Baltimore Annapolis Mt. Vernon Philadelphia Delaware Bay 1778, to transfer aggressive operations to the South. Accordingly, in November, he sent Colonel Campbell with two thousand men and a fleet under Admiral Parker against Savannah. That city was defended by less than one thousand men, under General Robert Howe. The attack was made by the British on the 29th of December. In this battle the Americans displayed great bravery, but were absolutely overpowered by the superior numbers of the British, and were obliged to abandon the city. The British now had a force Staunton G IN Williamsburg James No folk OCEAN of nearly four thou sand men, with which, aided by many Tories from that section, they completely overran the lower parts of Georgia. The American force was composed principally of militia, and was much inferior in numbers to the British. It was Cowpens unos Halifax Guilford C.H Hillsboro bemorie NA Pamlico C.Hatteras commanded by General Lincoln, a skilful officer, who had shown great bravery and had won distinction in Northern campaigns. On the first of February, by orders from General Prevost, Colonel Campbell occupied Augusta. Prevost sent another expedition against Port Royal Island, in South Carolina. Here the British were defeated by General Moultrie with considerable loss. 337. Brier Creek.The British soon after retired from Augusta, and the force at Savannah retreated to Hudson's Ferry. On the 3d of March, General Prevost attacked and defeated the American force of two thousand men under General Ashe, at Brier Creek. The Americans lost three hundred and forty killed, wounded, and prisoners. The British loss was inconsiderable. For a time the British held possession of all the lower portion of Georgia, but General Lincoln by no means gave up the contest. He at once exerted himself to increase his force. By the middle of April, his army numbered five thousand men. 338. Fruitless Expedition to Georgia. With four thousand men Lincoln set out for Georgia, leaving one thousand at Charleston, under General Moultrie, The British general, informed of this movement, immediately advanced by rapid marches upon Charleston, and forced Moultrie to retreat. This movement compelled Lincoln to abandon his expedition and return to the defence of Charleston. As Lincoln approached, Prevost withdrew, and soon after established the main body of his army at Savannah. It was now the 20th of June, and the hot weather and unhealthy season obliged both armies to remain inactive until September. 339. Attack on Savannah. — In September, 1779, the Americans laid siege to Savannah. Count D'Estaing appeared with a French fleet and six thousand troops. Lincoln with the American forces moved up and joined the French. While the siege was progressing, a small force under Captain John White, of Georgia, captured, by a skilful stratagem, five British vessels with one hundred and thirty stand of arms, and more than one hundred British soldiers. The British force could not long have stood the siege, but D'Estaing became impatient at the delay and insisted upon an immediate assault. This took place on the 9th of October, and the combined assaulting party of French and Americans was signally repulsed, with great slaughter. With the exception of Bunker Hill, there was probably no action in the whole war where so great a loss was received in so short a time. The British lost in killed, wounded, and missing about one hundred and fifty. The total American loss was probably between four hundred and five hundred. The American army retired to Charleston, and the French fleet sailed away to the West Indies. America mourned the loss in this battle of the noble Pole, Count Pulaski, and the gallant Sergeant Jasper. 340. Expedition against South Carolina. — The principal portion of the American army was in winter-quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. The winter was an unusually severe one. New York Bay was frozen over with ice thick enough to bear the heaviest artillery. Washington with difficulty saved his army from starvation. The withdrawal of the French fleet from the American coast left the Southern States so exposed that Clinton decided to send another expedition against South Carolina, and to lead the force himself. In December, having withdrawn his army from Newport, he set sail with seven thousand of his best troops for the south, and landed on John's Island, below Charleston. He left at New York a force deemed sufficient to hold that important strategic point, under command of General Knyphausen. Fort Moultrie. - Clinton's attack on Charleston, in 1780, was not the first direct experience that that city had had with the war. In the spring of 1776, a large force under General Clinton, with a fleet under Sir Peter Parker, attacked the city. On June 28th, the British began the bombardment, but neither shell nor ball injured the soft palmetto logs of Fort Sullivan. Colonel Moultrie, in command of the fort, effectually returned the fire, and, with the aid of wind and tide, which prevented a hasty retreat, destroyed three vessels of the fleet. The British army was equally unsuccessful in its attempt to attack the fort in its rear. At night the vessels withdrew and sailed for New York. This victory, coming soon after the evacuation of Boston, was of great value to the Americans. Fort Sullivan was afterwards called Fort Moultrie, in honor of its gallant commander. 