THE SIEGE OF SAVANNAH, 1779--THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTOWN, 1780--THE BATTLE
OF HOBKERK'S HILL, 1781.
At the opening of the next campaign, although General Prevost had been
obliged to retire from Charlestown and to abandon the upper parts of
Georgia, yet, so long as he kept possession of the town of Savannah and
maintained a post at Port Royal Island, South Carolina was exposed to
incursions. The Americans, therefore, pressed the French admiral, Count
D'Estaing, to repair to the Savannah River, hoping, by his aid, to drive
the British from Georgia. D'Estaing, in compliance, sailed from Cape
Francois, in St. Domingo; and with twenty-two sail of the line and a
number of smaller vessels, having 4800 French regular troops on board
and several hundred black troops from the West Indies, appeared off the
Savannah so unexpectedly that the _Experiment_, a British fifty-gun
ship, fell into his hands. On the appearance of the French fleet, on
September 9th, General Prevost immediately called in all his outposts
in Georgia, sent orders to Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland, at Port Royal,
to rejoin him at once, and exerted himself to strengthen the defences of
the town of Savannah.
For the first three or four days after the arrival of the fleet, the
French were employed in moving their troops through the Ossabaw Inlet to
Beaulieu, about thirteen miles above the town of Savannah. On the 15th
of September, the French, with a party of American light horse, attacked
the British outposts, and General Prevost withdrew all his force into
his works.
On the 16th, D'Estaing summoned the place to surrender.
Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland's force had not yet arrived, the works were
still incomplete, and General Prevost was desirous of gaining time; he
consequently requested a suspension of hostilities for twenty-four hours.
This was granted, and in that critical interval Lieutenant-Colonel
Maitland, by the most extraordinary efforts--for one of General
Prevost's messengers had fallen into the hands of the enemy, who had at
once seized all the principal lines of communication--arrived with the
garrison of Port Royal, and entered the town. Encouraged by this
accession of strength, General Prevost now informed Count D'Estaing that
he was resolved to defend the place to the last extremity. On the 17th,
D'Estaing had been joined by General Lincoln with some 3000 men, which,
with the French troops, raised the total besieging force to something
over 8000. The besieged did not exceed 3000.
The enemy spent several days in bringing up guns and stores from the
fleet, and on the 23rd the besieging army broke ground before the town.
On the 1st of October, they had advanced to within 300 yards of the
British works. On the morning of the 4th of October, several batteries,
mounting thirty-three pieces of heavy cannon and nine mortars, with a
floating battery of sixteen guns on the river, opened fire on the town.
For several days they played incessantly on the garrison, and there was
continued skirmishing between the negroes of the Carolina regiments and
the enemy.[6]
On the morning of the 9th of October, the enemy, under a furious
cannonade, advanced to storm in three columns, with a force of 3000
French under D'Estaing in person, and 1500 Americans under Lincoln.
General Prevost, in his despatch to Lord George Germain, dated Savannah,
November 1st, 1779, says: "However, the principal attack, composed of
the flower of the French and rebel armies, and led by D'Estaing in
person, with all the principal officers of either, was made upon our
right. Under cover of the hollow, they advanced in three columns; but
having taken a wider circuit than they needed, and gone deeper in the
bog, they neither came so early as they intended nor, I believe, in the
same order. The attack, however, was very spirited, and for some time
obstinately persevered in, particularly on the Ebenezer Road Redoubt.
Two stand of colours were actually planted, and several of the
assailants killed upon the parapet; but they met with so determined a
resistance, and the fire of three seamen batteries, taking them in
almost every direction, was so severe, that they were thrown into some
disorder, at least at a stand; and at this most critical moment, Major
Glasier, of the 60th, with the 60th Grenadiers and the Marines,
advancing rapidly from the lines, charged (it may be said) with a degree
of fury; in an instant the ditches of the redoubt and a battery to its
right in rear were cleared.... Lieutenant-Colonel de Porbeck, of
Weissenbach's, being field officer of the day of the right wing, and,
being in the redoubt when the attack began, had an opportunity, which he
well improved, to signalise himself in a most gallant manner; and it is
but justice to mention to your lordships the troops who defended it.
