CHA P. X. Rhode Island evacuated. Defign against New York frustrated by D'Estaing's failure at Savannah. Expedition against Charles Town. Sir Henry Clinton lands with the army in South Carolina; takes poffeffion of the islands of John and James; poffes Afbley River to Charles Town Neck; fiege of that city. Admiral Arbuthnot paffes the Bar with difficulty. American and French marine force abandon their stations, and retire to the town, where most of the former are funk to bar a passage. The admiral pals the heavy fire of the fort on Sullivan's land, and takes poleon of the barbour. General Lincoln fummoned without effect. State of the defences on Charles Town Neck. Colonel Tarleton cuts off a party of the retels. Col. Webster paffes Cooper River with a detachment, by which the city is clofely invested. Lord Cornwallis takes the command on that fide. Siege prefed with great vigour. Admiral Arbuthnot takes Mount Pleafant, and reduces Fort Moultrie. Tarleton defeats and destroys the rebel Cavalry. Capitulation of Charles Town. Garrison, artillery, frigates, &c. Rebels again defeated by Tarleton, at Waxaw. Regulations by Sir Henry Clinton for the fecurity of the province. Departure for New York. Earl Cornwallis reduces the hole colony. Unexpected danger to which the severity of the winter had expofed New York, Gallant defence made by Capt. Cornwallis, against a French Superior naval force. Three naval actions between Sir George Rodney, and M. de Guichen, productive of no decifive conSequences. Infurrections of the loyalifts in North Carolina quelled. Baron de Kalbe marches into that province with a continental force. Is followed by General Gates, who takes the chief command. State of affairs in the two Carolina's. Battle of Camden. Complete victory gained by Lord Cornwallis. Sumpter routed by Tarleton. had largely contributed, hoping to end the war by one decifive ftroke; and being in poffeffion of the North River, the cloud feemed ready to break upon the islands, as foon as the French fleet should appear in fight; an event that did not feem to be far diftant, as it was expected on both fides by the new allies, that the taking of the Savannah could be little more than the work of a day; and that the fuccefs could not only infpire confidence, but even afford means, for the attainment of the grand THE 7 Under Under these apparent circumftances of danger, it was found advifable, befides adopting every other means of a vigorous defence against a greatly fuperior force, to withdraw the garrifon and marine from Rhode Island, and to fuffer that place to fall again into the hands of the Americans. But the defeat of D'Estaing, and ftill more the lofs of time, which attended his ill conducted enterprize, having totally fruftrated the views of the enemy, ferved equally to extend thofe of General Sir Henry Clinton, and of Admiral Arbuthnot, to active and effective fervice, by an expedition to the fouthern colonies. Washington's army was already in a great measure broken up. The auxiliaries had returned home; the term of enliftment of a great number of the continental foldiers was expired, and the filling up of the regiments, by waiting for recruits from their respective ftates, muft neceffarily be a work of confiderable time. South Carolina was the immediate and great object of enter prize. Befides the numerous benefits to be immediately derived from the poffeffion of that province of opulence and ftaple product, and the unfpeakable lofs which it would occafion to the enemy, its fituation rendered it fill more valuable from the fecurity which it would not only afford to Georgia, but in a very confiderable degree, to all that fouthern point of the continent which ftretches beyond it. Sir Henry Clinton's land force being now whole and concentrated by the evacuation of Rhode liland, it afforded means as well as incitement to enterprize. The army was likewife in excellent condition; the reinforcements from England had not been impaired by any fervice; and it was abundantly, provided with artillery, and with all the other engines, furniture, and provifion of war. Nor was the naval force lefs competent to is purpofe; there being nothing then in the American feas, which could even venture to look at it. On the other hand, the diftance of South Carolina, from the center of force and action, cut it off from all means of prompt fupport in any cafe; while the prefent ftate of the American army, along with many circumitances in the fituation of their public affairs, rendered the profpect of any timely or effectual relief extremely faint. Although every thing had been for fome time prepared for the expedition, and the troops even embarked, yet through the defect of any certain intelligence, as to the departure of D'Estaing from the coaft of North