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In an election year guaranteed to divide,

0:02

this is a debacle, right? A second

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with John Stewart and I and Eleven

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0:29

This. Is the third and final a

0:31

three second issue Revolutionary Era episodes being

0:33

released in January and February, each

0:35

of which includes updated sound design by

0:38

airship as was additional stories and

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details. New. Episodes continuing our usual

0:42

chronological march through Us History will return

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with our next bi weekly release on

0:46

February Twenty Six. Is

0:55

the afternoon of December Twenty Ninth,

0:57

Seventeen, Seventy Eight and Cameo. Dolly

0:59

is creeping along a thin, muddy

1:01

footpath that cuts through a swamp

1:03

just outside of Savannah. Georgia is

1:05

worn out shoes or maybe just

1:07

bare feet sink into the watery

1:10

earth with each step, allowing the

1:12

cold mud to choose between his

1:14

toes. this truly unpleasant and yet

1:16

this is the only way through

1:18

the surprisingly deep wetland so thickly

1:20

close by. Trees like Spanish moss

1:22

covered cypress's or swap two pillows.

1:25

This path is also a secret.

1:27

in fact, you can't even see

1:29

it from outside the swamp and

1:31

only locals know of it's existence.

1:34

And that is exactly why the

1:36

British need Camino. They need his

1:38

local know how. Watching him advance

1:40

and seen that he isn't sinking

1:42

into the swamp, some six hundred

1:44

of the King soldiers began following

1:46

quite literally in his footsteps toward

1:49

Patriot held Savannah. Okay,

1:53

time out, Let me give you the bigger

1:55

picture of what's going on. the

1:57

british are opening a new military campaign in

1:59

the south and the man leading the King's

2:01

soldiers right now, Cuomino, is a slave. In

2:05

the North, many enslaved Americans are gaining their

2:07

freedom by fighting for the Patriot cause, but

2:09

here, in the South, it often

2:11

goes the other way around. It's

2:13

the British who are more likely to offer freedom. We

2:16

have very few personal details about Cuomino. In

2:19

fact, all I can tell you

2:21

is his name and that he's black and

2:23

enslaved. But if I were

2:26

a betting man, I'd wager that Cuomino spent

2:28

years laboring on the rice plantations surrounding Savannah

2:30

and that the British have offered him his

2:32

freedom in exchange for his help. No

2:35

surprise then that the enslaved Georgian wants

2:37

to help British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell

2:40

and his force of 3500 execute

2:42

their amphibious attack on Savannah, which

2:44

starts with Cuomino leading Captain Sir

2:47

James Baird and his force of

2:49

350 light infantry and 250 New

2:53

York volunteers through this swamp. That's

2:56

right, loyalist troops. It's

2:59

like Cuomino isn't the only American here choosing

3:01

the crown over the Patriot cause. And

3:04

with that background, let's return to our

3:06

tale. As

3:11

the December afternoon wears on, North

3:13

Carolinian and Continental Major General Robert

3:15

Howe looks over his defenses here

3:17

at Fort Savannah. He

3:20

can see the massive British army in the

3:22

distance to the South, their bagpipes and marching

3:24

drums sounding off as the red and white

3:26

clad troops maneuver. What a

3:28

terrible sight. Yet despite being

3:30

outnumbered four to one, Robert

3:32

has hope between the natural

3:35

defenses of the Savannah River to the

3:37

north, the surrounding rice swamps on all

3:39

of their sides, their advantageous high ground,

3:41

as well as their intentional destruction of

3:43

a stream traversing bridge a few hundred

3:45

yards down the Savannah road. The

3:48

general hopes that his two brigades

3:50

of a combined 850 Georgians and

3:52

South Carolinians can hold until reinforcements

3:54

arrive in a few days. And

3:56

right now, as his men guard the

3:59

Savannah road. It looks like

4:01

those bagpipe plain Brits are maneuvering toward

4:03

his strong side to the American

4:05

left. The Patriots' few

4:07

cannons open fire on the roads. It

4:10

seems perfect. Too perfect,

4:12

in fact. And of course, it

4:15

is. Suddenly,

4:17

Captain Baird's 600 men charge out of

4:19

the swamp and into the rear of

4:22

the Americans' fortifications. The

4:24

Patriot forces are completely shocked as British volleys

4:26

fly at them from the direction of their

4:28

own barracks. At

4:30

the same time, British Major Scully, who's perched

4:32

up high in a tree from which he

4:34

can see the whole battlefield, waves

4:37

his hat, signaling to the main British

4:39

army that Captain Baird's forces have successfully

4:41

traversed Quimino's secret footpath. This

4:44

puts the whole British attack plan into

4:46

action. British cannons roar

4:48

to life. Dressed in

4:50

their plaid hats, white bleaches, and red

4:52

coats, the 71st Regiment steers some Highland

4:55

Scots charging the American left. Simultaneously,

4:58

blue and white sad hessians move

5:00

in. The

5:03

Americans flee for their lives. Some

5:05

try to make for the Augusta Road only to find

5:07

themselves cut off. Others scramble

5:09

toward the city of Savannah itself. Some

5:12

jump into the Yamacroft or Musgroves Creek.

5:15

Many drown in the high tide. It's

5:17

said that the Highlanders' cruelly bayonet,

5:19

all those Patriots unfortunate enough to

5:22

fall on their path. True

5:24

or not, the tale will inspire Georgian leaders

5:26

to later ban all Scots who did not

5:29

fight as Patriots during the war from moving

5:31

to the state. Whether drowned,

5:33

shot, or run through, 83 Americans

5:36

are dead. Eleven more are

5:39

wounded. The British take 453

5:41

Americans captive, which include 38 officers,

5:44

one of whom is Georgian signer

5:46

of the Declaration of Independence, George

5:48

Walton. In retreating, General

5:51

Robert Howe only manages to save 342 men, less

5:53

than half of his forces. Conversely,

5:58

the British suffer 13-year-olds. casualties,

6:01

three dead and ten wounded. Thus

6:04

fell Georgia's colonial capital of

6:06

Savannah, and only two

6:08

weeks later victorious Lieutenant Colonel Archwolf Campbell

6:11

writes to His Majesty's Secretary of State

6:13

for the American Colonies, Lord George Jermaine,

6:15

of his intentions for the rest of

6:18

the rebellious state. I need

6:20

not inform the Lordship how much I

6:22

prize the hope of being the first

6:24

British officer to rend a stripe and

6:26

a star in the form of

6:29

Thomas. Welcome

6:45

to history, Lieutenant. I'm your

6:47

Professor, Lord James, and I'd like

6:49

to host you. As

7:06

we close the door on 1778 and move into 1779, the South is

7:08

where more and more

7:11

of the action is. But

7:13

this is also a year full of important

7:15

events that are happening around the world. I'm

7:18

talking about action in Rhode Island,

7:21

an anti-French riot in Boston, fighting,

7:23

massacres, and scorched-earth tactics on the

7:25

frontier, financial woes in Philadelphia, military

7:28

engagements across the Atlantic and in

7:30

the Caribbean, as well as

7:32

diplomacy in Spain. Some

7:35

of these events I'll note briefly. Others

7:37

will get more detail, but after visiting

7:39

Spain, we'll circle back to where this

7:41

episode began, the South. I'll

7:44

explain why the British want to take the

7:46

fight below the Mason-Dixon line and how the

7:48

region's large, enslaved black population brings a different

7:50

element to the war from what we've seen

7:53

in the North. And yes,

7:56

still more battles. Three, in fact, will

7:58

be present for the Franco- American attempt

8:00

to retake Savannah, where we'll meet and

8:02

say goodbye to the father of the

8:05

American cavalry, the Polish Count, Kazimir Pulaski.

