INEFFECTUAL ATTEMPT OF THE AMERICANS TO REDUCE SAVANNAH.
It was at the beginning of September that the French fleet arrived off the mouth of the Savannah River. Its appearance was so sudden that an English fifty-gun ship, a small frigate, and two store-ships were surprised, and, after some severe fighting, captured. As soon as d’Estaing arrived, Lincoln directed his march from South Carolina to Savannah. Before his arrival d’Estaing landed about 3000 men at Beaulieu, and marching straight to Savannah, summoned General Prevost to surrender the town to the arms of France. Prevost, who had called in all his detachments and garrisons in Georgia, and had put the town in the best possible state of defence, declined answering a general summons, and requested a suspension of arms for twenty-four hours. Imagining that this period was required to draw up terms of capitulation, d’Estaing granted these terms, fully calculating that, at the expiration of the time, Savannah would be taken without the waste of a single shot. Prevost’s motive, however, for requiring so many hours before he gave his answer to the summons was, to give Colonel Maitland time to reach the city to aid in its defence. Maitland arrived, after a laborious march, and threw himself into Savannah with his eight hundred veterans, and then Prevost informed d’Estaing that the place would be defended to the last extremity. General Lincoln joined the French on the 16th, and after spending a few days in quarrelling with d’Estaing for not waiting for him, and for not summoning the place in the name of congress, instead of the French king, having made up the quarrel they commenced the siege. Their batteries were ready to open on the 14th of October, and, in the meantime, the beseiged had not been idle. The defences had been daily improved, and two successful sorties were made, in which many of the allies were killed and wounded. The batteries were at length opened: fifty-three large cannon and fourteen mortars kept up an incessant fire upon the town. By this time the besieging army, reinforced by the militia of South Carolina, under Governor Rutledge, amounted to nearly 10,000 men, while General Prevost’s whole force did not exceed a fourth part of that number. The batteries played upon the town for five days, during which time no visible impression was made upon the works, and but little injury was done to the houses. In the midst of this firing, indeed, Prevost had contrived to mount nearly one hundred guns, and all the open or weak parts of the town were strengthened with impalements, traverses, abattis, and redoubts, the last being constructed of green spongy wood and trunks of trees, with the interstices filled up with mud and sand. Perceiving that he made no progress, d’Estaing became impatient and alarmed, for he feared that while he was taking Savannah, the British fleet in the West Indies might capture all the French islands. His officers also suggested that if the British fleet were to follow them to the Savannah River, the effect might be fatal while so many were employed in the siege; and that if they remained at the stormy season of the year upon that insecure coast, the fleet might be scattered by storms, and destroyed piecemeal by the British ships. Under these circumstances, contrary to the advice of General Lincoln, the count resolved to try the effects of an assault by storm, and on the morning of the 9th of October he made the rash attempt. Before daybreak, after a heavy cannonade and bombardment, and an unsuccessful attempt to set fire to the abattis, the French and Americans, to the number of 5000, advanced to the right of the British lines. They advanced in two columns; one being led by d’Estaing and Lincoln, and the other by Count Dillon, an Irishman in the service of France. The column under Dillon, mistaking its way, became entangled in a morass near the fortress, and exposed to its fire; and while great numbers were slain, the rest were unable to form. The other column advanced against a redoubt, but as soon as it was discovered, the allies became exposed to a continual blaze of musketry from its guns, and to a murderous cross-fire from the adjoining batteries, which mowed down whole ranks, and threw the head of the column into confusion. Other men were urged on to fill up the gaps; and the column at length got to the foot of the redoubt. Here the conflict became more dreadful than ever. For a few minutes the French and American standards were planted on the parapet, but they were soon hurled from thence. The fire of the redoubt and the batteries being aided by a well-posted armed brig flanking the right of the British lines, made the whole column stagger and reel like drunken men; and Colonel Maitland, seizing the critical moment, issued forth with a mixed corps of grenadiers and marines, and charged them at the point of the bayonet. This charge decided the contest. The French and Americans were driven far beyond the ditch, leaving behind them about nine hundred killed and wounded; while, on the part of the English, there were only fifty-five killed, wounded, and missing. D’Estaing himself was wounded, as were also several French officers of rank, and the Polish Count Pulawski here finished his career. The issue of this battle determined the siege: the allies immediately separated, the provincials retiring to their homes, and the French setting sail for the West Indies. D’Estaing had scarcely embarked when his fleet was dispersed by a storm; and while some reached their destination, the rest, with the count himself, sailed for France.