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American Battlefield Trust

Historic Site | Marker

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode Island (RI-3)

Rhode Island

400 Thames Street Bristol, RI 02809

Bristol, RI

Lafayette played a crucial role in maintaining coordination between the Continental Army under General John Sullivan and newly arrived French forces under Admiral d’Estaing. In the summer of 1778, the Continental Army planned a joint operation to expel the British from Newport. This was the first major Franco‑American combined operation of the war, and tensions were high. Just before the battle, a violent storm damaged d’Estaing’s fleet. The Admiral decided to sail to Boston for repairs—leaving Sullivan’s forces without naval support.

The Battle of Rhode Island took place on August 29, 1778. Sullivan’s army fought a disciplined retreat from Aquidneck Island after the French withdrawal made the original plan impossible. Through Lafayette's diplomacy he prevented a rupture between the French and American forces and secured d’Estaing’s willingness to sail south and continue supporting the war. Lafayette hurried back and rejoined the army at Tiverton during the retreat, helping reorganize the troops and supporting Sullivan’s decisions, which he praised as “well made” and honorable.

Learn about Revolutionary War Combat Strategy. Watch the Revolutionary War Animated Map. For a summary, read An Overview of the American Revolution.

What's Nearby

Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.

Historic Site

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Marker

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode

Bristol, RI 02809

0.00040277635779436

General Lafayette Marker, Bristol, Rhode Island (RI-3)

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A sunlit grassy field stretches toward a dense line of leafy trees, with long shadows cast across the ground.

Butts Hill Fort

Portsmouth, RI 02871

6.7818936867278

Butts Hill Fort

Historic Site

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode

Tiverton, RI 02878

7.9141118863192

General Lafayette Marker, Tiverton, Rhode Island (RI-8)

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Fort/Outpost

Fort Barton in Tiverton, Rhode Island

02878

7.9491306559704

Historic Site

Granite monument to 1st Rhode Island African American Regiment

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Portsmouth, RI 02871

8.0659878446808

1st Rhode Island Regiment

Historic Site

Tombstones in the Friends Meeting House Cemetery, Portsmouth, RI1

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Portsmouth, RI 02871

9.3012057030078

Friends Meeting House, Portsmouth, RI

Historic Site

A rectangular historical marker to British General Prescott mounted on a red wooden wall.

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

13.333321065634

Prescott's Headquarters, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

Bronze marker on boulder to commemorate spot of the burning of the Gaspee

Gaspee Monument

Warwick, RI 02888

13.637233514984

Gaspee Monument

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Museum

A small fortress like brick building sits on a street corner, with arched wooden doors, battlements, and a nearby cannon.

Varnum Armory Museum

East Greenwich, RI 02818

14.234645857385

Varnum Armory Museum

Historic Site

A historic yellow civic building stands behind a flagpole flying the American flag.

Site of the First Colonial Navy

East Greenwich, RI 02818

14.291374768452

Site of the First Colonial Navy

Historic Site

A small white historic building with four columns and green shutters stands at a roadside; the sign above the door reads “Kentish Guards 1774.”

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

East Greenwich, RI 02818

14.345675532488

Kentish Guards Armory and Drill Field

Historic Site

Colonial Home of General James Mitchell Varnum

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich

East Greenwich, RI 02818

14.380507585336

James Mitchell Varnum House, East Greenwich, RI

Historic Site

A tall cylindrical stone tower with small windows and an arched entrance stands in a grassy clearing surrounded by trees showing early autumn color.

Miantonomi Hill

Newport, RI 02840

18.066082008108

Miantonomi Hill

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A white stone marker labeled “Green End Fort” stands in a grassy landscape with bare trees and a bright blue sky.

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

18.82299955076

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A white stone marker labeled “Green End Fort” stands in a grassy landscape with bare trees and a bright blue sky.

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Middletown, RI 02842

18.82299955076

Green End Fort, Middletown, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

A white colonial‑style building with a central staircase and double doors is framed by bright pink flowering trees, with an American flag near the entrance and a clear blue sky overhead.

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02841

18.849553373318

Naval War College Museum, Newport, RI

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Museum

A large brick building with white trim and classical details stands behind a tall white fence, framed by autumn trees under a partly cloudy sky.

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02906

19.656305198742

John Brown House Museum, Providence, RI

Historic Site

A large boulder with a bronze plaque attached commemorating the burning of British ships.

Equality Park, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

19.957082873069

Equality Park, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A reddish‑brown historic wooden house with tall narrow windows and an American flag at the entrance stands behind a matching rod iron fence.

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

Providence, RI 02903

19.988888931733

Governor Stephen Hopkins House

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Fort/Outpost

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

20.317160853783

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

A small rocky island with a cream-colored lighthouse and red roof surrounded by water.

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Newport, RI 02840

20.317160853783

Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamiton

Historic Site

Mid-18th-century Georgian mansion museum with period furnishings.

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

20.337417258656

Hunter House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A grassy yard filled with blooming yellow daffodils stretches across the foreground. Behind the flowers stands a large historic red building with white trim, multiple windows, and a small columned portico at the main entrance.

White Horse Tavern, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

20.367795858605

White Horse Tavern, Newport, RI

Historic Site

A three‑story brick brownstone building with symmetrical windows and a central stone‑framed entrance stands behind a black streetlamp.

Old State House, Providence, RI

Providence, RI 02903

20.452407968305

Old State House, Providence, RI

Historic Site

Red gambrel-roof farmhouse built in 1754 with center fireplace

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Cranston, RI 02921

20.502586777779

Joy Homestead, Cranston, RI

Historic Site

A beige building with brown trim and a columned portico stands behind a garden of bright flowers and neatly trimmed shrubs, bordered by a wrought‑iron fence and stone posts.

Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

20.597520675149

Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Newport, RI 02840

20.613987687594

Artillery Company of Newport Museum

Historic Site

A light‑colored historic building with dark shutters and a central double‑door entrance sits on a corner lot, featuring three dormer windows on the roof and a short staircase leading up from the sidewalk.

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

20.680399250174

Vernon House, Newport, RI

Historic Site

Redwood Library, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

20.854125332399

Redwood Library, Newport, RI

Historic Site

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Museum

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace

Saunderstown, RI 02874

21.823466118454

Gilbert Stuart Birthplace

Historic Site

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Fort/Outpost

A stone fort wall with an arched entrance rises behind a grassy area where an informational sign, an old cannon, and a picnic table sit under a bright blue sky.

Fort Adams, Newport, RI

Newport, RI 02840

22.078569081911

Fort Adams, Newport, RI

Historic Site

Colonial era 2-story manor house with 9 windows trimmed in white, with 2 chimneys and a red cannon in the front yard.

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Coventry, RI 02816

22.154842176278

The Major General Nathanael Greene Homestead

Historic Site

A tall flagpole flying the U.S. flag rises from an open grassy field, with a leafy green tree beside it and a line of trees along the horizon.

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI

Jamestown, RI 02835

23.157366218759

Conanicut Battery, Jamestown, RI