DOCSLIB.ORG

Seasons Greetings Fellow Revolutionaries! This Poem Is Your Holiday Gift from Southern Campaigns and Poet Clarence Mahoney

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Seasons Greetings Fellow Revolutionaries! This Poem Is Your Holiday Gift from Southern Campaigns and Poet Clarence Mahoney Vol. 1 No. 4 ___________________ ____ December 2004 Seasons Greetings fellow Revolutionaries! This poem is your holiday gift from Southern Campaigns and poet Clarence Mahoney: The Battle of Camden Armand's horsemen looked so fine And seeds of his defeat were sown. by Clarence Mahoney Sabers scabbar'd, riding tall. Copyright 2004 The Patriots strength was on Gates right, North Carolinians under Caswell, All Continental Army troops, In the war for Independence, Virginian troopers led by Stevens, Opposing lesser Tory forces. Five years past the first shot heard, Militia, brave but all untested, To his left deployed militia, With Whigs and Tories in attendance, Joined up under Gates' commission. And when the order came to fight Their fabric of allegiance rent, (By the British they'd be bested Courageousness became an issue. In South Carolina there occurred And retreat without permission.) A battle lost, but now minds bent In the center by the road Toward freedom's cause, clear and un- Obeying hunger's strong demand Artillerymen began to load blurred. They ate the only food on hand. And on command their guns delivered Corn mush followed by molasses Cannon shot hurled headlong flaming. On one steamy August evening, Served for dinner on that eve. Caused affliction, gore, and horror. Moonlit, breezeless, quiet, eerie, Through the gut it quickly passes, Shrieks and screams and hideous ruin Up the Waxhaw Way from Camden, Causing bowels to relieve. Rode the fearsome British Legion. A mixture of dismay and pride Thirteen dozen loyal horsemen, Gates sent them south at ten that evening Swept the men on either side Led by ruthless green-coat Tarleton. To reconnoiter, and believing As some were wounded, others died Recent letters sent from Sumter Rolling in a gulf of blood. Four companies of foot were next, Described small forces under Rawdon Yet persist they must - it was their fate With muskets and sharp bayonets. Thought he'd take defensive posture To reap revenge for full-blown hate. Then Royal Fusiliers, and more. And cut the British supply cordon. Nineteen Cannoneers with wicks, On and on the columns came, Fraser's highlanders, and six-score The road just north of Sanders creek Seasoned Redcoats, strong and ready, Of loyal troops from Ninety-Six. Rises slightly 'tween two swamps. Pausing now to fire a volley. Thus forms a likely place for battle, Then charging with "Huzza"s and whoops, With his Volunteers of Ireland, Where tactics and deployment matter. Fixed their bayonets, no folly, 'Midst the line was Francis Rawdon, Sandy soil, not fit for cattle And frightened the Virginian troops. And at the rear dragoons and wagons. And open pines let forces scatter. Royalists all, two thousand strong, Sensing fear in Steven's corps, With abundant food and well-filled flagons, In the early predawn hours, The British right advanced in force Expected battle come the dawn. Silent but for nature's creatures, With bayonets and flying lead. Peering down the sand path gleaming Amidst the terrible sights and sound, Commanding all was Lord Cornwallis, Through the shadows in the moonlight. Both North Carolina and Virginia fled, Confident and skilled in battle. Hark! Is that a shadow moving? Left unfired firearms on the ground. He had heard that gathered Rebels, Who would venture out in darkness? Further north, were southward moving Muskets roared with firm intent. Toward Camden - and not with pebbles! - Y'gad! It is the opposition! And soon the American line was bent To hit at times of their own choosing. Meeting headlong without warning! Like a door upon its hinge. Armand's horsemen, Tarleton's legion, Then through that hinge crack open wide Fifteen miles or so from Camden, Pistols firing, sabers slashing. British cavalry impinged, Up that road at Rugeley's mills, Prisoners taken, unclear progress. Surrounds DeKalb on every side. Patriot troops assembled, meeting Pull back! The fighting to renew Here to fight, but not so eager. Ere sunlight finds the morning dew. As Leonidas at Thermopylae, Green corn and peaches they were eating Despite poor odds he had to try Because their rations were so meager. In accord with British customs, Resisting forces or' whelming. Honored and experienced forces, "Save the Baron" came the cry General DeKalb was ever steady Formed up on their