Newport

On December 8, 1776, British and Hessian troops disembarked from British vessels near Weaver Cove. The troops quickly marched and occupied the area of Newport, Rhode Island. The American forces withdrew from their earthworks and positions with the arrival of the British. By December 12, the British army had control over Aquidneck Island and Newport.

The British occupation of Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands was a pyrrhic victory. Although there was almost no American resistance to the British and Hessian troops as they came ashore and took possession of the area, the British were not able to move their troops further inland, nor were they able to control the American raiding and trading parties. The return from nearly three years of occupation was not equal to its expense. Therefore, as the focus of the fighting turned to the southern colonies, the British abandoned Rhode Island.