February to April 1780
Charleston: Clinton closes in
Clinton and Cornwallis sail from New York on 26 December 1779 with 8,500 soldiers and 5,000 sailors on 90 transports and 14 warships. After a stormy voyage the fleet anchors in the Savannah River on 1 February 1780, and by 12 February the army is ashore on Simmons Island, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Charleston.
A sketch of the operations before Charlestown, the capital of South Carolina, by Joseph F. W. Des Barres, 1780Wikimedia Commons, Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres, Public domain (A sketch of the operations before Charlestown, the capital of South Carolina.jpg)
The British move slowly through the sea islands. They cross the Stono River to James Island by 24 February and reach the mainland by 10 March. On 29 March they cross the Ashley River above the city and march down the neck of land to Charleston’s lines.
On 14 April Banastre Tarleton and Patrick Ferguson surprise the American cavalry at Monck’s Corner, 30 miles (50 km) to the north, and close the road up the Cooper River. On 23 April Cornwallis crosses the Cooper and holds the country east of it, and the city is cut off by land.
Sources
- Carl P. Borick, A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780 (2003).
- John Buchanan, The Road to Guilford Courthouse (1997).
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