the republic. They withheld, however, the power over the life of citizens; as he could punish none with death without a legal trial. Vested with such an authority, Rutledge called out the militia; but few displayed their colors. He then issued a proclamation, summoning all persons inscribed on the military rolls, or having property in the city, to muster and join the garrison; their disobedience forfeited their estates. At so rigorous an order, some made their appearance; but still the number of those who took arms was far from answering the wishes of the governor. The inhabitants of the country seemed plunged in a kind of stupor; they wished, before they took their side, to see what would be the fate of events; in brief, the garrison of so considerable a city scarcely amounted to five thousand men, inclusive of regulars, militia and seamen. The first, who were principally relied on for the defence of the place, were to the number of about two thousand. Meanwhile, the fortifications were pushed with indefatigable industry. They consisted, on the land side, in a chain of redoubts, lines and batteries, extending from one river to the other, and covered with an artillery of eighty cannon and mortars. In the front of either flank, the works were covered by swamps, originating from the opposite rivers, and tending towards the centre; through which they were connected by a canal passing from one to the other. Between these outward impediments and the works were two strong rows of abattis, the trees being buried slanting in the earth, so that their heads facing outwards, formed a kind of fraise work against the assailants; and these were further secured by a ditch double picketted. In the centre, where the natural defences were unequal to those on the flanks, the Americans had constructed a horn work of masonry, as well to remedy that defect, as to cover the principal gate. Such were the fortifications which, stretching across the neck behind the city, and from the Ashley river to Cooper's river, defended it on the part of the land. But on the two sides where it is washed by these rivers, the Americans had contented themselves with erecting numerous batteries, constructed, the better to resist shot, of earth mingled with palmetto wood. All parts of the shore, where it was possible to land, had been secured by strong palisades. To support the defences on shore, the Americans had a considerable marine force in the harbor, consisting in eight of their own frigates, with one French frigate, besides several smaller vessels, principally gallies. These were judiciously moored at a narrow pass, between Sullivan's island and the middle ground; and if they had continued in this position, they might have severely annoyed the British squadron, on its approach to Fort Moultrie, situated on Sullivan's island, so much celebrated for the obstinate and successful defence which it made against the attack of the English in 1776. But when admiral Arbuthnot advanced with his ships to Charleston bar, the American flotilla, abandoning its station, and

leaving Fort Moultrie to its own fortune, retired to Charleston; where most of the ships, with a number of merchant vessels, being fitted with chevaux-de-frize on their decks, were sunk to obstruct the channel of Cooper's river, where it flows between the left part of the town and a low sand bank called Shute's Folly. Thus, with the exception of Fort Moultrie, there remained nothing to prevent the British fleet from entering the harbor, to cooperate with the land forces. In this manner the inhabitants prepared to defend themselves valiantly against the attack of the enemy; but they still founded their hope on the succours of their neighbors of North Carolina and Virginia.

Lincoln and Rutledge exhibited a rivalship of zeal and talent in their efforts to impart fresh confidence to the besieged, and new strength to the works. They were admirably seconded by two French engineers, de Laumoy and de Cambray. The troops of the line were charged with the defence of the intrenchments, as the post of peril, and the militia had the guard of the banks of the river.

As soon as Clinton had completed all his preparations, the twentyninth of March, having left a detachment to guard his magazines at Wappoo Cut, he passed the Ashley river without opposition, twelve miles above Charleston. Immediately after his debarkation he sent a body of infantry and cavalry to occupy the great road and scour the country to within cannon-shot from the place. The army then followed and took post across the isthmus behind the city at the distance of a mile and a half. From this moment, the garrison lost all communication with the land, the enemy being masters of both sides of the Ashley, there remained no way open for succours of men and provision but across the Cooper on their left. The royalists had soon transported to their camp, through the assistance of captain Elphinstone with his boats and armed gallies, all the heavy artillery, stores, and baggage. On the night of the first of April, they broke ground within eight hundred yards of the American works; and in a week their guns were mounted in battery.

In the meantime, admiral Arbuthnot had made his dispositions for passing the bar in order to gain the entrance of Charleston harbor. The frigates, as drawing less water, passed without any difficulty; but the ships of the line could not be got over till after having been lightened of their artillery, munitions, and even their water; the whole squadron passed on the twentieth of March, Arbuthnot came to anchor at Five Fathom Hole; he had still however to surmount, before he could take an active part in the siege of Charleston, the obstacle of Fort Moultrie, occupied by colonel Pinckney with a respectable force. The English admiral profiting of a south wind and flood tide, weighed anchor on the ninth of April, and passing it under a press of sail, took his station within caunon-shot from the

city near James Island. Colonel Pinckney had opened all his artillery upon the British vessels, at the moment of their passage; but such was the rapidity of their way, that it did the little damage. The dead and wounded were less than thirty; a solitary transport was abandoned and burned.

In this state of things, the batteries ready to be opened, and the place already invested by sea and land; Clinton and Arbuthnot sent a joint suminons to general Lincoln; holding out the fatal consequences of a canuonade and storm, and stating the present as the only favorable opportunity for preserving the lives and property of the inhabitants. The American answered spiritedly, that he was determined to defend himself. The English immediately commenced their fire; the place answered it briskly. But the besiegers had the advantage of a more numerous artillery, particularly in mortars, which made great ravages. The pioneers and miners, under the direction of the same Moncrieffe who had gained so much honor in the defence of Savannah, pushed forward the works with extreme rapidity. The second parallel was already completed and furnished with its batteries; every thing promised the English an approaching victory; but the Americans had assembled a corps on the upper part of Cooper river, at a place called Monk's Corner. They were under the conduct of general Huger; and, from that position they could invest the besiegers on their rear, revictual Charleston, and in case of extremity, enable the garrison to evacuate the place, and retreat with safety into the country.