8:08

We'll experience the Patriots' single greatest loss

8:10

of the entire war as the British

8:12

lay siege at Charleston. And

8:14

finally, we'll get the gruesome details

8:16

of the Battle of the Waxhaws. Or

8:19

should I say the massacre at the Waxhaws? Like

8:22

the devastation we'll see on the frontier, you'll

8:24

have to judge this one for yourself. Shall

8:27

we then? Let's begin with our Revolutionary

8:29

War World Tour of 1779. Well,

8:34

mostly 1779. We

8:36

start in the summer of 1778 with the

8:38

recently arrived American Allied French fleet

8:40

and a military engagement on Rhode

8:42

Island. Rewind. July

8:45

8, 1778. That's

8:52

the day French Vice Admiral Jean Baptiste

8:54

Charles Enri acte de la Contre des

8:56

Stans. You know what? Just

8:59

Contre des Stans, that will do, arrives

9:01

in the waters just outside Delaware Bay.

9:04

I mentioned this briefly at the end of the last

9:06

episode, but to remind you, he has 16 ships,

9:09

12 ships of the line and

9:11

4 frigates, as well as 4,000 French troops.

9:15

Only a little over a week since George

9:17

Washington's heroic showing at the stalemate at the

9:19

Battle of Monmouth, he's quite pleased to have

9:21

his French allies here. The

9:23

Virginian General sends his French-speaking aide de

9:25

camp, John Lawrence, to speak with Admiral

9:28

Des Stans. Finally, the

9:30

United States will know what it feels like

9:32

to have naval superiority. Vive

9:34

la France. But

9:36

as the weeks pass, nothing seems to be

9:38

going right for a Franco-American offensive. First

9:41

off, Contre des Stans can't take the

9:44

fight to the British Navy. See,

9:46

France's heavy ships of the line draw

9:48

more water than their British counterparts, and

9:51

it's enough of a difference to prevent

9:53

Contre Stans fleet from engaging British Admiral

9:55

Lord Richard Howe's fleet, now tucked safely

9:57

behind the shallow bar in New York.

10:00

Harbor. Okay, no worries.

10:02

The Franco-American alliance can strike the

10:04

British on Rhode Island instead. Ah,

10:07

but with word that the British have

10:09

sent another fleet under the command of

10:11

Admiral John Byron, or foul

10:13

weather Jack, as the storm-followed Admiral

10:16

is known, Comte Stan

10:18

pulls his troops. Then,

10:20

in mid-August, a terrible storm hits. Already

10:24

frustrated by Continental General John Sullivan's

10:26

insults and poor planning, the French

10:28

Admiral sails his fleet to Boston

10:31

for repairs, dropping anchor on August

10:33

28. General John Sullivan ends up

10:35

fighting a small engagement back on Rhode

10:37

Island without French assistance the very next

10:39

day. He's furious, as

10:42

are many other Americans, including

10:44

some of those

10:47

fiery Bostonians now

10:49

interacting with the

10:51

French. It's September 8, 1778.

10:55

Amid mountains of flour and ample salt,

10:57

piping hot baguettes are resting as bakers

10:59

throw more in the ovens of Boston's

11:02

new French bakery. Established

11:04

to feed Comte Stan thousands of sailors

11:06

and soldiers waiting on their ships' repairs,

11:09

the bakery is more than busy. But

11:11

deeply Protestant Boston, which still recalls France

11:13

as the enemy of the French and

11:15

Indian War, can be a

11:17

rough place for likewise deeply Catholic

11:19

Frenchmen, especially with tempers flaring

11:22

after last month's Rhode Island fiasco. As

11:26

the day wears on, some Bostonians arrive at

11:28

the bakery. We don't know

11:30

the details, but they and the French have

11:32

a heated exchange. Those heated

11:34

words turn into a riot. French

11:36

grenadiers are quickly called to the scene. Their

11:39

officers, Chevalier Grigoir

11:41

de Saint-Sauveur and

11:43

Lieutenant Georges René le Pelle de

11:45

Plaiveille, manage to de-escalate the

11:48

situation. It seems everything

11:50

will be okay. Later

11:54

that evening, these same two French officers are

11:56

walking the streets of Boston, making their way

11:58

back to the French fleet. Until

12:01

a group of some 50 Boston men

12:03

appears, that is. Wielding

12:05

bats viviciously beat the Frenchman. One

12:08

Bostonian strikes Gregoire just above the right

12:11

eye. He drops like a

12:13

rock. Gregoire

12:18

will linger for a week, but

12:20

on September 15th, this

12:22

beloved Chevalier, well known and cared

12:24

for by the French royal family

12:26

and Comte d'Esteins, succumbs to

12:28

his wounds and dies. Back

12:30

home in Boston, after another dip in

12:32

the Continental Congress and a lackluster taste

12:34

of being a major general in the

12:36

Massachusetts militia, New England's suave,

12:38

wealthy merchant John Hancock jumps into

12:40

diplomatic action while the state assembly

12:42

votes to raise a memorial in

12:45

honor of Gregoire. A memorial

12:47

you will still find on Boston's Freedom Trail

12:49

in the 21st century. Comte

12:52

d'Esteins is appeased, but there

12:54

will be no more attempts at a Franco-American campaign

12:56

this year. In November, the

12:58

Frenchman responds to this war's global nature

13:00

by heading south to protect French interests

13:03

in the Caribbean, where, next year, he'll

13:05

score some victories, including a win

13:07

against the foul-weather Jack at the Battle of

13:09

Grenada. That's all well

13:11

and good, but after the disaster of

13:13

the Rhode Island campaign and Admiral d'Esteins'

13:15

departure, it's fair to say that

13:17

the Franco-American alliance is off to a rough start.

13:21

George Washington is disappointed, but

13:23

perhaps not as disappointed by the French as

13:25

he is by Congress. That's

13:31

right. With his troops making

13:33

winter's camp along both sides of the

13:35

Hudson River in New Jersey and New

13:37

York, George has the displeasure of spending

13:39

time with Congress in Philadelphia. And

13:41

I did say Philadelphia, not York. Since

13:44

Francis entering the war forced the British

13:46

to withdraw from the city in order

13:48

to protect itself globally—a wise move, given

13:51

what I just told you about Admiral

13:53

d'Esteins heading to the Caribbean—Congress has left

13:55

York, PA, and returned to the city

13:57

of brotherly love. The Continental

13:59

Commander-in-Chief joins them here in December 1778. George

14:04

is here to talk logistics and discourage

14:06

a proposed Lafayette-led invasion of Canada, but

14:08

the biggest issue is that the continental

14:10

dollar isn't worth crap at this point.

