USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume I > Part 28
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* Pages 163-165.
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with haste in divers directions, imitating the manner of the staff, and giving orders with a loud voice. The delusion was complete. Captain Trench suffered himself to be completely trapped. White earried his daring plan forward by dashing boldly and alone to the camp of the British, and demanding a conference with Trench. 'I am the com- mander, Sir," he said. of the American soldiers in your vieinity. If you will surrender at once to my force, I will see to it that no injury is done to you or your command. If you deeline to do this, I must eandidly inform you that the feelings of my troops are highly incensed against you, and I ean by no means be responsible for any consequenees that may ensue.' Trench thanked him for his humanity, and said, despond- ingly, that it was useless to contend with fate or with the large foree that he saw was around him, and announced his willingness to sur- render his vessels, his men and himself to Colonel White. At this instant Captain Elholm came suddenly dashing np at full speed, and. saluting White, inquired of him where he should place the artillery. 'Keep them baek, Keep them back. Sir.' answered White, 'the British have sur- rendered. Move your men off, and send me three guides to conduet them to the. Ameriean post at Sunbury.' The three guides arrived. The five vessels were burned. and the British, urged by White to keep elear of his men, and to hasten their departure from the enraged and formid- able Americans, pushed on with great eelerity, whilst White retired with one or two of his associates, stating that he would go to his troops in the rear and restrain them. He now employed himself in collecting the neighborhood militia. with which he overtook his guides, and eondueted them in safety to the Sunbury post. This took place on the first of October, 1779."
The besieged were, on the 2d of October, foreed by a heavy fire from the frigate La Truite lying in the north channel, to strengthen their position by the erection of a new battery and otherwise.
ALLIED FORCES BOMBARD SAVANNAH
Everything being in readiness, the allied forees began the bombard- ment of the town at midnight on the 3d of October, but kept it up for only about two hours, the wild aim of the missiles showing, as it is said, that the use of rum had been too free on the part of the gunners.
.The real bombardment began the next morning. and the story of the operations is told thus by a French officer: "Oetober 4th, Monday. At four o'clock in the morning, the enemy's beat of drum at daybreak fur- nishes the signal for unmasking our batteries on the right and left of the trench, and that of the Americans to the left of the mortar battery, and we begin to cannonade and bombard the town and the enemy's works with more vivacity than precision. The cannoneers being still under the influence of rin, their excitement did not allow them to direct their pieees with proper care. Besides, our projectiles did little damage to works which were low and constructed of sand, the effect of this very violent fire was fatal only to the houses and some women who oceupied them.
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"Protected by their entrenehments, the enemy could not have lost many men, if we may judge from the effect of their fire upon our works whichi had been hastily construeted and with far less skill and eare than theirs.
"All our batteries eeased firing at eight o'clock in the morning that we might repair our left battery which had been shaken to pieees by its own fire. A dense fog favors our workmen. We open fire again at ten o'clock in the morning and contime it with little intermission until four o'clock after midnight."
According to the diary inclosed in a letter from Governor Wright to Lord G. Germain on the 5th of November the firing on the 4th of October did some damage in the town. There is a difference of opinion expressed by writers as to the way in which the bombardment opened. Doetor Ramsey and Hugh MeCall assert that the allied forees began by firing from nine mortars and thirty-seven eannon from the land side and sixteen cannon from the water, while Stedman says the pieces used were fifty-three heavy cannon and fourteen mortars. The Britishi offieer speaks of three batteries mounting thirty-two guns of eighteen, twelve, nine and six pounds, besides two guns, twenty-four pounders, from the galleys, and a bombardment of shells. Dr. Abiel Holmes, in his "Amer- ean Annals"# says: "On the morning of the 4th October, the batteries of the besiegers were opened with nine mortars, thirty-seven pieces of eannon, from the land side, and fifteen from the water."