They were part of the South Carolina Royalists, the Light Dragoons
(dismounted), and the battalion men of the 4th 60th, in all about 100
men, commanded (by a special order) by Captain James, of the Dragoons
(Lieutenant 71st), a good and gallant officer, and who nobly fell with
his sword in the body of the third he had killed with his own hand."
After their repulse from the Ebenezer Redoubt, the enemy retired, and, a
few days afterwards, the siege was raised, the Americans crossing the
Savannah at Zubly's Ferry and taking up a position in South Carolina,
while the French embarked in their fleet and sailed away. During the
assault the French lost 700 and the Americans 240 killed. The British
loss was 55, four of whom belonged to the South Carolina Regiment, who
were killed in the redoubt, where also Captain Henry, of that corps, was
wounded.
According to the "Journal of the Siege of Savannah," p. 39, the garrison
of the redoubt in the Ebenezer Road was as follows:
28 Dismounted Dragoons.
28 Battalion men of the 60th Regiment.
54 South Carolina Regiment.
---
110
In the same work is the following: "Two rebel standards were once fixed
on the redoubt in the Ebenezer Road; one of them was carried off again,
and the other, which belonged to the 2nd Carolina Regiment, was taken.
After the retreat of the enemy from our right, 270 men, chiefly French,
were found dead; upwards of 80 of whom lay in the ditch and on the
parapet of the redoubt, and 93 were within our abattis."
The strength of the South Carolina Regiment at the termination of the
siege was: 1 colonel (Colonel Innes), 1 major, 4 captains, 7
lieutenants, 3 ensigns, 15 sergeants, 7 drummers, and 216 rank and file.
Nothing of note took place in Georgia and South Carolina till January,
1780, when Sir Henry Clinton arrived in the Savannah River with a force
destined for the reduction of Charlestown. He had sailed from New York
on the 26th of December, 1779, and, having experienced bad weather, put
into the Savannah to repair damages. Sir H. Clinton selected a portion
of General Prevost's force at Savannah to take part in the coming
operations, and among the corps so selected was the South Carolina
Regiment, which is shown in the return of troops at the capture of
Charlestown as "joined from Savannah."
On the 10th of February, the armament sailed to North Edisto, where the
troops disembarked, taking possession of the island of St. John next day
without opposition. On the 29th of March, the army reached Ashley River
and crossed it ten miles above Charlestown; then, the artillery and
stores having been brought over, Sir H. Clinton marched down Charlestown
Neck, and, on the night of the 1st of April, broke ground at 800 yards
from the American works. The garrison of the city consisted of 2000
regular troops, 1000 North Carolina Militia, and the male inhabitants of
the place.
On the 9th of April, the first parallel was finished, and the batteries
opened fire; and Charlestown finally capitulated, after an uneventful
siege, on the 12th of May. In the "Return of the killed and wounded"
during the siege, the South Carolina Regiment is shown as having had
three rank and file wounded.
Sir H. Clinton sailed from Charlestown on the 5th of June, leaving Lord
Cornwallis in command. The latter meditated an expedition into North
Carolina, and, for the preservation of South Carolina during his absence
with the main body of the troops, he established a chain of posts along
the frontier. One of these posts was at Ninety-six, and for its defence
was detailed the South Carolina Regiment, under Colonel Innes, with
Allen's corps, "the 16th and three other companies of Light
Infantry."[7] Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour was then in command of the
post, but was soon after relieved by Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger.