line's right end. Through the gun smoke cloud descending All his men were trained and ready; This classic stance Gates should have On his troops who stood nearby. Continentals of the Maryland Line, known, And Delaware, nine-hundred all. But erred that day beyond a mend, But now DeKalb, unhorsed, on foot, 1 Led his troops despite his wounds. Renewing will, they'd not relent. (If thoughtless student be our role) Well outnumbered and outflanked, Repeats itself and then when needed, Saw his forces torn asunder. In the coming fourteen months, Puts on our head the burning coal. Better leader, under-ranked, Battles proved the lessons learned. Let's not pretend we didn't care, Suffered Gates strategic blunder. Cowpens, Guilford, Hobkirk's Hill: But study fore and aft in tandem Some won, some lost, but stronger still And of that knowledge be aware, Helmeted and filled with passion, Grew the indomitable will. To remember always, Camden. Through bullets, bayonets, and sabers, Until the British at Yorktown He charged ahead without receding. Piped "The World Turned Upside Down". - The End - To conquer Rawdon's force intended. Eleven wounds, alive but bleeding, In looking back at this we see Post-script: Alas, he fell. The battle ended. A stronger lesson could not be. This battle lost, remembered still Camden's battle was consequence Helps guide the journey of mankind. Into the thicket, bog, and hollow Of when the leader over-reaches, The tale relates mistakes absurd. Where Tarleton's horsemen couldn’t follow, And acts without intelligence. Of misread facts, and leaders spurned The beaten fighters backed away This lesson hard our history teaches. But in the end, the final word, In fear and with discouragement. This poem extols the glory earned. They'd live and fight another day Now when history goes unheeded, ANNOTATIONS by Clarence Mahoney Camden, a battalion surrendered to the Patriots at Cowpens and the second battalion finally surrendered at Yorktown. The Battle of Camden, S.C. occurred in the early morning of August 16, 1780 approximately five years after the first shots Ninety Six, S.C. - One of five key towns held as strong points in the were fired in April, 1775 in Massachusetts. After three years the backcountry of South Carolina. Like Camden, it began in the War for American Independence had ground to a standstill. Under 1760's, was a trading post located about 96 miles from the Cherokee political pressure from parliament to get the war finished, British town of Keowee, and was occupied by the British in June 1780. leaders developed a Southern Campaign strategy. Believing that What the British army called Provincials - regular infantry units most southern colonists were loyal to the crown, they reasoned that recruited from Loyalists - were stationed there. by showing force these loyalists (Tories) would join to put down the rebellion by the patriots (Whigs). Britain first took Savannah and Lt. Colonel Francis Rawdon (Lord Francis Rawdon–Hastings) - invaded Georgia, then South Carolina by way of capturing Commanding officer of the Camden garrison in 1780. He was an Charleston, and intended to continue moving northward through the Anglo-Irish aristocrat who commanded a Provincial infantry other colonies, all the while building up greater strength as more and regiment called the Volunteers of Ireland that had been recruited more loyal colonists were expected to join the fight. from Tories in the Philadelphia area many of whom were of Irish When this British strategy became apparent to the ancestry. Lord Rawdon had fought at Bunker Hill, and went on to American Continental Congress, and to chief military leader Gen. distinguish himself as a military officer in subsequent battles and George Washington, they sent an army southward under the other wars. command of Gen. Horatio Gates. Once Charleston fell to the British in May 1780, this American army under Gates was the only Lt. General Charles Cornwallis (Lord Cornwallis, the Earl of large organized military force that might counter the British Cornwallis) - Military Governor and representative of the crown in strategy. [Note: For much more information see: the Carolinas. He was second in command of all British Forces www.battleofcamden.org] under General (Sir) Henry Clinton. Cornwallis came to Camden and assumed overall command when he heard that the American Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton - a 25 year old red-headed, army under Maj. General Horatio Gates was advancing toward courageous, ambitious, action-oriented, arrogant, and ruthless leader Camden. He was one of the most famous