The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-07-18
From Banerctfs History Of the United States,
. Voiunc VII.
THE BATTLE OF FORT. MouLTRIE,
1778.

~es OF flowers, and the peace Of Charles.
ton WAS still uudis,uried. except bv gath
,ering rutnors, that the E,giisl, fleet and
transports destined tor its attack had AZ.
rived in Cape Fear River. All the me
'chaiiics tsrd laburers about town were
employed III extending and s,reng ;hening
ats fr,'fcatiohs, and number Of neyrus,
brought down from The country, were put
upon the works. The bloom OF The mag
noIia WAS turning yellow in the hot sky
OF early summer, when, on the first dav
of June, expresses from Cir,st Church
Parish brought news to the Pr.siden, ,ha,
. n feet OF forty or fifty sail lay anchored
about twenty miles 10 the north OF Char.
leston bar.
H,ppiv the colony had already or
gan,zed AN efficient government, aud in
vested RutIedge. its chief executive off
Ger. ~'lh large powers. He ordered the
~lsrm to he fired abd while the citizens
were looking out for horses, carriages, or
boats to remove their wives and children,
he Fastened Gown the militia from the
country by express. and. in company
with Armstrong, visited all the for,Ificx
tiohs. BAr,caJes were thrown up across
a, the p"ruts most likely to be selected
for landiug; lead. CLEANED from the
weighs Of windows Of churches aud
dwelling houses, WAS cast into muske,
bal s, and respectable force in men WAS
concentrated sat the capital.
The ewes Of the whole country we're
turned upon the people Of South Carroll
IN. Their invaders, at moment when
instant action was essential to their sue
c-ss, were perpexed ty uncertainty Cf
counsel between Clinton and SIR Peter
Parker, the REFLECTIVE con mauds OF the
nimy aud ravnl force On the seventh
Chutou would have seat un shore proc
ismntion 10y flag Of truce his loat ms
fired upon hv All ignorant sentinel but
next d", Mumi,rie Offered An explanation
through Que al III, officers, ans! received
ahe proc anati"n III return. In this tn.
Biiish general declared the .Nstence OF
"a m"st unpio, oked and wicked rebellion
within S"ulh Caroliua,' The Succession of
grimes OF its mhshitau,s, the t,r.ny Of
!ts C,ngre's mud committees the error,
tiu. lar irc"rrrihlc, of sn 'infatured and
ni>gur,i-,l multitude. the duty Of 'p,o
r".diny 10: tEmi h against all bodies of
men IN ARMS, congre-s-s aud committees,
M open enrmI,s of the S,a'-, but, 'fom
humanity, he consented TO forewarn the
deiul-d people, and TO offer, in his Ma
j-sty's uain-, free pardon to such rs
should lay down their arms and submit
To- lhs i.~s. Having d. re this, lie con
su!Ied Cornwailis on The hest menns Of
gsInirg Ioss,ssion of Sullivan Island
and bath agreed that they could not
mu,e etiectually CO operHts with tue in
len,ied movement OF the fleet, than hy
taking Possession of Long Island, which
WAS represented TO communicate with
SulIivsn's Island ~t low water, 10y a lord,
and With the main hy h channel naviga-
bile for | o AIS OF draft. Clinton had had
four days time To sound the ford but
he took the story Of its depth on ,rus,
On the morning Of the ninth Of June,
Charles Lee. attended 10y his aides de.
camp snd Robert Howe. Of North Caro-
iins arrived st lladdreIrs Point After
examining its ioriifcations, he crossed
over To Sullivans Island. where he found
good stock OF pow ~der. fort Of which
the front and one side were finished and
twelve bundled men encamped in irs rear
in hu's and booths that were rooted with
palmetto leaves. Within the for, numtr
-ous mechanics and lsborers were lifting
and ftIing heavy palmetto !ogs for its
walls. lie had scarce glanced ut the
work. when he declared that, "he did not
like thai post Vt all {; il could not hold on,
bali An hour, aud there ~A no way to
retreat; it was but n slaughter pen,"
and .he garrison would lie sacrificed. -
On his way up to Chsrleston, Lee touch.
ed at James Island where Gsdsden had
the command.
The bal,alions raised in South Carolina
were not h yet placed upon the Cont.
nentsl establishment and although Con
gress bore the proportionate expense, the
disposition OF the force still remained un
der the exclusive direction OF the Presi-
dent of the Colony aud its officers. This
circumstance became nov Of the greatest
importance. To Armstrong no command
Sba,ss-s had been conceded {; and he
had little TO do except 10 receive the hos
pItaIiIies of Charleston but Lee was the
second officer in the American army; bis
military fame WAS at that time very great;
he had power from the ger eral Congress
to Uder, and be had ordered baitalions
from North Carolina and Virginia his
presence was a constant pledge OF the
active sympathy Of ,he continent; and.
on his arrival, he was invested with the
military command, through an order from
Rutl.dge. On that same day Clinton
began his characterization, landing four or
five hundred men on Long leland. L,
WIS therefore evident that the first attack
was to be made, not on the city, but It's
out post; yet Lee proposed to RutIsdgs
to Withdraw from Sollivan's Island and
abandon il without blow. Had be ac-
ted in concert with the invaders. he could
not have more completely promoted tbsir
de.ioa Rut Rntisdge ;aterno4,ta, t;.