Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-02-17
sionately fond of war, because it enabled hir

sionately fond of war, because it enabled him
to satiate his wicked passions. From the
moment that he arrived in Charleston, until
the hour the attack upon Fort Sullivan COM
mepced, he was as restless as Gagged hyena.
He cursed Fort Sullivan as a mere slaughter
pen, and was constantly insisting upon Gov.
ernor Rutledge to withdraw the troops from
it. Rutledge wrote to Moultrie that he would
sooner cut off his right hand than make such
an order. Lee attempted to construct a
bridge of boats, by which the troops in Fort
Sullivan might retreat; and not having a
sufficient number of boats, he attempted to
complete the bridge with barrels. This
bridge was failure. He told Moultrie that
couple of British frigates would knock his
pen about bis ears in thirty minutes. "Very
WE'LL" replied Moultrie; "we will then fight
them behind the rubbish"
Fort Sullivan was wisely regarded by Rut.
ledge as the key to Charleston. The British
Admiral also was aware of its importance.
It was located on the southwestern end of
Sullivan's Island, and derived its name from
that of the Island. ut was constructed Of
palmetto logs laid in sections, and 6lled with
sand. The merlons were sixteen feet thick,
and sufficiently high to cover the men from
the fire Of the enemy" Although the men
had been working on it night and day since
the approach of the enemy was discovered,
that portion which was nearest to Charleston
was still in an unfinished state. Lee, in fit
of rage, withdrew from the fort one-half OF
the powder and one half Of the force He
determined that Moultrie and his Carolina
troops might suffer all the losses and enjoy all
the glory of defending Fort Sullivan. The
whole number of men left to defend this i'm
portant point was only four hundred and
thirty.fve--all South Carolinians. They
we're the Second South Carolina regiment of
infantry, consisting of four hundred and thir.
teen men, and twenty-five of the Fourth South
Carolina regiment of Artillery. In this act,
General Lee showed more temper than good
sense.
It was the intention of the British COM
manders to attack Fort Sullivan simultane-
ously by water and land. Clinton was to
cross over Breach Inlet and drive Thomas from
his fortifcation, and proceed to attack Fort
Sullivan by land, whilst Parker was to attack
it by water.
From the 4th of June to the 28th, prepare.
tions were vigorously made by both parties.
The British were preparing for the attack
and the Americans for the defence. On the
morning of the 2Sth of June, 1776, the British
fleet began to take position. It consisted of
the Bristol and Experiment, each fifty gun
ships; the Active, Solebay, Acteon, Sphynx
and Syren, each of twenty eight guns; the
Friendship, of twenty-five guns; and another
oftwenty guns, together with an armed schoon-
er and the Thunder-bomb.ketch. In all,
about three hundred guns of large caliber.
The Active, Bristol, Experiment and Solebay
ran up nearest the fort; the Sphynx, Syren,
Thunder.bomb, and Friendship, arranged
themselves little in the rear of the others
and more distant from the city. All things
being ready, at half past ten in the morning,
Sir Peter Parker gave the signal to com.
mence the attack. As the several vessels had
been getting into position, the guns Of the
fort had been fred upon them, the vesselEfe-
turning. a broadside. About. eleven O'clock.
the action became general. The inhabitants
of the city were watching the battle from the
tops of houses and other elevated places. The
fire from the fort was slow, but we'll directed.
Early in the engagement, Sir Peter sent
the Syren, Acteon and Sphynx to attack the
extreme western side of the fort. This was
the part of the fort which was unfinished; and
had these vessels been able to execute their
orders, the results of the battle might have
been different. As the vessels advanced to
take position, so that they could entilade
the garrison, they became entangled in
shoal, called the Middle Ground. The Ac-
teon stuck fast, the Sphynx lost her bowsprit,
and although she got away, she was no lon
ger fit for action. The Syren, more fortu-
nate than the other two, escaped with little
damages.
During the action, which lasted more than
ten hours, the garrison only lost ten men
killed and twenty wounded. In the fort
there was morass which extinguished the
fuses of the bombs and rendered them harm
less The loss of the British was fearfully
great. The Commodore's ship-the Bristol
was twice swept of every man on its deck,
and the tradition is that Sir Peter Parker
had his silk pantaloons shot off him. The
loss in killed and wounded on the Bristol, was
one hundred and eleven OH the Experiment,
seventy-nine. The whole loss Of the British,
in killed and wounded, was two hundred and
twenty-five. Among the wounded was Cap
tain Morris, of the Bristol, who afterward
died of bis wounds; Captain Scott, of the
Experiment, lost an arm. Lord William
Campbell, late governor of South Carolina,
served as volunteer on the Bristol, and was
wounded in the beginning of the action. The
forces stationed on Long Island, under the
command of Clinton, effected nothing. Col
onel Thomas, with his rifemen, kept them
back. -.... ,a -sE
At one time, the powder in the fort was ex-
hausted, and the firing having ceased, the
British thought the garrison was about g sur
render. Governor Rutledge sentra fresh sup
ply of powder from the city, and Francis
Marion obtained another supply from the
schooner Defence. At sunset the firing began
to slacken, and ceased entirely before ten
o'clock. At eleven the shattered fleet, except
the Action, which was still stranded, withdrew
to Five Fathom Hole. Soon the next morning,
the garrison opened fire upon the Action,
which, at first, was returned. Sir Peter Park
or, seeing the condition of the Acteon, sent
word to the crew to set her on fire and leave
her. This was done, but before she blew up
a small party of Carolinians, under Captain
Jacob Milligan, boarded her, took her flag,
which the crew left, her bell, and three boat
loads of supplies. Then having fred her
guns, which were left loaded, upon the Bristol,
they left. In few minutes after the depart
ure of Captain Milligan and his party, the
Acteon blew up.
Clinton again attempted to cross Beach
Inlet, but Captain Thomas again drove him