British warships bombarded Fort Sullivan, on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina, for hours on end, but finally had to give up and leave, worse off than when they came. This map “by an officer on the spot” shows where ships were positioned during the battle.
British General Sir Henry Clinton and Commodore Sir Peter Parker (no relation to Spiderman) led a combined army/navy attack on Fort Sullivan, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. That is, it would have been a combined attack, but Clinton was unable to get his troops onto Sullivan’s Island, and Parker was left more or less on his own. Half a dozen of his warships pummeled the fort from late morning until after dark, but to no avail. Colonel William Moultrie and his South Carolinians gave even better than they got. The walls of the fort were made of palmetto logs and earth, which absorbed most of the enemy shot; but the American cannonballs took a heavy toll on the ships. When Parker’s vessels finally limped away late that night, they had suffered over 260 casualties, as well as damaged hulls, masts, and rigging (the Americans had only about three dozen killed and wounded). The British were sorely disappointed in their plans for conquering the rebels in the South; before long, they headed north to join the British forces amassing in New York.
Nowadays, you can tell that something belongs (or belonged) to the army by the fact that it has “US” or “USA” marked on it. In June of 1776, there was no United States yet, so how did the army mark its equipment? General George Washington gave orders to address this issue on June 18th:
to prevent the embezzlement of the public tools, the Quarter-Master General shall cause all the Tools, of every kind, belonging to the United Colonies, or at any time purchased for them, to be marked, with the following brand or stamp.
What was the mark they were to use? I’ll bet you can’t guess.
After being beaten at Quebec, the Cedars, and Three Rivers, it was time for the American army to retreat out of Canada. They were outnumbered by the British and Hessian troops that had arrived by ship in recent weeks; many of them were severely ill with smallpox or other diseases; and they were low on food, partly because the Canadians were reluctant to accept the paper money issued by the Continental Congress. If the American troops stayed in Canada, the enemy would certainly beat them; if they left, they could hope to hold on to Lake Champlain, south of the Canadian border, and keep the British from forcing their way into New York.
Part of a 1777 map of Canada. Three Rivers (les Trois Rivières) is near the top right.
In a bold attempt to regain some lost ground in Canada, an American force of less than 1,500 men marched to attack the town of Three Rivers (Trois Rivières), on the northern bank of the St. Lawrence River, in the early morning of June 8, 1776. Their plan depended on surprise, but some of the locals alerted the British that they were coming, and others, acting as guides, delayed the Americans by leading them the wrong way. As they marched along the riverbank, British warships began firing at them, and they turned aside into a swamp for safety. Forcing their way through the swamp was harder and took longer than anticipated. When they finally reached the town, they were the ones surprised: they had expected to find an enemy force much weaker than their own; instead, they found that the British outnumbered them by far — and they had cannons (which the Americans did not) and were sheltered behind fortifications. Despite all that, the Americans attacked. They fought bravely, but it was a hopeless situation, and they were soon forced to retreat. They left behind many casualties — about 200 Americans had been taken prisoner, and perhaps as many had been killed or wounded — and all hope of holding on to Canada.
Captain Henry Harvey of the British Royal Navy commanded the sloopMartin, which was anchored in the river Trois Rivières. He reported to his superior
A little before three oClock in the morning, of the 8th I received intelligence by a Canadian Canoe, that a great number of Batteaus, had cross’d the river from Nicolet, and landed a great Body of the rebels, at the Point of the lake, & were on their march towards Three rivers…about 5 OClock, a large body of the rebels appear’d opposite to the Ship, at the edge of the woods, marching towards the Town; I immediately fir’d on them which oblig’d them, to take shelter in the Woods, til they had passed our line of Fire; about six oClock they attack’d the advance guard, of our Troops and appear’d to do it, with much resolution, but on receiving the fire from a line of infantry, posted to advantage, they gave way with the loss of some kill’d and wounded; they then appear’d to be forming again, but very soon went off, in hast & confusion.
Anthony Wayne, a Pennsylvania colonel, helped lead the American attack. He described the battle to Benjamin Franklin:
About 2 in the Morning we landed Nine Miles above the town, and after an Hours March day began to Appear, our Guides had mistook the road, the Enemy Discoverd and Cannonaded us from their ships. A Surprise was out of the Question. We therefore put our best face on and Continued our line of March thro’ a thick deep Swamp three Miles wide and after four Hours Arrived at a more Open piece of Ground, amidst the thickest firing of the Shipping when all of a Sudden a large Body of Regulars Marched down in good Order Immediately in front of me… I Ordered my Light Infantry together with Capt. Hay’s Company of Rifle men to Advance and amuse them whilst I was forming, they began and Continued the Attack with great Spirit until I advanced to Support when I Orderd them to wheel to the Right and left and flank the Enemy at the same time we poured in a well Aimed and heavy fire in front… They Attempted to Retreat in good Order at first but in a few Minutes broke and run in the Utmost Confusion. About this time the Other Divisions began to Immerge from the Swamp…. At this Instant we Recd. [received] a heavy fire in flank from Muskettry field pieces Howitzers &ca. &ca. which threw us into some Confusion, but was Instantly Remedied. We Advanced in Colums up to their breast Work’s which till then we had not Discovered. At this time Genl. Thompson with Cols. St. Clair Ervine and Hartly were Marching in full view to our Support, Col. Maxwell now began to Engage on the left of me, the fire was so hot he cou’d not mantain his post. The Other troops had Also fired off to the left. My Small Battalion Composed of my own and two Companis of Jersey men under Major Ray amounting in the Whole to About 200 were left exposed to the Whole fire of the Shipping in flank and full three thousand men in front with all their Artilry under the Command of Genl. Burgoine. Our people taking example by others gave way. Indeed it was Imposible for them to stand it longer.
