Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month February 1779
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR .
On February 3rd, 1779, American forces led by General William Moultrie defended Port Royal, South Carolina against British attack by General Augustine Prevost who had 3,000 trained veterans and an unknown number of Tory irregulars. The two forces, unequal in total numbers, are further skewed by men available for duty, training or experience. The odds were more uneven considering that 1,200 men of Moultrie’s force were not fit for duty and were more of a liability than an asset. Moultrie's total force consisted of 3,600 men; a mix of 1,100 Continentals, the remainder being militia. With only 2,400 men fit for duty, the odds became considerably more uneven. Of this force only a few of the Continentals had been blooded in combat, the rest were untrained and had never been tested in battle. It was assumed that the trained Continentals with the support of the combat veterans could be depended upon, but it was doubtful that the militia would be reliable against trained regulars of the British Army.
While both armies wished to cross the river, only the British had the means to do so. Using naval ships for transport, Prevost landed about 200 men under Major Gardner to seize Port Royal Island located about 30 miles north of Purysburg. General Benjamin Lincoln sent General William Moultrie with 10 Continentals to alert militia in the district; 300 Charleston Militia with three field pieces responded. Moultrie first occupied the town of Beaufort, then fortified both sides of the only road through the impenetrable swamps which Gardiner had to use to reach Beaufort. When Gardiner advanced within range of the ambush, the Americans opened fire with considerable effect including a hit on the only field piece in Gardiner's command. The British then took cover in a woods while the Patriots were left on open ground. The battle raged until the Americans exhausted their ammunition. When Moultrie was about to give the order to withdraw the American force it was discovered that Gardiner's force was already in retreat. Following up the unexpected advantage, light cavalry pursued the vanishing British taking a few prisoners. Moultrie lost 8 killed in action and 22 wounded. A captured lieutenant estimated that Gardiner had lost half of his force in the battle. No doubt the cost to Britain was heavy but a body count either wasn't made or not recorded. At any rate, Ward (see references) doubts the lieutenant's estimate as being accurate. In any event, the battle was a success as no further attempts were made to secure South Carolina for some time.
On June 26th , 1776, the Battle of Sullivan's Island near Charleston, South Carolina was an outstanding victory for the Patriots. After this time there were no serious attempts by Britain to subdue the South until the arrival of British forces at the mouth of the Savannah River in December of 1778. This new strategy of conquering the South Colonies was arrived at based on the advice of exiles who exaggerated both the number of Loyalists who claimed the south would welcome the British and also the ease with which Britain could separate the entire South from the revolutionary movement. The invasion of Georgia was based solely on the advice of the above exiled Loyalists. The real aim of the expedition was not so much to subdue Georgia but to provide a springboard to retake South Carolina. The attack on Georgia was to achieve an easy victory to accommodate the King's ministers, namely Lord George Germain, and to still Parliament's objection to the war. There were two faults to this plan. First, the Loyalists in Georgia were supportive of the king but few were willing to lose their property or die for him. Secondly, the Cherokee and Creek Indians did not rise up against the Americans as was expected. The Cherokee nation which had been badly beaten and their villages burned in 1760 and 1761 was not anxious to repeat the previous mistake. The Creek nation did not support Britain at all and were mostly neutral until the last years of the war. Not only did the Indians have to be concerned about the Americans but the Spanish under Bernardo Galvez in Mobile and Pensacola were a constant threat in the event of any weakening of the Indian nation's power.
The Loyalists in the back country of Georgia and South Carolina were encouraged by the easy victories which had been attained in Georgia. To take further advantage of the situation Lt. Colonel John Hamilton with 200 mounted Tories was sent to the back country to gain more recruits. Hamilton was a veteran of Culloden which was disastrous to Scottish hopes and an end to the aspirations for the house of Stuart. He was a wealthy man, influential with the Scots in the area and highly regarded in social and political circles. Colonel Boyd, a North Carolina Tory, raised 700 men, mostly Scots and began a march to Georgia to join with Hamilton. Boyd's march not only followed the usual "live off the land" tactics of the time but set a precedent for Sherman's later march through Georgia.
The forces of Colonel Andrew Pickens of South Carolina and a force of South Carolina militia was joined by 300 Georgians under Captain John Dooley. They were instructed to defeat and prevent Boyd's further depredations on the countryside. When crossing over from South Carolina into Georgia, Captain Anderson and a few men were left at Cherokee Ford to prevent Boyd from crossing. Attacked by Boyd, Anderson fought well but was forced back by superior numbers. On learning of the breakthrough, Pickens pursued Boyd finding him at Kettle Creek. Boyd was caught unawares but fought well; after a hard fight and Boyd's death the battle ended with 300 of Boyd’s men fleeing. Some pushed on to join Archibald Campbell at Augusta while others simply went home. Boyd's force lost 40 killed in action and many wounded; 75 were captured and taken to South Carolina. Pickens lost 9 killed in action and 23 wounded. After the loss of Georgia, the victories at Beaufort and Kettle Creek were a shot in the arm for the military as well as local patriots. Success in this battle resulted in the arrival and recruitment of many men for the forces of Major General Benjamin Lincoln of Massachusetts, commander of the Southern Department. His headquarters were at Purysburg, South Carolina, which is located on the Savannah River about 15 miles from Savannah.
George Rogers Clark was 150 miles or 180 miles away from Vincennes (depending on the reference) when he learned of it's recapture by Hamilton. Hamilton felt secure at Vincennes and felt that there was little danger of Clark attacking due to extreme weather which resulted in deep snows and flooding by rivers and streams. Clark began the long march to Vincennes on February 6 with 127 men. The march was made under unbelievably harsh conditions. They braved Indians, floods, ice and snow on their journey, at times walking through water up to their armpits. Remarkably they made it, arriving at Vincennes with 150 men on February 25th.
Clark had previously convinced most of Hamilton's Indian allies to go home, leaving Hamilton with only half his force. To top it off, his men captured an Indian party and tomahawked them in full view of the fort. Clark made a grand show of force by giving different flags to be displayed as if there was a 1,000 men surrounding the fort. Hamilton, facing what appeared to be a vastly superior and brutal force, agreed to surrender. After his men lay down their arms Hamilton demanded to see Clark's entire force. When he was shown the small force that he had surrendered to, he was furious but there was nothing to do but hand over his sword. Clark by that act valididated Virginia's and the new nation's claim to all the land from the western mountains to the Mississippi River.
References: Encyclopedia Britannica; "The Revolutionary Years"; Fletcher Pratt's "The Battles that Changed History"; Christopher Ward's "War of the Revolution"; Robert Lawson's "The American Revolution"; Arthur Meier Schlesinger's "The Almanac of American History" .
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