14:14

Inflation is through the roof, which is part of why his

14:16

men are freezing and short on supplies and food. It's

14:19

hard to buy supplies with worthless money,

14:21

especially when merchants can sell to the

14:23

British who have stable currency. In

14:26

an effort to fight this inflation, George places

14:28

his own financial well-being at grave risk. He

14:31

lets those owing money to his estate

14:33

pay in continentals, and he accepts this

14:35

weak currency at face value. Ouch.

14:39

It's a heroic gesture, but before you

14:41

start pining for a romanticized past of

14:43

great leaders, let me add that

14:45

this is just George Washington. Members

14:48

of the Continental Congress are not

14:50

joining the Virginian General in such

14:53

self-sacrificing efforts. In

14:55

fact, George laments that, quote,

14:58

an insatiable thirst for riches seems

15:00

to have got the better of

15:02

every other consideration and almost of

15:04

every order of men, close

15:06

quote. So why

15:09

this inflation? Simple. The

15:11

money has no backing. I'll

15:14

remind you here that many patriots envision

15:16

the 13 colonies as 13 sovereign

15:18

states and have therefore denied Congress the

15:21

power to tax. As

15:23

such, the financial plan is that Congress

15:25

asks the states for funds while the

15:27

sacred power of taxation remains, as

15:30

the written but not yet ratified Articles of

15:32

Confederation tell us with

15:34

the legislatures of the several states.

15:38

With that understanding, Congress started

15:40

printing money on the expectation

15:42

that state-collected taxes would buy

15:44

back and thus support its

15:46

fiat currency. But

15:48

since all Congress can do is say

15:50

pretty please, states often don't send any

15:52

cash. Thus, Congress's

15:54

continental dollars, which have zero

15:56

intrinsic value, continue to dilute

15:58

and inflate. faster than a

16:01

self-inflating emergency raft with the printing of

16:03

each new dollar. The

16:05

currency hasn't hit its rock bottom yet, but

16:07

it's quite low in early 1779. Over

16:11

the course of the war, it's moments

16:14

like these weeks in Philly that form

16:16

many of the philosophies General Washington will

16:18

later use as President Washington. He

16:21

concludes that if these United States

16:23

are going to stand together, then the simple

16:25

alliance of sovereign states, or

16:27

a League of Friendship as the

16:29

Articles of Confederation describe the US,

16:32

isn't going to pay it. Sure,

16:34

they don't want to re-establish the British

16:36

system, but Americans need a

16:38

central government with at least enough teeth

16:41

to bite on occasion. It

16:43

needs a strong executive branch. It has

16:45

to be able to pay for things like a national

16:47

military. And to that point, it

16:50

wouldn't hurt if the American economy diversified

16:52

a bit. In an

16:54

economy where almost everyone is a farmer makes

16:56

it hard to buy other goods. Someone

16:59

needs to make stuff like boots, clothes,

17:01

guns, etc. Now

17:04

we don't want to get ahead of ourselves,

17:06

but I will point out that George's financial

17:08

guru, his aide de camp Alexander Hamilton, is

17:10

by his side during these years. Alex

17:13

is seeing the same problems from the same vantage

17:16

point as George. Thus, we

17:18

are bearing witness as the seeds of

17:20

Alexander's future Federalist Party are getting planted

17:22

in his head during this very war.

17:25

Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson, who, after drafting

17:28

the Declaration of Independence, left Congress

17:30

to work on his home state's

17:32

government, like many other A-Lister founding

17:35

fathers, is having a very

17:37

different experience back in Virginia. Spending

17:40

much of the war as a state legislator and

17:42

governor of such a big and strong state, Tom's

17:45

going to come to very different conclusions

17:47

about the national economy and the virtue,

17:49

for lack thereof, of having a strong

17:52

national government. As you'll

17:54

see later, his Democratic Republicans will eventually

17:56

go head to head with Alexander's Federalists.

18:00

But that's all down the road. For now,

18:02

George Washington knows he'll have

18:04

to keep making due on little as he leaves

18:06

Congress and Philly in February 1779. George returns to

18:09

his winter camping

18:12

Continental Army and headquarters in Middlebrook,

18:14

New Jersey. George

18:19

Washington won't personally see another major battle

18:22

for years, not until the

18:24

all-important battle of Yorktown. But

18:26

even as the Virginia general twiddles his

18:28

thumbs, hoping that Admiral DeStan will return

18:30

to provide the naval and manpower needed

18:33

to take the fight to those New

18:35

York City-dwelling redcoats, the fight

18:37

continues elsewhere. That includes the

18:39

frontier. Presently broken

18:41

up and arching from Georgia up to

18:43

Maine, the American frontier isn't without its

18:46

battles. Out here,

18:48

British and loyalist troops fight Patriot

18:50

forces. Both sides have

18:52

Native American allies as leaders of various

18:54

tribes pick whichever side appears to better

18:56

serve their people's interests. This

18:59

is precisely the scenario as American forces fighting

19:01

in what will later be known as Indiana

19:03

take the British fort of Vincennes between February

19:06

23rd and 25th, 1779. It's a small engagement

19:11

yet crucial to American control of the

19:14

West. It's worth noting

19:16

that the American commander here is Lieutenant

19:18

Colonel George Rogers Clark, the much older

19:20

brother of William Clark, the future explorer

19:23

of Lewis and Clark fame. What

19:25

can I say? Those Clark boys sure

19:27

seem to love going West. But

19:30

fun as that historical connection is, let's

19:32

not lose sight of the fact that,

19:34

though often smaller, the frontier's battles are

19:36

as brutal as any other. Perhaps

19:39

worse. The tales of

19:41

massacres and devastation wrought by both sides

19:43

are heart-wrenching. This is the

19:45

case for the heavily impacted Iroquois. A

19:48

confederation of six nations indigenous to the

19:50

state of New York, we saw Iroquois

19:52

warriors on both sides of the Saratoga

19:54

campaign in episode nine. That

19:57

said, most Iroquois nations are allied

19:59

with the British. and in

20:01

the fight for New York, their

20:03

homeland. Some Iroquois

20:05

warriors crossed the line. The

20:07

two big examples come from last year, 1778. These

20:12

are the Battle of Wyoming in Pennsylvania,

20:14

alternatively known as the Wyoming Massacre,

20:17

where it is said that the Iroquois scalped and burned

20:19

prisoners alive, and the Cherry Valley Massacre

20:21

in New York, where they burned homes and

20:23

killed women and children. Not

20:26

all Iroquois approve of what happened. Notably,

20:29

Mohawk leader Joseph Brandt saved lives

20:31

at the Wyoming Massacre by warning

20:33

civilians to evacuate, but these

20:35

actions have put the Iroquois on Congress's

20:37

and the Continental Army's radar. Responding

20:40

to congressional direction, George Washington sends

20:42

Major General John Sullivan on an

20:45

expedition to fight the Iroquois, or

20:47

rather, to end their role in the war. John

20:51

will attempt to do so by destroying

20:53

Iroquois villages. It's

20:58

August 29, 1779. General

21:01

John Sullivan and his force of 4,000 men

21:03

are near the Pennsylvania border in upstate New York.

