Grey's raid was a series of raids carried out in Massachusetts by British forces under the command of Major-General Charles Grey in September 1778 during the American Revolutionary War. Grey, leading 4,000 troops, raided the towns of New Bedford and Fairhaven along with Martha's Vineyard as part of the northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga. The raids were one of the first in a series of attacks executed by the British against American coastal communities.
Grey's force was originally intended as a relief force for the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island that was briefly under siege, but they arrived after the American besiegers had already retreated. General Sir Henry Clinton diverted Grey's troops to carry out raids instead. On September 5 and 6, Grey raided New Bedford and Fairhaven, encountering significant resistance only in Fairhaven. His troops destroyed storehouses, shipping, and supplies in New Bedford, where they met with light resistance from the local militia; they damaged fewer American holds at Fairhaven where militia resistance had additional time to organize. He then sailed for Martha's Vineyard, which was undefended. Between September 10 and 15, its residents surrendered 10,000 head of sheep and 300 oxen, as well as most of the island's weapons.
In December 1776, British forces occupied Newport, Rhode Island. American forces in New England were not strong enough to dislodge the garrison there, which was also supported by Royal Navy vessels that used Newport as a base. This situation changed in 1778, following the entry of France into the war, when the French and Americans agreed to embark on joint operations against the British. The French sent a fleet under the command of French Admiral comte d'Estaing to provide troops and naval support. The fleet arrived off the coast of New York City in July 1778 but found the port well-defended, and d'Estaing further believed that its bar would be too shallow for his largest ships to cross. He then sailed instead for Newport, where he and General John Sullivan prepared to besiege the British garrison.
In response to the threat to Newport, General Sir Henry Clinton ordered 4,000 men under General Charles Grey to prepare for transport to Rhode Island, while Admiral Lord Richard Howe sailed from New York to oppose d'Estaing. D'Estaing sailed out of Newport's harbor on August 10, preparing to do battle with Howe. As the fleets maneuvered for position, a storm arose that scattered and damaged both fleets. D'Estaing then decided to abandon Newport and sailed for Boston to make repairs. By then, General Sullivan had already begun siege operations against Newport without French assistance, which prompted Clinton to order Grey's force to sail for Newport on August 26, and Clinton accompanied the force. It made slow progress, however, due to contrary winds, arriving in Newport on September 1, and the Americans had already retreated from the island after the inconclusive Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1778.
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.
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