Besides, however feeble was this corps, it might serve as an incentive and rallying point for continual accessions. North Carolina had already despatched to their camp a great quantity of arms, stores and baggage. Under these considerations, general Clinton detached fourteen hundred men, under lieutenant-colonel Webster, to strike at this body of republicans before it should become more considerable, to break in upon the remaining communications of the besieged, and to seize the principal passes of the country. Colonel Webster was accompanied by Tarleton and Ferguson, both partisans of distinguished gallantry. The Americans had established their principal cantonments on the left side of the Cooper, and being masters of Biggins Bridge, on that river, they had passed all their cavalry to the right bank. This position was strong, the bridge being accessible only by a causeway through an impracticable morass; but they were off their guard, having neglected to post videttes, and to reconnoitre the environs. Moreover, their dispositions were defective; they had placed the cavalry in front, and the infantry in rear. The English arrived unexpectedly, at three in the morning; their attack was impetuous, it routed the Americans in a few instants; all perished save those who sought safety by flight. General Huger, and the colonels Washington and Jamieson, threw themselves into

the morass, and were fortunate enough to escape by favor of the darkness. Four hundred horses, a prize of high value, fell into the hands of the victors, with many carriages loaded with arms, clothing and stores. The royalists took possession of the bridge, and, soon after, secured another passage lower down, and overrun the country on the left side of the river, particularly the district of St. Thomas. In this manner the besieged were deprived also of the Cooper river, and Charleston found itself completely enclosed. The garrison was not judged sufficiently strong to warrant any opposition to this enterprise. The Americans attempted only to fortify a point on the left bank, called Point Lamprey; but Webster's corps being considerably reenforced, and lord Cornwallis having taken the command on that side of the river, they found themselves constrained to abandon this last post. The British foraged without obstacle, prevented the assembling of the militia, and cut off every species of succour. A few days after, Tarleton having advanced with incredible celerity upon the banks of the Santee river, attacked and routed another body of republican cavalry, commanded by colonel Buford; arms, horses, munitions, every thing fell into the power of the victor. Adverse fortune continued to pursue the republicans. Admiral Arbuthnot landed on Sullivan's Island a body of seamen and marines, men of approved hardihood. He began to enclose Fort Moultrie; having procured a full knowledge of the state of the garrison and defences of the place, he prepared to storm it on the part of the west and northwest, where the works were the weakest. The garrison, sensible of the impossibility of relief, the English being masters of the sea, and seeing the means of attack incomparably superior to those of resistance, surrendered, the seventh of May. Thus Fort Moultrie, which four years before had repulsed all the forces of admiral Hyde Parker, fell without firing a shot into the power of the royalists.

In the meantime, the besiegers had completed their third parallel, which they carried close to the cana! we have already described; and by a sap pushed to the dam which supplied it with water on the right, they had drained it in several parts to the bottom. They hastened to arm this parallel with its batteries, and to complete the traverses and other mines of communication. The place being thus environed, and the bombardment about to commence, Clinton summoned Lincoln anew. A negotiation was opened, but the American commander required not only that the citizens and militia should be free with respect to their persons, but that they should also be permitted to sell their property, and retire with the proceeds wherever they might see fit; the English general refused to grant these conditions. He insisted that the whole garrison should surrender at discretion; and, as to property, he would agree to nothing further than that it should not be given up to pillage. The conferences were

broken off, and hostilities recommenced. The fortifications were battered with violence by the heavy artillery; bombs and carcasses overwhelmed the town, and lighted frequent conflagrations; the Hessian marksmen felled all that showed themselves at the embrasures, or on the ramparts. Neither shelter nor retreat remained to the besieged; every thing indicated that the moment of surrender must soon arrive. The fire of the place was already become languid; its artillery was in part dismounted, and its best cannoniers either killed or out of service; and the English had pushed on their works till they issued in the ditch of the place. The city was menaced with an assault; discord began to break out within; the timid and those attached to the royal party murmured aloud; they conjured Lincoln not to expose to inevitable destruction, so rich, so important a city. They represented that the stock of provision was nearly exhausted; that the engineers considered it impossible to sustain a storm; in a word, that there was not the least way of safety left open.

In so terrible an extremity, Lincoln divested himself of his natural inflexibility; and, on the twelfth of May, the capitulation was signed. The garrison were allowed some of the honors of war; but they were not to uncase their colors, nor their drums to beat a British march. The continental troops and seamen were to keep their baggage, and to remain prisoners of war until they were exchanged. The militia were to be permitted to return to their respective homes, as prisoners on parole; and while they adhered to their parole, were not to be molested by the British troops in person or property. The citizens of all sorts to be considered as prisoners on parole, and to hold their property on the same terms with the militia. The officers of the army and navy, to retain their servants, swords, pistols, and their baggage unsearched. As to general Lincoln, he was to have liberty to send a ship to Philadelphia with his despatches.

Thus, after a siege of forty days, the capital of South Carolina fell into the hands of the royalists. Seven general officers, ten continental regiments, much thinned, it is true, and three battalions of artillery, prisoners of the English, gave signal importance to their victory; the whole number of men in arms who were taken, was estimated at six thousand. Four hundred pieces of artillery, of every sort, were the prey of the victors, with no small quantity of powder, balls and bombs; three stout American frigates, one French, and a polacre of the same nation, augmented the value of the conquest. The loss of men was not great on either side, and was not very unequally shared.

The Carolinians complained greatly of their not being properly assisted by their neighbors, particularly the Virginians, in this long and arduous struggle. The conduct of general Lincoln was unanimously blamed, though very differently judged. Some reproached