1.
American Revolutionary War
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From about 1765 the American Revolution had led to increasing philosophical and political differences between Great Britain and its American colonies. The war represented a culmination of these differences in armed conflict between Patriots and the authority which they increasingly resisted. This resistance became particularly widespread in the New England Colonies, especially in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. On December 16,1773, Massachusetts members of the Patriot group Sons of Liberty destroyed a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor in an event that became known as the Boston Tea Party. Named the Coercive Acts by Parliament, these became known as the Intolerable Acts in America. The Massachusetts colonists responded with the Suffolk Resolves, establishing a government that removed control of the province from the Crown outside of Boston. Twelve colonies formed a Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance, and established committees, British attempts to seize the munitions of Massachusetts colonists in April 1775 led to the first open combat between Crown forces and Massachusetts militia, the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Militia forces proceeded to besiege the British forces in Boston, forcing them to evacuate the city in March 1776, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington to take command of the militia. Concurrent to the Boston campaign, an American attempt to invade Quebec, on July 2,1776, the Continental Congress formally voted for independence, issuing its Declaration on July 4. Sir William Howe began a British counterattack, focussing on recapturing New York City, Howe outmaneuvered and defeated Washington, leaving American confidence at a low ebb. Washington captured a Hessian force at Trenton and drove the British out of New Jersey, in 1777 the British sent a new army under John Burgoyne to move south from Canada and to isolate the New England colonies. However, instead of assisting Burgoyne, Howe took his army on a campaign against the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. Burgoyne outran his supplies, was surrounded and surrendered at Saratoga in October 1777, the British defeat in the Saratoga Campaign had drastic consequences. Giving up on the North, the British decided to salvage their former colonies in the South, British forces under Lieutenant-General Charles Cornwallis seized Georgia and South Carolina, capturing an American army at Charleston, South Carolina. British strategy depended upon an uprising of large numbers of armed Loyalists, in 1779 Spain joined the war as an ally of France under the Pacte de Famille, intending to capture Gibraltar and British colonies in the Caribbean. Britain declared war on the Dutch Republic in December 1780, in 1781, after the British and their allies had suffered two decisive defeats at Kings Mountain and Cowpens, Cornwallis retreated to Virginia, intending on evacuation. A decisive French naval victory in September deprived the British of an escape route, a joint Franco-American army led by Count Rochambeau and Washington, laid siege to the British forces at Yorktown. With no sign of relief and the situation untenable, Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781, Whigs in Britain had long opposed the pro-war Tory majority in Parliament, but the defeat at Yorktown gave the Whigs the upper hand
American Revolutionary War
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Clockwise from top left:
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis after the
Siege of Yorktown,
Battle of Trenton,
The Death of General Warren at the
Battle of Bunker Hill,
Battle of Long Island,
Battle of Guilford Court House
American Revolutionary War
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Notice of Stamp Act of 1765 in newspaper
American Revolutionary War
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This iconic 1846 lithograph by
Nathaniel Currier was entitled "The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor"; the phrase "Boston Tea Party" had not yet become standard. Contrary to Currier's depiction, few of the men dumping the tea were actually disguised as Indians.
American Revolutionary War
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The British marching to
Concord in April 1775
2.
Kershaw County, South Carolina
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Kershaw County is a county located in the U. S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 61,697, the county was created in 1791. Kershaw County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, Kershaw County was named for Joseph Kershaw, an early settler. Originally part of Camden District, Kershaw County was formed in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, Fairfield, the county seat is Camden, the oldest inland city in South Carolina. This site was settled around 1732 by English traders and farmers who moved inland from Charleston, during the American Revolutionary War, the British occupied Camden from June 1780 to May 1781. Fourteen battles took place in the area, including the Battle of Camden, Kershaw County has a rich military history, producing several notable soldiers. The county produced six men who served in the American Civil War as Confederate generals, Joseph Brevard Kershaw, James Chesnut, James Cantey, deas, John Bordenave Villepigue, and John Doby Kennedy. Confederate soldier, and hero at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Richard Rowland Kirkland was also from Kershaw County, union troops under Gen. William T. Sherman burned parts of Camden in February 1865. During World War I, two Kershaw County men were awarded the Medal of Honor in two separate actions while fighting in France in October 1918. The first was Richmond Hobson Hilton, awarded his medal for actions taking place on October 11,1918, the second was John Canty Villepigue on October 15,1918, in an action that resulted in his death months later from injuries received. Villepigue was a descendant of General John Bordenave Villepigue mentioned above, statesman and financier Bernard M. Baruch and labor leader Lane Kirkland were born in Kershaw County, as was Larry Doby, the first African-American baseball player in the American League. Former South Carolina Governor John C, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 740 square miles, of which 727 square miles is land and 14 square miles is water. The population density was 72 people per square mile, there were 22,683 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile. 1. 68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,22. 60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was out with 26. 10% under the age of 18,7. 60% from 18 to 24,28. 80% from 25 to 44,24. 50% from 45 to 64. The median age was 37 years, for every 100 females there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males, the median income for a household in the county was $38,804, and the median income for a family was $44,836
Kershaw County, South Carolina
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Kershaw County, South Carolina, original courthouse in Camden by
Robert Mills built about 1827, now home of the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center
Kershaw County, South Carolina
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Original Kershaw County Courthouse in 1978
Kershaw County, South Carolina
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Joseph Brevard Kershaw
3.
Camden, South Carolina
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Camden is a city in, and the county seat of, Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 6,838 in the 2010 census and it is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the United States Census Bureau, Camden has an area of 10.68 square miles. Camden is the oldest inland city and fourth oldest city in South Carolina and it is near the center of the Cofitachequi chiefdom that existed in the 1500s. In 1730, Camden became part of a township plan ordered by King George II, in 1758, Joseph Kershaw, from Yorkshire, England came into the township, established a store and renamed the town Pine Tree Hill. Camden became the main trade center in the colony. Kershaw suggested that the town be renamed Camden, in honor of Lord Camden, may 1780 brought the American Revolution to Charleston, South Carolina, when it fell under the Crowns control. Lord Charles Cornwallis and 2,500 of his Loyalist and British troops marched to Camden, the latter battle was a costly win for the British, and forced them to leave Camden and retreat to the coast. After the Revolution, Camdens prominence and wealth grew as a major trading town with direct ties to Charleston. Camden, although not involved directly with the Civil War, did send six generals who contributed significantly, richard Rowland Kirkland - The Angel of Maryes Heights - is interred in the Old Quaker Cemetery. At the end of the war, components of Shermans army burned Confederate, the last Federal officer killed in the Civil War died in a skirmish near Camden. Starting in the mid-1880s the Camden area became a popular destination for wealthy northern families to spend the winter. Eventually three resort hotels provided state of the art winter tourism activities well into the 1930s and beyond, the town became associated with many equestrian activities, and is now the home of the third oldest active polo field in America. In the winter, more than 1,500 thoroughbreds call the area home, according to Kershaw County’s web site, “Horse related activities became very popular. That interest in equine activities has continued and today the industry is a major part of the county economy. For that reason, the county is known as the ‘Steeplechase Capital of the World’, as of the census of 2010, there were 6,838 people residing in the city limits, in 2,967 households and 1,800 families. The population density was 692.2 people per square mile, there were 3,544 housing units at an average density of 331.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 62. 2% White,35. 1% African American,0. 20% Native American,0. 7% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander,2. 7% from other races, and 1. 1% from two or more races
Camden, South Carolina
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Original Kershaw County courthouse in Camden
Camden, South Carolina
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The Kershaw House, Georgian mansion first built, 1775-1780, by Joseph Kershaw, merchant and leading citizen of Camden became the headquarters for the occupying British army, 1780-1781. It burned in 1865, and was the object of an
archaeological dig in 1968. Then it was rebuilt from 1974-1977.
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
Geographic coordinate system
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Longitude lines are perpendicular and latitude lines are parallel to the equator.
5.