21:07

In recent days, they've encountered mixed

21:09

British, Loyalist, and Native forces, and

21:12

that makes the Continentals weary as they

21:14

approach a tree-covered sloping hill. It

21:16

looks like a good place for a defending force to make

21:19

a stand. And they're right. An

21:22

advanced Continental Rifle Corps investigates

21:24

and finds camouflaged defensive positions.

21:27

John Sullivan holds the Council of War, and

21:29

that afternoon, they're ready to attack. Continental

21:33

artillery blasts at the hidden breastworks as

21:35

Continental soldiers move on the left and

21:37

right with a faint in the center.

21:40

Greatly outnumbered, Mohawk leader Joseph Brandt

21:42

and British Captain John Butler have

21:44

but one option. Retreat.

21:48

Although won this battle of Newtown, John Sullivan

21:50

proceeds to do what he's done for the

21:52

past two months. Destroy

21:55

Iroquois villages. Clean

21:57

down one stalk of corn after another. these

22:00

piles of fresh food to the torch. Continental

22:03

General James Clinton estimates that

22:05

they destroy, quote, upwards of

22:07

6,000 bushels, close quote. They

22:10

ensure that no one will be living off

22:12

of this land anytime soon. The

22:18

Battle of Newtown, as this engagement is

22:20

called, was both small and the greatest

22:22

battle the Sullivan expedition sees. The

22:25

scorched earth destruction of Iroquois villages that

22:27

I just described is a constant. Destroying

22:31

orchards, grain, and homes, John

22:33

Sullivan decimates the homeland of

22:35

three Iroquois nations, the Seneca,

22:37

the Cayuga, and the Onondaga, and

22:40

renders countless Iroquois homeless. It's

22:43

a sad chapter all around. I

22:45

feel for the Iroquois trying to survive a war

22:47

that is not theirs. I

22:50

sympathize with patriot anger over the torture

22:52

and death of Americans, including murdered children.

22:55

I see the injustice in displacing thousands

22:57

of Iroquois whose only crime is being

22:59

from the same tribes as those warriors

23:01

who committed these acts. I

23:03

also understand that Continental Army wanting to shut

23:05

down the Iroquois threat so they can use

23:08

their troops and resources elsewhere. I

23:10

suppose if I can say one thing

23:12

about this, what certainty exists. In

23:15

the long run, it's the homeless

23:17

Iroquois who lost the most in this violent

23:19

exchange, and they will not soon

23:21

forget it. Face

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25:14

Continuing our world tour of 1779. We

25:17

now come to Arenhuis, Spain. It's

25:20

here on April 12, 1779,

25:23

that King Charles III's Minister of

25:25

Foreign Affairs, Jose Mouninho Y Redondo,

25:27

the Count of Florida Blanca, and

25:30

French Ambassador, Ahmael Mack, the

25:32

Count of Mont-Maurin, sign

25:34

a military alliance. That's

25:37

right. Spain has entered

25:39

the war, but only as

25:41

an ally of France, not the United States. There

25:44

are a few reasons for this. Let me

25:46

explain. See, unlike

25:48

France, Spain still holds

25:50

significant interest in the Americas beyond the

25:52

Caribbean. Spanish territory includes

25:55

what will eventually become the American

25:57

Southwest, Mexico, and pretty much everything

25:59

west of Brazil down to the

26:01

tip of the South American continent.

26:04

So King Charles III isn't crazy about

26:06

giving his American colonies the idea that

26:08

revolting against monarchical rule is a good

26:10

thing. Further, Spanish leaders

26:12

know that if the Americans win, they'll

26:14

end up competing with the United States

26:17

for territory. So

26:19

why has Spain agreed to help France

26:21

help the Americans in this war against

26:23

Britain? Well, Spain, like

26:25

France, is still smarting from its losses

26:27

to Britain in this century's course, including,

26:30

you guessed it, the Seven Years' War. Thus,

26:33

Spain agrees to help France, as

26:35

France supports Spain in using this

26:38

war to try and retake territory

26:40

lost to Britain, specifically the Floridas,

26:43

yeah, it's plural at this point, the

26:45

Mediterranean island of Menorca, and just south

26:48

of Spain at the tip of the

26:50

Iberian Peninsula, Gibraltar.

26:53

As for the potential conflict with the United

26:55

States over territory, well, Spanish leaders

26:57

realize that this conflict is coming regardless.

27:01

It's only a question of whether

27:03

they deal with self-governing Americans or

27:05

British-ruled Americans. But by still avoiding

27:07

a direct alliance with the Patriots, the

27:09

Spanish crown also isn't sending the message

27:12

to its American colonies that it approves

27:14

of independence movements. Ha,

27:17

bien hugado, Carlos, bien hugado.

27:20

Thus, French allied Spain declares war on Britain

27:22

on June 21, 1779. This

27:27

will yet attempt to form a full-on alliance with

27:29

Spain. John Jay will spend the

27:31

years of 1780 to 82 on a

27:34

diplomatic mission there, but he won't accomplish

27:36

much beyond picking up a $174,000 loan. To

27:40

become a full-fledged ally, Spain wants guarantees

27:42

that the United States will hand over

27:45

its interests on the Mississippi River. John

27:48

isn't dumb enough to do that, but hey,

27:50

can't blame Spain for trying. So

27:53

not being an American ally, you won't see

27:55

Spain sending armies to fight in the main

27:57

battles of the revolution like the French do.

28:00

still an important change in

28:02

1779. Why? Because even

28:04

though Bernardo de Galvez only fights

28:06

the British for Spain's benefit, every

28:08

time he engages them in places

28:10

like West Florida's Pensacola, they'll also

28:12

lighten the Continental Army's burden by

28:14

forcing Britain to allocate soldiers and

28:16

resources away from the 13 colonies.

28:23

Let's pause and take in the global nature of the revolution

28:25

at this point in 1779. The United

28:28

States is now allied with France, some

28:31

Native American tribes, and indirectly benefiting from

28:33

French allied Spain. The

28:35

British are allied with other Native American

28:37

tribes and supported by Loyalists, as well

28:39

as German auxiliary troops. Battles

28:42

are raging across the United States, its

28:44

frontier, and across the waters. American

28:47

privateers are on the prowl, and last

28:49

year, father of the US Navy, John

28:51

Paul Jones, ventured into the Irish Sea

28:53

while hundreds of French and British sailors

28:56

died just west of the English Channel

28:58

at the naval battle of Wesson. And

29:01

Wesson didn't even include Americans. Then

29:04

again, many battles don't by 1779,

29:07

as French admiral Destin hits the

29:09

British in the Caribbean, and Spanish

29:11

soldiers and sailors strike the redcoats

29:13

at Gibraltar and along the Mississippi.