The garrison of Ninety-six remained undisturbed till September, 1780,
when, Lord Cornwallis having moved into North Carolina and occupied
Charlotte, Georgia was almost denuded of troops; and an American leader,
Colonel Clarke, took advantage of this to attack the British post at
Augusta. Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, who commanded there with 150 men,
finding the town untenable, retired towards an eminence on the banks of
the Savannah, named Garden Hill, and sent intelligence of his situation
to Ninety-six. Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger, with the 16th and the South
Carolina Regiment, at once marched to his relief. Colonel Clarke, who
had captured the British guns and was besieging the garrison of Garden
Hill, upon being informed of Cruger's approach raised the siege, and,
abandoning the guns which he had taken, retreated so hurriedly that,
though pursued for some distance, he effected his escape.
In the spring of 1781, Lord Cornwallis had again invaded North Carolina,
and, having defeated the American general, Greene, at Guildford Court
House, had continued his march towards Virginia, expecting the enemy to
make every effort to prevent the army entering that state. General
Greene, however, allowed Lord Cornwallis to pass on, and then, having
assembled a considerable body of troops, made a sudden descent upon the
British posts in South Carolina, where Lord Rawdon had been left in
command. These posts were in a line from Charlestown by the way of
Camden and Ninety-six, to Augusta in Georgia. Camden was the most
important, and there Lord Rawdon had taken post with 900 men.
On the 20th of April, 1781, General Greene appeared before Camden, which
was a village situated on a plain, covered on the south by the Wateree,
a river which higher up is called the Catawba; and below, after its
confluence with the Congaree from the south, assumes the name of the
Santee. On the east of it flowed Pinetree Creek; on the northern and
western sides it was defended by a strong chain of redoubts, six in
number, extending from the river to the creek. Lord Rawdon's force was
so small that the approach of Greene to Camden necessitated the
abandonment of the ferry on the Wateree, "although the South Carolina
Regiment was on its way to join him from Ninety-six, and that was its
direct course; he had, however, taken his measures so well as to secure
the passage of that regiment upon its arrival three days after."[8]
General Greene, whose force amounted to 1200 men, determined to await
reinforcements before attacking, and on the 24th of April he retired to
Hobkerk's Hill, an eminence about a mile north of Camden, on the road to
the Waxhaws. Here Lord Rawdon resolved to attack him, and on the morning
of the 25th, with 900 men, he marched from Camden, and, by making a
circuit, and keeping close to the edge of the swamp, under cover of the
woods, he gained the left flank of the Americans, where the hill was
most accessible, undiscovered.
The alarm was given, while the Americans were at breakfast, by the
firing of the outposts, and at this critical moment a reinforcement of
American militia arrived. So confident was General Greene of success
that he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, with his cavalry, to turn
the right flank of the British and to charge them in the rear, while
bodies of infantry were to assail them in front and on both flanks.
The American advanced parties were driven in by the British after a
sharp skirmish, and Lord Rawdon advanced steadily to attack the main
body of the enemy. The 63rd Regiment, with the volunteers of Ireland,
formed his right; the King's American Regiment, with Robertson's corps,
composed his left; the New York volunteers were in the centre. The South
Carolina Regiment and the cavalry were in the rear and formed a
reserve.[9]
Such was the impetuosity of the British that, in the face of a
destructive discharge of grape, they gained the summit of the hill and
pierced the American centre. The militia fell into confusion, their
officers were unable to rally them, and General Greene ordered a
retreat. The pursuit was continued for nearly three miles. The Americans
halted for the night at Saunders' Creek, about four miles from Hobkerk's
Hill, and next day proceeded to Rugeley Mills, about twelve miles from
Camden. After the engagement the British returned to Camden. The
American loss was 300; the British lost 258 out of about 900 who were on
the field.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 6: "The True History of the Siege of Savannah," published
1780.]
[Footnote 7: "The Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the Southern Provinces
of North America," by Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton, London, 1787.]
[Footnote 8: Tarleton, p. 461.]
[Footnote 9: "Martial Register," vol. iii. p. 110.]