Kingdom of Great Britain
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The Kingdom of Great Britain, officially Great Britain, was a sovereign state in western Europe from 1 May 1707 to 31 December 1800. It did not include Ireland, which remained a separate realm, the unitary state was governed by a single parliament and government that was based in Westminster. Also after the accession of George I to the throne of Great Britain in 1714, the early years of the unified kingdom were marked by Jacobite risings which ended in defeat for the Stuart cause at Culloden in 1746. On 1 January 1801, the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland were merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom, the name Britain descends from the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, the land of the Britons via the Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne. The term Great Britain was first used officially in 1474, in the instrument drawing up the proposal for a marriage between Edward IV of Englands daughter Cecily and James III of Scotlands son James. The Treaty of Union and the subsequent Acts of Union state that England and Scotland were to be United into one Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain. However, both the Acts and the Treaty also refer numerous times to the United Kingdom and the longer form, other publications refer to the country as the United Kingdom after 1707 as well. The websites of the UK parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the BBC, additionally, the term United Kingdom was found in informal use during the 18th century to describe the state. The new state created in 1707 included the island of Great Britain, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, both in existence from the 9th century, were separate states until 1707. However, they had come into a union in 1603. Each of the three kingdoms maintained its own parliament and laws and this disposition changed dramatically when the Acts of Union 1707 came into force, with a single unified Crown of Great Britain and a single unified parliament. Ireland remained formally separate, with its own parliament, until the Acts of Union 1800, legislative power was vested in the Parliament of Great Britain, which replaced both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In practice it was a continuation of the English parliament, sitting at the location in Westminster. Newly created peers in the Peerage of Great Britain were given the right to sit in the Lords. Despite the end of a parliament for Scotland, it retained its own laws. As a result of Poynings Law of 1495, the Parliament of Ireland was subordinate to the Parliament of England, the Act was repealed by the Repeal of Act for Securing Dependence of Ireland Act 1782. The same year, the Irish constitution of 1782 produced a period of legislative freedom, the 18th century saw England, and after 1707 Great Britain, rise to become the worlds dominant colonial power, with France its main rival on the imperial stage
Kingdom of Great Britain
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Lord Clive meeting
Mir Jafar after the
Battle of Plassey, by
Francis Hayman (c. 1762)
Kingdom of Great Britain
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Flag
Kingdom of Great Britain
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Pitt addressing the
Commons in 1793
6.
Loyalist (American Revolution)
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The Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or Kings Men and they were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution. Prominent Loyalists repeatedly assured the British government that many thousands of loyalists would spring to arms, the British government acted in expectation of that, especially in the southern campaigns in 1780-81. In practice, the number of loyalists in military service was far lower than expected, across the new United States, Patriots watched suspected Loyalists very closely, and would not tolerate any organized Loyalist opposition. Many outspoken or militarily active loyalists were forced to flee, especially to their stronghold of New York City, when their cause was defeated, about 15% of the Loyalists fled to other parts of the British Empire, to Britain itself, or to what is now Canada. The southern colonists moved mostly to Florida, which had remained loyal to the Crown, northern Loyalists largely migrated to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. They called themselves United Empire Loyalists, most were compensated with Canadian land or British cash distributed through formal claims procedures. Exiled Loyalists received £3 million or about 37% of their losses from the British government, Loyalists who stayed in the U. S. were generally able to retain their property and become American citizens. Historians have estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of the 2.0 million whites in the colonies in 1775 were Loyalists, the American Revolution was a civil war based on who would rule in the Thirteen Colonies. Families were often divided as war forced colonists to choose sides in a conflict that remained for many years uncertain, colonists, especially recent arrivals, often felt themselves to be both American and British, subjects of the King, still owing a loyalty to the mother country. Many, like Maryland lawyer Daniel Dulaney, opposed taxation without representation, in one of his many pamphlets, Dulaney wrote, There may be a time when redress may not be obtained. Till then, I shall recommend a legal, orderly, most hoped for a peaceful reconciliation, and were forced by the Patriots who took control nearly everywhere in 1775-76 to choose sides. Likely the earliest formal meeting, and use of the term Loyalist, at the meeting, held at the suggestion of General Thomas Gage, these Loyalists formed a society called The Loyalist Associators Desiring the Unity of the Empire. They felt that rebellion against the Crown—the legitimate government—was morally wrong and they were alienated when the Patriots resorted to violence, such as burning houses and tarring and feathering. They wanted to take a road position and were angry when forced by the Patriots to declare their opposition. They had a sentimental attachment to Britain. They were procrastinators who realized that independence was bound to come someday and they were cautious and afraid that chaos and mob rule would result. Some were pessimists who lacked the confidence in the future displayed by the Patriots, others recalled the dreadful experiences of many Jacobite rebels after the failure of the last Jacobite rebellion as recently as 1745 who often lost their lands when the Hanoverian government won
Loyalist (American Revolution)
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Britannia offers solace and a promise of compensation for her exiled American-born Loyalists. (Reception of the American Loyalists by Great Britain in the Year 1783. Engraving by H. Moses after
Benjamin West.)
Loyalist (American Revolution)
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A jury finding from
Kentucky County, Virginia in July 1780, confiscating lands of two men adjudged to be British citizens.
Daniel Boone was listed as a member of the jury.
Loyalist (American Revolution)
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Johnson Hall, seat of
Sir John Johnson in the
Mohawk Valley
Loyalist (American Revolution)
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"Tory Refugees on their way to Canada" by Howard Pyle
7.
United States
–
Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
United States
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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764
United States
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Flag
United States
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The signing of the
Mayflower Compact, 1620.
United States
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The
Declaration of Independence: the
Committee of Five presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress in 1776
8.
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
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In the United States and the United Kingdom he is best remembered as one of the leading British generals in the American War of Independence. His surrender in 1781 to a combined American and French force at the Siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in North America, born into an aristocratic family and educated at Eton and Cambridge, Cornwallis joined the army in 1757, seeing action in the Seven Years War. Upon his fathers death in 1762 he became Earl Cornwallis and entered the House of Lords, from 1766 until 1805 he was Colonel of the 33rd Regiment of Foot. He next saw action in 1776 in the American War of Independence. Active in the forces of many campaigns, in 1780 he inflicted an embarrassing defeat on the American army at the Battle of Camden. He also commanded British forces in the March 1781 Pyrrhic victory at Guilford Court House, Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown in October 1781 after an extended campaign through the Southern states, marked by disagreements between him and his superior, General Sir Henry Clinton. Despite this defeat, Cornwallis retained the confidence of successive British governments, knighted in 1786, he was in that year appointed to be Governor-General and commander-in-chief in India. From 1789 to 1792 he led British and Company forces in the Third Anglo-Mysore War to defeat the Mysorean ruler Tipu Sultan, returning to Britain in 1794, Cornwallis was given the post of Master-General of the Ordnance. Following his Irish service, Cornwallis was the chief British signatory to the 1802 Treaty of Amiens and was reappointed to India in 1805 and he died in India not long after his arrival. Cornwallis was born in Grosvenor Square in London, though his familys estates were in Kent and he was the eldest son of Charles Cornwallis, 5th Baron Cornwallis. His mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend and his uncle, Frederick, was Archbishop of Canterbury. Fredericks twin brother, Edward, was an officer, colonial governor. His brother William became an Admiral in the Royal Navy and his other brother, James, eventually inherited the earldom from Cornwalliss son, Charles. The family was established at Brome Hall, near Eye, Suffolk, in the 14th century, Frederick Cornwallis, created a Baronet in 1627, fought for King Charles I, and followed King Charles II into exile. He was made Baron Cornwallis, of Eye in the County of Suffolk, in 1661, Cornwallis was educated at Eton College and Clare College, Cambridge. While at Eton, he received an injury to his eye by an accidental blow while playing hockey, from Shute Barrington and he obtained his first commission as Ensign in the 1st Foot Guards, on 8 December 1757. He then sought and gained permission to engage in studies abroad. After travelling on the continent with a Prussian officer, Captain de Roguin, upon completion of his studies in Turin in 1758, he traveled to Geneva, where he learned that British troops were to be sent to the Continent in the Seven Years War
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
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Portrait by
John Singleton Copley, circa 1795
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
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Colour print of the
Battle of Minden, c. 1785
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
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General
William Howe
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
–
Portrait of
Sir Henry Clinton by
John Smart, c. 1777
9.