29:16

So this war is everywhere. But

29:19

that's enough globe-trotting for now. It's

29:21

time to return our attention to where this episode began.

29:24

To Britain's Georgia-launched campaign for the

29:26

South. As

29:29

you heard in today's opening,

29:31

Sedana fell to British Lieutenant

29:33

Colonel Archibald Campbell's invading forces

29:35

in December 1778. This began Britain's

29:37

campaign to break the rebellion in the

29:39

South, or its Southern strategy. Why

29:42

this new Southern focus? First,

29:45

as we've learned in a few episodes, the

29:47

war isn't going great for the British up

29:49

north. The Saratoga campaign was

29:51

a bust, and although George Washington has lost

29:53

plenty of battles, he always seems to come

29:55

back from the dead and land some solid

29:57

blows. Like at Trenton. You

30:00

know Christmas will never be the same again for

30:02

those Germans. The North's stalemate

30:04

alone is reason to look to the south.

30:08

Second, loyalist Carolinians fleeing to Britain

30:10

and former royal governors of southern

30:12

colonies have shored up Colonial Secretary

30:14

Lord George Germaine's already held belief

30:16

that there's more loyalty to be

30:19

found south of the Mason-Dixon line.

30:22

Sure, the siege of Charleston back in 1776 failed,

30:25

but Lord Germaine is certain that if they

30:27

return to the south, southern loyalists

30:29

will flock to the Union Jack. Third,

30:33

the south is just more valuable to Britain. There's

30:36

nothing that northern colonies produce that isn't already

30:38

available in Britain, but the

30:40

south, with its hot and humid

30:42

climate, is full of lucrative plantations

30:44

producing cash crops like rice, tobacco,

30:47

sugar cane, and yes, cotton,

30:49

but don't put too much stock in that yet. It'll

30:52

become a much bigger deal in the 19th century. In

30:55

short, British leaders think the south is

30:57

more loyal and more valuable than those

30:59

rebellious stalemating New Englanders and other northerners.

31:04

Now, as we head into this southern campaign,

31:07

we need to note the war's impact on

31:09

and the role played by those doing the

31:11

work on the south's lucrative plantations, enslaved

31:14

black Americans. We've met

31:16

black patriots in past episodes, like Salem

31:18

poor. Meanwhile we met

31:21

a black loyalist in the opening of today's

31:23

episode, Quimino Dali. Yes,

31:26

just like Native Americans and white Americans, black

31:28

Americans are found on both sides of this

31:30

war. Many

31:32

enslaved Americans, about 5,000 in total, joined

31:34

the Patriot cause to gain their freedom.

31:37

They are often kept in non-combative positions, but

31:39

when in battle they usually fight right beside

31:41

white troops. That segregation nonsense

31:43

that will keep black and white Americans in

31:46

separate military units through the mid-20th century hasn't

31:48

caught on yet. But

31:50

the opportunity of emancipation through the Patriot

31:52

cause is largely limited to black northerners.

31:55

Here in the south, that's rarely the case. With

31:59

an increasingly black population the farther south

32:01

we go, white slave owners increasingly

32:03

are, one, nervous about handing muskets

32:05

to a large enslaved population that

32:07

might revolt rather than fight the

32:09

Brits, and two, afraid

32:11

emancipation will require reinventing the state's

32:14

economy. These differences

32:16

are why Rhode Island, where 6%

32:18

of the population is black, succeeds

32:20

in raising the Continental Army's mostly

32:22

black Rhode Island First Regiment while

32:24

South Carolina, which has nearly

32:26

equal numbers in black and white residents and

32:28

will become predominantly black in the years ahead,

32:31

has no interest in freeing its enslaved

32:33

population. The British are happy

32:35

to take advantage of this dynamic in the sense.

32:38

They will offer enslaved black Americans liberty.

32:41

The British won't always keep their

32:43

word, sometimes selling black southerners to

32:46

Caribbean plantations instead, but black

32:48

southerners are more likely to obtain freedom by throwing

32:50

in with the red coats. This

32:52

is likely why Clamino Dali showed the British

32:55

that choice footpath through the swamp at the

32:57

siege of Savannah. And

32:59

yet, despite the Deep South's unwillingness

33:02

to emancipate, there's one influential South

33:04

Carolinian calling loudly for justice, John

33:07

Lawrence. I trust you

33:09

recall this French-speaking aide de camp of

33:11

George Washington, BFF of Alexander Hamilton and

33:13

son of the President of Congress for

33:15

the last episode. He did

33:17

shoot former Continental General Charles Lee in a

33:20

duel after all. Though from

33:22

the South and a family up to its

33:24

neck in slavery, John loathes the practice. He

33:27

encourages slave-owning patriots to free their slaves.

33:30

Like Alexander Hamilton and still others we've

33:32

mentioned, John sees how the ideas of

33:34

the revolution call for an end to

33:36

slavery. To quote him, I

33:39

think that we Americans, at least

33:41

in the sudden colonies, cannot contend

33:43

with a good grace for liberty

33:45

until we shall have enfranchised our

33:47

slaves. Bold words.

33:51

And John doesn't want to wait until after the war.

33:53

He wants to emancipate slaves and have them

33:56

fight for the Patriot cause in a regiment

33:58

of free black men. His,

34:00

Lawrence Plan, calls for raising a regiment

34:02

of 3,000 enslaved Georgians

34:04

and South Carolinians, freeing them and compensating

34:06

their former masters at a rate of

34:09

$1,000 per slave. Congress

34:12

approves it, but the South

34:14

Carolina legislature abhors it and votes down

34:16

the proposal. Thus, this

34:18

brilliant path to emancipation in 1779 dies. Well,

34:23

now that we have a full understanding

34:25

of Britain's Southern campaign, or Southern strategy

34:27

and how slavery impacts the war down

34:29

here, let's carry on with our

34:31

Southern story. Let

34:36

me catch you up on what's happening in Georgia

34:39

since Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Cannibal took Savannah on December

34:41

29, 1778. To start, let's meet our new leadership.

34:46

For the Americans, that's Major General Benjamin

34:48

Lincoln. A rotund, hardworking New

34:50

Englander, been as a solid leader and has

34:53

been in command of the Southern Department since

34:55

late 1778. He

34:57

was in South Carolina when Savannah fell

35:00

and connected with its surviving, retreating defenders

35:02

in January, 1779. As

35:05

for the Brits, their new campaign commander

35:07

as of late January is General Augustine

35:09

Brevo, often anglicized, well,

35:13

in a number of ways, so I'll stick with the French. With

35:16

a name that shows his Swiss-French roots, he's

35:18

a veteran of the Seven Years' War and

35:20

known as Bullet Head because of the musket

35:22

ball wound he took to the Temple, yet

35:25

managed to survive during the 1759 Battle

35:27

of Quebec. British and

35:29

American forces in the South square off a few times

35:31

in the first half of 1779. Back on January 31st,

35:33

the Brits occupied Augusta.