America, it was not until within a few days of the clofe of the year, Dec. 26th. that the fleet and convoy proceeded from New York. The voyage from thence to the Savannah, (where they did not arrive until the end of January) was very unprofperous. Besides its extreme tedioufnefs, the fea. was fo rough, and the weather fo tempeftuous, that great mifchief was done among the transports and victuallers. Several were loft; others difperfed and damaged; a few were taken by the Americans; ah ordnance hip went down, with all her ftores; and and almost all the horfes, whether of draught, or appertaining to the cavalry, were loft. From Savannah, the fleet and army proceeded before the middle of February, to the inlet or harbour of North Edito, on the coaft of South Carolina, where the army was landed without oppofition or difficulty; and took poffefion with equal facility, firft of John's Ifland, and next, that of James, which ftretches to the fouth of Charles Town Harbour. We have already had occafion, in our account of Gen. Prevolt's expedition, to take fome notice of the geography and nature of this flat and infulated country. The army afterwards, by throwing a bridge over the Wappoo cut, extended its pofts on the mainland, to the banks of Afhley River, between which and Cooper's River Charles Town flands; the approach to it being called the Neck. The general is not explicit in his information, as to the nature of the difficulties, or rather wants, which were the caufe of detaining the army in this pofition, until near the end of March; he feeming to confider thefe circum ftances as matters already well understood by the Secretary of State. We only learn, that a train of heavy artillery fupplied by the large fhips of the fleet, with a body of failors, under the conduct of Capt. Elphinstone of the navy, were of fingular fervice in the profecution of the fiege, and that the general found it neceffary to draw a reinforcement from Georgia, which joined him, without any other interruption, than the natural difficulties of the country, (which were not fmall) during a toilfome march of twelve days. 1780. The paffage of March 29, Afhley River was effected with great facility, thro' the aid of the naval officers and feamen, with their boats and armed gallies; and the army, with its artillery and ftores, was landed without oppofition on Charles Town Neck. On the night of the 1st of April, they broke ground within 800 yards of the enemy's works; and in a week their guns were mounted in battery. In the mean time, Admiral Arbuthnot had not been deficient in his endeavours for the paffing of Charles Town Bar, in order effectually to fecond the operations of the army. For this purpofe he fhifted his flag from the Eu. ropa of the line, to the Roe Buck of 44 guns, which, with the Renown and Romulus, were lightened of their guns, provifions, and water; the lighter fri gates being capable of paffing the bar, without that preparation, Yet fo difficult was the task in any state, that they lay in that fituation, expofed on an open coaft, in the winter season, to the danger of the feas, and to the infults of the enemy, for above a fortnight, before a proper opportunity offered. The bar was, however, then passed (on the 20th of March) without lofs; and the entrance of the harbour gained without diffi culty. The enemy had a confiderable marine force in the harbour, which might have been expected to contribute more to the defence of the town town and paffage than it actually did. This confifted of an American fhip, built fince the troubles, and pierced for 60 guns, but mounting only 44; of feven frigates of the fame country, from 32 to 16 guns; with a French frigate of 26 guns, and a polacre of eighteen. Thefe, at firft, upon the admiral's getting over the bar, fhewed a difpofition to difpute the paffage up the river; and accordingly, they were moored with fome armed gallies, at a narrow pafs, between Sullivan's Inland and the middle ground, in a pofition which would have enabled them to rake his fquadron on its approach to Fort Moultrie. The paffage was ef fected, under a fevere April 9th. and impetuous fire, with less lofs of lives than could have been well expected; the number of feamen killed and wounded being under thirty. The fleet, however, fuf, fered in other refpects from the fire of the enemy; and a tranfport, with fome naval ftores, was of neceffity abandoned, and burnt, Buc the great object was now gained; they were in poffeffion of the harbour, and took fuch effectual meafures for blocking up or fecuring the various inlets, that the town was little lefs than completely invefted. As the enemy had placed their principal truft in the defence of the paffage up the river, and thereby keeping the harbour free, and their back fecure, nothing