Siege Of Charleston Research Paper

Also known as the siege of Charleston, The battle of Charleston was an important battle that took place near the end of the Revolutionary War. General Clinton of Great Britain, believed that if he controlled the south, Tories would support Clinton and they would out number Washington and win the war. On the continental side, congress decided to replace Maj. General Robert Howe with Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln as the Southern Department commander because of the loss suffered in Georgia. In May 1779, Lincoln was able to reoccupy Augusta, Georgia, and join French Admiral d'Estaing in fighting to savannah. d'Estaing abandoned the siege a month later and fled south to the west indies for the winter. Without d'Estaings’ support, Lincoln was forced to retreat to Charleston, South Carolina.

This put them in very stormy waters. Some storms lasted up top 6 days, and continued until the fleet of ships was separated. Once the storms passed, the fleet moved upstream north, away from Charleston, claiming plantations along the way. On March 29th, Clinton used the fog to his advantage, and crossed the Ashley River to establish Ashley Ferry near Charleston. On the Americans heard about this, they retreated from Ashley Ferry.
Naval maneuvering for the Americans in Charleston harbor was not going well. Four frigates arrived on order of the continental congress, also joined by six ships, two being from the French. There were also 260 guns afloat and 40 at Fort Moultrie. Before the British arrived, Whipple informed Maj. Lincoln that they would be able to defend the Charleston harbor. Lincoln questioned what Commodore Whipple said, but he was backed up by the naval board. He chose to draw back to the mouth of the Cooper