<P> Henry Clinton withdrew from Philadelphia, consolidating his forces in New York following the British defeat at Saratoga and the entry of France into the war . French admiral the Comte d'Estaing had been dispatched to North America in April 1778 to assist Washington, and he arrived shortly after Clinton withdrew into New York . The Franco - American forces felt that New York's defenses were too formidable for the French fleet, and they opted to attack Newport . This effort was launched on August 29, but it failed when the French opted to withdraw, and this displeased the Americans . The war then ground down to a stalemate, with the majority of actions fought as large skirmishes, such as those at Chestnut Neck and Little Egg Harbor . In the summer of 1779, the Americans captured British posts at Stony Point and Paulus Hook . </P> <P> In July, Clinton unsuccessfully attempted to coax Washington into a decisive engagement by making a major raid into Connecticut . That month, a large American naval operation attempted to retake Maine, but it resulted in the worst American naval defeat until Pearl Harbor in 1941 . The high frequency of Iroquois raids on the locals compelled Washington to mount a punitive expedition which destroyed a large number of Iroquois settlements, but the effort ultimately failed to stop the raids . During the winter of 1779--80, the Continental Army suffered greater hardships than at Valley Forge . Morale was poor; public support was being eroded by the long war; the national currency was virtually worthless; the army was plagued with supply problems; desertion was common; and whole regiments mutinied over the conditions in early 1780 . </P> <P> In 1780, Clinton launched an attempt to retake New Jersey . On June 7, 6,000 men invaded under Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen, but they met stiff resistance from the local militia . The British held the field, but Knyphausen feared a general engagement with Washington's main army and withdrew . Knyphausen and Clinton decided upon a second attempt two weeks later which was soundly defeated at Springfield, effectively ending British ambitions in New Jersey . Meanwhile, American general Benedict Arnold had defected to the British, and he conspired to betray the key American fortress of West Point by surrendering it to the enemy . The plot was foiled when British spy master John André was captured, so Arnold fled to British lines in New York . He attempted to justify his betrayal by appealing to Loyalist public opinion, but the Patriots strongly condemned him as a coward and turncoat . </P> <P> The war to the west of the Appalachians was largely confined to skirmishing and raids . An expedition of militia was halted due to adverse weather in February 1778 which had set out to destroy British military supplies in settlements along the Cuyahoga River . Later in the year, a second campaign was undertaken to seize the Illinois Country from the British . The Americans captured Kaskaskia on July 4 and then secured Vincennes, although Vincennes was recaptured by Henry Hamilton, the British commander at Detroit . In early 1779, the Americans counterattacked by undertaking a risky winter march, and they secured the surrender of the British at Vincennes, taking Hamilton prisoner . </P>

Who fought on both sides of the revolutionary war