1. Sullivan to Vice-Amiral comte d'Estaing, 25 July, and d'Estaing to Sullivan, 30 July, both above. 

2. H.M. sloop-of-war Kingsfisher, commanded by Lt. Hugh C. Christian, and the row-galleys Alarm, commanded by Lt. Philip d'Auvergne and Spitfire, commanded by Lt. James Saumarez. 

3. The Marquis de Lafayette approached with brigades of troops under the command of Brig. Gen. John Glover and Brig. Gen. James Mitchell Varnum along with a smaller detachment under the command of Col. Henry Jackson. 

4. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene. 

5. In the letter of 27 July, Washington told Sullivan that in the likelihood of a debarkation of troops from d'Estaing's fleet to reduce the island of Rhode Island, although the admiral might put the troops under Sullivan's general direction, the particular command of them should be the admiral's choice, which Washington supposed would be the Marquis de Lafayette. Washington alerted Sullivan to the fact that “The Count is himself a Land Officer, and of the high rank of Lt General in the French Army.” In his letter of 28 July, Washington stated that his lack of precise information prevented him from deciding on the plan of operation Sullivan had presented d'Estaing, but he considered that cutting off the British regiments on Conanicut I. and preventing further British reinforcements were important objects. See GW Papers, Rev. War Series 16: 187–88 and 193–94. 

6. For an account of the movements of the British regiments, see Maj. Gen. John Sullivan to Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress, this date above. 

Sullivan had pegged British strength at 5,000 men on 20 July, but four days later increased his estimate to "near 7000.” Sullivan also apparently told Gov. Jonathan Trumbull Sr., of Connecticut that British strength would reach 11,000. George Washington warned Sullivan against inflating his estimates of British strength. See Maj. Gen. John Sullivan to Gen. George Washington, 20 July, GW Papers, Rev. War Series vol. 16:110; Maj. Gen. John Sullivan to Gen. George Washington, 24 July, ibid., p. 159; and Gen. George Washington to Maj. Gen. John Sullivan, 27 July, ibid., p. 187. Subsequent estimates of British strength hovered between 5,000 men to 6,500 men. On 4 Aug., Lt. Col. John Laurens told his father, President of the Continental Congress Henry Laurens, that he thought the British "cannot have much more than 5,000" men, but on the same day he also told George Washington that the British strength stood at 5,544 men. Lt. Col. Fleury informed Vice-amiral comte d'Estaing on the same date that there were 5,800 British troops on Rhode Island. On 13 Aug. Sullivan, perhaps heeding Washington's advice, estimated a British total of 6,500 men. See Lt. Col. John Laurens to President of the Continental Congress Henry Laurens, 4. Aug.; Laurens to Washington, 4 Aug.; Colonel the Marquis de Fleury to Vice-amiral comte d'Estaing, 4 Aug.; and Sullivan to Washington, 13 Aug., all below. 

A well-reasoned estimate by a modern historian puts total British troop strength at 5,750 men; Mc Burney, R.I. Campaign, pp. 77 and 281n48. A recapitulation of British troop strength from 15 Aug. gives the number of total effectives as 5789; Henry Clinton, “Recapitulation of the State of 15th August 1778," UkLPR, C.0.5/96, fol. 113. In light of this, Continental estimates in the range of 5,000-6,000 were fairly accurate.