state department and what do american foreign service officers do? they will learn all of the stories and see these wonderful objects. katie: what is diplomacy, who does it, and why does it matter, that is really the key question to answer throughout every exhibition. why is this history relevant to everyday americans? what have our diplomats doing today and what have they done to promote security and our national interests abroad? >> this was the second of a two-part look at the u.s. diplomacy center museum collections. you can view part one and all other american history tv programs at c-span.org/history. >> all weekend long, american history tv joins our cox communications cable partners to showcase the history of newport, rhode island.

visit c-span.org. we continue now with our look at the history of newport. test of the first french/american military alliance. it shows some of the points they need to work on. communication. it also shows what the americans cannot do without, which is major french artillery support. in terms of being a test of the alliance, there are real lessons learned. those lessons are learned here. we are talking about two different things. we are talking about the battle for rhode island and the battle of rhode island. we are talking about the military action on august 29, 1778. what is the major combat phase of the interaction between the

americans and french on the northern part of the island and the british and hessians occupy newport. that is part of a broader battle ar rhode island that started long time before in terms of the context of the american revolution. the british moved into newport in december of 1776. it is one of the first major cities to fall. new york has fallen to the british in september of 1776. a couple of months later, the british were able to move into newport which at the time was one of the six largest cities in north america and one of the most important commercial posts. the first real attempt of the americans to try to this life the british is not until 1778. that still ties into the broader strategic issues. it has become the french/american alliance. the french and americans signed a treaty in 1778.

it gives washington what he covets, which is french naval support along with american ground troops. they can try this new a life out, this new over alliance out, is later that summer when a french fleet arrives in their dance at harbor. -- narragansett harbor. there is an assumption among people like the american commander, john sullivan, from massachusetts. he is known for his bravery and enthusiasm. he is not known for being moderate or temperate. but washington puts him in command of the operations to take back this island thinking that when we have the french fleet and american army, we can in a combined operation dislodged the british, hessians, and loyalists in the town.

of 1778, they have come up with a plan that will be a combined french bombardment on the city. the americans are expecting not only a bombardment but also the use of french troops. that is what sullivan is hoping for an planning for. the problem is there's not a lot of communication between the .wo, the marquee the lafayette is here. he is commanding an entire wing of sullivan's army which is arranged above the town from one side of the island to the other. he thinks lafayette will be able to facilitate communications between the americans and the french. it does not work out that way. the weather strikes. there is a massive storm in august.

it not only impacts the american troops, it soaks their gunpowder. it destroys their tents. it turns the main roads on the island they are using into mud pits. it creates real tactical problems. the bigger strategic issue is that it does a great deal of damage to a lot of the ships. given his priority of maintaining the ships, he is not keen to leave damaged ships in the harbor. to take hisleave fleet from narragansett bay up to boston. protected harbor, there will not be any reddish threat. to refit them before he comes back. this is where miscommunication reaches its apex. sullivan goes ballistic over the

estang is leaving. sullivan publicly does the one thing you are not going to do in the 18th century. he questions their honor. he outright calls them cowards. destang will not stand for that. he leaves with no intention of coming back. the alliance is at stake. one of the first of the battle of rhode island on august 29 is it is the first opportunity for military cooperation between the french and americans in the war, but it is almost the last. it becomes so serious that lafayette has to ride from newport up to boston to try to convince destang to come back. sullivan makes the decision to move forward with his attack plans on newport. on august 28 and 29

to move forward into attacking newport. the british positions are too strong. we have about 10,000 american troops. there is a small canadian unit. there is also the unique presence of the first rhode island regiment. it is one of the most famous regiments of the entire american revolution. it is the first integrated combat unit of the continental army. it is comprised of former slaves that have been freed by their enlistment, free blacks, native americans, and european americans who are joined together in this common venture. but the biggest enemy the americans have, that general sullivan has, is the weather. because his gunpowder has been damaged and the roads are in rotten shape and because his men are not in the best condition, and he no longer has that french

bombardment support, again caused by the weather, he is not able to launch an effective attack the way he wants to. the battle is not much of a battle. it is simply sullivan's troops trying to move, getting bogged down, the british able to maintain their defensive positions for well. in the end, it is a major defeat for the americans. sullivan's goal is to dislodge the british from this important port. he completely fails in accomplishing that. sullivan decides to save what is retreathis army and back up the island, get off the island, before the british can counterattack. sullivanhis retreat, on bards the city of newport where we are standing now. that is a very effective bombardment. it not only keeps the heads of the british and hessians down

but most of the people in town. he is able to successfully keep the british and hessians at they -- bay and quickly get the troops of the island. that is the greatest success the americans have of the entire campaign. then there is the battle for rhode island. the british got here in 1776. but they do not leave until october of 1779. only new york remained in british hands longer. for most of the revolutionary, newport remained a british port. they have already captured savannah, georgia. they are moving up to capture charleston. there has been fighting between british and french troops in the caribbean. newport has lost importance to the british because they cannot spread themselves too thin given that they now have the caribbean theater. they pull their troops very

quietly, as quietly as they moved in, they move out of newport in october 1779. they leave and half of the town goes with them. it is not long before the patriots move back in. trip backwas on a home to france to generate more support and supplies for the americans. of 1780.s in june when he returns, the french flee. another army comes here. oft is the last phase newport, when it starts. the french and americans come back. a count ass dominated by the french and american armies as it had been by the british and hessians. but this is where the project of forging the french/american alliance really starts gaining

traction. lafayette does everything he can literallywn to bring, bring washington and rochambeau together, which he does a couple of months later washington is able to come here. they are able to meet face-to-face. it was under this broader campaign of fostering discussion and communication in order to build on those lessons learned from the battle of rhode island to the fruits of cooperation that end up in your town. that happens here. it is 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 terms of thet in battle of rhode island. this important battle in the campaign for new england, but it

plays a seminal role in the broader conflict we call the american revolution. >> our staff recently traveled to newport, rhode island, to learn about its rich history. learn more about newport and other stops at c-span.org/citiestour. you're watching american history tv on cspan3. >> the scholar and author uses a variety of images to discuss ritualism and its relationship to photography in the 19th century. a tale ofauthor of phantoms, fraud, photography, and demand who captured lincoln's ghost which traces the rise and fall of the spirit photographer. the brooklyn