other and the exercise of free speech. all that is madison's monument. sort of with the case on st. auls, look around you. tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> all weekend long american history tv joins our cox communications cable partners to showcase the history of newport, rhode island, to learn more about the cities on our current chore, visit c-span.org/cities tour. we continue with our look of istory on newport. >> it's the first test of the french american military lliance. >> it shows poor communication between the two and it also shows what the americans can't

do without, which is major french artillery support p. so in terms of being a test of the french american alliance, there's some real lessons learned but haven't been learned here at the battle of rhode island. >> what we're really doing is talking about two different things, talking about the battle for rhode island and the battle of rhode island. when we talk about the battle of rhode island we talk about the action that took place august 29, 1778. and that's the major combat phase of the interaction between the americans and the french that are more than part of the island and the british that are occupying newport and a part of a broader forward island that starts a long time before in term of the context of the american revolution that the british move into newport in december of 1776. it's one of the first of the major cities to fall. new york has fallen to the british in september of 1776. and a couple months later

almost undefended capacity, the british are able to move into newport which at the time is one of the sixth largest cities in british north america and certainly one of the largest commercial posts. the first real attempt of the americans to try to dislodge the british and perhaps the only real attempt isn't until 1778 and that still ties into these broader, strategic issues. it's because of the french american alliance. the french and americans find the treaty of amity and commerce in 1778 and gives the americans -- gives washington what he just covets which is french naval support along with american ground troops. so the first time that they can try this new alliance out, this new overt alliance out is later on that summer when a french fleet under the command of the french arrive in their gans harbor.

- of their gants -- of narragance harbor. and sullivan, one of washington's favorite, from massachusetts, known for his bravery and enthusiasm and is not known for being moderate or temperity. but washington puts him in command of the operations to essentially take back this island thinking that once we have the french fleet and american army, we can go ahead and in a combined operation dislodge the british and loyalists who are here in this town. by the time of their august 1778, they've come up with a plan that will be a combined french bombardment on the city. the americans are expecting not just a bombardment but also the use of french -- the use and support of french troops that are under the french command and what sullivan is hoping and planning for. but there's not a lot of communication between the two even given the presence in the

first combat roles of the marquis delafayette and he's one of john sullivan's primary lieutenants and commanding a entire wing of sullivan's army which is arraigned in an arc above the town from one side of the island to the other. and he thinks that well, lafayette will be able to go ahead and facilitate the communications between the americans and the french. but it doesn't of course work out that way that the weather strikes. there's a massive storm in august and it not only impacts the american troops, it soaks their gun powder and destroys their tents and turns the main roads on the island that they're using to move from point to point just into mud pits. so it creates some real tactical problems for it. the bigger strategic issue is that it really does a great al of damage to a lot of the ships. and given the priority of the

ships, they are not keen to leaving them in the harbor. what he wants to do is go and leave and take his fleet from narragansett bay and out and around to boston. there won't be british threat there and he wants to refit them before he comes back to support them. that's where the miscommunication between the two reaches its apex. sullivan is -- sullivan loses it. he just completely goes ballistic over the fact they're going to lose sullivan and his attack on newport. sullivan publicly does the one thing you're not doing in the 18th century, he questions their honor. in fact he outright calls them cowards. dustang won't stand for that and has no intention of coming back. sullivan wants to rethink the entire french-american a lie aps and is one of the things really at stake.

one the first of the battle of rhode island on august 29 is that it's the first opportunity for military cooperation between the french and the americans in the war but it's almost the last. and has become so serious lafayette has to ride from newport up boston to try to defense dustang to come back. sullivan makes the decision he's going to move forward with his attack plans on newport. he moves forward to attacks newport but the british positions are too strong. we have about 10,000 american troops, there's a small canadian unit and also the very unique presence of the first rhode island regiment. the first rhode island is one of the most famous regiments of the entire american revolution. it's the first integrated combat unit of the continental army.

it is comprised of former slaves that have been freed by their enlistment of free blacks, of native americans and of european americans who are joined together in this one common venture. but the biggest enemy that general sullivan has is the weather. because his gun powder has been damaged and because the roads are in such rotten shape and his men are not in the best and doesn't have the french bombardment support because of the weather he's not able to launch the attack the way he wants to. the battle isn't a battle and is sullivan's troops trying to move, getting bogged down and the british maintaining their positions very well. so in the end it's a major defeat for the americans. if sullivan's goal is to dislodge the british from this extraordinarily important port,

he completely fails in accomplishing that. so what sullivan decides to do then is save what's left -- save what there is of his army and retreat back up the island and get off the island before the british can counter attack. so beginning his retreat sullivan bombards the city of newport where we're standing right now. it's a very effective bombardment, not only keeps the heads of the british and herbens -- hechens down but he's able to successfully keep at bay and get the troops to providence and is the greatest success the americans have of the entire campaign but ends the battle over rhode island. the british got here in december of 1776 and they don't leave until october of 1779.

that only new york remain in british hands longer for most of the revolutionary war and newport remain as british port and are moving up to capture charleston and there have been fighting between the british and french fleets in the caribbean. newport has really lost its -- really lost the importance for the british because they can't spread themselves too thin given the fact they now have a caribbean theater. they pull their troops quietly, as quietly as they moved in newport in 1776 they move out of newport in october of 1779. they leave here and half the town goes with them. it isn't long before the patriots move back in, lafayette was gone on a trip to -- he was gone on a trip back home to france to generate more support and supplies for the americans. he returns in june of 1780. hen he returns, the french

fleet comes here and that's when it's the last phase of the newport revolutionary history starts. the battle for rhode island is more or less over when the british leave and then the french come back and the americans come back and then this becomes a town every bit as dominated by the french and the american armies as it had been by the british and the hessians. this is where the project of forging the french american alliance really starts getting going. it starts gaining traction. lafayette does everything he n here in this town to bring - literally bring washington together and he does a couple months later and he and rochembo meet face to face and discuss what they're doing. but it was under this broader campaign of fostering discussion and communication in order to build on those lessons

that were learned from the battle of rhode island that leads to the fruits of the cooperation that end up in yorktown. that all happens here. and it's from here that the troops leave at the end of the summer of 1781 to go straight from here to yorktown. newport plays an extraordinary role not just in the american revolution in terms of the battle of rhode island, this important battle in the campaign for new england, but it plays a seminal road in the broader conflict we call the american revolution. >> our cities tour stamp recently traveled to newport, rhode island, to learn about its rich history. learn more about newport and other stops at our tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you're watching american

history tv every weekend on c-span 3. >> next, lebanon valley college professor james broussard teaches a class on the leadup to the american revolution and describes actions by the british government such as the stamp act and stationing british troops in boston that american columnists begin to view as an overreach of power. his class is about an hour and 10 minutes. james: today we'll talk about the imperial problem that faces britain after the end of the war in 1763 and of course the coming of the revolution. so if you have any questions, pipe up. if not, i'll be asking you a few. now, you remember last time, or last week anyway, we put a graph up here showing the results you'd probably get if you went around and asked