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
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He had also served with British forces for years during the American Revolutionary War and in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars. He took the additional surname Hastings in 1790 in compliance with the will of his uncle, Francis Hastings. Hastings was born at Moira, County Down, the son of John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira and Elizabeth Hastings and he grew up there and in Dublin, Ireland. He joined the British Army on 7 August 1771 as an ensign in the 15th Foot and he was at Harrow School and matriculated at University College, Oxford, but dropped out. He became friends there with Banastre Tarleton, with his uncle Lord Huntington, he went on the Grand Tour. On 20 October 1773, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 5th Foot and he returned to England to join his regiment, and sailed for America on 7 May 1774. In May 1789 he acted as the Duke of Yorks second in his duel with Lieut. -Colonel Lennox on Wimbledon Common, Rawdon was posted at Boston as a Lieutenant in the 5th Regiment of Foots Grenadier company, which was then under the command of Captain Francis Marsden. He first saw action at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, serving with the grenadiers, he participated in the second assault against Breeds Hill, and the third assault against the redoubt. As his superior, a Captain George Harris, was wounded beside him, he took command of his company, John Burgoyne noted in dispatches, Lord Rawdon has this day stamped his fame for life. He also was wounded during the assault and he was promoted Captain, and given a company in the 63rd Foot. After having recognized him, it is said that it was Lieutenant Lord Rawdon killed the American general Joseph Warren, Lord Rawdon is depicted in John Trumbulls famous painting, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Rawdon is in the far background holding the British ensign, during the Boston winter quarters, Rawdon made his stage debut, delivering a prologue for Aaron Hills tragedy, Zara, which had been written by John Burgoyne. He returned with him to New York, on 4 August, he dined with General Clinton, Admiral Lord Howe, Lord Cornwallis, General Vaughan, and others. During the Battle of Long Island, he was at headquarters with Clinton, on 15 September, Rawdon led his men at Kips Bay, an amphibious landing on Manhattan island. The next day, he led his troops in support of the Light Infantry that attacked Harlem Heights until the Americans withdrew and he participated at the landings at Pells Point. The British pressed the Americans to White Plains, where on 1 November the Americans withdrew from their entrenchments, on 8 December Rawdon landed with Clinton at Rhode Island, securing the ports for the British Navy. On 13 January 1777, with Clinton, he departed for London, during a ball at Lord George Germains, he met Lafayette, who was visiting London. Returning to America in July, while Howe went to his Philadelphia campaign and he participated in the battles of the New York Highlands, where on 7 October, Fort Constitution was captured
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
–
The Most Honourable The Marquess of Hastings
KG PC
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
–
Marquess of Hastings by
Hugh Douglas Hamilton (c.1801)
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
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Francis Rawdon, Marquess of Hastings. Engraving. Fisher, Son & Co, London. 1829
Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings
–
Francis Rawdon, Marquess of Hastings by
Henry Raeburn. 1813
10.
Horatio Gates
–
Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battles of Saratoga – a matter of contemporary, Horatio Gates was christened on April 30,1728, in the Parish of St Nicholas, Deptford, Greenwich borough, in the English county of Kent. His parents were Robert and Dorothea Gates, evidence suggests that Dorothea was the granddaughter of John Hubbock, Sr. postmaster at Fulham, and the daughter of John Hubbock, Jr. listed in 1687 sources as a vintner. She had a marriage, to Thomas Reeve, whose family was well situated in the royal Customs service. Dorothea Reeve was housekeeper for the second Duke of Leeds, Peregrine Osborne, marriage into the Reeve family opened the way for Robert Gates to get into and then up through the Customs service. So too, Dorothea Gatess appointment circa 1729 to housekeeper for the third Duke of Bolton provided Horatio Gates with otherwise off-bounds opportunities for education, through Dorothea Gatess associations and energetic networking, young Horace Walpole was enlisted as Horatios godfather and namesake. In 1745, Horatio Gates obtained a commission with financial help from his parents. Gates served with the 20th Foot in Germany during the War of the Austrian Succession and he arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia under Edward Cornwallis and later was promoted to captain in the 45th Foot the following year. He was participated in engagements against the Mikmaq and Acadians. He married his wife Elizabeth at St. Pauls Church in 1754, leaving Nova Scotia, he sold his commission in 1754 and purchased a captaincy in one of the New York Independent Companies. One of his mentors in his early years was Edward Cornwallis, Gates served under Cornwallis when the latter was governor of Nova Scotia, and also developed a relationship with the lieutenant governor, Robert Monckton. During the French and Indian War, Gates served General Edward Braddock in America, in 1755 he accompanied the ill-fated Braddock Expedition in its attempt to control access to the Ohio Valley. This force included other future Revolutionary War leaders such as Thomas Gage, Charles Lee, Daniel Morgan, Gates didnt see significant combat, since he was severely injured early in the action. His experience in the years of the war was limited to commanding small companies. In 1759 he was brigade major to Brigadier General John Stanwix. Gates served under Monckton in the capture of Martinique in 1762, Monckton bestowed on him the honor of bringing news of the success to England, which brought him a promotion to major. The end of the war brought an end to Gates prospects for advancement, as the army was demobilized. In November 1755, Gates married Elizabeth Phillips and had a son, Robert, Gates military career stalled, as advancement in the British army required money or influence
Horatio Gates
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Gates in a c.1794 portrait by
Gilbert Stuart
Horatio Gates
–
General Gates as he appears at the
National Portrait Gallery in
Washington, D.C.
Horatio Gates
–
Surrender of General Burgoyne by
John Trumbull Gates is in the center, with arms outstretched
11.
Johann de Kalb
–
Kalb was born in Hüttendorf, a village near Erlangen, Bavaria, the son of Johann Leonhard Kalb and Margarethe Seitz. He learned French, English, and the skills to earn a substantial military commission in the Loewendal German Regiment of the French Army. He served with distinguished honor in the War of the Austrian Succession in Flanders and he won the Order of Military Merit in 1763, and was elevated to the nobility with the title of baron. In 1764, he resigned from the army and married Anna Elizabeth Emilie van Robais, in 1768, he traveled to America on a covert mission for de Choiseul, on behalf of France, to determine the level of discontent among colonists. During the trip, he gained a respect for the colonists, in 1777, he returned again with his protégé, the Marquis de Lafayette, and joined the Continental Army. He was at Valley Forge for most of the 1777–78 winter and he wrote letters of introduction for John Adams to the French court. De Kalb wrote, On the whole, I have annoyances to bear, one of them is the mutual jealousy of almost all the French officers, particularly against those of higher rank than the rest. These people think of nothing but their incessant intrigues and backbitings and they hate each other like the bitterest enemies, and endeavor to injure each other wherever an opportunity offers. I have given up their society, and very seldom see them, la Fayette is the sole exception, I always meet him with the same cordiality and the same pleasure. He is an excellent young man, and we are good friends, la Fayette is much liked, he is on the best of terms with Washington. De Kalb was assigned to command a division of Maryland and Delaware troops, during the British southern campaign, he was disappointed to learn that Horatio Gates had been appointed to command instead of him. Gates led the army to a defeat at Battle of Camden on August 16,1780. De Kalbs horse was shot from under him, causing him to tumble to the ground, before he could get up, he was shot three times and bayonetted repeatedly by British soldiers. His friend and aide, the Chevalier du Buysson, was seriously wounded blocking additional blows with his own body and it is reported that Cornwallis supervised as de Kalbs wounds were dressed by his own surgeons in Camden, South Carolina. He died three days later and was buried in Camden, upon visiting de Kalbs grave several years later, George Washington is reported to have said, So, there lies the brave de Kalb. The generous stranger, who came from a distant land to fight our battles, would to God he had lived to share its fruits. DeKalb was greatly revered by his contemporaries, numerous towns and counties in the U. S. are named DeKalb after him, in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Texas. Streets include the DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City, Merrick, New York, in Brooklyn, New York, the Knights of Columbus established the Baron DeKalb Council #1073 in 1906 named in his honor
Johann de Kalb
–
Jean (Johann) de (von) Kalb
Johann de Kalb
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Signature
Johann de Kalb
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An engraving showing the wounded Baron de Kalb
Johann de Kalb
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DeKalb bust in Decatur, Georgia
12.