British leaders ever. He of horse-mounted soldiers. Those who carried sabers and charged became a Marquis and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, then as directly into battles were the cavalry. Those who carried muskets ambassador plenipotentiary to France. His last post was Governor and dismounted to fight at battles were the dragoons. Soldiers who General of India rode horses were organized into "companies of horse", while those who marched to battle were organized into "companies of foot". A Rugeley's Mills - An assembly of mills, inn, stores, etc. owned by unit combining the two types of horse-mounted fighters served "Tory Colonel" Henry Rugeley, located on the road to the Waxhaw under Tarleton as the "British Legion". They were nearly all settlement north of Camden. Like many other residents of the area, American born, but loyal to the crown. The British Legion Col.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Vol. 3 No. 1.1 ______January 2006
    Vol. 3 No. 1.1 _____ ________________________________ _ __ January 2006 th Return to the Cow Pens! 225 Backyard Archaeology – ARCHH Up! The Archaeological Reconnaissance and Computerization of Hobkirk’s Hill (ARCHH) project has begun initial field operations on this built-over, urban battlefield in Camden, South Carolina. We are using the professional-amateur cooperative archaeology model, loosely based upon the successful BRAVO organization of New Jersey. We have identified an initial survey area and will only test properties within this initial survey area until we demonstrate artifact recoveries to any boundary. Metal detectorist director John Allison believes that this is at least two years' work. Since the battlefield is in well-landscaped yards and there are dozens of homeowners, we are only surveying areas with landowner permission and we will not be able to cover 100% of the land in the survey area. We have a neighborhood meeting planned to explain the archaeological survey project to the landowners. SCAR will provide project handouts and offer a walking battlefield tour for William T. Ranney’s masterpiece, painted in 1845, showing Hobkirk Hill neighbors and anyone else who wants to attend on the final cavalry hand-to-hand combat at Cowpens, hangs Sunday, January 29, 2006 at 3 pm. [Continued on p. 17.] in the South Carolina State House lobby. Most modern living historians believe that Ranney depicted the uniforms quite inaccurately. Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s British Legion cavalry is thought to have been clothed in green tunics and Lt. Col. William Washington’s cavalry in white. The story of Washington’s trumpeter or waiter [Ball, Collin, Collins] shooting a legionnaire just in time as Washington’s sword broke is also not well substantiated or that he was a black youth as depicted.
    [Show full text]
  • Battle of the Shallow Ford
    Bethabara Chapter of Winston-Salem North Carolina State Society Sons of the American Revolution The Bethabara Bugler Volume 1, Issue 22 November 1, 2020 Chartered 29 October 1994 Re-Organized 08 November 2014. The Bethabara Bugler is the Newsletter of the Bethabara Chapter of Winston-Salem. It is, under normal circumstances, published monthly (except during the months of June, July, and August when there will only be one summer edition). It will be distributed by email, usually at the first of the month. Articles, suggestions, and ideas are welcome – please send them to: Allen Mollere, 3721 Stancliff Road, Clemmons, NC 27012, or email: [email protected]. ----------------------------------------- Bethabara Chapter Meetings As you are aware, no Bethabara Chapter SAR on-site meetings have been held recently due to continuing concerns over the Corona virus. On September 10, 2020, the Bethabara Chapter did conduct a membership meeting via Zoom. ----------------------------------------- Page 1 of 19 Commemoration of Battle of the Shallow Ford Forty-seven individuals wearing protective masks due to the Covid-19 pandemic, braved the inclement weather on Saturday, October 10, 2020 to take part in a modified 240th Commemoration Ceremony of the Battle of the Shallow Ford at historic Huntsville UM Church. Hosted by the Winston-Salem Bethabara Chapter of the Sons of The American Revolution (SAR), attendees included visitors, Compatriots from the Alamance Battleground, Bethabara, Nathanael Greene, Catawba Valley, and Yadkin Valley SAR Chapters as well as Daughters of The American Revolution (DAR) attendees from the Battle of Shallow Ford, Jonathan Hunt, Leonard's Creek, Colonel Joseph Winston, and Old North State Chapters.