There is authority for the statement that both Governor Wright and Lieut-Gov. John Graham took refuge from the fire of the allies in a tent next to Colonel Maitland, on the British right, outside of the town.t
HUMANITY AND OBSTINACY
The bombardment eontinued on the 6th, but only occasionally, and at 11 o'clock General Prevost sent the following letter to the eonimander of the French :
"CAMP SAVANNAH, 6th October, 1779-Sir: I am persuaded your Excellency will do me the justiee to believe that I coneeive in defending this place and the army committed to my charge I fulfill what is due to Honor and Duty to my Prince. Sentiments of a different kind oceasion the liberty of now addressing myself to your Excellency. They are those of Humanity. The houses of Savannah are occupied solely by women and children. Several of them have applied to me that I might request the favour you would allow them to embark on board a ship or ships and go down the river under the protection of yours until this business is decided. If this requisition you are so good as to grant, my Wife and Children, with a few servants, shall be the first to profit by the indulgence."
* Vol. II, p. 416. Cambridge, 1805.
t Jones, History of Georgia, Vol. II, p. 391.
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A prompt reply to this was returned in these words:
"CAMP BEFORE SAVANNAH, October 6th, 1779-Sir : We are persuaded that your Excelleney knows all that your duty preseribes. Perhaps your zeal has already interfered with your judgment.
"The Count d'Estaing in his own name notified you that you alone would be personally responsible for the consequences of your obstinacy. The time which you informed him in the commencement of the siege would be necessary for the arrangement of articles, including different orders of men in your town, had no other object than that of receiving suceor. Sueh conduct, Sir, is sufficient, to forbid every intercourse between us which might occasion the least loss of time. Besides, in the present application latent reasons might again exist. There are military ones which, in frequent instances, have prevented the indulgence you request. It is with regret we yield to the austerity of our funetions, and we deplore the fate of those persons who will be vietims of your conduct, and the delusion which appears to prevail in your mind.
"We are with respect, Sir,
"Your Exeelleney's most obedient Servants, "B. LINCOLN, "D'ESTAING.
"His Excellency, Major General Prevost."
The action thus taken by those two commanders was just what Prevost might have expected after his refusal to grant the request made in behalf of the family of General MeIntosh in the month of September. The following account of what was done on the 7th, written from the standpoint of the allies, a French officer, agrees with the statement made by the British: "7th, Thursday-A very lively eannonade. We bombard and throw carcasses into Savannah, which set the town on fire for the third time. We construct a new trench in advance of our battery to persuade the enemy that we do not yet contemplate an assault, but that our intention is to push our approaches up to his works.
"8th, Friday-We carnonade and bombard feebly. The enemy does little more. He seems to be husbanding his strength for the anticipated attack. Informed of all that transpires in our army, he is cognizant . of the trifling effeet produced by his fire upon us in our trenches. Every- thing forces us to the eonelusion that we must, on the morrow, make a general assault upon the city. The length of time requisite for the operations of a siege, the exhaustion of the supplies of the fleet, and the pressing dangers resulting from our insecure anchorage deeide the general to take this step."
On the morning of the 8th Major l'Enfant attempted to fire the abatis in advance of the British lines, but the effort failed because of the dampness of the weather which prevented the general explosion of the powder, but the British acknowledged that much damage was done to the houses by the cannonade.
DISASTER TO THE ALLIES
Saturday, the 9th, was a day of disaster to the allied troops when they made a most strennous attempt in the way of an assault, beginning
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at 4 o'clock in the morning, which time was agreed upon at a conference of the highest officers; but the plan was overheard by one James Curry, sergeant-major of the Charleston grenadiers who deserted to the enemy, and divulged the fact that the approaches of the allied forces had been advanced to within pistol shot of the enemy's works, and the determina- tion to make an aggressive move that morning. This prepared General Prevost for what was attempted, and, knowing that the chief point of attack would be the Spring Hill redoubt, the threatened aetion on the left guarded by Huger being only a feint. he assigned his best officer, Colonel Maitland, to the protection of his lines at the Spring Hill posi- tion with a superior force of the best of his fighting men. . Not antierpat- ing the resistance prepared by the enemy on the strength of the informa- tion given by the deserter, General Lincoln issued the following orders : "Watehword Lewis.
"The soldiers will be immediately supplied with forty rounds of cartridges. a spare flint. and their arms in good order.
