Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-12

should be commander in chief.
Houstoun, Williamson and Bowen
determined to do as they pleased.
The army numbering about two
thousand men, lay around Fort To-
nyn for some time. Provisions were
scarce, the men were exposed, and
the country was unhealthy. Sickness
set in and the soldiers died at a fear
full rate Howe saw that 1t was, un-
der the circumstances. impossible to
advance; hence it was determined by
the officers to retreat. Pinckney, with
what remained of his regiment, re-
turned by water to Charleston. Howe
had under his command, when he
first set out on the expedition, about
eleven hundred men. Sickness and
death had reduced the numbers to
three hundred and fifty. With these
he marched to Savannah. Thus end
ed the second expedition against F1ori-
da. 1t was a complete failure. More
than half the army was lost and not
gun fired.
On whom the blame should be
placed for its failure, it is hard to
say. At the time General Howe was
severely censured by certain individ-
uals. Chief among these was Chris
topher Gadsden. In a letter written
by Gadsden, the failure of the en-
terprise was ascribed to Howe. Howe
demanded of Gadsden that he would
retract or apologize. Gadsden refus-
ed to do either but declared that his
mind had undergone no change.
Howe sent a challenge to Gadsden
which was accepted. Bernard Eli
oft acted as second to Gadsden, and
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney acted
the same part for Howe. On the 18th
of August 1878. they met near Cam
den and fought with pistols. The only
damage sustained by either party was
a scratch upon Gadsdens ear. Gadsden
did not aim at Howe at all; but fired
his pistol in a different direction. From
all the facts in the case 1t Is almost
certain that Houstoun and William
son were the cause of the failure or
this second attempted expedition
against st. Augustine.
The subsequent course Of William
son would seem to favor this conclu-
sion. Christopher Gadsden was an i'm
petuous man. A true patriot as he
was, he no doubt censured Howe with
out a cause His after course justi-
fies this conclusion. When required 10
retract or apologize he would do neith-
er; but still he would not shoot at
Howe. Not only so, but after the duel
was over and Howe was satisfied ne
and Gadsden were good friends.
So far as the actual result was con-
cerned 1t matters not who was cenaur-
able; the expedition was an absolute
and disastrous failure. Emboldened by
the failure of Howe, a party of British
regulars and loyalists made a raid IN
to Georgia. The garrison at Sunhury
was commanded by Lieutenant John
Mcintosh. The enemy advanced to-
ward the fort in two divisions; one
commanded by Colonel Fuser and the
other by Mark Provost. Fuser sent
message to Mcintosh demanding the
surrender of the fort. McIntosh's la
comic reply, was, Come and take 1t.
Fuser was nonplussed by this bold re-
ply, and concluded that it was best 10
LET the fort alone. Fuser had In his
could have taken the fort without much
difficulty, but the defiant reply OF NC
Intosh chilled the ardor of his spirit.
The division under Provost, now
strengthened by band Of Tories, COM
manded by McGrith, commenced to
skirmish with the Wings. Having
abandoned the idea Of capturing the
fort at Sunbury, they proceeded until
met by Col. Elbert, with two hundred
men. Baffled in their purposes, they
wheeled about and laid the country
waste through which they passed.
Nothing escaped them. Dwelling
houses, barns, and churches were burn
ed to ashes.
Up to this period, the war had been
carried on mainly In the northern ana
middle states. More than three years
had elapsed since the first blow had
been struck for independence. Battle
after battle had been fought, and the
rebellion was more formidable now
than ever before. 1t was now deter
mined by the British to change the
field of operations. The failure of the
Wings to invade Florida, encouraged
the British to hope that they might be
more successful in the south than they
had been in the north. Savannah, the
capital of Georgia, was regarded the
weakest point; or it may be they mad
not forgotten their defeat at Fort
Moultrie. and hence determined to
make an attack upon Savannah. Near
the end of November, 177S, Sir Henry
Clinton sent out Colonel Campbell with
more than two thousand troops, con-
sisting of the list regiment, four bat
talions Of Provincial troops; two bat
talions of Hessians, and detachment
of artillery. Sir Peter Parker accom-
panied these land forces with part
of the British fleet. Orders were sent
to General Provost to march, with all
his available force, from Florida to Sa-
vannah. When the news arrived in
Savannah of the approach of the Brit
ish from the north under Campbell
and Parker, and of the British Tories
and Indians from Florida under Pre-
vost, Howe was encamped at Sunbury.
He had only about seven hundred men
with which to meet the formidable
army of the invaders. Immediately.
he went to Savannah and made all the
preparations the limited time would
permit. On the 23rd Of December the
fleet arrived at Tybee Island On the
29th. the troops were landed three
miles below the city. Howe had less
than nine hundred men, whilst the
British numbered more than two thou
sand.
BY some means Howe was mistaken
with regard to the actual strength of
the enemy. BY some mistake he sup
posed that his own force, which num-