<P> French participation in North America was initially maritime in nature and marked by some indecision on the part of its military leaders . In 1778 , American and French planners organized an attempt to capture Newport , Rhode Island , then under British occupation . The attempt failed , in part because Admiral d'Estaing did not land French troops prior to sailing out of Narragansett Bay to meet the British fleet . He then sailed to Boston after his fleet was damaged in a storm . In 1779 , d'Estaing again led his fleet to North America for joint operations , this time against British - held Savannah , Georgia . About 3,000 French joined with 2,000 Americans in the Siege of Savannah , in which a naval bombardment was unsuccessful . An attempted assault of the entrenched British position was repulsed with heavy losses . </P>
the patriots and the french were unsuccessful in taking this city during the american revolution
Newport , Rhode Island