Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month July 1778
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
Following the battle at Monmouth the American army moved on to Englishtown where it spent two days for rest and recuperation. Ward relates that the last evening was used "to publickly unite in thanksgiving to the Supreme Disposer of Human Events for the Victory which was obtained on Sunday over the Flower of the British troops." There is no doubt that if victory is awarded to the army holding the field that the Continentals won. However, both sides claimed a glorious victory and in a sense each was victorious. But what was the true test of victory? Was the training at Valley Forge effective? Had the Continental Army really shown that it could successfully engage a professional European army on the open field? Flexner allows that the question may never be settled, but offers this remark, "On this issue, General Clinton gave his silent testimony by preferring, during the rest of his command, to fight where the Continental Army was not."
On the 1st of July the army began to move forward over terrain so much traveled in past months and years that it's highways and byways were known by heart, which was indeed fortunate for there were no detailed maps showing roads and river crossings. The lack of such maps was the major cause of defeat in the 1777 Battle of Brandywine at Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania. Depending upon farmers to inform him of all fords and passages across the Brandywine, General George Washington was flanked when British General William Howe discovered a distant and unguarded ford. Washington had asked Congress in January of 1777 to appoint a body to make actual surveys of "the roads, rivers, bridges and fords over streams, mountains and passes through the mountains." In July of that year Congress appointed Robert Erskine as Geographer and Surveyor-General to the Continental Army. It was not until 1780 that Erskine had progressed to the point of a pretty accurate map of four states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
On the 2nd day of July the Continental Congress returned to Philadelphia from York, Pennsylvania. On the 3rd, Loyalists and Indians massacred a settlement in the Wyoming Valley of northern Pennsylvania. I find no mention of any activity by the Continentals on the 4th of July, however, on that day George Rogers Clark of Virginia captured the British garrison at Kaskaskia, located at the junction of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia rivers. On the 9th day of July a British naval force raided and burned Fairfield, Connecticut, then moved on to deal the same fate to Norwalk.
At this point it should be noted that on the 8th of July Washington established West Point as the official headquarters of the continental Army. However, this does not mean that the army itself was to be located at West Point, as on the 15th, the Continental army was camped at Haverstraw. I do not find this town on today's maps but the army had passed Paramus and must have been headed somewhat eastward toward the Jersey coast as the long awaited French fleet had arrived and was laying at anchor off Sandy Hook. Washington ordered a large number of young bullocks (steers or young bulls), several hundred sheep and much poultry to be presented to the French in honor of their arrival.
Comte (Count) D'Estaing, Admiral of the French fleet had arrived off the Delaware Capes on July 8th, far too late to catch Admiral Lord Richard Howe's fleet bottled up in the Delaware at Philadelphia. Failing to catch Admiral Howe on the Delaware, D'Estaing with twelve ships of 834 guns and carrying 4,000 French marines was now standing off Sandy Hook observing Howe's fleet of nine ships of 534 guns. D'Estaing appeared to have the advantage for an engagement, but, his ships were larger and of deeper draft than the British who lay behind a sand bar in the bight of Sandy Hook. The greater draft of the French ships prevented them from crossing the bar. Washington furnished the best pilots and D'Estaing offered a 50,000 Crown reward to anyone who could show him a safe passage across the bar. However, it was to no avail, the French ships were simply too big to cross the bar. The fleet lay there for 11 days before proceeding toward Newport, Rhode Island, which had been held by the British since December of 1776. It was occupied by 3,000 Redcoats as well as a number of warships and transports.
The move to Newport was a combined operation between D'Estaing and General John Sullivan with 1,000 Continentals who were to be supplemented by local militia. The New England states raised not only the 5,000 men as requested, but also 1,000 more. D'Estaing arrived off Newport on the 29th of July. As planned and agreed to with Washington, he landed the 4,000 Marines south of the city. He then turned his attention to Newport. There are only two passages from the sea to Newport's harbor. D'Estaing sent ships up both passages engaging in battles in which the British lost seven warships. However, he was unable to proceed because his way was blocked by the retreating Royal Navy, who intentionally sank two British transports blocking both passages to the inner harbor. D'Estaing was stymied, he controlled the sea but he could not achieve his goal if he could not enter Newport's harbor while raising, organizing and deploying the militia. Sullivan's army was not prepared to fight.
Had Sullivan been ready for combat on the 29th, there should have been a different ending to the siege of Newport. Unfortunately there was too much of a delay in time to coordinate with the French, which jeopardized the entire operation. To this mix, stir in some naivety by Sullivan, petty jealousy by D'Estaing, naval reinforcements from England on the way to reinforce Howe in New York, a hurricane moving into the North Atlantic and you have the makings of a first class debacle.
References: Christopher Ward's "War of the Revolution";Arthur Meier Schlesinger’s “Almanac of American History"; James Thomas Flexner's "George Washington, The Indispensable Man".
Back to American Revolution Month-by-Month Articles