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie
–
He was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Yorktown. He is also known as one of the leaders of the Breton Association during the French Revolution. Destined for a career from his earliest years, his impetuous temperament soon brought him to public attention. He spent a stormy, riotous and rebellious youth, in and around the French royal court, infatuated with an actress, he was thwarted in his intention of marrying her and met his rival, the count of Bourbon-Busset, in a duel. He thus fell into disgrace with the king and, ejected from the gardes, took poison, however, his friends met him there and prevented his suicide. His family then made him return to Fougères, though he did not remain there long, at the end of 1776, he embarked at Nantes to join the Americans in their fight for independence. The Morris, the ship in which he crossed the Atlantic, was attacked by 3 British ships on its arrival and it was sunk in Chesapeake Bay, but La Rouërie succeeding in getting to the shore, albeit completely naked and with only 3 surviving servants. Under the orders of George Washington, he became colonel Armand and recruited volunteers, Pulaskis Legion, initially named after its commander, was renamed the 1st Partisan Corps after Pulaskis death at the end of 1779. Made up of infantry and cavalry, this corps of foreign volunteers fluctuated between 3 and 5 companies strong. Made a general on 25 June 1778, he took part in the battles of New York, Monmouth, Short Hills, Brandywine, Whitemarsh, the Campaign in Virginia, and the Siege of Yorktown. In 1781, Colonel Armand returned to France to re-equip his troops, on 26 March 1783, he was made a Brigadier General in the American Army, though he left the American army on 25 November that year. He returned to France for good in summer 1784, covered in glory and retaining Washingtons friendship, though he is less-remembered than Lafayette in treatments of French participation in the War. As well as his military deeds, he brought back American tulip trees, the first to be imported into Europe. In 1785 La Rouërie married Louise-Caroline Guérin, marquise de Saint-Brice, shortly afterwards, his wife went mad and was treated by doctor Valentin Chevetel, with whom La Rouërie became friends, discussed politics and shared the same liberal political ideas. In the troubles leading up to the French Revolution, La Rouërie declared himself the champion of the nobility and parliament of Brittany and he was one of 12 angry deputies sent to the king in 1787, to petition for the restoration of the provinces privileges. He was freed a month later, but would give up his ideas, initially he welcomed the Revolution which came soon afterwards, but at the Estates General of 1789 he was indignant to see the Breton nobility succumbing to the pretensions of the Third Estate. Finally, having made this chivalrous protest, they signed it in the blood of the Breton nobles, 2) That the relief he promised freely, and that there is no reason to fear that restoring order would be purchased by the dismemberment of any part of the kingdom. The 4 October 1791, he wrote, You can, sir, I assure Mr. De La Rouërie worthy of trust, I urge him to continue to address this subject, that will certainly maintain our support
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie
–
Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie
–
The Marquis de la Rouerie
13.
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
–
The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central area of operations in North America in the second half of the American Revolutionary War. During the first three years of the conflict, the largest military encounters were in the north, focused on campaigns around the cities of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. After the failure of the Saratoga campaign, the British largely abandoned operations in the Middle Colonies, General Nathanael Greene, who took over as Continental Army commander after Camden, engaged in a strategy of avoidance and attrition against the British. The two forces fought a string of battles, most of which were victories for the British. In almost all cases, however, the victories strategically weakened the British army by the high cost in casualties and this was best exemplified by the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Several American victories, such as the Battle of Ramseurs Mill, the Battle of Cowpens, the culminating engagement, the Siege of Yorktown, ended with the British armys surrender. It essentially marked the end of British power in the Colonies, in most colonies British officials quickly departed as the Patriots took control. In Virginia, the governor resisted. In the Gunpowder Incident of April 20,1775, Lord Dunmore, Dunmore saw rising unrest in the colony and was trying to deprive Virginia militia of supplies needed for insurrection. Patriot militia led by Patrick Henry forced Dunmore to pay for the gunpowder, Dunmore continued to hunt for caches of military equipment and supplies in the following months, acts that were sometimes anticipated by Patriot militia, who would move supplies before his arrival. Dunmore issued a proclamation in November 1775, promising freedom to runaway slaves who fought for the British. After an incident at Kemps Landing in November where Dunmores troops killed and captured Patriot militiamen, Dunmore and his troops retreated to Royal Navy ships anchored off Norfolk, these naval forces bombarded and burned the town on January 1,1776. Patriot forces in the completed the destruction of the former Loyalist stronghold. Dunmore was driven from an island in Chesapeake Bay that summer, wright escaped captivity and reached the fleet. In the Battle of the Rice Boats in early March, the British successfully left Savannah with a number of merchant vessels containing the rice supplies. South Carolinas population was divided when the war began. The lowland communities, dominated by Charleston, were strongly Patriot in their views, by August 1775, both sides were recruiting militia companies. In September, Patriot militia seized Fort Johnson, Charlestons major defense works, Loyalists fled, either to East Florida or to the Cherokee lands
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
–
The
Battle of Cowpens
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
–
Detail of a 1770s map showing eastern Virginia and many of the places where conflict occurred in 1775. The map is oriented with North to the bottom and South to the top.
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
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Sir Henry Clinton led the British land forces in the failed attack on Charleston.
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
–
Portrait of General
Benjamin Lincoln; by
Charles Willson Peale
14.
Siege of Charleston
–
The Siege of Charleston was a major engagement fought between March 29 to May 12,1780 during the American Revolutionary War. The British, following the collapse of their strategy and their withdrawal from Philadelphia. By late 1779, two major British strategic efforts had failed, meanwhile, a strategic effort led by Sir William Howe to capture the Revolutionary capital of Philadelphia had met with initial success. The British were persuaded that there was a strong Loyalist sentiment in the south, largely due to the extensive business and it was expected that these Loyalists would rise against the American Patriots in large numbers. The opening British move was the Capture of Savannah, Georgia in December 1778, Sir Henry Clinton evacuated Newport, Rhode Island on October 25,1779, and left the substantial garrison of New York City under the command of Wilhelm von Knyphausen. In December, he sailed southward with 8,500 troops to join Colonel Mark Prevost at Savannah, the joint British naval-army forces were led overall by Sir Henry Clinton, with his subordinate, Lord Cornwallis as his second-in-command. The British regular troops were led by Brigadier General Alexander Leslie, the ground and naval forces were composed thus, The Franco-American garrison of Charleston was overall led by Benjamin Lincoln. The Continental Army troops were led by Brigadier General William Moultrie The ground and naval forces were composed thus. Cutting the city off from relief, he began a siege of the city on April 1, the following day, the British begun to dig their siege works, approximately 800 yards from the American lines. During these first few days, the British troops were under an artillery fire from the Americans. By April 6, the British fleet had moved into the harbour, Benjamin Lincoln held a council of war, and was advised by de Laumoy to surrender, with the American situation becoming untenable. On April 21, a parlay was made between Clinton and Lincoln, with Lincoln offering to surrender, should he be granted the honours of war, Clinton refused the terms, and the siege resumed with a heavy artillery exchange. On April 23, Lord Cornwallis crossed the Cooper River, assuming command of the British forces blocking an escape by land. On April 29, the British advanced down the end of a strategically important canal that fronted Charlestons defences, intending to destroy the dam. The Americans harried the British efforts with stiff resistance, however, by May 6, most of the water had drained. On the same day, Fort Moultrie surrendered, on May 8, Clinton called for Lincolns unconditional surrender, but Lincoln again attempted to negotiate for the honours of war. On May 11, the British fired red-hot shot into the city, burning several homes, on May 12, Lincoln, with over 5,000 troops, surrendered to the British. When word reached the back-country, the American troops holding Ninety-Six, following the surrender, the captured ordnance was brought to a powder magazine
Siege of Charleston
–
Detail of a 1780 map drawn by a British engineer showing the Charleston defenses
15.