341. Lincoln in Command at Charleston. -The small force of patriots defending Charleston under the command of General Lincoln was one day surprised to see the whole British fleet, in command of Admiral Arbuthnot, sail into Charleston harbor. Lincoln's force was by no means of sufficient strength to resist successfully so large an army, but at the earnest request of the citizens he determined to remain and take the consequences. The slow and cautious advance of the British enabled him to strengthen his works, and add to his garrison from the militia of the surrounding country. The British laid siege for two months. The army was hemmed in on all sides, but defended itself against a force more than double its own. Congress was powerless to reinforce Lincoln, and apparently failed to appreciate the importance of the crisis. 342. Lincoln surrenders. At last surrender was inevitable, and on the 12th of May, 1780, Lincoln capitulated and the British took possession of the town. The American loss in prisoners was two thousand regular troops, and about three thousand militia. Clinton immediately sent detachments into the interior, to Camden, to Ninety-Six, and to Augusta. The Tories accepted British protection, while the patriots largely withdrew into North Carolina. Clinton left Cornwallis in command and sailed for New York. The British troops scattered themselves over the Southern country, and systematically collected plunder and spoils of all kinds which were Lord Cornwallis. sold for the benefit of the army. Vessels loaded with rich supplies taken from the inhabitants were sent abroad. Patriot bands here and there protected themselves in the swamps, sallying forth to harass the British troops on their marauding expeditions. 343. Partisan Leaders.-These brave bands were commanded by noted patriots, such as Marion, Sumter, Pickens, and Lee. In August Sumter gained a victory over the British and Tories at Hanging Rock. The battle lasted four hours, and the loss was severe, especially to the British. The Americans lost about one hundred. Among the partisans who were present and injured in this fight was an orphan boy of Scotch-Irish descent, named Andrew Jackson, the future president of the United States. 344. The Battle of Camden. Ten days later, August 16th, 1780, General Gates, having been assigned to command in the South, engaged Cornwallis near Camden, each army seeking to surprise the other. The British forces were inferior in numbers to the Americans, but many of the latter were undisciplined militia. Gates was routed, in spite of the bravery of De Kalb and his command. De Kalb fell, pierced with many wounds. Whole regiments were literally cut to pieces. The British captured several pieces of artillery, two thou sand muskets, the entire baggage train, and one thousand prisoners. It had been Washington's intention to assign General Greene to the command of the Southern army, but Congress gave the position to General Gates. The battle of Camden clearly showed that Gates was not the man for the place. "T was the meeting of eagles and lions, 'T was the rushing of tempests and waves, Insolent triumph 'gainst patriot defiance, Born freemen 'gainst sycophant slaves. As from danger to danger he flies, 345. Battle of King's Mountain. The continued marauding expeditions of the British had driven the patriots almost to desperation. On October 7th was fought a notable battle at King's Mountain. Colonel Tarleton had become notorious for his inhuman butchery of prisoners and his extreme barbarity. Apparently he intended to give no quarter. "Tarleton's quarter" became a significant byword throughout the South. That whole territory was scoured by marauding bands under Tarleton and Ferguson. Ferguson took refuge on King's Mountain, which is one of a series of rocky summits partly within the Southern boundaries. of North Carolina. Here he was attacked by an "impromptu, unpaid army of volunteers, hastily combined for the purpose of ridding the country of Ferguson's corps." Among the American officers were several remarkable characters, such as Colonel Isaac Shelby and Colonel John Sevier, from Tennessee; Colonel James Williams, of South Carolina; Colonel Benjamin Cleaveland and Colonel Charles McDowell, of North Carolina; and Colonel William Campbell, of Virginia. The entire American force did not exceed sixteen hundred men. They approached the hill in front and by both flanks. The battle was exceedingly fierce, but quick and decisive. Three times British bayonets pushed the Americans back step by step to the foot of the hill. Ferguson was killed, and the British surrendered after desperate fighting. The victory of the Americans was complete. The British killed and wounded numbered nearly five hundred, and the rest were taken prisoners. |