Richard Henry Lee was the one who made the motion in the Continental Congress for independence.
Independence had been talked about more and more for several months, but June 7, 1776, was the day that forced the issue to a debate, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia made a motion in the Continental Congress:
That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
On Memorial Day, we pause — or at least, we should pause — to remember those who have given their lives for American liberty. I think this should include not only those who have been killed or wounded on the battlefield, but those who have given their lives in other ways. For example:
Alexander Graydon of Pennsylvania left his fiancee behind when he left to serve in the American army in the early days of the Revolution. He was later captured by the British.
Joseph Hodgkins of Massachusetts, a married man with children, served four years in the army, while his wife, Sarah, took on the full responsibility of running their home and farm.
John Joseph Henry of Pennsylvania was crippled by disease as a result of the hardships he suffered as a soldier and prisoner of war in Canada.
Israel R. Potter of Rhode Island escaped after being captured by the British, but was unable to return to America for decades.
All over the country, people lost their homes, businesses, family members, and livelihoods.
We may think that we know something about war and the sacrifice and sorrow that it brings; after all, the United States has had soldiers at war for years now, and there are plenty of veterans of earlier wars still alive. But the people of the Revolution knew what it was like to have a war in their own homeland — even on their own doorsteps. As we observe Memorial Day, it’s worthwhile to remember those who did not die in battle, but who still sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
Ever heard of a brig (that’s a kind of ship, also known as a brigantine) named the Washington? Probably not, but she was historic, in a small way: she was the first American warship captured by the British in the Revolutionary War, and she gave King George III a chance to look at a rebel flag.
Commanded by Captain Sion Martindale, the Washington set sail on November 23, 1775, and captured at least one ship with supplies bound for the British troops in Boston. But then the crew refused to work. One of their grievances was that they didn’t have enough clothing. What exactly they were lacking, I’m not sure, but in the late fall in the North Atlantic, proper clothing is something you can’t very well do without. At any rate, once they were supplied with the clothes they needed, “the whole Crew to a man gave three Cheers & declard their readiness to go to Sea next morning.”
They set sail again on December 3, and were run down the very next evening by the British ship Fowey, commanded by Captain George Montagu. The Fowey fired a few cannon as a warning, and the Americans gave up — which was probably a wise thing to do, since they were outgunned and outmanned. The odds against them were increased when another British ship, the Lively, showed up later that night.
“We shall certainly be attack’d the first dark night”, wrote Thomas Ainslie, a British customs official in the city of Quebec. The British had been warned by deserters that the American army was planning to attack, and they were on the alert.
Before the British navy bombarded and burned Norfolk, Virginia, a rumor went around that the town had already been destroyed. A messenger riding from Norfolk to Williamsburg reported that while he was on his way, he heard cannon firing, and Virginia Colonel Thomas Elliott wrote from Hampton that the firing was heard until 9 p.m. (on December 28). But what was it really? Celebrating the Christmas season with cannons. A newspaper in Williamsburg got the real story from a man who had just come from Norfolk: “it was only a Christmas frolick between lord Dunmore and the captains of the navy, upon visiting each other on board their ships.”
I guess if you have some cannons at your disposal, plenty of gunpowder, and nothing else to do, you might as well put them to good use for livening up the party!
“The detested town of Norfolk is no more!” wrote a British midshipman on January 9, 1776. Almost a month earlier, British troops and Loyalist Americans had been forced to evacuate the town of Norfolk, Virginia, and had taken refuge on board the ships of the Royal Navy, where they were relatively safe from the rebel forces who had occupied the town.
John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, was the royal governor of Virginia, and tried hard to stop the rebellion. He was in one of the ships that bombarded Norfolk.
But the rebels, led by Colonels Robert Howe and William Woodford, wouldn’t let the British come on shore to get water or food. Life was certainly not comfortable on board the ships, especially with all of those extra passengers. It’s easy to see why some of the British detested the town.
This standoff continued until January 1. The same British midshipman wrote:
About four o’clock in the afternoon the signal was given from the Liverpool, when a dreadful cannonading began from the three ships, which lasted till it was too hot for the rebels to stand on their wharves. Our boats now landed, and set fire to the town in several places. It burned fiercely all night, and the next day; nor are the flames yet extinguished; but no more of Norfolk remains than about twelve houses, which have escaped the flames.
Only a handful of men were wounded on either side, and only one of the British was killed. There were still people living in the town when the bombardment started, and the Americans thought that a couple of women and children might have been killed.
But even though few people were injured, a lot of people lost their homes, businesses, and belongings. “Does it not call for vengeance from God and man?” asked Colonel Woodford. It seems to me that destroying people’s homes is a very good way of getting them to hate you, and there were probably some people from Norfolk who hadn’t been very enthusiastic about the war before, but who became red-hot rebels after watching their town burn to the ground.
