USA > North Carolina > The state records of North Carolina, Vol XV > Part 5
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CHARLESTOWN, Febry. 13th, 1780.
DR. SIR :
I have attentively read the letter from Captain Hacker and others to yon on the subject of anchoring the ships before the bar at the entrance of this harbour. I am much obliged to you and the Gentlemen for your attention to my request. I am fully con- vinced that at some particular times it may be difficult, if not impossible, to lie with the broadside of the ships to the channel, and that there will be a risque of losing the ships, should they take their station in and near five-fathom hole. Yet I am so fully convinced of the probable services they will render there should the enemy attempt to come over the bar, and the evils consequent on their getting into this harbour, that the attempt ought to be. made, and that the measure can thereby be justified, for the safety of this town lies in reducing the enemy's attempts on it to a land attack. If the mouth of the harbour is left nncovered by our ships they can, in the first place, bring in their frigates and cover their heavier ships while they lighten and get them over the bar. This may be at a time when it may be impossible, if our ships are within fort Moultrie, to get down to annoy them. If, Sir, the ships should take post to act in conjunction with Fort Moultrie, which would greatly support it, & while that remained in our possession the enemy might be checked in their progress to town. But if the Enemy should, by works on Haddrell's point, reduce that fort, you must immediately leave your station before it; and should you be followed by the ships which may be got over the bar, you must be driven into the rivers and the front of the
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town left uncovered. From these considerations I am induced to request that you, so soon as possible, station the Providence, Boston, Bricole & Truite, with such gallies as in your opinion may be serviceable, near the bar, so as best to command the entrance of it.
I wish to have the pleasure of seeing you this morning.
I am, &c., B. LINCOLN.
Commodore Whipple.
The weather prevented the ships falling down immediately, and on an examination the Commodore found and reported to me that there was not a sufficient depth of water for the ships to lye so near the bar as to command the entrance of it. This was so new an idea, and, if true, the ships would be rendered of so much less nse than was expected, that I called upon the sea officers, with the Pilots, to make the most critical examination and report.
HEADQUARTERS, CHARLES TOWN, Feby. 26, 1780.
SIR :
I find by some observations I made yesterday, difficulties with respect to the frigates under your command anchoring near the bar which, from the representations made to me, I did not expect. As the design of your being sent to this Department was, if possi- ble, to cover the bar of this harbour, a measure highly necessary, therefore an attempt to do it should be made, but on the fullest evidence of its impracticability.
I have therefore to request that you will, as soon as may be, report to me the depth of water in the channel, from the bar to what is called five-fathom hole, and what distance that is from the bar ; whether in that distance there is any place where your ships can anchor in a suitable depth of water, if any place, how far from the bar, whether there you can eover it, and whether at this station you can be annoyed by batteries from the shore, whether a battery can be thrown ap by ns, so as to cover the ships, & the ships so cover that as to secure a retreat of the Garrison if it should become necessary to bring off the Garrison.
If you cannot anchor so as to cover the bar, you will please to give me your opinion where you can lie so as to secure this town from an attack by sea, and best answer the purposes of you.I
.
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being sent here, and the views of Congress, and the reasons for such an opinion. In this matter yon will please to consult the Captains of the several ships and the pilots of this harbonr. You will keep your present station, or one near thereto, until yon report, unless an opportunity should offer to act offensively against the enemy, as your own safety should make it necessary for you to remove; in either case yon will judge.
I am, &e.,
B. LINCOLN.
Commodore Whipple.
I thought the importance of anchoring the ships near the bar, so as to cover it, of such importance that, although I could not doubt but from the officers and pilots I should have a just and impartial representation, yet I did not content myself without spending two days in a boat on this business.
When it was found impracticable for the ships to anchor as was first expected, & that they could not lye in five-fathom hole, beyond reach of batteries from the shore, it was determined that they ought to take such station as to act in conjunction with Fort Moultrie, as will appear by the following report, the truth of which was verified by my own observation :
PORT OF CHARLESTOWN, February 27, 1780.