    [Show full text]
  • BATTLEGROUND of FREEDOM No State Made a Greater Contribution to the Winning of America
    A~ '562. 2 .· ~\l-2. C'op~ \ BATTLEGROUND OF FREEDOM No state made a greater contribution to the winning of America. Both Kosciusko and Count Pulaski, the Polish independence and the founding of the nation than South patriots, served with distinction in South Carolina. ·Carolina. Her sons served ably and well in the Con­ For nearly four years, South Carolina was spared the tinental Congress and many of her sons laid down their horrors of war, then Charleston fell in May, 1780, and lives on the altar of freedom so that liberty and in­ South Carolina became a conquered province. Except for dependence could be achieved. Her heroine daughters Marion, Sumter and Pickens and their gallant followers, are legends of the land. it seemed all was lost. After Camden, the tide began to Upon the soil of South Carolina more battles were turn with Musgrove's Mill, Hanging Rock, King's Moun­ fought than in any other state. Both Virginia and tain and Blackstock's. In October, Nathanael Greene, the Massachusetts have been referred to as "The Cradle of fighting Quaker from Rhode Island, was given command Liberty." South Carolina was "The Battleground of of the Continental troops in the South. Daniel Morgan, an Freedom." Men from many states and nations came to epic soldier of great courage, returned to active duty, In South Carolina and fought and died. Where they fought, 17'81, the British suffered a major defeat at Cowpens. The bled and died is sacred ground, consecrated by the blood Battles of Ninety Six, Hobkirk's Hill, and most promi­ of patriots.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Deprived of Their Liberty'
    'DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY': ENEMY PRISONERS AND THE CULTURE OF WAR IN REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA, 1775-1783 by Trenton Cole Jones A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland June, 2014 © 2014 Trenton Cole Jones All Rights Reserved Abstract Deprived of Their Liberty explores Americans' changing conceptions of legitimate wartime violence by analyzing how the revolutionaries treated their captured enemies, and by asking what their treatment can tell us about the American Revolution more broadly. I suggest that at the commencement of conflict, the revolutionary leadership sought to contain the violence of war according to the prevailing customs of warfare in Europe. These rules of war—or to phrase it differently, the cultural norms of war— emphasized restricting the violence of war to the battlefield and treating enemy prisoners humanely. Only six years later, however, captured British soldiers and seamen, as well as civilian loyalists, languished on board noisome prison ships in Massachusetts and New York, in the lead mines of Connecticut, the jails of Pennsylvania, and the camps of Virginia and Maryland, where they were deprived of their liberty and often their lives by the very government purporting to defend those inalienable rights. My dissertation explores this curious, and heretofore largely unrecognized, transformation in the revolutionaries' conduct of war by looking at the experience of captivity in American hands. Throughout the dissertation, I suggest three principal factors to account for the escalation of violence during the war. From the onset of hostilities, the revolutionaries encountered an obstinate enemy that denied them the status of legitimate combatants, labeling them as rebels and traitors.
    [Show full text]
  • The SAR Colorguardsman
    The SAR Colorguardsman National Society, Sons of the American Revolution Vol. 5 No. 1 April 2016 Patriots Day Inside This Issue Commanders Message Reports from the Field - 11 Societies From the Vice-Commander Waxhaws and Machias Old Survivor of the Revolution Color Guard Commanders James Barham Jr Color Guard Events 2016 The SAR Colorguardsman Page 2 The purpose of this Commander’s Report Magazine is to o the National Color Guard members, my report for the half year starts provide in July 2015. My first act as Color Guard commander was at Point interesting TPleasant WVA. I had great time with the Color Guard from the near articles about the by states. My host for the 3 days was Steve Hart from WVA. Steve is from my Home town in Maryland. My second trip was to South Carolina to Kings Revolutionary War and Mountain. My host there was Mark Anthony we had members from North Car- information olina and South Carolina and from Georgia and Florida we had a great time at regarding the Kings Mountain. Went home for needed rest over 2000 miles on that trip. That activities of your chapter weekend was back in the car to VA and the Tomb of the Unknown. Went home to get with the MD Color Guard for a trip to Yorktown VA for Yorktown Day. and/or state color guards Went back home for events in MD for Nov. and Dec. Back to VA for the Battle of Great Bridge VA. In January I was back to SC for the Battle of Cowpens - again had a good time in SC.
