Battle of Charleston, South Carolina Thesis

Tarleton and Ferguson had received orders from Clinton on the 12th of April to capture Monck's corner. Lincoln had thought in advance and stationed General Isaac Huger at the exact spot. After a chain of incidents in which the British found out Huger's position, Monck's corner had been captured and Charleston became isolated from the rest of the world.

Lincoln offered to surrender his forces on the 21st of April provided that the British would allow his men to leave the city. Clinton refused the proposal as he knew Lincoln's exact position.

Lord Cornwallis joined the war on the 23rd of April and assumed command of the British forces. The Americans had made desperate attempts to prevent the British from destroying the dam that they had, but it all proved to be in vain, as the British continuously advanced and destroyed it on the 29th of April. Fort Moultrie had surrendered on the very same night.

On the 8th of May, wanting to put an end to the bloodshed, Clinton demanded that Lincoln would put down his weapons and surrender. Unwilling to cooperate, Lincoln again asked that Clinton would first fulfill his demands in order for him to surrender.

Ultimately, on the 12th of May, seeing that his forces had been ravaged, Lincoln accepted unconditional surrender. The Continental forces later made a deal with the British, giving several British officers in exchange for Lincoln and a few of his men. Consequent to capturing Charleston, the British army quickly established a perimeter by positioning troops in vital spots around the town. Clinton went back to New York and left Cornwallis in charge of the area, ordering him not to move further into North Carolina.Even with the amazing success that the British had had in Charleston, they lost the war in 1781, when Cornwallis's army had been surrounded at Yorktown.

Works cited:

1. Benson, Lossing J. "Our Country: A household history for all readers, from the discovery of America to the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence."

2. Borick, Carl P. "A gallant defense: the Siege of Charleston, 1780." Univ of South Carolina Press, 2003.

3. Greene, Francis Vinton. "The Revolutionary War and the Military Policy of the United States." Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911.

4. "Siege of Charleston, 1 April-12 May 1780." Retrieved May, 13, 2009, from the History of War Web site: http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_charleston.html

5. "The Battle of Charleston." Retrieved May 13, from The American Revolutionary War Web site: http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/800401.htm

Greene, Francis Vinton. "The Revolutionary War and the Military Policy of the United States." Charles Scribner's Sons, 1911.

idem

Borick, Carl P. "A gallant defense: the Siege of Charleston, 1780." Univ of South Carolina Press, 2003.

Benson, Lossing J. "Our Country: A household history for all readers, from the discovery of America to the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence."

"The Battle of Charleston." Retrieved May 13, from The American Revolutionary War Web site: http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/800401.htm

"The Battle of Charleston." Retrieved May 13, from The American Revolutionary War Web site: http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/battles/800401.htm

Borick, Carl P. "A gallant defense: the Siege of Charleston, 1780." Univ of South Carolina….....