HOND. SIR :
Yours of yesterday we have received, and after having consid- ered and attended to the several requisitions therein contained, beg leave to return the following answer :
At low water there is eleven feet from the bar to five-fathom hole. Five-fathom hole is three miles from the' bar, where you will have three fathoms at low water. They cannot be anchored until they are at that distance from the bar. In the place where the ships can be anchored the bar cannot be covered or annoyed.
Off the North breaker-head, where the ships can be anchored, to moor them, that they might swing in safety, they will lay within one mile & half of the shore.
If any batteries are thrown up to act in conjunction with the
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ships, and the enemy's force should be so much superior as to cause a retreat to be necessary, it will be impossible for us to cover or take them off.
Our opinion is that the ships can do more effectnal service for the defense and security of the town to act in conjunction with Fort Moultrie, which, we think, will best answer the purposes of the ships being sent here, and consequently of the views of Con- gress.
Our reasons are that the channel is so narrow between the. fort & the middle ground that they may be moored so as to rake the channel and prevent the enemy's troops being landed to annoy the fort.
The enemy, we apprehend, may be prevented from sonnding & buoying the bar by the Brig General Lincoln, the State Brig Notre Dame, and other small vessels that may be occasionally employed for that purpose.
We are, &c.
(Signed by four Captains and five Pilots.)
General Lincoln.
In consequence of the above report, the ships were removed to act in conjunction with Fort Moultrie, and an attempt was made to obstruct the channel in front thereof but from the depth of water, the width of the channel & the rapidity of the tide, the attempt proved abortive.
On the enemy's getting over the bar a force far superior to what was expected, and with which our ships could by no means cope, and from a consideration that if the enemy should pass the fort and our ships, with a leading wind & a flood tide, and anchor to the leeward of them, it would have been impossible for them to have got out of reach of the enemy's guns, or be protected by the fort, we were obliged to abandon the former idea of acting in conjunction with Fort Moultrie, and to adopt a new one. After I received an answer to the following questions, which were pro- posed to the Captains Whipple, Hacker, Rathburne, Tucker, Simpson, Lockwood & Pyne :
1st. Whether, in their opinion, the obstructions which are now attempted to be laid across the channel in front of Fort Moultrie. if effected, will be sufficient to check the progress of the enemy's
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ships now in this harbor, if they should attempt to pass them under the advantages of a leading wind and flood tide ?
2d. If the enemy should pass the Fort and the American ships, under the circumstances aforesaid, and should anchor to leeward of them, whether the fort could aet in conjunction with aud sup- port our ships ? If it cannot, whether they can change their sta- tion so as to escape the enemy's fire ?
3rd. Whether they think, from the present situation and force of the enemy, and the state of Charlestown, our ships can take a station in which they can probably render more essential services than in their present, and where ?
Answer to the first question :
We are fully of opinion that the present, or even any obstruc- tions we can throw in the way of the enemy, will be insufficient to check such heavy ships as the enemy now have in the harbor.
Ans. to the 2d Q .:
Should the enemy pass us they can anchor to leeward of us, and we cannot be protected by Fort Moultrie, nor shall we be able to run our ships out of the way.
A. to the 3rd Q .:
That we are also of opinion that we ought to leave our present station.
We beg leave to observe that when we recommended this as a suitable station it was at a time when the enemy's force off the bar did not exceed half what they now have in the harbour, and when we had every assurance that a ship larger than fifty guns could not be got over the bar.
Signed by Captain Whipple and all the others before mer.tioned.
Hereon I was induced to order the ships up to town, dismantle the heaviest of them, strengthen our batteries with their guns & man the forts with the seamen; and we attempted to incumber the channel between the town & Shute's folly, as before mentioned.
I have been thus particular under this head, because the public supposed that the ships could be so stationed as to command the bar, and from this consideration I suppose Congress were induced to send them to South Carolina.
6th. Whether the necessary exertions were made to compleat the works & fortifications of the town ?
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The State of South Carolina was early & repeatedly called upon to bring in their blaeks to finish the works, for little progress therein could be expected from our troops, whose number were too inconsiderable to promise much ; they were, however, the greatest part of their time on duty. To show how far I interested myself in this business, I beg leave to insert the depositions of W. Cannon & W. Gamble on this head. I should have omitted them in this letter could I have been sure that in any other way I should have had an opportunity of laying them before you ; but of this I cannot be certain. You will, therefore, I trust, excuse it.
