NEWPORT.
This plan, by Charles Blaskowitz, was published by Faden in 1777, and is here somewhat reduced. Cf. fac-simile in the Mag. of Amer. Hist., July, 1879. A MS. map of the mouth of Taunton River and Newport harbor, by Charles Blaskowitz, is among the Faden maps (no. 89) in the library of Congress. There is another plan by Des Barres, published April 24, 1776, and making part of the Atlantic Neptune. A plan of Newport and the bay is in the American Atlas, nos. 17 and 18. The British had contemplated founding a navy yard at Newport in 1764 (Rhode Island Hist. Mag., July, 1885, p. 42). Rider (Hist. Tracts, no. 6) gives a fac-simile of an old map.
Meanwhile, on the 29th, the British, who had followed Sullivan, began to press him, and some fighting took place. The centennial of this action was celebrated August 29, 1878, and S. S. Rider includes an account of it in his R. I. Hist. Tracts, vi. S. G. Arnold delivered the historical address. This book has also Sullivan's Report, Aug. 31st; Pigot to Clinton; and the German account from Eelking's Hülfstruppen, translated by J. W. De Peyster. Cf. also R. I. Hist. Soc. Proc. (1877-78), p. 88. A letter of Col. Trumbull, Aug. 20th, is in the Trumbull MSS., and the fight is described in his Autobiography. A letter of James Lanman, Sept. 16th, is in the Sparks MSS. (xlvii. p. 29). Cf. Lossing's Field-Book, ii. 89, and Arnold's Rhode Island and other histories of the State, and of Newport.
The British strength on the island, Aug. 22d, is given as 6,860 men; and the loss in the action of the 29th is given at 207 in all. Sparks MSS., xlix. vol. iii.
As night fell, the Americans deceived Pigot into thinking them at work on their defences, when in fact they were crossing to the mainland by two ferries. An hour before midnight Lafayette got back from Boston, and found this retreat going on. He took at once charge of the rear-guard, and by midnight the entire army was rescued.
GENERAL SULLIVAN'S CAMPAIGN MAP, August. 9-30, 1778.
This follows a sketch in E. M. Stone's Our French Allies, p. 108, which is a reduction of the original (38 inches long,—scale, one inch to mile), given by Sullivan, after the retreat, to the government of Rhode Island, and discovered in the State House a few years ago.
Key: A, "American army under the command of the Hon'ble Gen'l Sullivan." B, "British lines." B L W, "British Lines and works." B A, "British Army. Order of March." "Here a severe cannonading and bombarding on both sides began Aug. 17, 1778, and continued till the 27th." C, "British Army. Order of Battle." D, "Daify Hill" is properly Durfee's Hill. Y, Turkey Hill. A H, Almy's Hill. O, "British redoubts", north of Easton's pond. Windmill. "Here the British army came up with the Light Corps of Gen. Sullivan, which was in advance Aug. 29th, 1778, 7 o'c'k A. M., when the battle of that day began." A B, "American batteries and covered way." R, Howland's Ferry. "Here the American army landed Aug. 9th, 1778, beginning after 6 o'clock A. M., and retreated the 30th in the evening."
The sentences above in quotation-marks are legends on the map at the points indicated. A letter of Sullivan, Oct. 25, 1778, respecting this map is in the Trumbull MSS., iv. p. 181.