The
Battle of Rhode Island, also known as the
Battle of Quaker Hill and the
Siege of Newport, took place on August 29, 1778.
Continental Army and militia forces under the command of General
John Sullivan were withdrawing to the northern part of
Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of
Newport, Rhode Island, when the
British forces in Newport sortied, supported by recently arrived
Royal Navy ships, and attacked the retreating Americans. The battle ended inconclusively, but the Continental forces afterward withdrew to the mainland, leaving Aquidneck Island in British hands.