A Gallant Defense: The Siege of Charleston, 1780

by Carl P. Borick

In 1779, Sir Henry Clinton and more than eight thousand British troops left the waters of New York to try a new tack in the war against the American patriots--capturing the colonies' most important southern port. Clinton and his officers believed that the capture of Charleston, South Carolina, would change both the seat of the war and its character. The British were correct on both counts, but the effect of the charge was defeat. In this comprehensive study of the 1780 siege and surrender of Charleston, Carl P. Borick offers a full examination of the strategic and tactical elements of Clinton's operations. Suggesting that scholars traditionally have underestimated its importance, Borick contends that the siege was one of the most wide-ranging, sophisticated, and critical campaigns of the war. While striking a devastating blow to American morale, it transformed the war in South Carolina from a conventional eighteenth-century conflict into a partisan war. Borick examines the reasons for the shift in British strategy, the efforts of their army and navy to seize Charleston, and the difficulties the patriots faced as they defended the city. He analyzes the actions and decisions of key figures in the campaign including Benjamin Lincoln, William Moultrie, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Charles Cornwallis, and Banastre Tarleton. Borick also delves into the effect of the campaign on South Carolina civilians. He suggests that while British leaders had expected to find multitudes of loyalist sympathizers in the south, the conduct of British soldiers and sailors there actually served to arouse more antipathy than allegiance. Drawing on letters, journals, and other records kept by American, British, and Hessian participants, Borick relies on an impressive array of primary and secondary sources relating to the siege. He includes contemporaneous and modern maps that depict the British approach to the city and the complicated military operations that led to the patriots’ greatest defeat of the American Revolution.

Genres: History, American Revolution, Nonfiction, Military History, American Revolutionary War

332 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Marguerite Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for research. There are many facts and ideas about this siege that I can use in my own writing.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid outing, sort of like a pitcher who gives you 5 and 2/3 innings with 2 or 3 ER. He tells the story in sufficient detail to get the picture but not a superb performance. The maps are small and only partly sufficient. When I compare this to the recent book I read on the siege of Wilmington, NC in the Civil War ('Last Rays of Departing Hope') it falls short of that, which sort of set the standard for siege books. Anyway I will be in Charleston in three weeks and maybe I can find a few traces of this long ago event. The geography of the area is interesting and complex and the combined land-sea operations were a real challenge for both sides. The difficulties and challenges of operating in this environment for both sides are generally well-described, albeit with odd repetition from time to time. You don't hear too much about this important campaign in American Revolution books so this remains an important and useful contribution. I also learned that the winter 1779-80 was in fact one of the worst ever in the 'US', far worse than the Valley Forge winter of 1776-77. Atlantic bays apparently froze as far south as North Carolina! The British invasion fleet of over 100 ships took 5 weeks to travel from New York to Charleston, 'normally' a 10-day sail. Life was sooo much harder back then!

[Rahobeth Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Siege of Charleston, SC. Brings insights as to why General Lincoln decided to keep his army pinned in the city when it was a much better idea to flee into the countryside. A good read overall.

[Mads Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant text about some rather unknown history.

[Matt Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good very thorough telling of a very underrated part of the war. I was lucky enough to get it while on vacation there, the battle was brought to life in my imagination.

[Betty Bolté · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Borick did an excellent job of weaving together a multitude of sources to explain the ins and outs of how the British first failed in 1776 and then succeeded in capturing Charleston, SC, in 1780 during the American Revolution. Even though I'm not a military historian, he made it easy to follow the whys and wherefores of the efforts on both sides, American and British. I had hoped he'd include more about the impact to the citizenry and how they lived day-to-day during this time, but I suspect sources are scarce if extant that would depict how the average citizen handled the situation. His language is clear and easy to read and thus understand the situation during this difficult time for South Carolina and indeed the USA.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

There seems to be little drama in this tale. Numbers and facts galore - which is a plus for some. Would like a little more narrative to balance the statistics.

[Stephen Journeay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well told story of the American Revolution in South Carolina: the fall of Charleston.