THE DECLARATION OF JAMES CANNON.
PHILADELPHIA, June 28, 1780.
I resided in Charlestown from the 5th day of Jany., 1778, to the 9th of April, 1780. On the evening of the last mentioned day, left it with General Lincoln's despatches ; and having the honor of being connected with some of the first men in office in the State of So. Carolina, and frequently in the General's family while his quarters were in Charlestown, I declare
That I had frequent opportunities of knowing the sentiments of the best-informed on the General's conduct while commanding in the Southern Department, and that I uniformly found the ideas of his merit and abilities to rise in proportion to the degree of information ;
That I have been witness to his pressing with much earnestness the certainty of an intended invasion, and the necessity of strenu- ons and timely exertions to provide against it ;
That he lost no time in fortifying Charlestown, as well as the means put in his power and the skill of the engineer could accom- plish it ;
That he took every step which prudence, ability and zeal for the safety of the town could inspire to call forth the utmost exertions of the State at large, and town in particular, to put it into the best state of defense, even turning out himself, not only to assist on the works, but to set an example of emulation, that none might think it beneath him to give his assistance, but that all ought to turn out when they saw their Commander in Chief submit to the common duties of fatigue men to push on the works ; And that this was not only the exertion of an hour to excite emu- lation, but his constant practice, going out with the foremost in
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the morning and returning with the last in the evening, untill the near approach of the enemy called him to other duties ;
That I have been constantly, and at all times in the day, ronnd the works from the time of the enemy's landing on James Island, and don't recollect ever to have been for an hour at any one part of them withont seeing the General ride round for the purpose of viewing them, and by his presence inspiring the fatigue men with ardonr and industry ; And that it is my opinion that no man could have applied himself with more diligence & activity to put the place into the best possible state of defence ; nor would it have been easy for any man to have done as much, and extremely diffi- eult to have done more with the same means.
JAMES CANNON.
PHILADELPHIA, SS.
Before me, Pinnket Tilerson, one of the Justices, &c., personally came Mr. James Cannon and made oath, and did depose, that the Contents of the foregoing declarations is just and true.
Sworn the 30th day of June, 1780.
PLUNKET TILERSON.
PHILADELPHIA, June 30, 1780,
Being from the 15th of February to the 17th of April, 1780, when I became unfit for service by a contusion from a cannon shot, employed as a Manager in the public works in Charlestown I had the constant opportunity of marking General Lincoln's atten- tion to the construction of every work necessary for the defence of the place. By his particular orders and direction, I fortifyed from the French Battery on Gibbes wharf to the Sugar house Battery on Savage's Green, on the Ashley river side of the town, entting a wet diteh 12 feet wide with a regular Glacis and a range of oblique pickets in front of the old line. I also by his orders cut the Marsh from Ferguson's beach to within about two hundred yards of Cummings Point Battery, rendering it impossi- ble for Boats at high water, and to infantry when dry, by a drain and bank. Next, at his command, I stopped a Creek 7 feet deep in front of our lines on the left, the whole completed under his sole inspection.
I was concerned in every work erected or repaired to the 7th of April, In which time the General was always one of the first at,
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and last from, the works, giving directions to the overseers and encouraging the labourers ; and in my opinion no man could have been more diligent in fortifying, more vigilant, more cautious, or have behaved with more bravery in the defence of Charlestown than General Lincoln.
ARCHIBALD GAMBLE.
PHILADELPHIA, SS.
Before me, Plunket Tilerson, one of the Justices, &c., came Archibald Gamble and made oath that the contents of the within declaration is just and true.
Sworn the 30 day of June, 1780.
PLUNKET TILERSON.
7th. Whether the defence of Charlestown was conducted with that military spirit and determination which justice to their country and themselves demanded of its garrison ? This is a question delicate and important.
Charlestown is situated on a Peninsula formed by the conflux of the Cooper & the Ashley, having field works in its rear, the front and flanks covered by lines, batteries & marshes-the whole extent little short of four miles.
