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promised reinforcements and had he not been compelled to defend the city with less than 3,000 troops, undoubtedly he would have been able to resist the British attack successfully.*

On February 11 Clinton landed about thirty miles south of Charleston,† and probably had he made an immediate advance upon the city he would have been able to reduce it

with little trouble, but remembering his repulse in 1776, he determined upon slow and sure progress. He proceeded by way of St. John and St. James islands, sending part of the fleet to blockade the harbor. He also requested a reinforcement of 3,000 men from New York, directed General Prevost to join him with 1,100 men from Savannah,‡ and neglected nothing that would contribute to ultimate success. With all his reinforcements, Clinton had an army of about 13,000 men.||

In order to cope properly with the situation, Governor Rutledge had been invested with dictatorial authority and empowered to do everything necessary to make a proper defence, with the exception of taking away the life of a citizen, save by due

* McCrady, South Carolina in the Revolution, pp. 427-429, 507-510; Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, vol. vi., p. 525.

McCrady, p. 431; Lincoln's and Laurens' letters to Washington, in Sparks, Correspondence of the Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 401-403, 413-415.

Ramsay, The Revolution, vol. ii., p. 55; Gordon, American Revolution, vol. iii., p. 353.

|| Gordon, American Revolution, vol. iii., p. 357; Johnson, Life of Greene, vol. i., p. 274.

process of law.* This power was to continue in force until ten days after the next session of the Legislature began. Rutledge exerted himself in every way to meet the emergency, but was only partially successful.

While the Americans were thus preparing to defend Charleston, Clinton was constructing forts and magazines at the proper places, being particularly careful to secure com

munication between these forts and the sea. In order to provide himself with cavalry, he dispatched Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton into the neighboring country to secure horses. Partly by threat of confiscation and partly by the use of money, Tarleton obtained a considerable number of horses on Port Royal Island, on which the dragoons were mounted.t Thus, toward the latter end of March, 1780, preparations were far enough advanced to begin the siege of Charleston, for at the time only the Ashley River separated the British army from the city. On the night of April 1, Clinton began the construction of siege works about 1,000 yards from the American fortifications, which had been constructed under the direction of a French engineer named Laumoy.

*Ramsay, vol. ii., p. 48.

See Lincoln's letter in Sparks, Correspondence of the Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 418-420. McCrady, South Carolina in the Revolution,

p. 447.

|| McCrady, p. 455; Lincoln's and Laurens' letters of April 9 in Sparks, Correspondence of the Revolution, vol. ii., pp. 433-436.

On April 7 General William Woodford arrived in the city, bringing reinforcements of 700 Continental troops,* So that the garrison amounted to 2,000 regulars and 1,000 North Carolina militia, in addition to the inhabitants of the city. Governor Rutledge had made strenuous efforts to raise the militia of the province, but had met with little success, not more than 200 repairing to the American standard.

On April 9 Admiral Arbuthnot took his fleet past Fort Moultrie and anchored just within reach of the guns at Charleston. While passing, the fort maintained a heavy fire against the fleet, which did some damage to the ships themselves beside killing and wounding 29 men.‡ After Clinton had finished his first parallel, he established batteries at distances ranging from 600 to 1,100 yards from the American works, and then jointly

with the admiral demanded that General Lincoln surrender the city. The latter replied as follows:

"Sixty

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priety of supporting it to the last extremity." The only means of communication between the city and the country were two regiments of cavalry under command of Colonel William Washington and General Isaac Huger, who were stationed at Monk's Corner. To surprise this detachment and to cut off absolutely all communication with the country, Clinton, on April 14, sent a body of troops

under Lieutenant-colonel James Webster, accompanied by Patrick Ferguson and Tarleton. The British had captured a negro and compelled him to lead the troops by a roundabout way so as to surprise the Americans. In this manner the British had approached near to the American camp before their presence became known, and it was only after great difficulty and through the aid of darkness that Huger and Washington escaped. The British captured 400 horses, of which they stood in great need, together with considerable quantities of arms, clothing, stores, etc., and 100 officers and men. † The defeat of this detachment left the city entirely beleaguered, and the

The complete text of Clinton's summons and Lincoln's answer is given in McCrady, p. 462. See also Ramsay, The Revolution, vol. ii., p. 399.

Carrington, Battles of the Revolution, p. 496; Lossing, Field-Book of the Revolution, vol. ii., p. 559. Tarleton, in his History of the Campaigns of 1780-81 in the Southern Provinces of North America, p. 16, claims to have captured 400 horses, but Stedman (American War, vol. ii., p. 183) says they captured 42 wagons, 102 wagon horses and 83 dragoon horses.