Battle of Rhode Island - Aftermath

Aftermath

Continental forces withdrew to Bristol and Tiverton on the night of August 31, leaving Aquidneck Island under British control.

The inflammatory writings of General Sullivan reached Boston before the French fleet arrived; Admiral d'Estaing's initial reaction was reported to be a dignified silence. Under pressure from Washington and the Continental Congress, politicians worked to smooth over the incident, and d'Estaing was in good spirits when Lafayette arrived in Boston. D'Estaing even offered to march troops overland to support the Americans: "I offered to become a colonel of infantry, under the command of one who three yars ago was a lawyer, and who certainly must have been an uncomfortable man for his clients."

The relief force of Clinton and Grey arrived at Newport on September 1. Given that the threat was over, Clinton ordered Grey to instead raid several communities on the Massachusetts coast. Admiral Howe was unsuccessful in his bid to catch up with d'Estaing, who held a strong position at the Nantasket Roads when Howe arrived there on August 30. Byron, who succeeded Howe as head of the New York station in September, was also unsuccessful in blockading d'Estaing: his fleet was scattered by a storm when it arrived off Boston, after which d'Estaing slipped away, bound for the West Indies.

General Pigot was harshly criticize by Clinton for failing to await the relief force, which might have successfully entrapped the Americans on the island. He left Newport for England not long after. Newport was abandoned by the British in October 1779; its economy was ruined by the war.