the stream, while Major Call and seven others boldly pushed their way through the British advance. The British prisoners which had been taken, being at this moment in a boat, crossing the river, seeing the success of their friends, rose upon the guard, and released themselves.

Sir Henry Clinton having, in the mean time, completed his third parallel, which placed the besieged entirely at his mercy, with a view to prevent an useless effusion of blood, on the 8th of May, made a second demand of General Lincoln for a surrender of the town. Lincoln, finding it impossible for the garrison to hold out, and being told by his engineer that the works might be carried by storm in a few minutes, was compelled to accept the terms offered by his adversary as far as they regarded his troops; but hoping that he might be enabled to make better terms for the militia and inhabitants of the town, he excepted them in his answer to the summons. Sir Henry Clinton was not disposed to recede from his first demand, and the batteries on the third parallel were opened.Under cover of the tremendous fire from these, the enemy were enabled to pass the ditch by sap, and gain the counterscarp of the outwork on its flank. Every obstacle being thus passed, and nothing remaining to prevent an immediate storm, the citizens who had at first insisted on the exceptions in their favour, now saw the necessity of submission; and the proposition was made by General Lincoln to surrender on the terms of the British commander. This offer was accepted, and the capitulation was signed on the 11th. The terms granted by Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Arbuthnot do much honour to the character of these commanders, under the circumstances of the two ar

mies: they were, that the town and fortifications, the shipping at the wharves, artillery and all other publick stores should be surrendered in their present state to the besiegers-that the continental troops and sailors should remain as prisoners of war until exchanged, to be supplied while prisoners, with such food as is usual to the British troops-that the militia should be permitted to return to their respective homes as prisoners on parole, and be protected in their persons and property so long as they observed their parole that the sick and wounded should be continued under the care of their own surgeons, and be supplied with such necessaries as are allowed to the British hospitals-that the officers of the army and navy should be permitted to keep their swords, pistols, servants and baggage, which last should not be searched, and that such of them as chose to dispose of their horses in town, should be at liberty to do so, but none to be taken out of town-that the whole garrison should at an appointed hour march out of the town to the ground between the works of the place and the canal, and there deposite their arms, the drums not to beat a British march, nor the colours to be uncased, that the French consul, his house, papers and moveable property, should be protected and untouched, and that a proper time should be granted him to retire to any place that might be agreed upon between the British Commander and himself, he considering himself as a prisoner on parole-that all the civil officers and citizens who bore arms during the siege, should be prisoners on parole, their persons and property to be protected on the same condition granted to the militia-that the subjects of

France and Spain should have the same terms as those allowed to the French consul.

These articles of capitulation were mutually ratified by the respective commanding officers on the 12th of May, and a flag vessel appointed to go to Philadelphia with General Lincoln's despatches.

The loss of the enemy during this siege, amounted to no more than 70 killed, and 189 wounded. Our loss was 102 killed, and 157 wounded; among the former were many brave and highly regretted officers of distinction. The number of prisoners which surrendered to the British, including militia and the inhabitants of all classes amounted to 5,000;-but General Lincoln's effective force did not exceed 2,500 men; of whom an unusually large proportion were officers, owing to the circumstance of officers flocking to the standard of their country at the first call, without being able to bring with them the fourth of their regiments or companies. There were included in the capitulation, one Major General and six brigadiers; nine colonels and fourteen Lieutenant Colonels; fifteen Majors, eighty-four commandants of companies, the same number of Lieutenants, and thirty-two Sublieutenants and Ensigns. less than 400 pieces of artillery and other ordnance, fell into the hands of the enemy, of which 311 pieces were in the city alone; three American frigates, one French frigate and a polacre of 16 guns, were also among the spoils of the enemy.

No

An instance of treachery was detected in the commencement of the siege, in a Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton Ballendine, who attempted to pass to the English camp, with drawings of the town and works.

He was fortunately discovered, apprehended, and punished with immediate death.

The loss of Charleston and its appendages of men and stores, was a severe blow to the Americans; and it may be doubted whether the town was worth saving at such a sacrifice. General Lincoln would undoubtedly have abandoned it to its fate, and have preserved himself in a situation to defend the state, if he had been left to pursue his own judgment; but it was impossible to listen unmoved to the entreaties of the many respectable inhabitants who flattered themselves with the expectation of assistance from their neighbouring states, and the hopes of being able to hold out against the besiegers, until all retreat was unhappily cut off. General Lincoln's reputation however, was too well established, to suffer in the estimation of Congress, or of the commander in chief, for his conduct. Their confidence in his talents and courage, was undiminished by this unfortunate blow.

The most brilliant success having so far attended the arms of Sir Henry Clinton, he determined if possible to make sure of his conquests, by reducing the whole state of South Carolina to submission. Posts were for this purpose established in various parts of the country, and Lord Cornwallis with a large body of troops moved up the north side of the Santee. Having received intelligence on his march, that some American parties were collected in the upper parts of the state, among whom was the rear of the Virginia line, consisting of 300 continentals, under Colonel Bufort, he despatched Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton with his cavalry and mounted infantry to dislodge them. Tarleton moved with great celerity, and came up with them at Nassau, in fifty-four hours,

having accomplished in that time a distance of more than 100 miles. His appearance, being wholly unexpected, produced considerable astonishment to the Americans, already much weakened by long marches, and dispirited by their recent losses. Tarleton immediately sent a flag demanding their surrender upon the same terms granted to the garrison at Charleston; but weakened as the Americans were, his offer was instantly rejected, and a combat ensued on the 29th of May, which resulted in the complete discomfiture of the Americans, 108 of whom were killed, and 150 so badly wounded as to be left on parole, and 53 prisoners. The colours, baggage, and small remnant of the artillery belonging to the southern army, fell into the hands of the victors, whose loss amounted to no more than 7 killed and 12 wounded. The continentals, finding resistance would be vain, had yielded early in the action, and sued for quarters ; but Tarleton, to his eternal disgrace as an officer, continued to press upon them, and to butcher the unresisting soldiers even while lifting their hands in supplication for quarters. When arrived at Camden with the bloody trophies of his butchery, he was rewarded by Lord Cornwallis with the most extravagant encomiums on his heroism.

Sir Henry Clinton now deemed the reduction of South Carolina so complete, that he began to prepare for returning to New-York. There was scarcely a man in the state who was not either a prisoner, or a submissive subject to the British authority; and Sir Henry in his letter to the minister for American affairs boasted, and with too much truth, that the inhabitants were flocking to him from all quarters, to acknowledge their allegiance and offer their services