The enemy landed the 12th of Feby. in force on the south part of John's Island, between twenty and thirty miles from Charles- town, with the Ashley & the Stono intervening. As I wish to waste as little of your Excellency's time as possible, I shall say nothing of their movements from the time of their debarcation untill they crossed the Ashley on the 29th of March, excepting that previous thereto they had employed themselves in erecting works on James Island, to cover their ships, some on the main near Wappoo as a security to their grand deposite of stores estab- lished here, the stores having been transported from their ships in Stono River.
They crossed the Ashley abont two miles above the ferry, twelve miles from the town, with the grenadiers, light troops and two battalions of Infantry. On the 30th they appeared before our lines and encamped about three thousand yards in front of them. We had to lament that the state of our garrison would not admit of a sufficient force being detached to annoy them in crossing the river, which they could do at different places, for our whole num-
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ber at this time in garrison amounted to 2,225 only, besides the sailors in the batteries.
The 30th & 31st the enemy were employed in transporting their stores from the west to the east side of Ashley, about two miles above our lines. In the morning of the first of April we observed that they had broken ground in several places about 1,100 yards in our front ; their next work appeared, the morning following, on our left, about nine hundred yards distance. The night after they opened a third work about six hundred yards from our right. From the third to the 10th the enemy were employed in finishing their first parallel, their batteries thereon & mantling them, before which we had received only a few random shots from their gallies in the mouth of Wappoo. and from their battery near thereto. In the evening of this day we received the following summons :
" Sir Henry Clinton, K. B., General and Commander in Chief of his Majesty's forces in the Colonies, lying on the Atlantic from Nova Scotia, &c., &c., &c., and Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, Comman- der in Chief of His Majesty's ships in North America, &c., &c., &c., regretting the effusion of blood and the distresses which must now commence, deem it consonant to humanity to warn the town & Garrison of Charlestown of the havock & devastation with which they are threatened from the formidable force surrounding them by land and sea.
"An alternative is offered at this hour of saving their lives and property contained in the town, or of abiding by the fatal conse- quences of a cannonade and storm.
" Should the place in a fallacious security, or its commander in a wauton indifference to the fate of its inhabitants, delay a surren- der, or should the public stores or shipping be destroyed, the resentment of an exasperated soldiery may intervene, but the same mild & compassionate offer can never be renewed.
" The respective Commanders, who hereby summon the town, do not apprehend so rash a part as further resistance will be taken, but rather that the gates will be opened and themselves received with a degree of confidence which will forebode further reconcili- ation."
HEAD QUARTERS, CHS. TOWN, April 10, 1780. GENTLEMEN :
I have received your summons of this date. Sixty days have
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passed since it has been known that your intentions against this town were hostile, in which time has been afforded to abandon it, but duty and inclination point to the propriety of supporting it to the last extremity.
I have the honour to be
Yonr Excellencies' humble servant, B. LINCOLN.
The answer was such as I hope will at all times meet your Excellency's approbation. We were left at that time without an alternative ; an unconditional surrender was demanded. Firing on our side was immediately commenced, to retard and annoy the enemy in their approaches as much as possible, and so continued until the 13th, when they opened their batteries, and a constant fire was kept up by both parties until the 20th, at which time their second parallel, within three hundred yards of our lines, was completed, when terms as have before been mentioned were pro- posed ; but being rejected, hostilities again commenced on the 21st and continued with redoubled fury. On the twenty- third the enemy commenced the third parallel, from eighty to one hun- dred and fifty yards from our lines ; from this to the 8th of May they were employed in compleating it, erecting three batteries threon and drawing the ditch opposite our right. In the morning of the Sth I received the following letter from General Clinton :
" Circumstanced as I now am with respect to the place invested, humanity only can induce me to lay within your reach the terms I determined should not again be proffered.
" The fall of Fort Sullivan, the destruction ( on the 6th instant ) of what remained of your Cavalry, the critical period to which our approaches against the town have brought us, mark this as the term of your hopes of succour ( could you have formed any ) and as an hour beyond which resistance is temerity.
