Greene had fifteen hundred fine soldiers, Sullivan had
nine thousand New England militia, and d'Estaing four thousand
French regulars. A force of fourteen thousand five hundred men
threatened five thousand British. But on the 9th of August Howe
suddenly appeared near Newport with his smaller fleet. D'Estaing
put to sea to fight him, and a great naval battle was imminent,
when a terrific storm blew up and separated and almost shattered
both fleets. D'Estaing then, in spite of American protests,
insisted on taking the French ships to Boston to refit and with
them the French soldiers. Sullivan publicly denounced the French
admiral as having basely deserted him and his own disgusted
yeomanry left in hundreds for their farms to gather in the
harvest. In September, with d'Estaing safely away, Clinton sailed
into Newport with five thousand men. Washington's campaign
against Rhode Island had failed completely.
The summer of 1778 thus turned out badly for Washington. Help
from France which had aroused such joyous hopes in America had
achieved little and the allies were hurling reproaches at each
other. French and American soldiers had riotous fights in Boston
and a French officer was killed. The British, meanwhile, were
landing at small ports on the coast, which had been the haunts of
privateers, and were not only burning shipping and stores but
were devastating the country with Loyalist regiments recruited in
America.
Pages:
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206