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Revolutionary War Raids & Skirmishes in 1778
JANUARY OF 1778
FEBRUARY OF 1778
February 8, 1778 at Blue Licks, Kentucky - On February 8, Chief Blue Jacket of the Shawnee tribe, with 102 warriors, captured a salt-making party of 27 people at Blue Licks. Among the captives was Daniel Boone, before he became a famous figure.
Conclusion: British Victory
MARCH OF 1778
APRIL OF 1778
MAY OF 1778
May 8, 1778 at Bordentown, New Jersey - In May 1778, General Clinton was preparing to evaculate Philadelphia and return to New York via New Jersey. To secure the crossing of the Delaware River, Clinton sent a corps of light infantry to destroy the Pennsylvania Navy that was moored at Bordentown and White Hill (Fieldsboro). On May 8, 1778, the British Force landed at White Hill, finding a few of the Pennsylvania boats already scuttled. As the British Force marched from White Hill to Bordentown on the Burlington Road, they were met by two companies of militia with an artillery piece. As the British formed, the militia fired one volley and fled into Bordentown. The British immediately marched into Bordentown and destroyed those vessels that had not already been scuttled. Local loyalists directed the British to the homes of Colonel Borden and other influential rebels, which they burned. Their dark deed complete, the British retired to Philadelphia.
Conclusion: British Victory
May 24, 1778 at Warren, Rhode Island - On May 24, a British raiding party entered Warren and burned and plundered the town.
Conclusion: British Victory
May 25, 1778 at Bristol, Rhode Island - On May 25, a British raiding party entered the town of Bristol. They destroyed 22 dwellings and a church.
Conclusion: British Victory
May 25, 1778 at Freetown, Massachusetts - The Battle of Freetown, a skirmish between American colonists and a British naval ship, took place in the part of Freetown, Massachusetts, that later became the city of Fall River. Although Freetown was known as a Tory stronghold, a number of townspeople were becoming more engaged in the separation efforts by 1776.
On May 25, a British ship sailed up the former Quequechan River into lower Freetown. Spotted by a sentinel, the ship was fired upon by several local minutemen, their gunfire returned by cannonfire. Several soldiers disembarked to lay siege to the increasingly anti-royalist towns in southeastern Massachusetts. These soldiers proceded to burn a dwelling house, grist mill, and sawmill, before being fired upon by local Freetown Militia minutemen who had been keeping watch over the river and alerted by the sentinel. The British soldiers then took one resident as prisoner, set fire to his property, and retreated to their ship. The prisoner was eventually released after several days, and the British retreated from Freetown altogether.
The Freetown minutemen were aided by other colonist minutemen from the Tiverton outpost. The British suffered 2 casualties as a result of the light fighting. The colonists suffered no losses.
Conclusion: Draw
JUNE OF 1778
June 16-19, 1778 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Fearing a blockade by French ships, British Gen. Clinton withdraws his troops from Philadelphia and marches across New Jersey toward New York City. Americans then re-occupy Philadelphia. On June 19, 1778 - Washington sends troops from Valley Forge to intercept Gen. Clinton.
JULY OF 1778
July 4, 1778 at Kaskaskia, Indiana - On July 4, an American force, commanded by Lt. Col. George R. Clark, arrived at Kaskaskia. They surprised a British post on the east bank of the Mississippi River. It was located just south of St. Louis, Missouri. The Americans captured the post without firing a single shot.
July 4, 1778 at Fort Massac, Indiana - On July 4, an American force, commanded by Lt. Col. George R. Clark arrived at Fort Massac. He divided his force in half to give the impression that he had a larger force. The Patriots surrounded and surprised the British garrison in the fort. The fort surrendered without firing a shot.
July 20, 1778 at Vincennes, Indiana - On June 26, 1778, Lt. Colonel Clark set out with about 200 men from Virginia and arrived at Kaskaskia (Illinois) on the 4th of July. The local French militia leader at Fort Gage, the Chevalier Phillippe de Rocheblave, was caught by surprise and Fort Gage was captured without firing a shot. When the French learned that an Alliance with France had been signed in June, 1778, and that France had declared war on Great Britain, they were elated.
On July 14th, Father Pierre Gibault, with a few of Roger's militia left for Fort Sackville at Vincennes in the Ohio Territory to inform them of the new treaty with France. On the 20th of July the French at Vincennes also swore allegiance to the Americans. Because of his small force, Clark could only leave three men to man the fort. Clark then dispatched Captain Joseph Brown with 30 mounted men to the French settlements of Prairie du Roche and Cahokia, accompanied by some Frenchmen, to spread the word about the Alliance.
Father Gibault told the residents of Vincennes of the spiritual value in uniting with the Colonists. Somehow, he was able to get all the residents to pledge allegiance to the Colonies and soon an American flag was flying in every home.
AUGUST OF 1778
August 25, 1778 at Nail's Fort, Georgia - In August, Capt. Joseph Nail gathered most of the local settlers into Nail's Fort when the Creek Indians attacked their settlement. The fort was built on the north side of the Broad River, at Deep Creek. It was for protection against Indian attacks.
On the 25th of August some Cherokee attacked Nails Fort on Broad River in Georgia, but were beat off. They stole all the horses, wounded Sampson Bunn, killed nine milk cows and cut out their tongues. The Indians killed 20 settlers before the remainder fled into the fort. The Indians tried to capture the fort but was unsuccessful. Later that month. Col. Andrew Williamson brought a 500-man South Carolina militiamen to Georgia to protect the frontier from future Indian attacks.
Conclusion: British Victory
SEPTEMBER OF 1778
September 5, 1778 at New Bedford, Massachusetts - On September 5, a British raiding force landed near New Bedford. They managed to destroy 70 vessels and a large number of buildings.