could be more terrible to them than this fituation of the fleet; whereby their defences were greatly multiplied, their attention diverted from the land fide, and their means of relief, or even of escape, confiderably ftraitened. This appearance of refolution, however, gave way to more timid, and it fhould feem, lefs wife council. For abandoning every idea of refiftance, and leaving the fort to its own fortune, they retired to Charles-Town; where moft of the fhips, with a number of merchant veffels, being fitted with chevaux de frize on their decks, were funk to obtruct the channel of the ri ver between the town and ShutesFolly; thus converting a living active force into an inert machine. This obftacle removed, and the fuccefs of the attack on the land fide depending almost entirely on the joint operation of the fleet, the admiral took a favourable opportunity of wind and water, to pafs the heavy batteries of Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's land; fo much celebrated for the obftinate and fuccefsful defence, which we have heretofore teen, it made, against the long, fierce, and bloody/ attack of Admiral Sir Peter Parker. In this ftate of things, the batteries ready to be opened; the commanders by fea and land fent a joint fummons to General Lincoln, who commanded in CharlesTown; holding out the fatal confequences of a cannonade and ftorm, ftating the prefent, as the only favourable opportunity for preferving the lives and property of the inhabitants, and warning the commander that he fhould be responsible for all those calamities which might be the fruits of his obftinacy. Lincoln anlivered, that the fame duty and inclination which had prevented him from abandoning Charles Town, Town, during fixty days know. ledge of their hollile intentions, operated now with equal force, in prompting him to defend it to the laft extremity. The defences of Charles Town, on the neck, were, for their nature and ftanding, very confiderable. They confifted of a chain of redoubts, lines, and batteries, extending from one river to the other; and covered with an artillery of eighty cannon and mortars. In the front of either flank, the works were covered by fwamps, originating from the oppofite rivers, and tending towards the eenter; through which they were connected by a canal paffing from one to the other. Between thefe outward impediments and the works, were two frong rows of abbatis, the trees being buried flanting in the earth, fo that their heads facing outwards, formed a kind of fraize-work against the affailants; and thefe were farther fecured, by a ditch double picketted. In the center, where the natural defences were unequal to thofe on the flanks, a horn-work of mafonry had been conftructed, as well to remedy that defect as to cover the principal gate; and this during the fiege had been clofed in such a manner as to render it a kind of citadel, or independent fort. The fiege was carried on with great vigour; the batteries were foon perceived to acquire a fuperiority over thofe of the enemy; and the works were pushed forward with unremitted industry. Soon after the middle of April, the fe19th. cond parallel was complet ed; the approaches to it fecured; and it was carried within 450 yards of the main works of the befieged. Major Moncrieffe,, who had gained fo much honour in the defence of the Savannah, acquired no lefs applaufe, from the very fuperior and masterly manner in which he conducted the offenfive operations of the prefent fiege. The town had kept its communication open with the country, on the farther fide of Cooper's river, for fome time after it had been invetted on other fides by the fleet and army; and fome bodies of militia cavalry and infantry began to affemble on the higher parts of that river, who being in poffeffion of the bridges, might at leaft have become trouble fome to the foraging parties, if not capable of difturbing the operations of the army. The general, as foon as his fituation would permit, detached 1400 men under Lieutenant-colonel Webster, in order to ftrike at this corps which the enemy were endeavouring to form in the field, to break in upon their remaining communications, and to feize the principal paffes of the country. On this expedition Lieutenant colonel Tarleton, at the head of a corps of cavalry, and feconded by Major Ferguson's light infantry and markfmen, afforded a ftriking fpecimen of that active gallantry, and of thofe peculiar military talents, which have fince fo highly diftinguished his character. With. a very inferior force, he furprised, defeated, and almost totally cut off the rebel party; and having thereby gained poffeffion of Biggin's Bridge on the Cooper River, opened the way to Colonel Webfter to advance nearly to the head of the Wandoo River, and to oc cupy |