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.
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