Long Island and formed part of the column
that flanked the American army under Gen. Is-
rael Putnam. Gen. George Washington had no
recourse but to abandon New York City, and
Pigot was appointed garrison commander
once his brigade passed over to Gen. Alexan-
der Leslie. He remained fixed in this capacity
until June 1777, when Howe ordered him to
assume command of British forces at New-
port, Rhode Island. The following August he
also gained a promotion to major general.
Pigot arrived in Rhode Island to replace
Gen. Richard Prescott, a sneering, arrogant
officer who created so much resentment that
he was kidnapped by the Americans in July
- He remained in garrison at Newport for
over a year and lamented the lack of combat
activity. However, this changed in July 1778,
when a combined French-American land and
naval expedition under Gen. John Sullivan
and Admiral d’Estaing arrived in Rhode Is-
land. These two commanders had an aggre-
gate of 10,000 men, while Pigot, assisted by
Gen. Francis Smith, scarcely mustered 6,000
effectives. Nonetheless, Pigot was character-
istically determined to fight and, rather than
engage in the open at a disadvantage, erected
barricades around Newport’s perimeter. Sulli-
van had no recourse but to settle in for a
painstakingly slow, formal siege. The Ameri-
cans were making good progress under Gens.
Nathaniel Greene and Marquis de Lafayette,
but their efforts were continually undermined
by friction between Sullivan and d’Estaing.
When the British fleet under Adm. Richard
Howemade its appearance on August 9, 1778,
the French commander promptly loaded all
his soldiers on the fleet and left to engage the
enemy. A drawn battle was then waged until a
severe storm battered both fleets, at which
d’Estaing disengaged and announced his deci-
sion to sail immediately for Boston to refit.
This startling move left Sullivan with only
7,000 men, insufficient to press the siege. Fur-
thermore, faced with the prospect of British
reinforcements sailing from New York City
under General Clinton, he, too, felt obliged to
abandon Newport.
This was just the opportunity that the ag-
gressive Pigot had been waiting for. Knowing
that the only land route off Acquidneck Island
was a natural choke point, he advanced to
catch Sullivan in the act of crossing and de-
feat him in detail. However, the Americans
dug in at Butt’s Hill near the Bristol Ferry and
fought very well in the ensuing Battle of
Rhode Island (August 29, 1778). After several
determined charges by crack Hessians, who
were repelled by a determined stand by
African American soldiers, Pigot allowed
them to withdraw unmolested. Nonetheless,
he had performed useful service in keeping
Newport firmly in British hands for another
year. Furthermore, his unexpected victory,
won at considerable odds, placed the newly
formed alliance between France and the
United States under serious strain.
By October 1778, Pigot had surrendered
command of Newport to a repatriated Gen.
Richard Prescott and relocated to New York
City. That winter he sailed back to England,
where in November 1782 he was elevated to
lieutenant general. Pigot died at Patshull on
August 2, 1796, short in stature but decidedly
tall in reputation. Perhaps not surprisingly, all
three of his sons joined His Majesty’s services
and went on to acquire distinguished service
records of their own.Bibliography
Brooks, Victor. The Boston Campaign, April 19,
1775–March 17, 1776.Conshohocken, PA: Com-
bined, 1999; Dearden, Paul. The Rhode Island Cam-
paign of 1778: Inauspicious Dawn of Alliance.
Providence: Rhode Island Historical Society, 1980;
Fleming, Thomas. The Story of Bunker Hill.New
York: St. Martin’s Press, 1960; Ketchum, Richard M.
Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill.Garden
City, NY: Doubleday, 1974; Kurtz, Henry I. “Bunker
Hill, 1775: A Dear-Bought Victory.” History Today25,
no. 9 (1974): 610–614; Miller, John F., ed. “A British
Account of the Siege of Rhode Island, 1778.” Rhode
Island History38, no. 3 (1979): 79–85; Trevett, John.
“The Despot’s Heel Is on Thy Shore.” Military Collec-
tor and Historian30, no. 4 (1978): 158–172.PIGOT, ROBERT