Reverses and Treason. Events of 1780.
French Allies in Rhode Island.
DURING the year 1780 military operations at the North were suspended. Early in July Admiral De Ternay arrived at Newport with a French squadron, and six thousand land-troops under Count Rochambeau. In September the commander-in-chief held a conference with Rochambeau, and the plans of future campaigns were determined.
2. In the South the patriots suffered many reverses. South Carolina was completely overrun by the enemy. On the 11th of February, Admiral Arbuthnot anchored before Charleston. Sir Henry Clinton and five thousand men were on board the fleet. The city was defended by fourteen hundred men under General Lincoln. The British effected a landing, and advanced up the right bank of Ashley River. On the 7th of April Lincoln was reinforced by seven hundred Virginians. Two days afterwards Arbuthnot succeeded in passing Fort Moultrie, and came within cannon-shot of the city.
The British take Charleston.
3. A siege was at once begun, and prosecuted with vigor. From the beginning the defense was hopeless. The fortifications were beaten down, and Lincoln, dreading an assault, agreed to capitulate. On the 12th of May, Charleston was surrendered to the British, and the garrison became prisoners of war. A few days before the surrender Tarleton surprised and dispersed a body of militia on the Santee. Afterwards three successful expeditions were sent into different sections of the State.
4. The authority of Great Britain was reestablished over South Carolina. Clinton and Arbuthnot returned to New York, and Cornwallis was left to hold the conquered territory. In this condition of affairs, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion appeared as the protectors of the State. They rallied the militia and began an audacious partisan warfare. Detachments of the British were swept off as though an enemy had fallen on them from the skies. It was here that young Andrew Jackson, then but thirteen years of age, began his career as a soldier.
Marion's Ragged Regiment.
5. Marion's company consisted of twenty men and boys, white and black, half clad and poorly armed. But the number increased, and the "Ragged Regiment" soon became a terror to the enemy. There was no telling when or where the sword of the fearless leader would fall. During the summer and autumn of 1780 he swept around Cornwallis's positions, making incessant onsets.
6. General Gates now advanced into the Carolinas. Lord Rawdon concentrated his forces at Camden. Hither came Cornwallis with reinforcements. The Americans took post at Clermont. Cornwallis and Gates each formed the design of surprising the other in the night. On the evening of the 15th of August they both moved from their camps and met midway on Sander's Creek. After a severe battle the Americans were completely defeated with a loss of more than a thousand men. Baron De Kalb was mortally wounded. The reputation of Gates was blown away like chaff, and he was superseded by General Greene.
Affairs in North Carolina.
7. A few days after the battle, Sumter's corps was overtaken and completely routed. Only Marion remained to harass the enemy. In September the British advanced into North Carolina as far as Charlotte. Colonel Ferguson, with eleven hundred regulars and tories, was sent into the country west of the Catawba to encourage the royalists. On the 7th of October, while he and his men were encamped on King's Mountain, they were attacked by a thousand riflemen led by Colonel Campbell. A desperate battle ensued; Ferguson was slain, and three hundred of his men were killed or wounded. The remaining eight hundred threw down their arms and begged for quarter. Ten of the leading tory prisoners were condemned by a court-martial and hanged.
MAP OF THE CAROLINAS
Continental Paper Money.
8. Meanwhile, the credit of the nation was sinking to the lowest ebb. Congress resorted to paper money. At first the continental bills were received at par; but the value of the notes rapidly diminished, until, by the middle of 1780, they were not worth two cents to the dollar. Business was paralyzed for the want of a currency; but Robert Morris and a few other wealthy patriots came forward with their private fortunes and saved the colonies from ruin. The mothers of America also lent a helping hand; and the patriot soldiers were supplied with food and clothing.
9. In the midst of the gloom, the country was shocked by the news that Benedict Arnold had turned traitor. After the battle of Bemis's Heights, in the fall of 1777, he had been promoted to the rank of major-general, and made commandant of Philadelphia. Here he married the daughter of a royalist, and entered upon a career of extravagance which overwhelmed him with debt. He then began a system of frauds on the commissary department of the army. Charges were preferred against him by Congress, and he was convicted by a court-martial.
Treason of Benedict Arnold.
10. Seeming to forget this disgrace, Arnold obtained command of the fortress of West Point, on the Hudson. On the last day of July, 1780, he assumed control of the arsenal and depot of stores at that place. He then entered into a secret correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, and finally offered to betray his country. It was agreed that the British fleet should ascend the Hudson, and that the garrison and fortress should be given up without a struggle.
11. On the 21st of September, Clinton sent Major John André to make arrangements for the surrender. André, who was adjutant-general of the British army, went ashore from the Vulture about midnight, and met Arnold in a thicket. Daydawn approached, and the conspirators entered the American lines. André, disguising himself, assumed the character of a spy.
Capture of Major André.
12. During the next day the business was completed. Arnold agreed to surrender West Point for ten thousand pounds and a commission as brigadier in the British army. André received papers containing a description of West Point, its defences, and the best method of attack. During that day an American battery drove the Vulture down the river, and André was obliged to cross to the other side and return by land. He passed the American outposts in safety; but at Tarrytown he was confronted by three militiamen[A] who stripped him, found his papers, and delivered him to Colonel Jameson at North Castle. Arnold, on hearing the news, escaped on board the Vulture. André was tried by a court-martial at Tappan, and condemned to death. On the 2d of October he was led to the gallows, and, under the stern code of war, was hanged.
[A] John Paulding, David Williams and Isaac van Wart. Congress afterwards rewarded them with silver medals and pensions for life.
Capture of André.
13. For several years Holland had favored the Americans; now she began negotiations for a treaty similar to that between France and the United States. Great Britain discovered the purposes of the Dutch government, and remonstrated. On the 20th of December an open declaration of war was made. Thus the Netherlands were added to the enemies of England.