Under thefe apparent circumftances of danger, it was found advifeable, befides adopting every other means of a vigorous defence against a greatly fuperior force, to withdraw the garrifon and marine from Rhode Iйand, and to fuffer that place to fall again into the hands of the Americans,

But the defeat of D'Eftaing, 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 those 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 refpective ftates, muft neceffarily be a work of confiderable time.

South Carolina was the immediate and great object of enterprize. Beides 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 occation 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 Iland, 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 its purpofe; there being nothing then in the American feas, which could even venture to look at it. On the other hand, the distance 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 circumstances 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 close 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. Befides its extreme tedioufnefs, the fea was fo rough, and the weather fo tempeftuous, that great mifchief was done among the tranfports and victuallers. Several were loft; others difperfed and damaged; a few were taken by the Americans; an ordinance fhip 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 poffeffion with equal facility, first 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. Prevoft'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 ftands; 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 circumtances, 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 rect, 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

The paffage of Ashley River was effected with great facility, thro' the aid of the naval offers and feamen, with their boats and armed gallies; and the army, with its artillery and ftores, was landed without oppofition Charles Town Neck. On the night of the 1st of April, they broke ground within Soo yards of the enemy's works; and in 2 week, their guns were mounted in battery.

on

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 purpose he fhifted his flag from the Europa 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 frigates being capable of paffing the bar without that preparation. Yet fo difficult was the task in any ftate, that they lay in that fituation, expofed on an open coat, 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 paffed (on the 20th of March) without lofs; and the entrance of the harbour gained without difficulty.

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 firit, 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 pass, between Sullivan's Ifland and the middle ground, in a pofition which would have enabled them to rake his fquadron on its approach to Fort Moultrie.

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 most of the fhips, with a number of merchant veffels, being fitted with chevaux de frize on their decks, were funk to obftruct the channel of the river 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 Ifland; fo much celebrated for the obftinate and fuccefsful defence, which, we have heretofore feen, it made, against the long, fierce and bloody attack, of Admiral Sir Peter Parker.

April 9th.

The paffage was effected, under a fevere and impetuous fire, with lefs lofs of lives than could have been well expected; the number of feamen killed and wounded being under thirty. The fleet, however, fuffered in other refpects from the fire of the enemy; and a tranfport, with fome naval ftores, was of neceffity abandoned, and burnt. But 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 ftreightened.

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 refponfible, for all those calamities which might be the fruits of his obftinacy. Lincoln answered, that the fame duty and inclination which had prevented him from abandoning Charles

Town,

Town, during fixty days knowledge of their hoftile 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 standing, 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 center; through which they were connected by a canal paffing from one to the other. Between thefe outward impediments and the works, were two ftrong 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 these 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 masonry had been constructed, as well to remedy that defect, as to cover the principal gate; and this during the fiege had been clofed in fuch 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 fecond parallel was complet19th. 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 applause, from the very fuperior and mafterly 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 invested 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 least have become troublesome 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 strike 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 striking fpecimen of that active gallantry, and of thofe peculiar military ta. lents, which have fince fo highly diftinguifhed his character. With a very inferior force, he furprized, 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