"The infantry destined for the attack of Savannah will be divided into two bodies: the first composing the light troops under the command of Colonel Laurens; the second of the Continental battalions and the first battalion of Charlestown militia. except the grenadiers who are to join the light troops. The whole will parade at one o'eloek near the left of the line and march by the right of platoons.
"The guards of the camp will be formed by the invalids and be charged to keep up the fire as usual in the camp.
"The cavalry under the command of Count Pulaski will parade at the same time with the infantry and follow the left column of the French troops and precede the column of the American light troops. They will endeavor to penetrate the enemy's lines between the battery on the left of the Spring Hill redoubt and the next toward the river. Having effected this, they will pass to the left toward Yamacraw and secure such parties of the enemy as may be lodged in that quarter.
"The artillery will parade at the same time; follow the French artillery, and remain with the corps de reserve until they receive further orders.
"The whole will be ready by the time appointed with the utmost silence and punctuality, and be ready to march the instant Count d'Es- taing and General Lineoln shall order.
"The Light troops, who are to follow the cavalry, will attempt to enter the redoubt on the left of the Spring Hill by escalade if possible; if not, by entrance into it. They are to be supported, if necessary, by the First South Carolina Regiment. In the meantime the column will proceed with the lines to the left of the Spring Hill battery.
"The Light troops having sueceeded against the redoubt will pro- eeed to the left and attempt the several works between that and the river.
"The column will move to the left of the French troops, taking care not to interfere with them.
"The Light troops having carried the works towards the river will form on the left of the column.
"It is expressly forbid to fire a single gun before the redoubts are
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carried, or for any soldier to quit his ranks to plunder without an order for that purpose; any who shall presume to transgress in either of these respeets shall be reputed a disobeyer of military orders, which is punishable with death.
"The militia of the first and second brigades, General Williamson's. and the first and second battalions of Charlestown militia will parade immediately under the command of General Isaac Huger. After draft- ing five hundred of them, the remainder will go into the trenehes and put themselves under the command of the commanding officer there.
"With the five hundred he will march to the left of the enemy's lines and remain as near them as he possibly can, without being discovered, until four o'clock in the morning, at which time the troops in the trenches will begin the attack npon the enemy. He will then advanee and make his attack as near the river as possible. Though this is only meant as a feint, yet, should a favorable opportunity offer, he will improve it and push into the town.
"In case of a repulse, after having taken the Spring-Hill redoubt, the troops will return and rally in the rear of the redoubt. If it cannot be effeeted in that way, it must be attempted by the same route at which they entered.
"The second place of rallying, or the first. if the redoubt should not be carried, will be at the Jews' burying ground, where the reserve will be placed. If these two halts should not be effeetual, they will retire toward camp.
"The troops will carry on their hats a piece of white paper by which they will be distinguished.'
The details of the history of the siege of Savannah from this point have been given by so many writers that it is not deemed necessary to go into all the particulars in this history. The French were to be di- vided into three columus, of which two were for assault and the other was to act as a reserve corps to be used as required : while the Americans were formed into two eolunms, both for assault. The cavalry, under Count Pulaski, was to move in advance of the Americans under Colonel Laurens, and the assault was to be made on the right of the British lines. A French officer, who wrote a journal containing his experiences at the time, thus describes the assault as made by the French troops.
"By three o'clock in the morning all our dispositions had been per- fected. * We commence marching by the left to attack the eity on its right, where its western side, as we have before intimated, is forti- fied by three redoubts located triangularly. The columns marched by divisious (each column had been divided into three battalions), with easy gait and leisurely, that they might arrive at the point of attack at the designated hour.
"At five o'clock in the morning, the three columns, which had ob- served a similar order of march, arrived within eighty toises (160 yards) of the edge of the wood which borders upon Savannah. Here the head of column was halted and we were ordered to form into platoons. Day begins to dawn and we grow impatient. This movement is seareely commenced when we are directed to march forward. quick time, the vanguard inelining a little to the right, the column of MI. de Steding
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to the left and the column of the General [d'Estaing] moving straight to the front. M. de Noailles, with his reserve corps, proceeds to a small eminence from which he could observe all our movements and repair to any point where the exigencies might demand his presence.