Battle of Waxhaws
–
Buford refused an initial demand to surrender, but when his men were attacked by Tarletons cavalry, many threw down their arms to surrender. However, the British commanding officer Tarleton was shot at during the truce, having his horse fall, Loyalists and British troops were outraged at the breaking of the truce in this manner and proceeded to fall on the rebels. While Tarleton was trapped under his horse, men continued killing the Continental soldiers. Little quarter was given to the patriots/rebels, of the 400 or so Continentals,113 were killed with sabers,150 so badly injured they could not be moved and 53 prisoners were taken by the British and Loyalists. Tarletons quarter, thereafter became an expression for refusing to take prisoners. In some subsequent battles in the Carolinas, few of the defeated were taken alive by either side and this Battle of Waxhaws became the subject of an intensive propaganda campaign by the Continental Army to bolster recruitment and incite resentment against the British. They believed they had more supporters in the South due to the business and trading relationships, and that they might concentrate power in the South. They began the campaign in December 1778 with the capture of Savannah, in 1780, General Sir Henry Clinton brought an army south and captured Charleston, South Carolina on May 12,1780, after a siege. Colonel Abraham Buford commanded a force of about 380 Virginian Continentals, most of his men were raw recruits with little battle experience, although Buford had experienced officers under his command. Due to delays in outfitting his command, Buford had been unable to reach Charleston to participate in its defense, Buford was eventually joined by about 40 Virginia Light Dragoons who had escaped the siege or during battles outside the city, and by Richard Caswells North Carolina militia. Receiving news of the surrender, Buford was ordered by General Isaac Huger to return to Hillsborough and he turned his column around and headed north. At Camden, Buford and Caswell parted ways, with Buford heading north into the Waxhaws region, Buford was accompanied for a time by South Carolina Governor John Rutledge, who had been actively recruiting militia in the backcountry. When Buford stopped to rest his troops at Waxhaw Creek, Rutledge rode ahead toward Charlotte, General Clinton learned of Hugers and Rutledges forces, and on May 15 ordered Lord Cornwallis to bring the South Carolina and Georgia backcountry under British control. His army moving too slowly to keep up with Buford, Cornwallis on May 27 sent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton in pursuit with a force of about 270 men, Tarleton commanded the British Legion, a primarily Loyalist provincial regiment. The force he took in pursuit of Buford consisted of 170 Legion and British Army dragoons,100 mounted British Legion infantry, Tarleton reached Camden late on May 28, and set off in pursuit of Buford around midnight the next morning. Warned of Tarletons pursuit, Buford had begun moving north, and was 2 miles up the road, Tarleton sent Captain David Kinlock forward to the rebel column, carrying a white flag, to demand Bufords surrender. Upon his arrival, Buford halted his march and formed a line while the parley took place. Tarleton hugely exaggerated the size of his force in his message—claiming he had 700 men—hoping to sway Bufords decision
Battle of Waxhaws
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Sketch of the Waxhaw Massacre thought to be for a 19th century lithograph
Battle of Waxhaws
–
Lieutenant-Colonel
Banastre Tarleton by
Joshua Reynolds.
Battle of Waxhaws
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Monument and mass grave at the battle site
Battle of Waxhaws
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Waxhaw Massacre, Buford Massacre, Battle of the Waxhaw
16.
Battle of Hanging Rock
–
The Battle of Hanging Rock was a battle in the American Revolutionary War that occurred between the American Patriots and the British. It was part of a campaign by militia General Thomas Sumter to harass or destroy British outposts in the South Carolina back-country that had established after the fall of Charleston in May 1780. The British, in control of both South Carolina and Georgia, established outposts in the interior of both states to recruit Loyalists and to suppress Patriot dissent. One of these outposts was established at Hanging Rock, in present-day Lancaster County south of Heath Springs and these forces were under the overall command of Major John Carden. Robert Irwins cavalry of Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, on August 1,1780, Sumter launched an attack on the British outpost at Rocky Mount, west of Hanging Rock on the Catawba River. As part of this attack Sumter detached Major Davie on an attack on Hanging Rock. Davie attacked a house, and captured 60 horses and a number of weapons. This, however, did not prevent the British from sending troops from Hanging Rock to reinforce the garrison there, after his assault on Rocky Mount failed, Sumter decided to make an attack on the weakened Hanging Rock outpost. Sumter decided on a plan of attack of assaulting the camp in three mounted detachments, the initial assault was made early in the morning where Winns and Davies men completely routed Bryans corps. Capt. McCullochs company of the British Legion, after presenting a volley, was routed by Sumters riflemen. The Prince of Wales Regt. also came under heavy fire, part of the Prince of Wales Regt then came up, and having cleverly deployed themselves in some woods, checked the rebel assault with a surprise crossfire. In the heat of the battle, Major Carden lost his nerve and this was a major turning point for the Americans. At one point, Capt. Rousselet of the Legion infantry led a charge, lack of ammunition made it impossible for Sumter to completely knock out the British. The battled raged for 3 hours without pause, causing men to faint from the heat. At the end, the British had lost 192 soldiers, the Americans lost 12 killed and 41 wounded, the battle site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Day It Rained Militia, Hucks Defeat and the Revolution in the South Carolina Backcountry, May–July 1780. The Southern Strategy, Britains Conquest of South Carolina and Georgia, columbia, SC, University of South Carolina Press. Savas and Dameron, A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolutionary War
Battle of Hanging Rock
–
General
Thomas Sumter
Battle of Hanging Rock
–
A marker at the scene of the battle.
17.
Battle of Fishing Creek
–
The Battle of Fishing Creek, also called the Battle of Catawba Ford, was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on August 18,1780, between American and British forces including the 71st Foot. It was fought near the junction of Fishing Creek and the Catawba River in South Carolina, British and Loyalist outposts were established throughout South Carolina and Georgia. In the absence of Continental Army units in South Carolina, militia commanders like Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, Sumter had been particularly successful in the northern part of the state, making attacks on Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock in early August 1780. Cornwallis moved reinforcements to Camden from Charleston, while Sumter, in coordination with Gates movements, harassed British communication. The armies of Gates and Cornwallis met north of Camden on August 16, one day before, Sumter had twice fallen on British supply convoys, and his forces were slowed by prisoners and eighty wagons of supplies. He was moving north toward Charlotte, North Carolina when he learned of the disaster at Camden, in spite of this news, he failed to take some basic precautions when his column took a break near Fishing Creek on August 17. After his victory at Camden, Cornwallis had ordered troops, including Banastre Tarleton, Tarleton, commanding about 350, left the main army on August 17 and headed first toward Rocky Mount, where he had heard that Sumter was encamped. He arrived there late in the day only to learn that Sumter had already moved north and was encamped on the far side of the Catawba River. Crossing over the morning and moving with characteristic speed, he reached the site of Sumters camp. Picking 160 men from his company and leaving the rest to cover his rear, Tarleton continued the pursuit, while Sumter had posted guards at some distance from his camp, Tarleton was able to overwhelm them before they could raise the alarm. Forming up the cavalry, he charged into Sumters unprepared camp, Sumter, asleep under a wagon, barely got away in the ensuing panic. Tarleton freed prisoners and recaptured the wagon trains of supplies that Sumter had taken, Sumter arrived in Charlotte, alone, two days later. He eventually reformed his militia, and got a measure of revenge against Tarleton at Blackstocks Farm in November 1780, notes Sources The Battle of Fishing Creek at www. revolutionarywar101. com
Battle of Fishing Creek
–
Lieutenant-Colonel
Banastre Tarleton by Sir
Joshua Reynolds
18.