" By this last summons, therefore, I throw to your charge what- ever vindictive severity exasperated soldiers may inflict on the unhappy people whom you devote by persevering in a fruitless defense.
"I shall expect your answer untill eight o'Clock, when hostilities will commence again, unless the town. shall be surrendered, &c., &c., &c.
(Signed) H. CLINTON."
" Majr. Genl. Lincoln."
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This I laid before a Council of General & Field Officers & the Captains of the Continental Ships. It was the view of the Coun- cil that terms of Capitulation ought to be proposed. Terms were accordingly sent out, but as so many of them were rejected, others so mutilated and a qualification of them utterly denied ns, hostili- ties again commenced in the evening of the Ninth, with a more incessant and heavy fire than ever, which continued until the 11th, when, having prior thereto received an address from the principal inhabitants of the town and a number of the Country militia, signifying that the terms acceded to by General Clinton, as they related to them, were satisfactory, and desired that I would propose my acceptance of them, and a request from the Lieuten- ant-Governor and Council that the negotiations might be renewed -the militia of ye Town having thrown down their arms-our provisions, saving a little rice, being exhausted, the troops on the lines being worn down with fatigue, having for a number of days been obliged to lay upon the banket-our harbour closely blocked up-completely invested by land by nine thousand men at least, the flower of the British Army in America, besides the large force which at all times they could draw from their marine, and aided by a great number of blacks in all their laborious employments, the garrison at this time, exclusive of the sailors, but little exceeding twenty-five hundred men, part of whom had thrown down their arms-the citizens in general discontented and clamonrous-the enemy being within twenty yards of our lines, and preparing to make a general assault by sea and land- many of our cannon dismounted and others silenced from the want of shot-a retreat being judged impracticable, and every hope of timely succonr cut off-we were induced to offer and accede to the terms executed on the 12th. A copy of them, the several letters and propositions that passed between Sr. Hy. Clinton & Myself from the 10th of April to the 12th of May, I do myself the honor to inclose.
Thus, Sir, in as concise a manner as possible, and perhaps too much so in justness to myself, I have given to your Excellency a state of matters relative to the defence and loss of Charlestown & the measures pursued by me for its safety.
Think it not, My dear General, the language of adulation when
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I assure you that your approbation of my military conduct will afford me the highest satisfaction and prove my justification in the eyes of the World.
I have the honor to be, My Dr. General,
With the highest regard and esteem, Your most obedient Servant,
B. LINCOLN.
His Excellency General Washington.
[Indorsement] Angt. 11th, 1780.
M. Genl. Lincoln's report of his Conduct as Commander of Charlestown. Private.
GOV. THOMAS JEFFERSON TO GOV. ABNER NASH.
RICHMOND, August 12, 1780.
SIR :
Frequent murders having been committed by the Cherokee Indians of the Chickamogga towns, and some others who have associated with them & seceded from the main body of the nation, we directed Col. Campbell in the month of June to raise 500 men from our Counties of Washington and Montgomery in order to destroy those towns. He was instructed to use the utmost attention in distinguishing the friendly from the hostile part of the nation, and while he should chastise the latter, to spare no assurance and protection to the former. Being informed at the same time that a similar expedition was meditated from your frontiers, under your authority, or by the inhabitants them- selves, we instructed Col. Campbell to open a proper correspon- dance for the purpose of producing a co-operation against the common Enemy. The inclosed is an extract of a Letter I received from him lately, which I take the liberty of transmitting to your Excellency, because if Col. Campbell's information has been true, it discovers a disposition in the inhabitants of Washington County of your state to bring on a war with the friendly Chero- kees. Without animadverting on the injustice of such a measure, it would so much increase the difficulties with which our two
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States have at present to contend that I thought it my duty to communicate this to your Excellency, as, should it wear any appearance of probability with you, it might suggest measures for further enquiry, and for preventing an aggression, if one should have been meditated. Our frontier counties being jointly and intimately interested in the transactions with the Cherokees-I hope I shall meet your Excellency's pardon for imparting to you any intelligence coming to my ear which may appear to threaten their peace, and I do it the more freely, as I should myself most thankfully receive similar communication from you of anything on our side the line which might require the vigilance of our Govern- ment.
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