A M E 
within -ver)' narrow bounds. General Prevofl therefore 
determined to diflodge the party at Briar’s Creek: and the 
latter, trufling to their flrong fituation, and being remifs 
in their guard, fufleied themfelves to be furprifed on the 
30th of March, 1779; when they were utterly routed, with 
the lofs of 400 killed and taken, belides a great number 
drowned in the river or the fwamps. The whole artillery, 
Acres, baggage, and all mod all the arms, of this unfor¬ 
tunate party were taken, fo that they could no more make 
any (land; and thus a communication was opened with 
thole places in Carolina where the royalift s chiefly redded. 
The victory at Briar’s Creek proved of conliderable 
fervice to the Britifli caufe. Great numbers of the loyal- 
ills joined the army, and confiderably increafed its force. 
Hence general Prevolt was enabled to ftretch his polls far¬ 
ther up the river, and to guard all the principal palfes: 
fo that general Lincoln was reduced to a date of inaction ; 
and at lad moved off towards Augulta, in order to protect 
the provincial aflembly, which was obliged to fit in that 
place, the capital being in the hands of the liritilh. Lin¬ 
coln had no fooner quitted his pod, than it was judged 
proper by the Britifh general to put in execution the grand 
icheme which had been meditated againd Carolina. Many 
difficulties indeed lay in his way. The river Savannah 
was fo fwelled by exceffive rains, that it feemed impaffa- 
ble; the oppolite fhore was fo full of fwamps and marlbes, 
that no army could march over it without the greated 
difficulty; and, to render the paflage dill more difficult, 
general Moultrie was left with a conliderable bod)- of 
troops to oppofe the enemy’s attempts. Yet, in fpite of 
every opposition, the conllancy and perfeverance of-the 
Britifh forces prevailed. General Moultrie was defeated, 
and obliged to retire towards Charledown; and the victo¬ 
rious army, after having waded through the mardies for 
fome time, arrived in an open country, through which 
they purfued their march with great rapidity towards the 
capital; while general Lincoln remained in a date of fe- 
curity at Auguda, vainly imagining that the obdacles he 
had left in the way could not be furmounted. 
Intelligence of the danger to which Charledown was 
expofed, roufed the American general from his lethargy. 
A chofen body of infantry, mounted on horfeback for 
the greater expedition, was difpatched before him ; while 
Lincoln himfelf followed with all the forces he could col¬ 
led. General Moultrie too, with the troops he had 
brought from the Savannah, and fome others he had col¬ 
lected fince his retreat from thence, had taken poffeflion 
of all the avenues leading to Charledown, and prepared 
for a vigorous defence. But all oppofition proved inef¬ 
fectual. The Americans were defeated in every encoun¬ 
ter; and, retreating continually, allowed the Britifh army 
to come within cannon-fhot of Charledown on the 12th of 
May. The town was now fummoned to furrender; and 
^the inhabitants would gladly have agreed to obferve a 
neutrality during the reft of the war, and would alfo have 
engaged for the red of the province. But, thefe terms not 
being accepted, they made preparations for a vigorous 
defence. It was not in the power of the Britifh com¬ 
mander at this time to make an attack with any profpeCt 
of fuccefs. His artillery was not of fufficient weight; 
there were no fhips to fupport him by fea; and general 
Lincoln, advancing rapidly with a fuperior army, threat¬ 
ened to inclofe him between his own forces and the town; 
fo that, fhould he fail in his fird attempt, certain deftruc- 
tion would be the confequence. For thefe reafons he 
withdrew his army from before the town, and took pof- 
feffion of two iflands called St. James’s and St. John’s, ly¬ 
ing to the fouthward; where, having waited fome time, 
he was reinforced by the arrival of two frigates. With 
thefe he determined to make himfelf mader of Port Royal, 
an ifland polfefTed of an excellent harbour and many other 
natural advantages, from its fituation alfo commanding 
the fea-coad from Charledown to Savannah River. The 
American general, however, did not allow this to be ac- 
complifhed without oppolition. Perceiving that his oppo- 
Vol. I. No 29. 