Battle of Musgrove Mill
–
The Battle of Musgrove Mill, August 19,1780, occurred near a ford of the Enoree River, near the present-day border between Spartanburg, Laurens and Union Counties in South Carolina. During the course of the battle,200 Patriot militiamen defeated a force of approximately 300 Loyalist militiamen and 200 provincial regulars. By the summer of 1780, the war raged in the backcountry of South Carolina had effectively become America’s first civil war. Few men engaged on either side had ever seen Great Britain, with their position compromised by an enemy patrol and horses unable to go on without rest, the Patriots understood that they must stand and fight despite being outnumbered better than two to one. At the top of a ridge across the leading down to Musgrove Mill. In the best tradition of guerrilla tactics, a band of twenty men under the leadership of Captain Shadrach Inman crossed the Enoree. Feigning confusion they retreated back toward the line of ambush until the Loyalists were nearly on the Patriot line, when the Loyalists spotted the Patriot line, they fired too early. The Patriots, however, held their fire until the Loyalists got within killing range of their muskets, Patriot musket fire operated “with devastating effect. ”Nonetheless, the Tory regulars were well disciplined and nearly overwhelmed the Patriot right flank with a bayonet charge. Isaac Shelby ordered his reserve of “Overmountain Men” to support him, Patriots ran from their positions “yelling, shooting, and slashing on every hand. ”The whole battle took perhaps an hour. Within that period, sixty-three Tories were killed, a number wounded. The Patriots lost only four dead and twelve wounded. Shelby’s forces covered sixty miles with Ferguson in hot pursuit before making good their escape, william Campbell and his 400 Virginia men at the Sycamore Shoals muster in advance of the October 7,1780 Battle of Kings Mountain near present-day Blacksburg, South Carolina. The Musgrove Mill battlefield is preserved at the Musgrove Mill State Historic Site, Loyalist Institute website, photographs of battle site. National Register Properties in South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, includes photographs of the park and battle site
Battle of Musgrove Mill
–
View towards the ridge line where Patriot militia defeated attacking Loyalist regulars and militia.
19.
Battle of Black Mingo
–
The Battle of Black Mingo was a skirmish during the American Revolution. It took place in September 1780 in the vicinity of Dollards Tavern near Black Mingo Creek near Hemingway, General Francis Marion attacked and scattered a contingent of Loyalist troops that had been left to secure the region by Colonel Banastre Tarleton after his destructive march through the area. The Loyalists, under Colonel John Coming Ball, were driven into the swamp after suffering significant casualties. A company of militia was placed under the command of Brigadier General Francis Marion in the wake of the Battle of Ramsours Mill, Marion then engaged in a series of guerrilla actions to harry elements of the British force and its Loyalist supporters. Following their victory at Camden the British sent out contingents to secure the countryside, the British then traveled across South Carolina, plundering and destroying Revolutionary properties. This prompted Marion to move into South Carolina, where Revolutionaries angered by the British action signed up in large numbers and he was alerted to the presence of a large number of Loyalists near Black Mingo Creek, then 15 miles away. While the reports indicated that the Loyalist numbers were larger than his own, alarm shots were heard in the Loyalist camp, and Marions company rushed to engage them. While the surprise was not complete, the Loyalists were sufficiently disorganized that the force was routed and forced to retreat into the swamp. Word of Marions success spread, and he continued to recruit well after the battle and he also learned a lesson, he reportedly never again crossed a bridge intending surprise without first laying blankets down on it. Henry Mouzon Francis Marion Moore, Horatio Newton, the life and times of Gen. Francis Marion
Battle of Black Mingo
–
South Carolina historical marker
20.
Battle of Charlotte
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The Battle of Charlotte was an American Revolutionary War battle fought in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 26,1780. The battle took place at the Mecklenburg County Court House, which is now the site of the Bank of America tower at Trade and Tryon Streets in downtown Charlotte. An advance guard of General Charles Cornwallis army rode into town, a skirmish ensued in which George Hanger, leading the British cavalry, was wounded. The small Patriot force, which had not intended more than token resistance, withdrew north toward Salisbury upon the arrival of Cornwallis and the main army. Following his successful routing of a second Continental Army at Camden in August 1780, believing British and Loyalist forces to be in control of Georgia and South Carolina, he decided to turn north and address the threat posed by the Continental Army remnants in North Carolina. In mid-September he began moving north toward Charlotte, North Carolina, Cornwallis movements were shadowed by militia companies from North and South Carolina. Davie successfully surprised a detachment of Cornwallis Loyalist forces at Wahabs Plantation on September 20, and then moved on to Charlotte, Charlotte was then a small town, with two main roads crossing at the town center, where the Mecklenburg County courthouse dominated the intersection. The southern facade of the courthouse had a series of pillars, finally, he put a company of 20 men behind a house on the southern road, where he was expecting the British advance. As his column approached Charlotte, Cornwallis would normally have sent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, however, Tarleton was ill, so Cornwallis gave the assignment to Tarletons subordinate, Major George Hanger, an impetuous young Englishman from an aristocratic family. Cornwallis ordered Hanger to cautiously enter the town and check for militia, contrary to Cornwallis orders, Hanger and his cavalry blithely galloped into town. Even after the 20 men behind the house opened fire, Hangers men continued to ride on until he was met by fire from the line of militia behind the stone wall. When the first militia line maneuvered to make way for the second, Hanger misinterpreted their movement as retreat and this brought him into a withering crossfire from the second line and the cavalry companies stationed to the east and west. Hanger went down with a wound, and his cavalry retreated in disarray back to the Legions infantry. Cornwallis, alerted by the sound of battle, rode forward to assess the situation, sarcastically calling out you have everything to lose, but nothing to gain, the earl ordered the legion forward once more. By this time the main light infantry had also begun to arrive. Hanger termed the incident a trifling insignificant skirmish, but it did clearly communicate to Cornwallis that he would have to further resistance. Hanger then also fell ill, further disabling the effectiveness of Tarletons Legion, instead of advancing on Hillsboro, Cornwallis occupied Charlotte. His position was never entirely secure, because the Patriot militia interfered with any significant attempts to communicate with the countryside
Battle of Charlotte
–
George Hanger, portrait by
Thomas Beach
Battle of Charlotte
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William R. Davie, posthumous portrait by
Charles Willson Peale
21.
Battle of Kings Mountain
–
Ferguson had arrived in North Carolina in early September 1780 to recruit troops for the Loyalist militia and protect the flank of Lord Cornwallis main force. Ferguson issued a challenge to the militias to lay down their arms or suffer the consequences. In response, the Patriot militias led by Benjamin Cleveland, James Johnston, William Campbell, John Sevier, Joseph McDowell, receiving intelligence on the oncoming attack, Ferguson decided to retreat to the safety of Lord Cornwallis army. However, the Patriots caught up with the Loyalists at Kings Mountain near the border with South Carolina, achieving a complete surprise, the Patriot militiamen attacked and surrounded the Loyalists, inflicting heavy casualties. After an hour of battle, Ferguson was fatally shot while trying to break the rebel line, although victorious, the Patriots had to retreat quickly from the area for fear of Cornwallis advance. Later they executed nine Loyalist prisoners after a short trial, the battle was a pivotal moment in the Southern campaign. The surprising victory of the American patriot militia over the Loyalists came after a string of defeats at the hands of Lord Cornwallis. With Ferguson dead and his Loyalist militia destroyed, Cornwallis was forced to abandon his plan to invade North Carolina, Major Patrick Ferguson was appointed Inspector of Militia on May 22,1780. The Battle of Musgrove Mill, August 19,1780 occurred near a ford of the Enoree River, the whole battle took perhaps an hour and within that period, sixty-three Tories were killed, an unknown number wounded, and seventy were taken prisoner. The Patriots lost only four dead and twelve wounded. Shelby’s forces covered sixty miles with Ferguson in hot pursuit before making their escape, William Campbell and his 400 Virginia men at the Sycamore Shoals muster in advance of the October 7,1780 Battle of Kings Mountain north of present day Blacksburg, South Carolina in North Carolina. On September 2, Ferguson and the militia he had already recruited marched west in pursuit of Shelby toward the Appalachian Mountain hill country on what is now the Tennessee/North Carolina border. North Carolina Patriot militia leaders Isaac Shelby and John Sevier, from the Washington District, met, the detachments of Shelby, Sevier and Campbell were met by 160 North Carolina militiamen led by Charles McDowell and his brother Joseph. Campbells cousin, Arthur Campbell, brought 200 more Virginians and their movement had been made possible by easing tensions with the Cherokee, thanks to diplomacy by Benjamin Clevelands brother-in-law, Indian agent Joseph Martin. The Overmountain Men crossed Roan Mountain the next day, and proceeded in a direction for about thirteen days in anticipation of fighting the British Loyalist forces. By September 30, they had reached Quaker Meadows, the Burke County, North Carolina home of the McDowell brothers, meanwhile, two deserters from the Patriot militia reached Patrick Ferguson and informed him of the large body of militia advancing towards him. The request did not reach Cornwallis until one day after the battle, on October 1, Ferguson reached North Carolinas Broad River, where he issued another pugnacious public letter, calling the local militia to join him lest they be pissed upon by a set of mongrels. On October 4, the Patriot militia reached Fergusons former camp at Gilbert Town, on October 6, they reached Cowpens, South Carolina, where they received word that Ferguson was east of them, heading towards Charlotte and Cornwallis
Battle of Kings Mountain
–
Engraving depicting the death of
Patrick Ferguson, from a painting by
Alonzo Chappel
Battle of Kings Mountain
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Gathering of Overmountain Men at Sycamore Shoals, a black and white reproduction of
Lloyd Branson's 1915 depiction of the Patriot militias joining up
Battle of Kings Mountain
–
Don Troiani's depiction - "Colonel Cleveland's War Prize Oct. 7, 1780"
22.