    [Show full text]
  • Henry Clinton Papers, Volume Descriptions
    Henry Clinton Papers William L. Clements Library Volume Descriptions The University of Michigan Finding Aid: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/clementsead/umich-wcl-M-42cli?view=text Major Themes and Events in the Volumes of the Chronological Series of the Henry Clinton papers Volume 1 1736-1763 • Death of George Clinton and distribution of estate • Henry Clinton's property in North America • Clinton's account of his actions in Seven Years War including his wounding at the Battle of Friedberg Volume 2 1764-1766 • Dispersal of George Clinton estate • Mary Dunckerley's account of bearing Thomas Dunckerley, illegitimate child of King George II • Clinton promoted to colonel of 12th Regiment of Foot • Matters concerning 12th Regiment of Foot Volume 3 January 1-July 23, 1767 • Clinton's marriage to Harriet Carter • Matters concerning 12th Regiment of Foot • Clinton's property in North America Volume 4 August 14, 1767-[1767] • Matters concerning 12th Regiment of Foot • Relations between British and Cherokee Indians • Death of Anne (Carle) Clinton and distribution of her estate Volume 5 January 3, 1768-[1768] • Matters concerning 12th Regiment of Foot • Clinton discusses military tactics • Finances of Mary (Clinton) Willes, sister of Henry Clinton Volume 6 January 3, 1768-[1769] • Birth of Augusta Clinton • Henry Clinton's finances and property in North America Volume 7 January 9, 1770-[1771] • Matters concerning the 12th Regiment of Foot • Inventory of Clinton's possessions • William Henry Clinton born • Inspection of ports Volume 8 January 9, 1772-May
    [Show full text]
  • Section 7-1: the Revolution Begins
    Name: Date: Chapter 7 Study Guide Section 7-1: The Revolution Begins Fill in the blanks: 1. The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from various colonies in September of 1774 to discuss the ongoing crisis with Britain. 2. The Minutemen were members of the Massachusetts militia that were considered ready to fight at a moment’s notice. 3. General Thomas Gage was the British military governor of Massachusetts, and ordered the seizure of the militia’s weapons, ammunition, and supplies at Concord. 4. The towns of Lexington and Concord saw the first fighting of the American Revolution. 5. The “Shot heard ‘round the world” was the nickname given to the first shot of the American Revolution. 6. Americans (and others) referred to British soldiers as Redcoats because of their brightly colored uniforms. 7. At the Second Continental Congress, colonial delegates voted to send the Olive Branch Petition to King George III and created an army led by George Washington. 8. The Continental Congress created the Continental Army to defend the colonies against British aggression. 9. George Washington took command of this army at the request of the Continental Congress. 10. The Continental Congress chose to send the Olive Branch Petition to King George III and Parliament, reiterating their desire for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. 11. Siege is a military term that means to surround a city or fortress with the goal of forcing the inhabitants to surrender due to a lack of supplies. 12. Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allan captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York, allowing George Washington to obtain much needed supplies and weapons.
    [Show full text]
  • Exclusive Rulebookrulebook
    Savannah 1779 1 EXCLUSIVEEXCLUSIVE RULEBOOKRULEBOOK ©2005 Rodger B. MacGowan Volume IV American Revolutionary War Series Revised Nov. 2015 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Prepare for Play .................................................... 2 Historical Scenario ....................................................... 9 2. Victory Conditions ................................................ 3 The Siege of Savannah Historical Article .................... 10 3. Sequence of Play ................................................... 4 Campaign Game Reinforcement Schedule .................. 15 4. Special Rules ........................................................ 4 Sequence of Play .......................................................... 16 © 2005 GMT Games #0508 2 Savannah 1779 Defensive Perimeter, and in so doing switches play from the 1. PREPARE FOR PLAY Strategic to the Tactical Game Turn Track. 1.1 Colors: British: 1.6 Game Turn Tracks: Strategic Turn Track: Game Turns 1–15. Each Turn represents Regulars—Tan with red stripe a day, or in some cases multiple days. Player order is fixed. Germans—Tan with green stripe Weather, Random Events, Construction, Siege & Bombardment, Provincials—Tan with yellow stripe Reinforcements, Movement, Rally, Defensive Artillery Fire, and Tory Militia—Tan with brown stripe Close Combat that is not directed against the Savannah Defensive Perimeter, may apply. French Metropolitan Regulars—Light Turquose with Turquoise stripe Tactical Turn Track: Game Turns 16–25. Each Turn represents one hour. Player order
    [Show full text]
  • The Wyoming Massacre in the American Imagination
    Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2021 "Savage and Bloody Footsteps Through the Valley" : The Wyoming Massacre in the American Imagination William R. Tharp Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Cultural History Commons, and the United States History Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/6707 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “Savage and Bloody Footsteps Through the Valley” The Wyoming Massacre in the American Imagination A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University By. William R. Tharp Dr. Carolyn Eastman, Advisor Associate Professor, Department of History Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia 14 May 2021 Tharp 1 © William R. Tharp 2021 All Rights Reserved Tharp 2 Abstract Along the banks of the Susquehanna River in early July 1778, a force of about 600 Loyalist and Native American raiders won a lopsided victory against 400 overwhelmed Patriot militiamen and regulars in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. While not well-known today, this battle—the Battle of Wyoming—had profound effects on the Revolutionary War and American culture and politics. Quite familiar to early Americans, this battle’s remembrance influenced the formation of national identity and informed Americans’ perceptions of their past and present over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
