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Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month June 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
British Commander-in-Chief General Henry Clinton felt that the Virginia expedition in May was a significant success. He had burned and pillaged the most productive towns of the colony reducing its capability to financially aid the Congress or to supply the Continental Army.
Previously Clinton had been reluctant to move troops against the Continental Army, but with the return of the victorious Virginia Expeditionary Force he was emboldened to mount an expedition using the Hudson River to attack forts along the way. The reduction of West Point, key to control of the Hudson, was his major objective. If he could break through the forts on the Hudson including West Point he could secure the fertile Hudson valley all the way to Albany.
West Point sits high above the Hudson, jutting out in such a manner that its guns can fire down upon the river from three sides. It must be silenced to afford a water passage to Albany! If the forts including West Point could not be taken it would deny Clinton the support of naval vessels for firepower and to transport troops and supplies. Without naval support the expedition could not be supplied and the mission would be aborted. Previously all plans to split the colonies had presumed an expedition from Canada as well as from New York City. Clinton in a single pronged attack did not plan a major confrontation on land without naval support. If the forts could be silenced or taken, there would be relatively little opposition for the naval armada the rest of the way to Albany. If such a strategy succeeded the southern colonies would be split from New England. Such a feat would not only be a victory militarily but psychologically and might be the key to defeating the insurrection.
On May 30th, Clinton embarked 6,000 of his best troops and sailed up the Hudson in a large armada of ships. On June 1st he landed ground forces on both sides of the river below West Point, capturing and manning an unfinished fort at Stony Point and the completed and manned Fort Lafayette on the opposite side of the river at Verplanck's Point. A strategic location, the two forts guarded a main ferry across the Hudson as well as denying use of the river. Control of the two forts was a significant advantage as it controlled the Hudson from New York City to Stony Point.
American Commander-in-Chief General George Washington reacted by placing a large force between West Point and the two forts. Clinton who had started out so boldly for some reason did not press his advantage in men and materiel by engaging Washington. Nor did he attack West Point and its lesser forts with naval bombardment. In addition, there was a massive iron chain supported by a log boom across the Hudson which denied passage to ships of the British navy.
The forging and placement of the log chain across the Hudson was done under the direction of French engineer Major Charles L'Enfant who proved many times over the value of those foreign officers who came, not for personal advantage, but to bring knowledge, experience and dedication to the American Army and for the ideals of the American Revolution. In 1782 only one in fourteen officers in the Corps [of Engineers] was an American.
British General Augustine Prevost had made a foray into South Carolina in late April and early May to lure American General Benjamin Lincoln from his march on Augusta, Georgia. The ruse worked too well. Charleston was endangered but rescued by the impending return of Lincoln’s forces. Fearful of being caught between General Moultrie’s militia and Lincoln's army General Prevost fortified a position at Stono Ferry. On June 16th, he withdrew most of his troops by boats to Savannah leaving behind a regiment of Hessians, a battalion of Scots, and a Tory regiment of 900 men. Lincoln, having returned, moved on June 20th to attack the British. Through a series of events the Battle of Stono Ferry was led by General Moultrie with 1,200 militia against 900 British and Hessian regulars. The militia was no match for British regulars in open combat; casualties were 146 killed or wounded and 155 missing Americans as opposed to 26 killed and 103 missing for the British force. While no great victory was achieved, General Lincoln's foray yielded a great deal of valuables from the inhabitants and a voluntary arrival of slaves, of whom 3,000 were taken with the army and later sold in the West Indies.