Battle of Cowpens
–
The Battle of Cowpens was a engagement between Patriot forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Sir Banastre Tarleton fought on January 17,1781. As part of the campaign in the Carolinas, a force of 1,100 British under Tarleton were sent against 2000 men under Morgan, the Patriot forces were able to perform a double envelopment of Tarletons force, at the cost of only 12 killed and 61 wounded. Tarleton was one of around 160 British troops to escape, the British had received incorrect reports that Morgans army was planning to attack the important strategic fort of Ninety Six, to the west of the Carolinas. Morgans army was deemed to represent a threat to the British left flank. Cornwallis dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to defeat Morgans command, upon learning Morgans army was not at Ninety Six, Tarleton, bolstered by British reinforcements, set off in hot pursuit of the American detachment. Morgan resolved to make a stand near the Broad River and he selected a position on two low hills in open woodland, with the expectation that the aggressive Tarleton would make a headlong assault without pausing to devise a more intricate plan. He deployed his army in three main lines, Tarletons army, after exhaustive marching, reached the field malnourished and heavily fatigued. Tarleton attacked immediately, however the American defence-in-depth absorbed the impact of the British attack, the British lines lost their cohesion as they hurried after the retreating Americans. Morgans army went on the offensive, and wholly overwhelmed Tarletons force, the battle was a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina from the British. On October 14,1780, George Washington chose Nathanael Greene to be commander of the Southern Department of the Continental forces, Greenes task was not an easy one. A victory of Patriot militia over their Loyalist counterparts at the Battle of Kings Mountain in October had bought time, when Greene took command, the southern army numbered only 2307 men, of whom just 949 were Continental regulars. On December 3, Brigadier General Daniel Morgan reported for duty to Greenes headquarters at Charlotte, at the start of the Revolution, Morgan, whose military experience dated to the French and Indian War, had served at the Siege of Boston. Later he participated in the 1775 invasion of Canada and its climactic battle and that battle, on December 31,1775, ended in defeat and Morgans capture by the British. Morgan was exchanged in January 1777 and placed by George Washington in command of a force of 500 trained riflemen. Morgan and his men played a key role in the victory at Saratoga, bitter after being passed over for promotion and plagued by severe attacks of sciatica, Morgan left the army in 1779. A year later he was promoted to Brigadier General and returned to service in the Southern Department, Greene decided that his weak army was unable to meet the British in a stand-up fight. Greene gave Morgan command of wing and instructed him to join with the militia west of the Catawba. Morgan headed west on December 21, charged with taking position between the Broad and Pacolet Rivers, and protecting the civilians in that area and he had 600 men, some 400 of which were Continentals, the rest being Virginia militia with experience as Continentals
Battle of Cowpens
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Painted by
William Ranney in 1845, this depiction of the Battle of Cowpens shows an unnamed black soldier (left) firing his pistol and saving the life of Colonel
William Washington (on white horse in center).
Battle of Cowpens
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Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan
Battle of Cowpens
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"Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton" by Sir
Joshua Reynolds.
Battle of Cowpens
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Reenactors at Cowpens Battlefield
23.
Battle of Guilford Court House
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A2, 100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis defeated Major General Nathanael Greenes 4,500 Americans. The British Army, however, lost a number of men during the battle with estimates as high as 27%. Such heavy British casualties resulted in a victory for the Americans. The battle was “the largest and most hotly contested action” in the American Revolution’s southern campaign, in fact, the British were in the process of heavy recruitment in North Carolina when this battle put an end to their recruiting drive. The battle is commemorated at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and associated Hoskins House Historic District, following the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, Lt. General Charles Cornwallis was determined to destroy Greenes army. But the loss of his infantry at Cowpens led him to burn his supplies so that his army would be nimble enough for pursuit. He chased Greene in the Race to the Dan, but Greene escaped across the flooded Dan River to safety in Virginia, Cornwallis established camp at Hillsborough, foraged for supplies and recruited North Carolina Tories. However, the state of his army and Pyles massacre deterred Loyalists from turning out. Due to the fighting, thousands of slaves had escaped from plantations in South Carolina and other southern states, in the waning months of the war, the British evacuated more than 3,000 freedmen to Nova Scotia, with others going to London and Jamaica. Northern slaves escaped to the British lines in occupied cities such as New York, on March 14,1781, while encamped in the forks of the Deep River, Cornwallis was informed that Greene was encamped at the Guilford Court House. Cornwallis decided to battle, though he had only 1,900 men at his disposal. He detached his baggage train,100 infantry and 20 cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton, before breakfast could be eaten, Cornwallis set off with his main force, arriving at Guilford at midday. The advance guard met near the Quaker New Garden Meeting House, Dragoons from Banastre Tarletons British Legion were briefly engaged by Light Horse Harry Lees Dragoons about 4 miles from the Guilford Court House. The British 23rd Regiment of Foot sent reinforcements forward and Lee withdrew, Cornwallis found the Americans in position on rising ground about one and a half miles from the court house. He was unable to gain information from his prisoners or the local residents as to the American disposition. To his front he saw a plantation with a large field straddling both sides of the road, with two more further over on the left separated by 200 yards or so of woodland, to his right beyond the fields the woodland extended for several miles. On the far side of the first field was a wood,1 mile in depth. Along the edge of woodland was a fence forming the American first line of defense
Battle of Guilford Court House
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Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene observed as the veteran 1st Maryland Regiment threw back a British attack and countered with a bayonet charge. As they reformed their line, William Washington's light dragoons raced by to rescue raw troops of the 5th Maryland Regiment who had buckled under a furious assault of British grenadiers and guards.
Battle of Guilford Court House
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Map of the Guilford Court House Battleground, based on c. 2006 National Park Service map
Battle of Guilford Court House
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Smoke fills the air at an annual re-enactment
Battle of Guilford Court House
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Letter from
George Washington to the
Comte de Rochambeau (31 March 1781), in which Washington reports he is hearing first reports from the Battle of Guilford Court House
24.
