Mount Hope Bay raids
Series of military raids by British troops during the American Revolutionary War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Mount Hope Bay raids were a series of military raids conducted by British troops during the American Revolutionary War against communities on the shores of Mount Hope Bay on May 25 and 31, 1778. The towns of Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island were significantly damaged, and Freetown, Massachusetts (present-day Fall River) was also attacked, although its militia resisted British attacks more successfully. The British destroyed military defenses in the area, including supplies that had been cached by the Continental Army in anticipation of an assault on British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island. Homes as well as municipal and religious buildings were also destroyed in the raids.
Mount Hope Bay raids | |||||||
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Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
General Sir Robert Pigot (portrait by Francis Cotes), the organizer of the raids | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Great Britain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
William Barton (May 25) Joseph Durfee (May 31) |
Sir Robert Pigot (Commander In-Chief) John Campbell (May 25) Edmund Eyre (May 31) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
May 25: 500 regulars and volunteers May 31: 40 militia |
May 25: 500 regulars 2 frigates May 31: 100–150 regulars | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
May 25: 69 civilian prisoners taken[1] May 31: 1 captured[2] |
May 25: 11 wounded, 2 captured[1] May 31, at Freetown: 2 killed, 5 wounded[2] May 31, at Bristol Ferry: 2–3 killed, 1–2 wounded[3][4][5] |
On May 25, 500 British and Hessian soldiers, under orders from General Sir Robert Pigot, the commander of the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island, landed between Bristol and Warren, destroyed boats and other supplies, and plundered Bristol. Local resistance was minimal and ineffective in stopping the British activities. Six days later, 100 soldiers descended on Freetown, where less damage was done because local defenders prevented the British from crossing a bridge.