The Battle of Sullivan’s Island
The Palmetto Patriots
One would ruminate that 1100 men equipped with 30 pieces of artillery defending an un-finished fort would be no match for three thousand men and nine war ships armed with 270 cannons. Contrarily, on 28 June 1776 during the Revolutionary War, the American Forces proved a decisive victory against the British, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence was days later. The Patriots, under the leadership of Colonel William Moultrie, made a fort of the indigenous Sabal (cabbage) Palmetto Palm tree and took advantage of the British’s poor planning and lack of integration for a decisive American victory. Due to this battle, the Palmetto Palm tree was added to South Carolina’s state flag in 1861, and to this day, 28 June 1776 is termed South Carolina’s Independence Day. Sources used in this Battle Analysis are all from American internet sites, with some originating from South Carolina. The Sources seem to glorify the American Victory and favor the Patriots.
The Setting
Charleston, along with the original colonies was growing tired of British taxation. In September 1774, five representatives from Charleston traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the First Continental Congress. On 19 April 1775, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War took place during the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Throughout the fall of 1775, Patriots in Charleston drove out the last British ships and prepared defensive positions for the impending war (Stokley, 1886). The weather in June of 1776 was hot and muggy on the South Carolina (SC) coast. The SC coastlines are extremely fertile and green with lots of foliage for cover and concealment. Any large vessel at...
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... historians regard the Battle of Sullivan’s Island as the first significant American victory over the British during the Revolutionary War . This American victory was perilous to South Carolina and the American Revolutionary cause. Defeat would have given British troops control over the vital port of Charleston and access to the entire state of South Carolina.
Works Cited
ONLINE HIGHWAYS. (1996). Battle of Sullivan's Island. Retrieved from U-S-History: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1277.html
Stokley, J. (1886, April 17). Fort Moultrie and the Battle of Sullivans Island. Retrieved from Charleston County Public Library: http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15742&catID=6047&action=detail&parentID=5748#credits
US Wars. (2012). The Battle of Sullivan's Island. Retrieved from USWars.net: http://www.uswars.net/revolutionary-war-battles/760628-sullivans-island/
The conflict between the Spanish and English over the area between South Carolina and Florida lasted over twenty years. The actual fighting began about 1739, just six years after General James Oglethorpe founded Georgia in 1733. The disputes between the Spanish and the British were over land claims and piracy on the seas. In one particular incident, Captain Robert Jenkins’ reported his ear cut off by a Spanish sailor. The ensuing conflicts became known as “The War of Jenkin’s Ear.” The Battle of Bloody Marsh took place during this conflict. The Battle of Bloody Marsh resulted in a significant English victory and marked the beginning of a safe, southern frontier for Georgia.
South Carolina had many important battles fought on its territory, Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is an island in the Charleston Harbor, its main purpose for being built was to protect the harbor. The Confederacy felt like the Charleston harbor would be a key port in this area. When the first shots were fired, at Fort Sumter, by the Confederate soldiers this began one of the darkest periods in American history.
It was important that we won this battle so that we wouldn’t be walked all over as a country. Even though we had already passed the Treaty of Paris, the British were not acknowledging our rights as a country; and Europe, as a whole, didn’t have much respect for us either. After this win we started earning the respect we deserved as a united nation. The fact that the British were “violating American rights would not go unchallenged or unpunished.”(6). The battle and fight between the Patriots and the British army was on.
He took over outside of Boston, before this his experience was limited to wilderness travel and soldiering. His soldiering experiences were mainly for his home state of Virginia. The first battle that was of significance in this book was the Battle of Long Island. At this battle, Washington and the rebel army are soundly defeated by General Sir William Howe and the British army. After this battle was fought, Howe did not follow-up the victory with quick action as the Americans retreated.