Siege of Fort Motte
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The Siege of Fort Motte was a military operation during the American Revolutionary War. A force of Patriots led by General Francis Swamp Fox Marion, the British garrisoned roughly 175 British soldiers under Lt. Daniel McPherson at the fort. Marion and Lee learned that Lord Rawdon was retreating towards Fort Motte in the aftermath of the Battle of Hobkirks Hill, the Americans forces invested the place on May 8 and wanted to capture the fort before Rawdon arrived. Two days later, Marion called for the British to surrender, the next day, Colonel Lee informed Mrs. Motte that he intended to burn the mansion down to force the British out. On May 12,1781, the American forces had entrenched themselves close enough to the mansion they were able to hit the roof with flaming arrows, Mrs Motte, a patriot, accepted Lees plan, and offered her own arrows for it. The mansion was set on fire, marions artillery fire added to the desperation of the British and, by one oclock that afternoon, Lt. McPherson surrendered the garrison to the Patriots. Great Britains southern strategy for winning the American Revolutionary War appeared in some ways to be going well after the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in March 1781, Greene, while he had lost the battlefield, still had his army intact. He first ordered Colonel Henry Light Horse Harry Lee to continue shadowing Cornwallis so that his movement was screened. Once he was on his way into South Carolina, he ordered Lee to abandon Cornwallis, Lee and Marion met on April 14, and first targeted Fort Watson, a small stockaded fort on the east side of the Santee River, which fell after a short siege. They chased after John Watson, the forts commander, who had led a force away from it in search of Marion. Lee and Marion then targeted Fort Motte, a key British supply depot, the British had taken over Mount Joseph Plantation, owned by Miles Brewton and then occupied by his sister, the widowed Rebecca Brewton Motte and her children, who had left the city of Charleston. The British fortified the area around the mansion, building palisades, ramparts, trenches and they garrisoned a force of roughly 175, made up of British soldiers, Hessians, and Provincials under Capt. Lt. Donald McPherson at the fort. Arriving May 8, Lee and Marion immediately surrounded the fort, on the approach of the Americans, the British had evicted the widowed Rebecca Motte from the main house, and she had taken up residence outside the fort at the overseers house. As the forces of Watson and Rawdon were still active and might come to relieve the siege, Marion, at Fort Watson they had constructed a tower from which the attackers could fire into the fort, but this idea was not workable under the conditions at Fort Motte. The idea was put forward to set fire to the buildings within the defenses. Mrs. Motte, apparently sympathetic to the Patriot cause, provided the arrows that were used to ignite the roof of the house on May 12. When the defenders tried to go onto the roof to extinguish the flames, the garrison surrendered shortly after, and the Americans moved quickly to put out the fires before the whole house was engulfed. The captured garrison was released on parole to return to Charleston, before they left, Mrs. Motte and the American and British officers shared a meal
Siege of Fort Motte
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Mrs. Motte Directing Generals Marion and Lee to Burn Her Mansion, by John Blake White
25.
Siege of Ninety-Six
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The Siege of Ninety Six was a siege in western South Carolina late in the American Revolutionary War. From May 22 to June 18,1781, Continental Army Major General Nathanael Greene led 1,000 troops in a siege against the 550 Loyalists in the village of Ninety Six. The 28-day siege centered on a fortification known as Star Fort. Despite having more troops, Greene was unsuccessful in taking the town, the area is now protected as Ninety Six National Historic Site and was designated a National Historic Landmark. The surviving Loyalists were later relocated by the Crown and granted land in Nova Scotia, Cornwallis had suffered significant casualties and subsequently moved his army to Wilmington, North Carolina. Greene, whose army was largely intact after that battle, took advantage of Cornwallis move to march into South Carolina. The British outpost at Ninety Six was garrisoned by 550 experienced Loyalists, such as De Lanceys Brigade, occupied by the British since 1780, the defenses consisted of a palisade surrounded by a deep ditch and abatis. Cruger had three field pieces. Greene and about 1,000 men arrived outside Ninety Six on May 22 and they immediately began siege operations, targeting the Star Fort, under their chief engineer, Col. Thaddeus Kosciuszko of Poland. Cruger did what he could to interfere with the siege works, in one notable incident, his forces drove the workers away and captured some of their digging tools. By June 3 Greenes men had dug a trench within 30 yards of the Star Fort. They used a similar to one used by Gen. Marion to capture Fort Watson, whereby they constructed a wooden Maham Tower, about 30 feet tall. Under this elevated cover, American sharpshooters would have a firing line into the fort. At first, the snipers in the tower were able to pick off a number of Crugers artillerymen. Cruger quickly countered by using sandbags to raise the height of his parapet and he also tried to set the tower on fire with heated shot, but was unable to get the balls hot enough. The attackers fired flaming arrows into the fort, in order to set anything flammable within the fort on fire, Cruger had work crews remove the roofs from the buildings in the fort to prevent them from burning. On June 7 Lord Rawdon left Charleston with 2,000 British forces to relieve the siege, the next day, Pickens and Lee arrived, having successfully captured Augusta on June 6. Greene did not learn of Rawdons move until June 11, with the situation becoming critical, Greene decided to try an assault on the fort
Siege of Ninety-Six
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Lord Rawdon - lifted the Siege so the Loyalists could escape
Siege of Ninety-Six
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Nathanael Greene
26.
Battle of Eutaw Springs
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The Battle of Eutaw Springs was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, and was the last major engagement of the war in the Carolinas. In early 1781 Major General Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army began a campaign to end British control over the South Carolina backcountry and his first major objective was the capture of the British controlled village of Ninety Six. On May 22,1781, Greene laid siege to the fortified village, after nearly a month Greene became aware that reinforcements under Lord Rawdon were approaching from Charleston. Forces under Greenes command assaulted Ninety Six on June 18, but were repelled, to avoid facing the force commanded by Rawdon, Greene retreated toward Charlotte, North Carolina. Rawdon pursued Greene for several days, but was compelled to abandon the pursuit because his men were exhausted by days of forced marching and he lacked sufficient supplies to continue. Despite the fact Ninety Six was the remaining inland British outpost after the fall of Augusta, Georgia, Rawdon decided to burn and abandon it. In poor health, Rawdon sailed for England in late August, after Rawdons departure, Greene turned his army around and headed toward Charleston. On August 22, his force prepared to face the remaining British forces garrisoned in Charleston, Colonel Stewart led a force of 2,000 men from Charlestons British garrison in search of Greenes army. The force camped at Eutaw Springs, about 2 miles east of present-day Eutawville, at 4,00 AM on 8 September 1781, Greenes army began marching from Burdalls Plantation in the direction of Eutaw Springs, which was 7 miles distant. In the van were Lieutenant Colonel Henry Lees Legion plus 73 infantry and 72 cavalry of South Carolina State troops under Lieutenant Colonel John Henderson and Captain Wade Hampton, Continental Army troops formed the center and rear of Greenes column. These were led by three green North Carolina battalions under Brigadier General Jethro Sumner, Major John Armstrong led a mounted contingent while Lieutenant Colonel John Baptista Ashe and Major Reading Blount directed the foot soldiers. Ashe and Blount served with the 1st North Carolina Regiment, while Armstrong belonged to the 4th North Carolina Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel William Washingtons mounted men and Captain Robert Kirkwoods Delaware infantry companies formed the tail of the column. Greenes force had two 3-pound grasshopper guns under Captain-Lieutenant William Gaines and two 6-pound cannons directed by Captain William Brown, all told, Greene had 1,256 Continental infantry and 300 cavalry, the horsemen mostly divided between Lee and Washington. Lees cavalry were led by Major Joseph Egleston and his infantry by Captain Rudolph, Greenes army numbered 2,400 men of whom 200 were left behind to guard the baggage train. Stewart had between 1,800 and 2,000 troops on hand and his British regulars were the 3rd Foot, 63rd Foot, 64th Foot, and John Marjoribanks 300-man flank battalion. The last-named unit was made up of the flank companies of the 3rd, 19th. The regulars were supported by two American loyalist contingents and these units were John Harris Crugers regular battalion of DeLanceys Brigade and John Coffins South Carolina Tories, which consisted of about 150 regular infantry and 50 militia cavalry. Stewarts artillery consisted of two 6-pound, one 4-pound, and one 3-pound cannons plus a swivel gun
Battle of Eutaw Springs
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Site of the battle in April, 2015
United States
Lord Rawdon