35:38

In February, the Americans won the Battle of

35:40

Port Royal Island in South Carolina and with

35:43

the noted contributions of legendary six-foot

35:45

tall Nancy Hart, or War Woman

35:48

as her Cherokee neighbors know her,

35:51

the Battle of Kettle Creek in Georgia. On

35:54

June 20th, the Brits won at

35:56

Stone O'Farey, South Carolina. Among

35:58

the American dead was heat stroke stricken

36:00

Hugh Jackson, the older brother of

36:02

the future US President Andrew Jackson. None

36:05

of these engagements really moved the de

36:07

facto dividing line between the Brits and

36:09

the Americans, essentially the Savannah River. But

36:12

now, in mid-1779, Ben Lincoln has a grander plan.

36:17

With Compte-Stun's help, it's

36:19

time to retake Savannah. That's

36:22

right. This Frenchman, who's captured

36:24

the islands of St. Vincent and Grenada from the

36:26

British since going to the Caribbean, won't

36:29

return north to help George Washington, but he

36:31

will respond to a French Colonel's plea to

36:33

help in Georgia. The

36:35

first of his vast fleet arrive in Georgian

36:38

waters on September 4. In

36:40

the days following, he and Ben Lincoln make

36:42

a plan to bring their combined 5,000 strong

36:45

Franco-American forces together and attack

36:47

Savannah's 3,200 British defenders. Frenchman

36:51

come ashore as the British send word

36:53

to Sir Henry Clinton for reinforcements and

36:56

use slave labor to reinforce Savannah's defenses.

36:59

Admiral Desstin asks the outnumbered

37:01

British to surrender. In

37:03

turn, Augustine Prévost asks for 24

37:05

hours to deliberate, which he uses

37:08

to strengthen his defenses and allows

37:10

800 reinforcements to arrive. He

37:12

then says no. The French

37:14

and Americans begin digging trenches to lay siege,

37:17

but the French admiral soon realizes that this

37:19

will take too long. He's

37:21

too low on supplies to sustain his thousands

37:23

of sailors. Thus, on October

37:25

8, Comte Desstin ignores his

37:28

disagreeing officers and calls for an

37:30

assault the next morning. It's

37:36

5.30 a.m., October 9. We're

37:39

just outside Savannah, Georgia, where the

37:41

Franco-American assault is just starting, a

37:44

full hour and a half behind schedule. French

37:47

and American artillery roar as Admiral

37:49

Desstin yells out, Yive le roi!

37:52

Divided into an elite vanguard in two

37:54

columns, his French and few

37:56

hours' trips respond in time as he

37:58

followed their admiral. who started his career

38:00

in the Army, haunts the field. He

38:03

charged forward, facing rice swamps and newly

38:06

built plincets, including a deep trench and

38:08

sharply pointed avocages. As

38:10

they do, British guns fire musket balls and

38:12

great shots. Frenchmen

38:14

are falling left and right. Haunt

38:16

is down and hits twice, first

38:18

in an arm, then in a leg. But

38:21

holding to his belief that courage conquers all,

38:23

he refuses to retreat. He

38:25

will take the spring hill without. Now

38:28

the Americans charge into the fray. At

38:31

the head of the first column, John

38:33

Lauren leads his South Carolina Continentals. They

38:36

reach the parapet, plant their colors, but can't

38:38

take the rig out. Meanwhile,

38:41

General Lachlan Mackintosh is leading the

38:43

second American column into the men.

38:47

In the midst of all this, the

38:49

father of the American cavalry, a Polish

38:51

nobleman turned continent in general who's distinguished

38:53

himself on the battlefield ever since Brandywine,

38:56

and Castamier Pulaski, has managed to

38:58

reach the evacuees. But

39:01

it's here that great shot strikes his upper right

39:03

thigh and groin. The

39:05

much beloved Polish count drops from his force

39:08

and is dragged, severely wounded from the field.

39:11

Compte-Stin finally relents. He

39:14

sounds the retreat. As

39:16

the Franco-American forces fall back, the

39:18

French reserve column, including the several

39:20

hundred strong free Black Haitian militia,

39:23

make Chassev, Volon Terre, de Saint-Domingue,

39:26

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ShipStation. Hello, this is Matt from the Explorers

40:01

Podcast. I

40:11

want to invite you to join me on the voyages

40:13

and journeys of the most famous explorers in the history

40:15

of the world. At the

40:17

Explorers Podcast, we plunge into jungles and

40:20

deserts, across mighty oceans and frigid ice

40:22

caps, over and to the top

40:24

of great mountains, and even into outer

40:26

space. These are the

40:28

thrilling and captivating stories of Magellan, Shackleton,

40:31

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40:35

throughout history. So come give us a

40:37

listen, we'd love to have you. Go to explorerspodcast.com

40:40

or just look us up on your

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podcast app. That's the Explorers

40:44

Podcast. The

40:57

October 9, 1779

40:59

Franco-American attack on British-held Savannah's Spring

41:01

Hill Redoubt was an absolute

41:04

disaster. Leading the charge,

41:06

the French suffered about 800 casualties, including

41:08

61 officers. American

41:11

losses ran over 300, bringing the Allied

41:13

attack's casualties to over 1,000. Among

41:17

them is the fearless father of the American

41:19

cavalry, Count Kazimir Pulaski.

41:22

Surgeon James Lina will long remember the

41:24

Count's courage during the painful surgery to

41:26

remove Grapeshot from his riddled body, but

41:29

he ultimately dies, likely on October 11,

41:32

which will later become General Pulaski Memorial

41:34

Day. Savannah will later build

41:36

a monument in his honor. In

41:39

fact, the city will also raise an impressive memorial

41:41

to honor the free Black Haitians, Le

41:43

Chasseur Volontaire de Saint-Domingue, who fought

41:46

here. Huh. So

41:48

not to lose sight of this crushing

41:50

defeat, but let me point out, this

41:53

one battle has a Polish Count, Black

41:55

Haitians, an Irish brigade, as well as

41:57

French and American troops. could

42:00

go on. See what I

42:02

mean? The American Revolution has become a

42:04

world war. As

42:06

with the defending British, this assault cost them roughly

42:08

100 men or about 10% of French and American

42:12

losses. A resounding

42:15

British victory then. The

42:17

Franco-American siege has failed and Comte

42:19

d'Esteins returns to France. And

42:22

yet, the fight for Georgia is

42:24

only beginning. With

42:29

George Washington avoiding Sir Henry Clinton's every

42:31

attempt to draw him into a decisive

42:33

battle and the knowledge of

42:36

Comte d'Esteins departure, the British commander doubles

42:38

down on the Southern strategy. Sir

42:41

Henry is personally joining the fight in the South.

42:44

He and an army of 8,500 Brits,

42:47

Loyalists and Hessians set sail from

42:49

New York in 90 minutes

42:52

and 14 warships on December 26, 1779.

42:56

They endure two months of rough seas

42:58

and storms, even losing one

43:01

transport. Sir Henry, who

43:03

hates sailing even with the calmest

43:05

of seas, is miserable. On

43:08

February 11, 1780, they land

43:10

on Simmons Island, later to be known

43:12

as Seabrook, which lies roughly 30

43:14

miles south of their target, Charleston,

43:17

South Carolina. Let

43:19

me paint you a verbal picture of

43:21

the capital city of revolutionary South Carolina.

