mediately determined to make an effort for its recovery; but, on his paffage thither, heard the ftill more unwelcome tidings of the attack of Grenada, of which he now refolved to attempt the relief.

On the 6th of July the two fleets came in fight; but the French, having already effected their purpose, were little inclined, notwithstanding their prefent fuperiority, to rifque a clofe engagement. A warm but indecifive action enfued between the van divifions of the two fleets, in the courfe of which the English discovered to their aftonishment the French colors flying on the fortrefs of St. George, In the refult, the English fleet bore away for St. Chriftopher's; and the French Admiral, after viewing their pofition in Baffe Terre road, recollecting the recent unsuccessful attempt on the gallant Barrington at St. Lucie, returned quietly to Grenada.

Count d'Estaing being fully informed of the critical fituation of the Southern Provinces of America, now, unexpectedly directing his courfe to Georgia, made an eafy capture of the Experiment of 50 guns with fupplies of various kinds on board for Savanhah, and three other frigates, which he fell in with on his way.

On the 9th of September he anchored off the mouth of the Savannah, to which General Prevoft had again retired, and fent a haughty fummons

to

to that officer to furrender to the arms of his Moft Chriftian Majefty; to which a spirited answer was returned. The fucceeding day, Count d'Estaing being joined by General Lincoln, a regular ficge commenced, which was fuftained with great vigor by General Prevost, affifted by the masterly exertions of Colonel Moncrieff, the Chief Engineer. At length the French Commander, being impatient at the flow progrefs made in the fiege, determined upon a general affault; and after a heavy cannonade, the allies advanced to the attack of the British lines on the morning of the 9th of October. They were every where repulfed with heroic valor. Count d'Estaing himself being wounded in the action, and the troops having sustained great lofs, the fiege was converted into a blockade, and in a few days entirely raised. A precipitate retreat was made by the Americans, and the Count retired to the Weft Indies; whence he quickly returned to France, much chagrined at the final disappointment of the vaft hopes and projects which he had originally formed.

Sir Henry Clinton, alarmed at the intelligence of the arrival of the French fleet on the coaft, and expecting an attack on New York, had fent orders to General Pigott for the evacuation of Rhode Island, of which the English had now been in poffeffion three years. But on being fully certified that the French fleet had departed for the

Weft Indies, he refumed the project which he had formed of a grand expedition against South Carolina. On the 26th of December 1779, Sir Henry Clinton failed with the greater part of the army from New York, under convoy of a fleet commanded by Admiral Arbuthnot; and after a tedious and unprofperous voyage, in which much mifchief was done, through the tempeftuousness of the weather, to the transports and victuallers, the armament arrived off Charlestown bar, which the men of war paffed with fome difficulty on the 20th of March (1780), the water rifing only nineteen feet in high spring tides. On the 1st of April the British troops broke ground at the diftance of about eleven hundred yards in front of the American lines; which, though no more than field works, the English General, willing to fpare the effufion of blood, treated with the refpectful homage of three parallels and made his advances with great circumfpection. It does not appear that any confiderable exertions were made by the Americans for the relief of this important place, though defended by General Lincoln in perfon with a fufficiently numerous garrifon; which, if the inhabitants had not fhewn an infuperable reluctance to abandon the town, might probably with more advantage have taken the field in conjunction with the expected reinforcements. The fecond parallel being completed on the 20th of April, it was

thought

thought expedient to propofe terms of capitulation, on condition of the garrison being allowed to withdraw; but this condition was rejected by the English General without hefitation. In a few days the third parallel being carried within one hundred and fifty yards of the American lines, and preparations being made for a general affault; General Lincoln, on being informed by the engineers that the lines were no longer defenfible, feeing no prospect of relief, and the flesh provisions remaining in ftore not being fufficient to furnish rations for a week, confented to deliver up the city on the terms originally propofed by Sir Henry Clinton; in confequence of which about fix thoufand men, confifting of continental troops, militia, and failors, became prifoners of war. This event took place on May 4th 1780. During the fiege Colonel Tarleton, who commanded a legion of cavalry, particularly diftinguifhed himself by the activity and fuccefs of his enterprises.

The capital having furrendered, the next object was to fecure the general fubmiffion of the inhabitants to this end, a large body of troops under Lord Cornwallis marched over the Santee, towards that frontier which borders upon the most populous parts of North Carolina. This movement caused an immediate retreat of fuch corps as had been there collected for the relief of Charlestown. One of these was unexpectedly attacked and fur

rounded

rounded by Tarleton's legion, which had marched one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours. A very feeble refiftance was made, and by far the greater part immediately threw down their arms, and begged for quarter: but a few continuing to fire, the British cavalry were ordered to charge, and a terrible slaughter was made amongst the unarmed and unrefifting Americans; and from this time Tarleton's quarter became proverbial. Soon after this Sir Henry Clinton returned to New York, leaving the command in Carolina to Lord Cornwallis.

During these transactions in America much alarm had been created in England by the junction of the fleets of France and Spain, which took place very foon after the delivery of the Spanish manifefto. In August 1779, they entered the channel to the amount of fixty-five ships of the line, accompanied by a cloud of frigates, floops, and firefhips. The English fleet, commanded by Sir Charles Hardy, who had received no inftructions to prevent this formidable junction, being utterly unable to encounter fo prodigious a force, was compelled to retire to the narrow part of the channel, whilst the flags of France and Spain menaced and infulted the English coafts without molestation or control. Plymouth was, by the unaccountable negligence of the Ministers, left so entirely deftitute of the means of defence, that the

docks