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  In late January of 1776, British Maj. Gen. Henry Clinton sailed from Boston, bound for Cape Fear, North Carolina. In Charleston, John Rutledge, a member of the Continenal Congress, arrived in Charleston with information of a British move into South Carolina. Named as the newly-appointed President of the General Assembly that remained as the backbone of South Carolina's revoluationary government, Rutledge organized a defense force under the command of 46-year-old Col. William Moultrie, a former militiaman and Indian fighter. Moultrie saw Sullivan's Island, at the mouth of the entrance to Charleston Harbor as a good place suited to build a fort to protect the entrance from intruding enemy warships. Sullivan Island was chosen because at the time because it was a geographic obstacle that shielded the harbor. A large vessel sailing into Charleston first had to cross Charleston Bar, a series of submerged sand banks lying about eight miles southeast of the city. Col. Moultrie and his SC 2nd Regiment arrived on the island in March, 1776 and began construction of a fortress to defend the island and channel to Charleston Harbor. The construction moved slowly in which an observer, Captain Peter Horry of the Patriot naval detachment, described the site as a "an immense pen 500 feet long, and 16 feet wide, filled with sand to stop the shot." The workers constructed gun platforms out of two-inch planks and nailed them together with wood spikes. During late May, British frigates arrived to scout the area and observe the construction of the enemy fort on Sullivan's Island. The main British fleet arrived outside of Charleston Harbor on June 1. Col. Moultrie observed a British scout boat observing possible landing points on nearby Long Island (now called Isle of Palms) just a few hundred yards from Sullivan's Island. Gen. Charles Lee, the commander of all South Carolina Patriot troops, arrived a few days later and was put in command of the land forces around Charleston. On June 8, after most of the British fleet had crossed the bar and anchored in Five Fathom Hole, Gen. Clinton sent a proclamation to the Patriot rebels to lay down their arms or face military action, which President Rutledge rejected. With the fort on Sullivan's Island only half complete, Parker was confident that his warships would blast the fort into pieces. The square-shaped Fort Sullivan made up of only the completed seaward wall, with walls made from Palmetto logs 16-feet wide and filled with sand, which rose ten feet above the wooden platforms for the artillery. A hastily erected palisade of thick planks helped guard the powder magazine and unfinished northern walls. An assortment of 31 hard-to-get cannon ranging from 9- to 12-pounders as well as a few English 18-pounders and French 26-pounders dotted the front and rear walls. The British finally attacked on June 28, 1776 - in concert with a naval attack at Breach Inlet. The British attempted an assault from Long Island by small boats on Col. Thomson's Rangers on the northern end of Sullivan's Island. The attack was covered by an armed British schooner. The boats were turned back when the Americans fired at point-blank range, causing very heavy casualties in the British assault party. With this rebuff, Gen. Clinton called off the attack and no other attempts were made. By 9:30 pm, all firing ceased. At 11:30 pm, the British ships withdrew to Five Fathom Hole. With their efforts repulsed at both ends of the island, the British halted their attack late in the day. Still, they had a major problem. Of the three ships which had run aground, the HMS Acteon was still unable to extract herself, despite the best efforts of her crew. The captain requested Parker's permission to abandon ship, and destroy her to keep the ship from falling into the hands of the Americans. This was received and the captain set ablaze one of the British Navy's finest ships, commissioned less than a year before. An American salvage party went out to the Bristol after it was abandoned and was able to gather the ship's bell, the colors, and various stores before the spreading fire endangered their safety. Half an hour later, the ship's magazine exploded. The results of the victory were many-fold. For the Americans, it was their first decisive victory. For South Carolina, it produced a confidence in the government led by John Rutledge and forestalled another British effort to take Charleston for over three years. More importantly to both South Carolina and the new nation, this daring feat against large odds fired the imagination of its citizens. Here was the model for future triumph. It was here, in a day-long battle, that a gallant and spirited band defeated in desparate conflict an overwhelming naval and military force and having utterly whipped them, drove them from their shores. For the new nation, pride in the victory was unbounded. For the British, the results were humiliating. A superb naval flotilla and army had been thwarted, in a large degree, due to the imprudent mistakes made by veteran officers. Poor planning and the refusal of the army and navy to cooperate sealed the doom of the British. The British lost all element of surprise and failed to take advantage of American weaknesses in early June of 1776. There were no naval officers in the fleet familiar with Charleston harbor. Instead, Parker relied on impressed pilots to guide the ships to their crucial anchorage. The British did not attempt to renew the battle or try to take the fort again this year, and by mid-August, the fleet withdrew northward to help the main British army in the campaign against New York. Within days of the battle, the Charlestonians learned of the singing of the Declartion of Independence in Philadelphia, which was a sign of their capacity to oppose British arms. The victory on June 28 stood to them as their own phsycial Declaration, which the upsetting of the British plans in the southern colonies helped win uncommited Americans to the struggle for independence from Great Britain. It also enabled the Southern colonies to support vital campaigns in the north. Most importantly, the victory at Fort Moultrie helped keep Charleston free from British occupation for more than three years. |