After what must have seemed like an eternity to John Paul Jones, the appearance in France of Major General Lafayette of the Continental Army was a turning point in the creation of Jones' naval squadron. Lafayette secured three ships from the French navy as well as obtaining from Congress the Alliance, an American built frigate equaling the Richard in fire power. Several expeditions using Jones naval force and a ground force under Lafayette were proposed for a five ship squadron to harry English shipping but primarily to mount an amphibious assault on Liverpool, England. Nothing came of the planned expeditions but it gave Jones command of a fighting squadron - at least on paper it was a fighting squadron. Jones had been struggling for months to get a squadron assembled and to make the Richard battle-worthy. He had problems finding money, equipment, supplies and seamen to man the ships. The seamen and several ship captains were his most serious problem. He turned to any seaman that he could find, 60 French volunteers picked up from the street turned out to be useless. Men from a regiment of Irish mercenaries employed by France volunteered to serve hoping to strike a blow at mighty England. For some reason they were not used, but English prisoners who had been captured at sea and American deserters looking for a way home were employed with poor results.
On the 12th or 19th of June (sources vary) John Paul Jones finally sailed, leading his mixed squadron from L’Orient to convoy merchant ships to ports on the Bay of Biscay. For Jones it became a shakedown cruise to check the sea worthiness of the ships and test the effectiveness of the squadron working together before challenging the British Home Fleet. Captain Jones encountered more problems from his crews and ships than from British intervention. On this short voyage as individual British ships of war discovered the size of Jones squadron they elected to run rather than fight against the apparent odds. To Jones dismay he discovered not only the weakness of his crew but also that Bonhomme Richard was too slow to force the British to fight, nor could the Richard maneuver well enough to engage a British ship of the line.
One big problem for Jones would be the incompetence or insubordination of the captains of his supporting ships. Captain Landais, recently of the French Navy, was commissioned in the Continental Navy by Congress on the basis of his presentation of a recommendation by Silas Dean of the American Diplomatic Corps in France, and his own presentation of his experience and abilities to that body. Landais, frustrated by his lack of progress in the French Navy, had resigned his commission believing that he would be given a command in the Continental Navy commensurate with his opinion of himself. He was at first appeased by being placed in command of Alliance, an American built ship with equal firepower but greater speed than the Richard. Landais felt insulted by Congress for having made him a subordinate to a man younger than he; both in age and experience. On this voyage he refused to obey a signal from the flagship (Richard) to give way, causing the two ships to collide resulting in minor damage to both ships. Landais would become more of a problem to Jones than the Royal Navy. The squadron returned to L'Orient on July 1st, Jones not only had to make repairs to his ships but found even bigger troubles waiting for him with local authorities and creditors.
France, Spain and the Netherlands composed the greater maritime nations of Europe's west coast and had felt the greatest losses in Britain’s climb to Empire. French diplomats were busy in all of the Courts of Europe seeking allies to support them in the war with England. Spain, still smarting from the loss to Britain of Gibraltar, the Floridas and other territories seemed the most vulnerable to the entreaties of French diplomats. Using this sentiment of loss as an argument, French diplomats were able to convince Spain that the time was right and that it was in Spain’s best interest to enter the war and with French assistance recover her lost territories. Spain entered into an alliance with France with the expectation that the two allies could wrest Gibraltar, the Floridas, and some other lesser territories from British rule. It would also relieve the pressure of British naval ships and privateers on the Spanish treasure fleet from the Americas, the main source of Spain's wealth.
Spain officially entered the war against Britain on June 16, 1779. While not formally committed to the Americans, Spain's entry in the war provided additional military action against Britain, creating a greater requirement for Britain's resources away from North America. All of which relieved the pressure on the Revolutionary government and it's military forces; giving the new United States a stronger position in the war and in foreign affairs.
While no Americans were involved in the negotiations before Spain's entry into the war, John Jay was sent to Spain in the autumn of 1779 to attempt an alliance similar to the one between France and Spain. Unfortunately, he was unable to affect any agreement to a direct alliance or assistance to the American cause. He later joined Franklin and other American diplomats in France to forge the treaty of peace with Britain.
References: Arthur Meier Schlesinger's"The Almanac of American History"; Christopher Ward's "The War of the Revolution"; Samuel Eliot Morison's "John Paul Jones"; Don Higginbotham's "War of American Independence".
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