errand, but don’t speak; we will beat them in a moment” UNQUOTE. Trumbull promptly responds by pointing towards the west and saying QUOTE “‘Col. Wigglesworth, do you see those troops crossing obliquely (CHECK) from the west road towards your rear?’ UNQUOTE. Wigglesworth becomes annoyed and tells him QUOTE “Yes, they are Americans, coming to our support” UNQUOTE. Trumbull responds by telling the Colonel that he is wrong. They are not Americans but actually German troops coming to cut off his retreat. Realizing his error, Wigglesworth groans in frustration but eventually accepts the orders given to him. Moments later, his men allow the enemy to take Quaker Hill and begin retreating back to the American’s main line at the foot of Butt’s Hill. The Americans left wing is now at their last line of defense. If the Americans don’t hold their line then all hope is lost. They’ll be overtaken and suffer a catastrophic number of casualties. So with over 1,000 enemy troops rushing towards them and with the summer sun glistening off of their bayonets, General John Glover prepares his men for impact. He positions them behind rock walls and reminds them about what's at stake. Then, with the enemy getting closer, Glover orders the artillery situated behind him to begin firing at the British troops. As Glover's men peer over their shoulders they see the six-18 pound cannons from Butts Hill launching a deadly array of cannonfire at the enemy soldiers. Their cannonballs slam against the dirt on Aquidneck Island while striking some of the enemy troops as well. As the minutes pass, more cannonfire is released from the American guns and the British begin to give way. Eventually, the enemy troops realize just how well fortified Glover’s line is at the foot of Butt’s Hill so their commanders decide to retreat back to Quaker Hill. The Americans celebrate, knowing that they’ve just managed to hold their line against a formidable enemy force, at least for now. The fighting in Portsmouth has yet to come to a close as the Americans right wing on the West side of Aquidneck Island must hold their line as well. And heading towards them, are the same German soldiers who we watched easily dismantle the American’s advance guard earlier in the day. It’s now time to see just how skilled this rebel army has actually become.

For the past 3 hours, the Americans have been at battle with an enemy force attempting to cut off their retreat at Howland’s Ferry. And although they’ve had to surrender Turkey and Quaker Hill to the enemy, the American soldiers have managed to retain control of their most important defensive position, Butts Hill. While they can proudly say that their left wing has held the line on the eastern side of Butt’s Hill, their right wing must now pass the same test. The man in charge of defending this vital location is Rhode Island’s own, Nathanael Greene. To ensure this position is held, Greene’s laid out numerous regiments along the hills and valleys to the west and southwest of Butts Hill. And one of these regiments is perhaps the most extraordinary regiments of the entire war. They are unlike anything either the British, German, or American soldiers have ever seen and a sight that many detest. They are the first Rhode Island regiment and most of the 140 men in their unit are formerly enslaved Rhode Islanders. While blacks have been in the American army since 1775 they are typically unarmed and expected to act as either a personal servant to the officers or as a laborer tasked with activities like building fortifications. But that changed in February of 1778 when Rhode Island authorized the creation of an armed regiment made up of enslaved men who would gain their freedom upon enlistment. And now, the men in this regiment stand at the forefront of the Americans’ defenses as they have been tasked with defending a redoubt (rih-dowt) on Durfee’s hill, a position that puts them about ½ mile southwest of Butt’s Hill. This means that they will be the first to face the regiment of Hessian Chasseurs attempting to break through their lines. Their fight won’t be easy as most of them have never seen a minute of battle in their lives and to make it worse, due to the color of their skin, they haven’t even been able to participate in military training like the rest of the American army. So as they stand underneath the hot summer sun, largely inexperienced and untrained, they hope that courage will push them through the next few hours of intense fighting. Their battle begins at about 10:00am when their commander, Samuel Ward, gives them the order to begin firing at the German troops rushing up Durfees Hill. One of the men firing from the redoubt is Prince Greene, a formerly enslaved man from Potowomut in his mid twenties. After pulling his trigger, Prince watches German soldiers drop to the ground as the clouds of gunsmoke rise in the air. Then, he and the other men in the 1st Rhode Island regiment reload their weapons and fire another round at the enemy soldiers. Their aim proves to be effective as chaussures are once again seen falling to the ground. Eventually, the German General, Friedrich Von der malsburg, realizes how badly his regiment has been damaged so he calls his men back to regroup. Moments later, the Germans hear the First Rhode Island Regiment beginning to celebrate their early success, making them even more determined to overtake them than before. Knowing that for the moment he’s out of harm’s way, Prince lowers his weapon and takes a minute to catch his breath. After taking a few sips of water from his canteen he nervously waits for the