"At half past five o'clock we hear on our right and on the enemy's left a very lively fire of insketry and of canon npon our troops from the trenches who had commenced the false attack. A few minutes after- wards we are discovered by the enemy's sentinels who fire a few shots. The General now orders an advance at double quick, to shout Vive le Roy, and to beat the charge. The enemy opens upon us a very brisk fire of artillery and musketry, which, however, does not prevent the van- guard from advancing upon the redoubt, and the right column upon the entrenchments. The ardor of our troops and the difficulties offered by the ground do not permit us long to preserve our ranks. Disorder begins to prevail. The head of the column penetrates within the entrenchments, but, having marched too quickly, it is not supported by the rest of the column which, arriving in confusion, is cut down by discharges of grape shot from the redoubts and batteries and by the musketry fire from the entrenchments. We are violently repulsed at this point. Instead of moving to the right, this [Dillon's] column and the vanguard fall back toward the left. Count d'Estaing receives a mnsket shot almost within the redonbt. and M. Betizi is here wounded several times.
"The column of M. de Steding. which moved to the left, while travers- ing a muddy swamp full of brambles, loses its formation and no longer preserves any order. This swamp, upon which the enemy's entrench- ments rested, formed a slope which served as a glacis to them. The fir- ing is very lively ; and although this column is here most seriously in- jured, it crosses the road to Augusta that it may advance to the enemy's right which it was ordered to attack. On this spot nearly all the volun- teers are killed. The Baron de Steding is here wounded.
"The column of M. d'Estaing and the repulsed vanguard which had retreated to the left arrived here as soon as the column of M. de Steding. and threw it into utter confusion. At this moment everything is in such disorder that the formations are no longer preserved. The road to Au- gusta is choked up. It here, between two impracticable morasses, con- sists of an artificial causeway upon which all our soldiers who had dis- engaged themselves from the swamps collected. We are crowded to- gether and badly pressed. Two 18-pounder guns, upon field carriages, charged with canister and placed at the head of the road, cause terrible slaughter. The musketry fire from the entrenchemnts is concentrated upon this spot and upon the swamps. Two English galleys and one frigate sweep this point with their broadsides, and the redoubts and batteries use only grape shot which they shower down upon this locality. Notwithstanding all this our officers endeavor to form into columns this mass which does not retreat, and the soldiers themselves strive to regain their ranks. Scarcely have they commenced to do this when the General orders the charge to be beaten. Three times do our troops advance on. masse up to the entrenchments which cannot be carried. An attempt is made to penetrate through the swamp on our left to gain the enemy's right. More than half of those who enter are either killed or remain
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stuek fast in the mud. * * Standing in the road leading to Au- gusta, and at a most exposed point, the General, with perfect self-posses- sion, surveys this slaughter, demands constant renewals of the assault, and, although sure of the bravery of his troops, determines upon a retreat only when he sees that snecess is impossible.
"We beat a retreat, which is mainly effected across the swamp lying to the right of the Augusta road; onr forces being entirely, and at short range, exposed to the concentrated fire of the entrenchments which eon- stantly increases in vehemence. At this junetnre the enemy show them- selves openly upon the parapets and deliver their fire with their mus- kets almost touching our troops. The General here receives a second shot.
"About four hundred men, more judiciously led by the Baron de Steding, retreated without loss by following the road to Augusta and turning the swamp by a long detour. M. de Noailles, anxious to preserve his command for the moment when it could be used to best advantage, orders his reserve corps to fall back rapidly. Unless he had done this it would have suffered a loss almost as severe as that encountered by the assaulting columns, the effect of the grape shot being more dangerous at the remove where it was posted than at the foot of the entrenchments. Accompanied only by his adjutant, he ascends an elevation fifteen paces in advance of his eorps that he might with certainty observe all. the movements of the army. His adjutant, M. Calignon, is mortally wounded by his side. When the Viseount de Noailles pereeives the disorder reign- ing in the columns, he brings his reserve corps up to charge the enemy; and when he hears the retreat sounded advances in silence at a slow step, and in perfect order, to afford an opportunity to the repulsed troops to reform themselves in his rear. He makes a demonstration to penetrate within the entrenchments in ease the enemy should leave them, and prepares to cut them off in that event. Under these circum- stances he encounters some loss, but the anticipated sortie would have caused the total destruction of our army. That the enemy did not make this apprehended sortie is to be attributed to the excellent disposition of his forces and the prompt manœuvre on the part of the Viscount de Noailles.
