Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1860-11-14

plete. the best armed, best clothed for
immediate service. The Americans were
now very strong
The confidence of Sir Peter Parker in
an easy victory was unshaken. TO make
all sure, he exercised body ofmarines
and seamen in the art of entering forts
through embrasures intending first to
silence Moultrie's battery, then to land
his trained detachment, and by their aid
enter the fort. His presumption was Jus.
tilted by the judgement o Lee That gen
eral, coming down to the Island took
Moultrie aside I'd said do you think
you can maintain this post? Moultrie
answered, YES l think can. But Lee
had no faith in a spirited defence, fretted
at the too easy disposition of Moultrie
and wished up to the last moment, to re-
move him from the command.
On the 231 an unfavorable wind preven-
ted the joint attack. On the 2jth, the
squadron was increased by the arrival of
the Experiment ship of sixty guns,
which passed over he bar on the 26th.-
Letters Of encouragement came also from
Tonyn, then Governor of East Florida,
who was impatient for an attack on Geor-
gia; he would have had body of Indians
raised on the bank of South Carolina and
a body of royaIists to terrify and distract
so that the assault at Charleston would
have struck an astonishing terror and
alright lie reported South Carolina to
be in mutinous state that delighted him (;
the battery on Sullivan's Island would
not discharge two rounds This opinion
was spread through the fleet, and became
ha h.ai af .Nf 4 IL
or without Clinton's aid the Commodore
was persuaded that with his trained sea-
men and marines, he could take and keep
possession OF the fort till Clinton should
send as many troops as he might think
proper, and who might enter the fort in
the same way.
Capt. Lamperer, walking with Moultrie
on the platform, and looking at the Brit.
ish sbips-of-war, all of which had already
come over the bar, addressed him -
"Well, Colonel, what do you think of it
now?"
"We shall beat them," said Moultrie
''The men-of-war," rejoined the cap.
tain, "will knock your fort down in half
an hour" -.
"Then, said Moultrie, Eve will lie be.
hind the ruins and prevent their men
from landing"
On the morning of the twenty-eighth n
gentle sea breeze prognostigated the az.
tack. Lee from Charleston, for the tenth or
eleventh time, charged Moultrie TO finish
the bridge for his retreat, promised him
re-cnforcements, which was never sent,
ana still meditated removing him from
his command while Moultrie whose fac
ulties under the outward show oc imper-
turable and even indolent calm, were res.
trained to their utmost tension, rode to
visit his advanced guard on :he east. --
Here .he commander William Thomson,
of Orangeburgh, of Irish decent, native
of Pennsylvania, but from childhood q
citizen of South Carolina, man of rare
worth in private life, brave and intel.i-
gent as an officer, had, at the exit eme
point, posted fifty OF the militia behind
sand hills and myrtle bushes. A few hun
dred yards in the rear he guarded breast
works that had been thrown up, with
three hundred riflemen of his own regi,
ment from Orangeburgh and its neighbor-
hood, with two hundred of Clark's North
Carolina regiment, two hundred mora of
the men of South Carolina under Horny
and the raccoon company ofriflemen. On
his left he was protected by morass on
his right by one eighteen pounder and
one brass six FOUNDER, which oyelooked
the spot where Clinton would wish TO
land.
Seeing the enemy's boats already in mo.
ton on the beach of Long Island and the
men-of,war loosng their topsails, Moul-
trie hurried back to his fort at full speed.
He ordered the long roll to beat, and off
GERS ard men to their posts. His whole
number, including himself and officers,
were four hundred and thirty.fve, of
whom twenty-five we're of the fourth reg
iment of artillery, the rest of his own reg
iment; men who were bound to each 9th,
er, to their officers, and to him, by per-
sonal affection and confidence. Next to
him in command was Isaac Motto; the
Major Of his regiment was the fearless and
faultless Francis Marion. The fort W as
square with bastion at each angle built
of palmetto logs, dove tailed and bolted
together, and lain in parallel rows sixteen
feet asunder; between these rows the
space was filed with sand. On the east.
err and northern sides the palmetto
wall was only seyon feet high, but it was
surmounted by thick plank, so as to be
tenable against scaling party traverse
Of sand extended from east to west The
southern and western curtains were fin
ished with their platforms, on which the
cannon was mounted. The standard
which was advanced to the south east bas-
ton, displayed a flag of blue with white
crescent on which emblazoned Liberty
The whole number Of cannon in the fort
the baStions, and the cavaliers, was but
thirty.one, OF which no more than twen>
ty-one could at the same time be brought
into use of ammunition there were but
twentyseight rounds for twentyssix can
non. At Haddrell's Point across the bay
Armstrong had about fifteen hundred
men. The first regular South Carolina
regiment, under Christopher Gadsden,
occupied Fort johnson, which stood on
the most northerly part of James Island,
about three miles from Charlestown, and
within point blank shot of the channel
Charleston was guarded by more than
two thousand men.
Half ma hour after ,,i,,a in tha n,ort,ing