Colonial patriots may have seen the end of the war in sight if they could just dislodge the British from the South. Count Pulaski had left General George Washington’s side to create the first calvary that was called Pulaski’s Legion and headed south to help fight the British and end the war. The battle in Stono did not go well for either side. But the Patriots were on to a new battlefield – Savannah, Georgia. General Huger’s South Carolina Regiment and Pulaski’s Legion were joined with the Continental army from Georgia with the combined patriot forces under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln. French Admiral Count Charles-Hector Theodat D’Estaing of France provided necessary naval and troop support. But nothing went as planned for the patriots.
On October 4, 1779, the French began the bombardment of Savannah, causing much damage but without breaking the British hold on the city. By October 9, Count D’Estaing and General Lincoln determined it was time for a direct assault and made plans for a dawn attack on the west side of town. It was protected by 3 British forts. These three forts were controlled by American Loyalists. The most exposed fort was Spring Hill Redoubt, which was manned by South Carolina Loyalists. The French troops attacked first and, at one point, raised the French flag over Spring Hill Redoubt. But the loyalists were able to regain the fort. The patriots arrived, and the South Carolina 2nd Regiment raised their flag on Spring Hill Redoubt, only to have their leaders shot down by the Loyalist troops. At daylight, the number of dead and dying French and the patriot forces were staggering. Despite this, Count Pulaski decided to lead a cavalry charge against the fort. The count was killed by canister fire from the fort, and the cavalry retreated. That signaled the end of the Siege of Savannah and a considerable loss to the patriot cause.
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| Siege Of Savannah |
What was Arthur’s role in this? Without Arthur’s testimony in his pension application, it would be logical to assume he was still with Captain Kirkland (South Carolina Militia). Was the militia part of the South Carolina 2nd Regiment attack? What was important enough for him to recount in his pension application was being assigned to Count Pulaski, but he can’t recall what Captain he was under. So was he one of the ones who survived the 2nd Regiment’s assault on Spring Hill Redoubt, and did he then go back with Count Pulaski for a second assault? Or was he with Count Pulaski for the entire siege? Either way, he survived when many of his fellow soldiers were killed. And he must have been discharged again, probably back at Purysburg where General Lincoln took the troops after the Siege of Savannah.
Early in 1780, he volunteered for the 5th time. He went to Charleston to join up under Captain Joseph Kirkland again. Captain Kirkland was promoted to colonel, and Benjamin May was made Captain in his place. According to Arthur’s pension application, he was sent to Orangeburgh a few days after the British attacked Charleston. The British landed 8500 troops at North Edisto Inlet on February 11, 1780. The Siege of Charleston began on March 28. It ended on May 12 when General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered all the Continental Army that was in South Carolina and all the South Carolina militias. Arthur was taken as a prisoner of war by the British. The high ranking patriot officers were traded for British officers that the patriots had been holding as prisoners of war, but the rest were imprisoned on boats in Charleston Harbor.
Arthur, like many others, was given parole, but the parole came with conditions: the parolees had to take an oath to the Crowne and be ready to serve when called upon by His Majesty’s government. Apparently, Arthur was called up to serve the Crowne, so he fled to North Carolina.
General Horatio Gates was named the head of the Continental Army’s Southern Command after General Lincoln’s surrender. While heading south from his home in Virginia, with an augmentation of troops, he passed by the place where Arthur was staying. Arthur took this opportunity to volunteer for the patriot cause for the 6th time, under Lt. Colonel Porterfield, who led the Virginia State troops and light infantry with 6 companies. When General Gates entered South Carolina, the British were waiting. The first battle was at Little Lynches Creek, with neither side actually hitting anyone with their long-range rifles. The British retreated to prepare for meeting up with Lt. General Charles Lord Cornwallis at Camden, South Carolina. On the night of August 15, 1780, Lord Cornwallis directed his troops to leave Camden intending to surprise Gen Gates troops and attacked them at their camp in Clermont. Gen. Gates had ordered his troops to leave Clermont at 10 PM on the night of August 15, 1780, to attack Cornwallis in Camden in the morning. Lt. Col. Porterfield’s troops were assigned to follow the advance cavalry on the left side. They were followed by the main body of the army, made up of two Maryland Brigades and the militias of North Carolina and Virginia.
The two armies met in the dark. The British fire disrupted the patriot cavalry with men and horses falling back on the Maryland Brigades and causing them to scatter. The patriots reassembled and continued fighting. Lt. Col. Porterfield was killed early in the fighting. In the morning, the battle became more severe. When the Virginia Militia were met with fixed bayonets from the British troops, they threw down their arms and fled. This decimated the patriot troops’ strength on the left, and part of the North Carolina militia fled with them. General Gates abandoned his troops and fled with the militias. The very weakened patriot army was no match for the British forces and was forced to retreat. Around 650-750 patriots were killed, injured, or taken as prisoners of war. The troops retreated to Salisbury and Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Arthur ends his testimony about his military service for his pension, stating that was his last “assay in the armies.” Arthur started out as a private but said that he was a sergeant for most of the war. Arthur settled in Rowan County, near Salisbury, after his time in the American Revolution. He served 7 times in the Revolutionary armies – once by draft and 6 times as a volunteer. His service time covered over 4 years. He entered military service at 17 and left when he was 22. Two years later, he married Mary Morgan, and they had eleven children. Their youngest son, Morgan, is my great-great-great-grandfather.