43:24

Charleston is the only real

43:26

city in the relatively sparsely

43:28

populated Southern states and has

43:30

a rather cosmopolitan population of

43:32

roughly 12,000. The majority of its

43:35

inhabitants are of British descent, but

43:37

you'll also find plenty of enslaved

43:39

African Americans, French, Germans and Spanish

43:41

residents as well as enslaved African

43:43

Americans. The city itself

43:45

consists of some thousand or so homes

43:47

built of wood and brick. Location-wise,

43:50

Charleston sits at the south-facing tip of

43:52

a peninsula with two rivers running on

43:55

either side of it. To

43:57

The east, we have the Cooper River. The

44:00

Ashley River to the south across

44:02

the harbor or marsh covered islands.

44:05

Charleston is also a hotbed of rebellion.

44:08

It helps move along. Patriot supplies insulting

44:10

the city's Sir Henry hopes to take

44:12

an important patriot positions and build on

44:15

a previous British victory at Savannah. Further,

44:18

Is undertaking the first serious British offensive

44:20

against the American rebels. said zoom in

44:22

Germany? seventeen Seventy Seven Disaster in Saratoga,

44:25

New York. So this is kind of

44:27

a big deal. Through

44:29

mid February seventeen eighties, Sir

44:31

Henry's massive army miserably traverse

44:33

his jeans and James Islands

44:35

which Captain Johan Hinrichs describes

44:37

as. A wilderness of

44:40

deep sand moslems. And. Impenetrable

44:42

woods that human seats had

44:44

never tried. After

44:46

ten days of this, they are close enough

44:49

to the mainland and sufficiently send grounds to

44:51

set up. Had course him, he can't. Ever

44:54

careful in calculating to a fault,

44:56

Sir Henry pauses and calls for

44:58

reinforcements. As he prepares is attacked.

45:01

His forces soon exceed twelve thousand

45:03

men, more than twice the number

45:05

of Charleston's patriot dissenters. As.

45:10

Sir Henry plots continental commander of

45:12

the Southern departments. Jon Benjamin Lincoln

45:15

prepares. He's. Got his work cut out

45:17

for him. Not only are

45:19

Charleston's defenses dilapidated, but it's position at

45:21

the edge of a peninsula makes it

45:23

difficult to descend. Further,

45:25

He has a city for civilians who for the

45:27

most parts are happy to rely on him for

45:29

protect since there are willing to do a damn

45:32

thing the help. That's Ross.

45:35

Nonetheless, Been gets to it to rebuild

45:37

the fortifications along both reverse he wrecks

45:39

breast works and redoubts on the next

45:41

to the city's north and adds a

45:43

line of forts on both of the

45:45

city's river flanked east and west sides

45:47

as well as a readout to it's

45:49

southern tip at the peninsulas and. expecting

45:52

the navy loving british strikes in the

45:54

seats been focuses most of his attention

45:57

on the latter defenses facing charleston harbor

45:59

that This assumption is unfortunate for Ben,

46:01

because Sir Henry already tried that when he

46:03

led the attack on Charleston back in 1776.

46:07

Instead, he decided to circle north

46:10

of Charleston and lay siege to the peninsula

46:12

occupying city by digging trenches down the neck

46:14

of land that connected to the mainland. Now

46:18

let me add here that Charleston has the potential to

46:20

turn into a trap. Continental

46:22

General Ben Lincoln knows it. Far

46:25

away up north, Continental Commander in Chief George

46:27

Washington knows it. If no,

46:29

it could play out just like Long Island did for George

46:31

back in 1776, which the Virginian only

46:34

narrowly escaped by ferrying across the East River

46:36

under the cover of night. So

46:39

as we go on, let it be known, the

46:41

Southern commander does not want to

46:43

let himself get trapped like George

46:45

once did in his own fortification.

46:48

Even as that's exactly what Sir Henry Clinton

46:50

hopes to do. The

46:53

pro-emancipation South Carolinian John Lawrence

46:55

sees it. On

46:57

March 14th, 1780, he writes to

46:59

George Washington arguing that a trap laying siege

47:01

is exactly what the Brits plan to do.

47:05

The enemy's present disposition of his

47:07

force and all his lay operations

47:09

indicate the design to attack Charleston

47:11

by siege in form. John

47:13

goes on to describe the British transports

47:15

and store ships sitting just south of

47:18

Charleston at the opening of the Ashley

47:20

River and speculates that Sir Henry might

47:22

undertake, quote, a

47:24

circuitous march, fortify a camp on the

47:26

neck and open his trenches, close quote.

47:29

The situation is so bad. John

47:31

even suggests to the Continental commander

47:33

that he should personally come down

47:35

and reinforce Charleston that this

47:37

alone will break the British siege. But

47:40

alas, currently making winter's camp

47:42

at Morristown, New Jersey with a small

47:44

ill supply and somewhat mutinous army, George

47:47

is in no place to help. And

47:50

as we know, John Lawrence is exactly right

47:52

about a siege. In

47:54

late March, Sir Henry's army crosses the Ashley

47:56

River. By April 1st, the Red

47:58

Coats are on the peninsula's neck about

48:00

a thousand yards north of Patriot

48:02

defended Charleston and this

48:04

is when the siege begins. Starting

48:11

April 1st, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton's

48:13

British, Loyalist and German forces began

48:16

their labors under an unusually hot

48:18

South Carolina sun, digging a trench

48:20

that builds redoubts a mere 800

48:23

yards away from the Patriots fortifications.

48:26

This is the first parallel and

48:28

after 10 days during which 750

48:30

Virginians reinforced Charleston shortly before the

48:32

British cut off the harbor. This

48:35

line of British fortifications cuts

48:37

across the entirety of the

48:39

peninsula's relatively thin neck. Now

48:42

the British begin digging toward the city.

48:45

With careful input from engineers, as many as

48:47

500 British soldiers

48:49

at a time dig zig-zagging

48:51

lines and build defensive positions.

48:54

The sandy soil caves, sand

48:56

fleas bite. Approaching the peninsula's

48:59

canal, more and more water caves

49:01

into their trenches. As

49:03

the days pass and the trench digging British

49:05

draw closer to Charleston, artillery on

49:07

both sides fire. The

49:09

British use typical shots. The

49:12

Americans, however, are running low on supplies and

49:14

fire anything that can do damage. Flat

49:17

irons, broken locks and shovels pick

49:19

axes even. Horrifying these

49:21

irregular objects prove effective at tearing

49:24

off limbs. Although no

49:26

worse than more normal projectiles, they

49:28

terrify Sir Henry's men. That

49:31

horror only grows as the distance between

49:33

the two sides shortens with a second

49:35

parallel constricted. The Patriots are

49:37

filled with fear as well as they

49:40

watch the trap slowly tighten around them

49:42

in Charleston. That

49:47

trap becomes all the more real on April 14th.