"The fragments of the army hastily form in single column behind the reserve eorps and begin marching to onr camp. M. de Noailles constitutes the rear guard, and retires slowly and in perfect order. Towards eight o'clock in the morning the army was again in eamp, and a cessation of hostilities for the purpose of burying the dead and removing the wounded was proposed and allowed."
We come now to the movement on the part of the Americans whose right column, commanded by Colonel Laurens, and having in advance Count Pulaski, made a spirited assault on the Spring-Hill redoubt. Pass- ing the ditch, the colors of the second South Carolina regiment were planted upon its outside ineline, but the parapet being too high to be scaled, and the firing received in the bold attempt to do so being too hot to be resisted, they had to fall back when disorder reigned and the cavalry and laneers bearing in confusion to the left cut through the in- fantry and carried a portion of them into the swamp.
General McIntosh, leading the second column of Americans, reached
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the vicinity of Spring-Hill redoubt in the confusion which then occurred, and when Count d'Estaing, wounded in the arm, was vainly endeavoring to rally his troops. Then it was, as Major Thomas Pinckney relates, "General MeIntosh did not speak French, but desired me to inform the commander-in-chief that his column was fresh, and that he wished his directions where, under present circumstances. he should make the attack. The Count ordered that we should move more to the left, and by no means to interfere with the troops he was endeavoring to rally. In pur- suing this direction we were thrown too much to the left, and, before we could reach Spring-Hill redoubt. we had to pass through Yamaeraw Swamp, then wet and boggy, with the galley at the mouth annoying our left with grape shot. While struggling through this morass. the firing slacked, and it was reported that the whole army had retired. I was sent by General McIntosh to look out from the Spring-Hill, where I found not an assailant standing. On reporting this to the General. he ordered a retreat, which was effected without much loss. notwithstand- ing the heavy fire of grape-shot with which we were followed."
When the column under Laurens passed the diteh and stood at the foot of the parapet, the flag of the Second South Carolina was. as we have seen, planted as near the top as could be reached. That act was per- formed by Lieutenants Hume and Bush who both were killed, when Lieutenant Grey hastened to their assistance, but he received a mortal wound. and Sergt. William JJasper, having himself been mortally wounded, with his characteristic gallantry rushed forward, seized the standard and bore it away. The colors- had been presented to the regi- ment by Mrs. Elliott, of Charleston, and. after the retreat of the day, Major Iloag called to see him when he remarked: "I have got my fur- lough. That sword was presented to me by Governor Rutledge for my services in the defence of Fort Moultrie. Give it to my father, and tell him I have won it with honor. If he should weep, tell him his son died in the hope of a better life. Tell Mrs. Elliott that I lost my life sup- porting the colors which she presented to our regiment. If you should ever see Jones, his wife. and son, tell them that Jasper is gone, but that the remembrance of the battle which he fought for them brought a secret joy to his heart when it was about to stop its motion forever." His death ocenrred only a few minutes after he spoke those words.
COUNT PULASKI'S DEATH WOUND
Count Pulaski. in attempting to rally the disorganized troops, as well as to charge through the enemy's line and enter the city, when the ter- rifie engagement at Spring-Hill was at its height, was struck by a grape- shot fired from the last gun of the bastion, and, unhorsed, was taken, wounded unto death. from the field by his officers. His last command was: "Follow my Lancers to whom I have given the order of attack." After the retreat. he was taken on board the United States brig Wasp to be conveyed to Charleston. On the voyage he had the attention of the best surgeons of the French Heet. but his wound was too severe to vield to treatment. and gangrene set in, cansing his death while the Wasp was not yet ont of the Savannah river. The corpse becoming offensive
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