    [Show full text]
  • David Fanning and Retaliatory Violence Between Tories and Whigs in the Revolutionary Carolinas
    “Blood for blood”: David Fanning and Retaliatory Violence between Tories and Whigs in the Revolutionary Carolinas By: Gregory Mayr History 586: Advanced Seminar in History Kansas State University Spring 2014 Professor Louise Breen Abstract This paper, relying primarily on Loyalist Colonel David Fanning’s personal narrative of the American Revolution, will argue that Fanning applied, in some of his actions, a form of retributive reasoning similar to that described by Historians Wayne E. Lee and Jeffrey J. Crow as typical for the revolutionary Carolinas. In Fanning’s case, the code by which he decided what to do in given situations was more complex than a one-dimensional law of retaliation; Fanning made an effort to incorporate conventional forms of honor into his actions, but harbored a great deal of distrust for his adversaries that came out of the experiences he had during the Revolution with his Whig opponents. His targets were purposive, aimed at Whig leadership, supplies and government officials. Fanning’s level of violence escalated toward the end of the revolution due to his genuine disdain for the rebels and his resentment at fighting what he eventually acknowledged to be a losing war. Keywords: Fanning; Retaliation; Retribution; lex talionis; Burke 2 On 28 February 1782, the infamous loyalist partisan David Fanning wrote a cold and threatening letter of protest to Governor Thomas Burke of North Carolina. The Whig government had hanged “three of my men, one Captain and two privates,” and was detaining an additional “Captain and six men under the sentence of death.”1 Fanning knew that the British cause had entered its death throes with the definitive American victory at Yorktown, Virginia, in October, 1781, but fighting units remained mobilized until the signing of the peace treaty in 1783, and in the meantime governments throughout the former colonies had to make decisions about how to deal with the militia men who continued the civil war in the southern frontier.
    [Show full text]
  • Siege of Charleston -‐ Conflict & Dates: the Siege of Charleston Took P
    These contained an expeditionary force of around Siege of Charleston - Conflict & Dates: 8,500 men. The Siege of Charleston took place from March 29 Siege of Charleston - Coming Ashore: to May 12, 1780, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Shortly after putting to sea, Clinton's fleet was beset by a series of intense storms which Armies & Commanders scattered his ships. Regrouping off Tybee Roads, Clinton landed a small diversionary force in Georgia before sailing north with the bulk of the Americans fleet to Edisto Inlet approximately 30 miles south of Charleston. Unwilling to attempt forcing the · MaJor General BenJamin Lincoln harbor as in 1776, he ordered his army to begin · Commodore Abraham Whipple landing on Simmons Island on February 11 and · 5,500 men planned to approach the city by an overland route. Three days later British forces advanced on Stono British Ferry but withdrew upon spotting American troops. · Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton Returning the next day, they found the ferry · rising to 10,000-14,000 men abandoned. Fortifying the area, they pressed on towards Charleston and crossed to James Island. Siege of Charleston - Background: In late February, Clinton's men skirmished with American forces led by Chevalier Pierre-François Vernier and Lieutenant Colonel Francis Marion. In 1779, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton Through the rest of the month and into early began making plans for an attack on the Southern March, the British wrested control of James Island colonies. This was largely encouraged by a belief and captured Fort Johnson which guarded the that Loyalist support in the region was strong and southern approaches to Charleston harbor.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Weather on Armies During the American War of Independence, 1775-1781 Jonathan T
    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2011 The Force of Nature: The Impact of Weather on Armies during the American War of Independence, 1775-1781 Jonathan T. Engel Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE FORCE OF NATURE: THE IMPACT OF WEATHER ON ARMIES DURING THE AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, 1775-1781 By JONATHAN T. ENGEL A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011 The members of the committee approve the thesis of Jonathan T. Engel defended on March 18, 2011. __________________________________ Sally Hadden Professor Directing Thesis __________________________________ Kristine Harper Committee Member __________________________________ James Jones Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii This thesis is dedicated to the glory of God, who made the world and all things in it, and whose word calms storms. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Colonies may fight for political independence, but no human being can be truly independent, and I have benefitted tremendously from the support and aid of many people. My advisor, Professor Sally Hadden, has helped me understand the mysteries of graduate school, guided me through the process of earning an M.A., and offered valuable feedback as I worked on this project. I likewise thank Professors Kristine Harper and James Jones for serving on my committee and sharing their comments and insights.
    [Show full text]