The men who lost America were also the men who saved Canada, India, Gibraltar, and the British Caribbean. The political leadership of the North government can be credited with the victory at the Saintes in 1782; the same year, Admiral Howe raised the Spanish siege of Gibraltar which had been heroically defended by a garrison of German mercenaries and British troops. In contrast to the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay, Howe was able to shield his transports and supply vessels behind his warships to enable them to relieve the garrison. This climactic end to the three-year siege was one of the most celebrated wartime subjects of artists like John Singleton Copley. The final voyages of Captain James Cook to Australia and New Zealand took place during the American Revolution, and the convicts formerly transported to America became the first settlers of Australia.
| Place | City | |
|---|---|---|
| General Nathanael Greene Homestead | Coventry | Built in 1770, home to the General that George Washington recommended as his replacement if he should be die. |
| Varnum House Museum | East Greenwich | Mansion built in 1773 by James Mitchell Varnum, who became one of Washinton's generals and later elected to the Continental Congress. |
| Colony House | Newport | Completed in 1739, it was the state house of Rhode Island until 1901. |
| Hunter House | Newport | Built 1748—54 and considered one of the ten best colonial homes existing in the U.S. |
| Redwood Library and Athenaeum | Newport | Chartered in 1747 and opened to the public in 1750, it is the oldest circulating library in the U.S. |
| Touro Synagogue | Newport | Completed and dedicated in 1763, it is the oldest Synagogue in the U.S.; following the war it served as a meeting place for the Rhode Island General Assembly, Rhode Island Supreme Court and the town of Newport. |
| Trinity Church | Newport | Completed in 1726, it has a pipe organ tested by Georg Friedrich Handel; French Admiral Charles de Ternay is buried in the adjacent cemetery. |
| White Horse Tavern | Newport | Now a restaurant, originally built in 1673 as a residence, and for awhile, the meeting place of the general assembly. |
| Fort Butts | Portsmouth | The earthwork redoubt is still discernable, it was a key position during the Battle of Rhode Island (1778), and provides a panoramic view of Mt. Hope Bay. |
| Benefit Street’s Mile of History | Providence | A street of restored colonial homes and buildings overlooking the waterfront. |
| Old State House | Providence | Built in 1762, the State House was the primary seat of state government until 1901. |
| Gilbert Stuart Birthplace & Museum | Saunderstown | This restored house, built in 1750, was the birthplace of painter Gilbert Stuart. |
The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire (2013)