208

OPERATIONS IN CHARLESTON,

CHAPTER XXVI.

CAMPAIGN OF 1776.

little prospe

of

No

THE spring of 1776 opened with very reconciliation between Great Britain and her colonies. answer was returned to the petition of congress to the hung; but intelligence was received that the British had made treaties with the landgrave of Hesse Cassel, and other petty German sovereignties, and hired from them about 17,000 mercenary troops, for the service of the crown in America. These troops, known among the colonists by the general name of Hessians, were much dreaded, until after a few thousand of them had been killed or made prisoners. It was also understood, that, in addition to these men, 25,000 British soldiers would be sent over. A part of this force was said to be destined for Charleston, in South Carolina.

On the 2d of June, 1776, the alarm guns were fired in the vicinity of Charleston, and expresses sent to the militia officers to hasten with their men to the defence of the capital. The order was promptly obeyed; and some continental regiments, from the neighbouring states, also arrived. The whole was under the direction of General Lee, who had been appointed commander of all the forces in the southern states, and had under his direction the continental generals, Armstrong and Howe.

Charleston was all alive with the bustle of warlike preparation. The citizens, abandoning their usual occupations, employed themselves in putting the town in a respectable state of defence. They pulled down the valuable store-houses on the wharves, barricaded the streets and constructed lines of defence along the shore. The troops, amounting to between 5 and 6,000 men, were stationed in the most advantageous positions. The second and third regular regiments of South Carolina, under Colonels Moultrie and Thomson, were posted on Sullivan's Island. A regiment, commanded by Colonel Gadsden, was stationed at Fort Johnson, about three miles

ATTACK ON THE FORT AT CHARLESTON.

209

below Charleston, on the most northerly point of James' Island, and within point blank shot of the channel. The rest of the troops were posted at Haddrel's Point, along the bay, near the town, and at such other places as were thought most proper. Amidst all this bustle and preparation, lead for bullets was extremely scarce, and the windows of Charleston were stripped of their weights, in order to procure a small supply of that necessary article.

While the Americans were thus busily employed, the British were not idle. About the middle of February, an armament had sailed from the Cove of Cork, under the command of Sir Peter Parker, and Earl Cornwallis, to encourage and support the loyalists* in the southern provinces.

But

After a tedious voyage, the greater part of the fleet reached Cape Fear, in North Carolina, on the 3d of May. General Clinton, who had left Boston in December, took command of the land forces and issued a proclamation, promising pardon to all the inhabitants who would lay down their arms. this offer produced no effect. Early in June, the armament, consisting of between 40 and 50 vessels, appeared off Charleston, and 36 of the transports passed the bar and anchored about three miles from Sullivan's Island. Some hundreds of the troops landed on Long Island, which lies on the west of Sullivan's Island, and which is separated from it by a narrow channel, often fordable.

On the 10th and 25th of June, two 50 gun ships passed the bar, and the British, having now about 10 ships of war ready for action, prepared to engage. The troops, amounting to 3,000, were under the command of Sir Henry Clinton, the naval force under the admiral, Sir Peter Parker.

On the forenoon of the 28th of June, this fleet advanced against the fort on Sullivan's Island, which was defended by Colonel Moultrie with 344 regular troops and some militia, who volunteered their services on the occasion. The battle

When did the British fleet arrive?
Explain the terms Whig and Tory.
Where did they land troops?
What was the British naval force,
and who commanded it?

Who commanded the army?

What was the number of British
troops ?

What fort did they attack?
Who commanded the defence?

The adherents of the royal cause, in America, were called Tories, and their opponents Whigs. These designations were derived from the parties in England, who were respectively arrayed in the defence of royal prerogative, or popular rights. The tories, in America, were in a most uncomfortable position during a great part of the revolutionary struggle.

210

DEFENCE OF THE Fort.

commenced with a tremendous discharge of cannon and bombs upon the fort, which was returned slowly, but with deliberate and deadly aim. The contest was carried on during the whole day with unabating fury. All the forces at Charleston stood prepared for battle; and both the troops and the numerous spectators beheld the conflict with alternations of hope and fear, which appeared in their countenances and gestures. They knew not how soon the fort might be silenced or passed by, and an attack made upon themselves; but they were resolved to meet the invaders at the water's edge, to dispute every inch of ground, and to prefer death to slavery.

Three of the British ships were ordered to assail the western extremity of the fort, which was in a very unfinished state; but as they proceeded for that purpose, they got entangled with a shoal, called the Middle Ground, ran foul of each other; and one of them remained aground; so that this part of the attack completely failed in the outset.