neat had occupied an advantageous pod on St. John’s 
ifland, preparatory to his enterprife againd Port Royal, he 
attempted, on the 20th of June, to dillodge him from it; 
but, after an obdinate attack, the provincials were,'as 
ufual, obliged to retire with conliderable lofs. On this 
occalion the fuccefs of the Britifli was in a great meafnre 
owing to an armed float; which galled the right flank of 
the enemy, fo effectually, that they could direct their, ef¬ 
forts only againd the dronged part of the lines, which 
proved impregnable. This difappointmenr was indantly 
followed by the lofs of Port Royal, which general Prevolt 
took poffeflion of, and put his troops into proper Aatior.s, 
waiting for the arrival of fuch further reinforcements as 
were neceffary for the intended attack on Charledown. 
In the mean time, count D’Edaing, who put into Bof- 
ton harbour to reflt, had ufed his utmod efforts to ingra¬ 
tiate himfelf with the inhabitants of that city. Zealous 
alfo in the caufe of his mader, he had publifhcd a pro¬ 
clamation to be difperfcd through Canada, inviting the 
people to return to their original friendfhip with France, 
and declaring that all who renounced their allegiance to 
Great Britain fhould certainly find a protector in the French 
king. All his endeavours, however, proved inlufficient 
to produce any revolution, or even to form a party of any 
confequence among the Canadians. 
As foon as the French admiral had refitted his fleet, he 
took the opportunity, while that of admiral Byron had 
been fhattered by a dorm, of failing to the Weft Indies. 
During his operations there, the Americans having repre- 
fented his conduct as totally unferviceable to them, he 
received orders from Europe to aliid the colonies with all 
podible fpeed. He therefore directed his courfe towards 
Georgia, with a defign to recover that province, and to 
put it, as well as South Carolina, in fuch a podure of de¬ 
fence as would effectually fecure them from any future 
attack. This feemed to be an eafy matter, from the little 
force with which he knew he fhould be oppofed ; and the 
next objeCt in contemplation was the deftruction of the 
Britifli fleet and army at New York. Full of thefe hopes, 
the French commander arrived off the coad of Georgia 
with a fleet of twenty-two fail of the line and ten frigates. 
His arrival was fo little expeCted, that feveral veffels la¬ 
den with provifions and military (tores fell into his hands : 
the Experiment alfo, a velfel of 50 guns, commanded by 
Sir James Wallace, was taken after a flout refiflance. On 
the continent, the Britifh troops were divided. General 
Prevofl, with one part, remained at Savannah; but the 
main force was under colonel Maitland at Port Royal. On 
the fird appearance of the French fleet, an exprefs was 
difpatched to colonel Maitland: but it was intercepted by 
the enemy; fo that, before he could fet out to join the 
commander in chief, the Americans had fecured mod of 
the paffes by land, while the French fleet effectually block¬ 
ed up the paflage by fea. Yet by taking advantage of 
creeks and inlets, and marching over land, he arrived jufi. 
in time to relieve Savannah. 
D’Eftaing allowed general Prevofl twenty-four hours to 
deliberate whether he would capitulate or not. This time 
the general employed in making the bed preparations lie 
could for a defence; and at this critical juncture colonel 
Maitland arrived. D’EAaing’s fummons was now reject¬ 
ed ; and, as the fuperiority of the enemy was by no means 
fo much out of proportion, there was every probability of 
fuccefs on the part of the Britifh. The garrifon confided 
of 3000 men, of approved valour and experience ; and, 
having the advantage of a flrong fortification and excel¬ 
lent engineers, the fire of the allies made fo little imprei 
fion, that D’Edaing refolved to bombard the town, and a 
battery of nine mortars was ereCted for the purpofe. This 
produced a requefl from general Prevod, that the women 
and children might be allowed to retire to a place of fafety. 
But the allied commanders had the inhumanity to refufe 
compliance ; and refolved upon a general affault. This 
was accordingly attempted on the 9th of OClober : but 
the affailants were every where repulled with fuch flaugh- 
6 A ter, 