fighting to be reignited. Then, while sitting on the ground with his canteen in his hand, he begins hearing cannonfire coming from British ships in Narragansett Bay. The cannons prove to be largely ineffective to the American’s defenses but that provides little solace to Prince as he knows the Germans are about to launch another assault on their lines any minute now. That assault takes place at about 11:30am and Prince is once again forced to defend the redoubt as enemy forces head directly towards him. While firing his weapon, he begins hearing cannonfire coming from the American artillery positioned behind him. The cannons prove to be extremely effective and the Germans are once again forced to retreat. Then, right around noon time, the Germans launch their third and final assault on the redoubt at Durfee’s Hill. It’s at this moment when General Nathanael Greene decides to send in two additional regiments into the fighting, an action that prompts the Germans take a similar action as well. The Americans once again fight splendidly but they are eventually overpowered by the enemy troops and forced to retreat. Thankfully, General Greene, with years of combat experience now under his belt, finds a weakness in the German’s lines and promptly orders one of his regiments to attack that very spot. Soldiers begin flying across the battlefield and the Germans slowly begin to fall back. With the momentum swinging in favor of the Americas, Greene sends out over 800 more troops under Colonel John Trumbull to attack the fading German regiments. The enemy, realizing they are surrounded, have no choice but to retreat all the way back to Turkey Hill. As they sluggishly drag their bodies up the hill they begin to realize exactly what the British discovered on the eastern slopes of Butts Hill; the American’s final defensive position is too well fortified to be overtaken. For the next few hours, an uneasy calm overtakes Aquidneck island as the German and British Generals strategize about what to do next. As they review a map of Portsmouth they narrow in on Butt’s Hill, attempting to find some type of weakness in the Americans position that they can exploit. But by 3:30 in the afternoon on August 29th, the enemy forces conclude that no such option exists and they officially give up their assault. The Americans have done it, they’ve successfully held their line in the face of a formidable force and prevented thousands of their troops from being taken prisoner. Over the next day and a half, General John Sullivan completes the final part of their mission when he leads his army back to safety across the Sakonnet River, allowing the Americans to live on and fight another day. And so although The Battle of Rhode Island wasn’t the grand retaking of Newport that General John Sullivan and Nathanael Greene had hoped for, it nonetheless should be considered an impressive achievement. Not only did Sullivan and Greene adapt wonderfully to a series of unforeseen circumstances being thrown their way but they’ve proved yet again that the American army is able to compete with an opposing British bud germn forces. On top of that, the statistics also stand in favor of the Continentals as the enemy forces suffered 260 casualties while the Americans lost only 211 of their own. Shortly after the battle, the men who participated in the conflict go their separate ways and play their own unique role in their fight for independence. General John Sullivan continues to fight in the Revolutionary War until he has to resign due to health issues. When he returns to his home state of New Hampshire he’s welcomed back as a hero and eventually elected into congress. Meanwhile, Prince Greene and the other men in the first Rhode Island regiment fight in other critical battles and demonstrate bravery in each and everyone of those engagements. American officers John Glover, Edward Wigglesworth, and John Laurens continue fighting as well but unfortunately not all survive. Colonel John Laurens, the man who led the advance guard on the western of Aquidneck, will eventually succumb to his fiery passion for the Patriots' cause. In a few years, Laurens will be shot dead while valiantly charging towards an enemy force, perhaps going out exactly as he had hoped for. But as for Rhode Island’s very own Nathanael Greene, well his story still has a long way to go as he is about to pull off what many historians consider to be the most brilliant military performance of the entire war. Following The Battle of Rhode Island, fighting in the North pretty much comes to a standstill as the British unleash a devastating campaign on the southern colonies. Over the next couple of years, the American’s southern Generals, Benjamin Lincoln and Haratio Gates, suffer a series of devastating defeats and by the fall of 1780 the Patriots southern army is on the verge of being destroyed. If this were to happen then the southern colonies would be brought back under British control and the Americans would probably lose the Revolutionary War. And so, during this dire situation, George Washington decides to turn to his most trusted General. A man from Rhode Island whose Quaker upbringing, prominent limp, and complete lack of military experience when joining the revolution initially made him an unlikely warrior but a man who has since turned into a skilled military tactician. Well now, it’ll be up to Nathanael Greene to head south so that he can revive the southern army and save the Americans from losing the Revolutionary War. But that’s a story for next time on next week’s episode of the story of rhode island podcast.