It had been concerted that, during the attack by the ships Sir Henry Clinton, with the troops, should pass the narrow channel which separates Long Island from Sullivan's Island, and assail the fort by land; but this the general found impracticable; the channel, usually fordable, having been recently deepened by a long prevalence of easterly winds. If Sir Henry had succeeded in passing the channel, he would have been met at the water's edge, by a strong detachment of riflemen, regulars and militia, under Colonel Thomson, who were posted at the east end of Sullivan's Island, to oppose any attack made in that quarter.

In the course of the day, the fire of the fort ceased, for a short time, and the British flattered themselves that the guns were abandoned; but the pause was occasioned solely by the want of powder, and when a supply was obtained, the cannonade recommenced as steadily as before. The engagement, which began about 11 o'clock in the forenoon, continued with unabated fury till 7 in the evening, when the fire slackened, and at about 9, entirely ceased on both sides.

During the night, all the ships, except the Acteon which was aground, hauled off in rather a discomfited plight to the distance of two miles from the island. Next morning, the fort fired a few shots at the Acteon, and she at first returned them;

but in a short time her crew set her on fire and abandoned her. A party of Americans boarded the burning vessel, seized her colours, fired some of her guns at Admiral Parker, filled three boats with her sails and stores, and then quitted her. She blew up shortly afterwards. In a few days the whole fleet, with the troops on board, sailed for New York.

In this obstinate engagement the Americans fought with great gallantry, and the loss of the British was very severe. In the course of the engagement, the flag-staff of the fort was shot away; but Sergeant Jasper leaped down upon the beach, snatched up the flag, fastened it to a sponge-staff, and while the ships were incessantly directing their broadsides upon the fort, he mounted the merlon and deliberately replaced the flag. Next day, President Rutledge presented him with a sword, as a testimony of respect for his distinguished valour. Colonel Moultrie and the officers and troops on Sullivan's Island, received the thanks of their country for their bravery; and in honour of the gallant commander the fort was named Fort Moultrie.

The failure of the attack on Charleston was of great importance to the American cause, and contributed much to the establishment of the popular government. The friends of congress triumphed; the diffident became bold; and many of the tories abandoned their party and attached themselves to the cause of American liberty. The brave defence of Fort Moultrie saved the southern states from the horrors of war for several years.

When the British fleet, under Sir Peter Parker, had first

What is related of Sergeant Jasper?
How was he rewarded?

What name was given to the fort?
What were the effects of this victory!

212

PREPARATIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE.

appeared in Charleston bay, the Cherokee Indians had treacherously invaded the western frontier of the province, marking their course, as usual, with murder and devastation. The speedy retreat of the British fleet left the savages exposed to the vengeance of the Americans, who, in separate divisions, entered their country at different points, from Virginia and Georgia, defeated their warriors, burned their villages, laid waste their cornfields, and rendered the Cherokees incapable of giving annoyance to the settlers for some time to come. Thus, in the south, the Americans, at this time, triumphed over the arms both of the British and the Indians.

Intelligence of the rejection of their second petition, and of the cold indifference observed towards Mr. Penn, the provincial agent, by the British government, had reached congress in November, 1775, and awakened a strong sensation throughout the provinces. It showed the colonists in what light their conduct was viewed by the British cabinet, and what they had to expect from the parent state. It was clear enough now,

that there was no medium between unconditional submission and absolute independence. The colonists saw that they must either abandon every thing for which they had been hitherto contending, or assert their freedom by force of arms; and many of them were struck with the incongruity of professing allegiance to a power which their martial battalions were opposing in the field.

That men, who had always been accustomed to the rights of freedom and self-government, should descend from their exalted rank to the degradation of slavery-that they should abandon every thing which they held dear, and become the crouching subjects of a suspected, despised, and oppressed dependency of the British empire, was not to be expected. The colonists spurned the thought of such degradation. Entirely emancipated from the antiquated notions of prerogative, which guided the councils of the British cabinet, the provincial leaders took the most prompt and efficacious measures to give a new bias to the public mind, and to prepare the people for a new state of things. Independence, which, in the earlier stages of the contest, had been casually and obliquely hinted, was now made a topic of public discussion. At first it alarmed timid and moderate men, who had

Of what treachery were the Chero- | What was the effect of this intellikees guilty?

How were they punished?

What news was received from Eng

land?

gence?

What were now the sentiments of a large part of the colonists?