Eastby, Allen G. "Battle of Brandywine: Setback for the Continental Army." Military History 12 1998: 58-64. ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
It all began with the secession of South Carolina. After this an understanding was established between the authorities in Washington and the members of Congress from South Carolina. They both agreed that the forts, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, would not be attacked, or seized as an act of war, until proper negotiations for their cession to the state. At the time of this Fort Sumter was in an unfinished state and did not have a garrison. (www.civilwarhome.com/CMHsumter.htm)
The Battle of Cold Harbor in spring of 1864 was one of General Ulysses S. Grant’s worst offensive defeats during the Civil War. Grant failed to describe his mission command to his subordinate, direct his units to correct movement, understand his operational environment, and lead his army with a coordinated plan. Grant had a stronger, bigger, and better-equipped army than his enemy, but his failure in the mission command process led to fatal mistakes before and during the battle. Due to failed leadership, the Union preparation for this war was so poor that it suffered nearly 7,000 casualties in under an hour, making it one of the most brutal confrontations of the Civil War.
• Weigley, Russell F. The Partisan War: The South Carolina Campaign of 1780--1782. University of South Carolina Press, 1970.
...rader. Committees operating under rules set by the newly created Continental Association enforced a boycott on good from British. The Congress pledged to support Massachusetts if an attack were to happen; meaning all of the colonies would become involved. The American Revolutionary War began at Lexington and Concord a year after congress gave Massachusetts this pledge." it was not immediately clear to British, and even to many Americans, that the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord were the first battles of war." (Brinkley, 128) Colonists prepared a militia, organizing small, armed groups ready for quick action as Minute Men, ready for an open rebellion. At the same time the military governor of Massachusetts began fortifying Boston, despite the discussions underway in Parliament, the Massachusetts military, marched on Concord, where militia supplies were stored.
... that ended the revolution with an American victory. The English finally surrendered after many years of fighting. Britain had significant military disadvantages. Since they had to cross a sea, their information and resources were delayed. Since the colonies had not been unified under one central government before the war there wasn’t a central area of any kind of significance. This ensemble of factors caused the British to fail.
September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army desperately needed a victory at Antietam; however, a victory for the Confederate rebels may have very well gained them international recognition as a sovereign country in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Federal Army, which belonged to the Union States, consisted of an all-volunteer army and was a larger army than the Confederate States. Even though the Battle of Antietam was inconclusive, President Lincoln went on to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the country, effectively ending slavery, and ensuring that no foreign nation would intervene on the Confederates behave.
The Battle of Camden marked the point for the patriots in the American Revolution. The armies of Horatio Gates and George Cornwallis. The patriots received heavy casualties which forced them to withdraw. The out come of this battle was a severe defeat to the patriots.
The Battle at Elkins Ferry was a confrontation initiated by confederate forces ending in a decisive victory for the Union. The Battle at Elkins Ferry was a defeat that weakened the confederate forces attempting to cross the Little Missouri River. This battle was important in the outcome of the skirmish and the conquering of Elkins Ferry.
The Revolutionary War was full of momentum swings on both sides which caused the Redcoats to steal the bells. Charleston seemed hopeless because the Redcoats had total control of every aspect in the war. Charleston was in total destruction and it would take people a long time
“At issue were vexing questions about how a state that was first to secede from the Union — and then later raised the battle flag in 1962 when white Southerners were resisting calls for integration — should honor its Confederate past” said the New York Times. ("Era Ends as South Carolina Lowers Confederate Flag." New York Times, Fausset, Richard, and Alan Blinder) Obviously, African Americans took foremost offense to the flag, due to the fact that it was a representation, and served as a constant reminder what they had gone through just decades earlier. With that being said though, it also had an impotent meaning to the southerners who had fought to get it up in the first place. “It just shows that South Carolina is trying to do something to unify the races.” Said Edward Dunn, a forty-seven year old African American who took his wife and children to watch the removal of the flag. Racism has always been a major issue our country, even before the 1800 and 1900’s. Racism goes hand in hand with the absence of unity. The Puritans believed that in order to have a functioning society, they must come together with love, and kindness and make their peer’s problems their own problems. “make others Condicions our owne rejoice together, mourne together labour and suffer together,” proclaimed Winthrop (Winthrop