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Maj. Gen. Charles Lee, Continental Army Southern Command - Commanding Officer City of Charlestown's Defenses: Brig. Gen. Robert Howe - Continental Army with the following units: SC 3rd Regiment detachment with five (5) known companies,
led by: SC 4th Regiment of Artillery led by Lt. Col. Owen Roberts
with: Charles Town District Regiment - 6th Independent SC Artillery Company led by Capt. Thomas Grimball with 100 men and 12 guns. SC 5th Regiment led by Col. Isaac Huger with 329 men in the
following eight (8) known companies, led by: SC 6th Regiment led by Lt. Col. Thomas Sumter and Maj. William
Henderson with 360 men in the following five (5) known companies,
led by: 2nd NC Regiment led by Col. Alexander Martin with 419 men
in the following seven (7) known companies, led by: 3rd NC Regiment led by Col. Jethro Sumner with the following
seven (7) known companies, led by: Charles Town District Regiment led by Col. John Harleston with 700 men in the following two Battalions: 1st Battalion led by Lt. Col. "Unknown" in the following
five (5) known companies, led by: 2nd Battalion led by Lt. Col. "Unknown" in the following
three (3) known companies, led by: SC Militia totalling 1,372 men with the following known nine (9) companies (has to be many companies missing): Berkeley County Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Camden District Regiment detachment of two (2) known companies,
led by: Cheraws District Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Fairfield Regiment detachment of two (2) known companies,
led by: Little River District Regiment detachment of one (1) known
company, led by: New Acquistion District Regiment detachment of two (2) known
companies, led by: Haddrell's Point Defenses (Mount Pleasant): Brig. Gen. John Armstrong - Continental Army, with the following units: SC 4th Regiment of Artillery Detachment led by Capt. Sims White with 40 men, including Lt. Felix Lewis Massenbach, and six guns Cheraws District Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: 1st NC Regiment detachment led by Col. Francis Nash with two
(2) known companies, led by: 2nd NC Regiment detachment of one (1) known company, led by: 4th NC Regiment detachment of three (3) known companies, led
by: NC Light Dragoons Detachment of one (1) known company, led
by: VA Continentals led by "Unknown" of the VA 8th Regiment led by "Unknown" Fort Johnson's Defenses (James Island): Col. Christopher Gadsden with Maj. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - SC 1st Regiment, with the following units of Provincial Troops and SC Militia: SC 1st Regiment detachment of two (2) known companies, led
by: Berkeley County Regiment detachment of two (2) known companies
led by: Colleton County Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Lower Craven County Regiment detachment with four (4) known
companies, led by: Cheraws District Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Ninety-Six District Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Beaufort District Regiment detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Hyrne's Battery Defenses (A Slave Battery West of Fort Johnson): SC 1st Regiment detachment of one (1) known company, led by: Charles Town District Regiment detachment of one (1) known
company. led by: Fort Moultrie's Defenses (Sullivan's Island): Col. William Moultrie - SC 2nd Regiment, with Lt. Col. Isaac
Motte, Maj. Andrew Dellient, Maj. Francis Marion, and 413 men
in the following fourteen (14) known companies, led by: SC 4th Regiment of Artillery detachment of one (1) known company,
led by: Known NC Militia Units - Locations Unknown: Col. Willis Alston - Halifax County Regiment Lt. Col. Thomas Brown - Bladen County Regiment Capt. James Duff - Tryon County Regiment Capt. John Polk - Mecklenburg County Regiment In and Around Charleston Harbor: SC Provincial Navy with three ships: Frigate Prosper - Capt. "Unknown" - no guns. Brig. Comet - Capt. Joseph Turpin with 90 men and 18 guns Schooner Defense - Capt. Simon Tufts with 12 guns Total Patriot Forces in and around Charlestown - 2,400 Robert Black was mortally wounded in this battle and he died later on July 11th. |
Admiral Sir Peter Parker - Commanding Officer Royal Navy - 1st Division in the following ships: HMS Man of War Bristol - Capt. John Morris with 50 guns HMS Man of War Experiment - Capt. Alexander Scott with Lt. Riddle and 50 guns HMS Frigate Active - Capt. William Williams with 28 guns HMS Frigate Solebay - Capt. Thomas Symonds with 28 guns. Royal Navy - 2nd Division in the following ships: HMS Frigate Actaeon - Capt. Christopher Atkins with 28 guns HMS Frigate Syren - Capt. Tobias Furneaux with 190 seamen and 28 guns HMS Frigate Sphinx - Capt. Anthony Hunt with 20 guns HMS armed vessel Friendship - 1st Lt. Charles Hope with 22 guns HMS bombship Thunder Bomb - Capt. James Reid with 8 guns HMS Schooner St. Lawrence - Lt. John Graves with 19 guns - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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© 2011 - J.D. Lewis - PO Box 1188 - Little River, SC 29566 - All Rights Reserved