In a subsequent letter to Lord George Germaine, General Pattison writes as follows:—"I will entreat your Lordship's permission to recite further proof, since the Militia were embodied, of their readiness and goodwill to aid and assist the public service—a piece of justice I owe them. About ten weeks ago the commanding Engineer applied for a daily working party from this garrison of 500 men for completing the hither line of defence, agreeable to the orders that were left with him by Sir Henry Clinton, from the North to the East River. As that number could not be given without making the duty of the troops too severe, I sent a requisition to the Associated and Militia Companies to furnish a daily quota of 300 men for the purpose of raising one of the new projected Redoubts. They most readily acquiesced, and after thirty days' labour finished the work in a very complete manner, and with as much cheerfulness as they began it—taking neither pay nor provisions;—and having thus raised a monument to their own credit, I called it the Citizens' Redoubt, which the Commander-in-Chief has been pleased to confirm. A more recent instance of their good disposition to answer one of the useful ends of their being put into military array was shown upon the late move which General Knyphausen made into the Jerseys. It was then thought necessary to take over such a force as reduced my garrison to 700 men. The ordinary guards could not with any safety or propriety be lessened below 400. I was therefore under the necessity of calling upon the Militia to act upon that occasion. They most willingly complied, and furnished 150 men with officers in proportion for many days together, which, though attended with loss by quitting their several avocations, was productive of no murmur or discontented expressions, and I had often the pleasure to see citizens of large property standing sentinels over public stores and magazines."
These extracts are interesting to the ordinary reader, as descriptive of New York during the British occupation; and especially interesting to the Artilleryman as evincing the great tact with which General Pattison must have governed the city. The services of the inhabitants were not merely acknowledged warmly by Sir Henry Clinton, but also by the King.
Let the reader now turn for a moment to the military operation which had been the main cause of the reduction of the New York garrison—the Siege of Charlestown, in South Carolina.
The Artillery on this expedition was commanded by Major Traille, or Traile, an officer who has already been mentioned, and who died, as a Major-General, in 1795. The fleet, with the transports, reached Tybee on the 1st February, 1780, after a succession of storms;—on the 9th they sailed for North Ediste; and having reached it on the following day, the Grenadiers and Light Infantry landed on John's Island, and on the 27th the whole army crossed without opposition to James's Island. One of the transports, conveying guns and stores, with a detachment of Artillery under Captain Collins, foundered at sea during a gale, but fortunately the crew and the troops were picked up by a privateer. The stores, which were considerable, including 1000 barrels of powder, had to be replaced from New York without delay.
As far as can be ascertained from the records, the guns used in the siege were 24-pounders and 18-pounders; but a number of 6-pounders and 3-pounders accompanied the force, to be employed in the subsequent field operations. It was the 1st April before Sir Henry Clinton commenced to erect his battery, which he did at a distance of 800 yards from the town: and by the 19th April the second parallel "had been carried to 150 yards from the main works, and the (English) batteries had acquired a manifest superiority over those of the besieged."[[42]]
The services of the fleet under Admiral Arbuthnot had been eminently useful. On the 9th April he had availed himself of a fair wind and flowing tide, and had passed Fort Moultrie—a strong fortification on Sullivan's Island—which was intended to defend the entrance to the bar. This step took the Americans by surprise. As Lee writes, the uniformly credited opinion that the American naval force could successfully stop the enemy from passing the bar—inasmuch as their ships would have to be lightened, taking out their guns and other incumbrances—was at the moment of trial found fallacious. "It was discovered that the American frigates could not approach near enough to oppose the passage of the bar with any kind of success; and we necessarily abandoned without a struggle this point of defence so much relied on."[[43]] The summons to surrender immediately followed; and the answer was that "duty and inclination point to the propriety of supporting it to the last extremity." General Lincoln was in command of the garrison—an able and courageous officer, and one who possesses additional interest in the eyes of Royal Artillerymen from the fact that he was subsequently exchanged for their brave brother officer, General Phillips, of whom more will have to be said in this chapter.
The siege was conducted sternly and without intermission. In the words of the American historian "the answer was no sooner received than the British batteries commenced the dire assault, which continued without intermission." The investiture of Charlestown, by extending his operations to the north of Cooper's River, was Sir Henry Clinton's next object. By detaching 1500 men under an excellent officer Lieut.-Colonel Webster, and another whose reputation as a dashing officer has lived longer among his enemies than his friends, Lieut.-Colonel Tarleton, he completely succeeded in his purpose. Further reinforcements from New York enabled Clinton to strengthen this belt—which prevented the retreat of the Charlestown garrison—and Lord Cornwallis assumed the command of the forces on the land side. Then followed in rapid succession the surrender of Mount Pleasant, Lempriere, and Wando posts, and Fort Moultrie itself. "Soon followed the completion of the third parallel, which placed the garrison at the mercy of the besiegers. Unwilling, from motives of humanity, to increase the hardships of the unfortunate, the British Admiral and General a second time demanded surrender. Lincoln, now, from necessity, yielded up his army; but still, anxious to save the militia and inhabitants from captivity, he excepted them in his assenting answer, which exception being declared inadmissible, the negotiation ceased. Reluctantly Sir Henry Clinton renewed the contest by opening the batteries of the third parallel, and pushed his works under their fire to the brink of the canal, which by a sap to the dam was drained.... The inhabitants became assured that the concluding scene could not long be deferred, and though heretofore devoted to the defence of the town, now with one accord supplicated General Lincoln to relinquish the exception made in their favour, and to accept the terms proffered. The amiable Lincoln could no longer hesitate in stopping the effusion of blood. He communicated to Sir Henry Clinton his readiness to lay down his arms upon the conditions before offered. Highly honourable was the conduct of the British commanders. They did not press the unfortunate, but agreed that the terms before rejected should form the basis of capitulation, which being soon prepared, signed, and ratified, Charlestown was surrendered on the 12th May, 1780, six days after the parallel was finished."[[44]]
Daring, or rather immediately after, the siege, a painful occurrence took place, which is thus alluded to in a report from the officer commanding the Royal Artillery:—"Although your Lordship is doubtless in possession of all the essential particulars relative to the reduction of Charlestown, I nevertheless beg leave to enclose the copy of the return I received from Major Traille of the killed and wounded during the siege of that town. I most sincerely regret the loss of that valuable officer, Captain Collins, as well as the rest who shared his unhappy fate. The misfortune was owing to the incautious proceedings in collecting and assorting the arms of the rebel prisoners in a house where a quantity of powder happened to be lodged. Besides the officers and soldiers, there was a conductor of stores and several artificers who perished by this accident."[[45]]
The rejoicings in New York on receipt of the intelligence of the fall of Charlestown are thus described in the Commandant's official report:—"We were made happy in the fullest degree by the glad tidings of the surrender of Charlestown and its garrison. So universal a joy was spread on the occasion in this city as was never known before; and if there be any who do not really feel it, they at least affect to express it. Permit me, Sir, with the most heartfelt satisfaction to offer my congratulations upon this glorious event."[[45]]
In writing to Major Traille, General Pattison said:—"The encomium you give of the good behaviour of the officers and men of the Artillery during the siege of Charlestown cannot fail to be very agreeable to me. I sincerely regret the loss of poor Collins, and all who shared his unhappy fate. The escape young Macleod had upon that occasion was very fortunate."[[45]]