Conclusion: British Victory
September 5, 1778 at Fairhaven, Massachusetts - On September 5, a British raiding force landed near New Bedford. They managed to destroy 70 vessels and a large number of buildings.
Conclusion: British Victory
September 8, 1778 at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts - On September 8, a British raiding force attacked the island of Martha's Vineyard. They destroyed several vessels and seized a large number of sheep and oxen for the British army.
Conclusion: British Victory
OCTOBER OF 1778
October 6-8, 1778 at Unadilla, New York - On October 6-8, a Continental detachment raided Unadilla. At Unadilla, Chief Joseph Brant had earlier established a base after the settlers had evacuated in face of Indian pressure. In reprisal for the destruction of German Flats, a group of Continental soldiers and frontiersmen marches against the Iroquois town of Unadilla, located 50 miles west of German Flats. The Iroquois have previously fled and the patriots destroy the village.
Conclusion: American Victory
October 15, 1778 at Mincock Island, New Jersey - On October 15, a British force surprised an advance post of infantrymen from Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski's Legion. Before the American could send some reinforcements to help, the British killed about 40 men before they withdrew to their awaiting ships.
Conclusion: British Victory
NOVEMBER OF 1778
November 20, 1778 at Midway, Georgia - On November 20, Maj. James M. Prevost and the 60th Regiment arrived at the settlement of Midway. They collected all of the cattle he could and then set fire to all of the buildings.
Conclusion: British Victory
November 24, 1778 at Bulltown Swamp, Georgia - On 24 November at Bulltown Swamp the Georgians (200 men) encountered Prévost’s army and fought a delaying action. Colonel Baker was wounded in the action but his army continued to skirmish, waiting for Brigadier General James Screven’s reinforcements to arrive so that they could cut off Major Prévost’s force.
Conclusion: Draw. Casualties: Americans: 1k, 3w
November 25, 1778 at Spencer's Hill, Georgia - On November 25, Hearing that Brigadier General Screven and Colonel John White were moving on the road with a 170 man relief force between Midway and Sunbury, Colonel Fuser ordered Brown and his Rangers to ambush the enemy. Brown picked thirty-two men and intercepted Screven’s force. While Brown’s force was concealed on the side of the road, Screven and White halted their forces and made a speech about the upcoming battle. At the end of the speeches Brown ordered his men to fire, wounding Screven in the first volley. Major James Jackson was also wounded. Brown’s men captured Screven, but one of Brown’s Rangers shot him after he was taken captive.
Major James Mark Prévost arrived to support the Rangers and a battle began on the road. Prévost’s horse was killed by a cannon ball as it skipped down the road, but he was uninjured. The Georgia Patriot militia soon left the battlefield. Prévost discovered that his force on the road was unsupported and he was in danger of being cut off from the main army, so he ordered a retreat out of Georgia. He took two thousand head of cattle and several slaves. Prévost sent the mortally wounded General Screven back to the Patriot lines under a flag of truce.
Conclusion: British Victory
November 26-December 1, 1778 at Fort Morris, Georgia - Lieutenant Colonel Fuser landed a force of 250 men on Colonel’s Island near Sunbury. His mission was to march upon Sunbury as a diversion for Major Prévost’s raid on the Midway Meetinghouse. Upon his arrival he learned that two of his privateers had deserted and given the Patriots the alarm that he was coming. Fuser left sixty men to guard the
naval force at St. Simon’s Inlet and proceeded towards Sunbury with 180 men of the 60th Regiment. He mounted two swivel guns on a carriage to use for artillery. Along the way to Sunbury the column was sniped at occasionally, but did not receive any serious opposition.
On the night of November 26th Fuser occupied Sunbury without being detected by the 197 Georgians in Fort Morris. The British occupied the unfinished courthouse and celebrated their accomplishment with a puncheon of rum. Captain Wulff of the Grenadiers did a reconnaissance of Fort Morris, but could not find a gate in the darkness. During the night the
defenders of Fort Morris detected the presence of the British and fired their 18-pounders at the campfires of the British. The British were not at the fires and had spent the night in six houses in the town.
On November 27, In the morning Fuser demanded the surrender of the fort, but the fort’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel John McIntosh, told Fuser to “come and take it!”
Fuser was there only to create a diversion and on December 1, decided to withdraw back to Major Prévost. As the Royal Americans left the town a detachment of Patriot horsemen arrived and fired a few shots, but to no effect.
Conclusion: American Victory
DECEMBER OF 1778
December 17, 1778 at Vincennes, Indiana - In Detroit, Hamilton learned of Clark's occupation of the Illinois country by early August 1778. Determined to retake Vincennes, Hamilton gathered about 30 British soldiers, 145 French-Canadian militiamen, and 60 American Indians under Egushawa, the influential Odawa war leader. On October 7, they began the journey of more than 300 miles to Vincennes. Coming down the Wabash, they stopped at Ouiatanon and recruited Indians who had declared allegiance to the Americans after Clark's occupation of the Illinois country. By the time Hamilton entered Vincennes on December 17, so many Indians had joined the expedition that his force had increased to 500 men. As Hamilton approached Fort Sackville, the French-Canadian militia under Captain Helm deserted, leaving the American commander and a few soldiers to surrender. The townsfolk promptly renounced their allegiance to the United States and renewed their oaths to King George. After the recapture of Vincennes, most of the Indians and Detroit militia went home. Hamilton settled in at Fort Sackville for the winter with a garrison of about 90 soldiers, planning to retake the remaining Illinois towns in the spring.
Conclusion: British Victory