49:50

That's when British Lieutenant Colonel Banister Tarleton

49:52

seizes one of the few footpaths by

49:54

which Ben Lincoln's army could still escape

49:57

Monks Corner. Meanwhile the

50:00

the lines get even closer. The

50:02

Americans launch raids against the British,

50:04

whose trenches are nearly right against

50:06

theirs. American General

50:08

William Wiltry tells us that

50:10

on April 24, quote, 300

50:13

men, Virginians and South Carolinians under

50:15

the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henderson

50:17

made a sortie upon the enemy's

50:19

approaches, opposite the advanced redoubts at

50:22

daylight. They were completely

50:24

surprised and lost about 15 to 20

50:26

men killed with the bayonet besides 12

50:28

persons brought off on our side. By

50:32

late April, everyone is terrified. Soldiers

50:35

on both sides fear for the worst

50:37

dessert and give up information. The

50:40

British have completed three parallels. On

50:43

April 21, Continental General Ben Lincoln

50:45

offers to surrender to British commander

50:47

Sir Henry Clinton. Ben's

50:49

terms are that he and his whole army be

50:51

allowed to leave intact. But

50:53

the British commander knows he's got the American.

50:56

There's no need to give such generous terms.

50:59

By early May, the British trenches are

51:01

literally yards away from the American lines.

51:04

The night of May 9 is the final throwdown.

51:07

As the two sides swap cannon fire

51:09

Charleston's beautiful wooden homes go up in

51:11

flames. This is the breaking

51:13

point. Three days later,

51:16

March 12, 1780, Ben

51:18

surrenders Charleston and his army of 5,500 men.

51:22

Sir Henry has captured General Benjamin Lincoln and

51:24

his entire army as well as the British

51:26

has taken the finest port and largest city

51:29

in all the south. This

51:31

is the greatest loss the Americans will

51:33

see throughout the entire war. The

51:36

American militiamen are released

51:38

on parole. Since 2500 Continentals

51:40

are made prisoners of war. At

51:43

first, the officers get to keep their

51:45

swords. But when they begin chanting, long

51:48

live Congress, long live Congress. Well,

51:51

Sir Henry doesn't find this amusing. He's

51:54

taking the Continental officers swords. In

51:56

fact, he'll make sure Ben Lincoln feels

51:59

many an insult. denying the Continental General

52:01

several of the usual honors afforded a

52:03

surrendering foe. British

52:06

casualties run 76 dead and 189 wounded. For

52:10

the Americans, 89 dead and 138 wounded. They

52:14

also feel the sting of losing valuable

52:16

supplies, including 6,000 muskets and

52:18

hundreds of barrels of powder. Relatively

52:21

low casualties on both sides, all things considered,

52:24

though 800 of the Continentals taken here

52:26

today will soon die on prison ships.

52:32

In fact, the surrender itself proves more deadly

52:34

than the siege. As

52:37

the British stacked the defeated Americans' arms on the

52:39

afternoon of May 15, the British ignored

52:41

their surrendering foe's warnings that these guns are

52:43

still loaded. Now, what

52:45

happens when you lackadaisically throw thousands

52:47

of black powder guns near a

52:49

massive store of black powder? I'll

52:52

let General William Moultrie take it from here. To

52:55

quote him, they threw the

52:57

guns so carelessly into the store that

53:00

some at last set fire to the

53:02

powder, which blew up the whole guard

53:04

of fifty men and many others that

53:06

were standing by. Their

53:08

carcasses, legs, and arms were seen

53:10

in the air and scattered over

53:13

several parts of the town. One

53:16

man was dashed with violence against the

53:18

steeple of the new independent church, which

53:21

was at a great distance from the explosion and

53:24

left the marks of his body there for

53:26

several days. Every

53:30

time I read that, I can't help but

53:32

picture this poor unnamed man thrown so high

53:34

in the air he's dashed against a church

53:36

steeple. I don't even want

53:38

to know what the marks his body left behind

53:41

looked like, nor this rain

53:43

of human appendages falling from the sky. In

53:46

all, two hundred people die in

53:48

this entirely avoidable accident. I'm

53:51

guessing everyone present gained a new found respect

53:53

for muskets and the safe handling of firearms

53:55

that day. Large

53:57

black powder explosion aside, We

54:00

need to point out one other thing to button

54:02

up the siege of Charleston. Sir

54:04

Henry leaves. That summer, he

54:07

takes 4,000 troops and goes back

54:09

to his headquarters in New York, leaving

54:11

behind his number two, Lord Cornwallis, to

54:13

take charge of the Southern Strategy. Given

54:16

how little they like one another, I'm sure both are

54:18

very happy with this arrangement. Strategically

54:21

speaking, we will not top the damage

54:23

done to the Patriot cause at Charleston,

54:26

but shortly after, there is a much

54:28

smaller battle that impacts the psychological consequences

54:30

of how this war is fought. This

54:33

is a battle, or rather, the

54:35

massacre at the Waxhaws. It's

54:41

early in the afternoon, May 29, 1780. Two

54:45

weeks and change since Charleston fell to the

54:47

British. 32-year-old

54:49

Continental Colonel Abraham Buford and his

54:51

force of roughly 400 Continentals from

54:54

the 3rd Virginia Detachment are on the march

54:57

just south of the line between the Carolinas

54:59

in a region known as the Waxhaws. They

55:02

had hoped to help Ben Lincoln hold Charleston,

55:04

but having caught word of its fall, are

55:06

now making their way back to North Carolina

55:08

to rejoin other Patriot forces. But

55:11

as they travel, a British

55:13

messenger, Captain Kinloch, approaches Colonel

55:15

Abraham Buford to present

55:17

the letter from British Lieutenant Colonel Banister

55:20

Tarleton, who, sent by Lord Quandwaltz with

55:22

a mixed force of cavalry and infantry,

55:24

means to capture the Colonel and his

55:26

men. In the message, this

55:28

25-year-old British commander claims to have a force of 700th,

55:30

asks for Abraham's

55:33

surrender, and says that, if you

55:35

are rash enough to reject the

55:37

terms, the blood be upon your

55:39

head. The Continental

55:41

Colonel answers just as boldly, giving

55:43

the messenger the following response, I

55:46

reject your proposals, and shall defend

55:48

myself to the last extremity, if

55:51

only he knew how true those

55:53

words were. At

55:56

three in the afternoon, about nine miles

55:58

off from Lancaster Courthouse. an advanced

56:01

guard of British cavalry suddenly appear. They

56:04

quickly take an American sergeant and four

56:06

other troops captive. Currently

56:09

in an open wood, Abraham has his

56:11

Virginians form lines and position their two

56:13

six pounder guns. Across

56:16

the way, a bugle sounds. And

56:18

there, the British infantry stand flanked

56:20

on each side by Bannister Tarleton's

56:22

cavalry. Their numbers were a lie.

56:25

It's closer to 250 and filled with

56:27

loyalists. The British

56:29

charge at the numerically superior Americans. But

56:33

their cavalry quickly moves to the American rear. Seeing

56:36

this, the colonel knows they can't win. He

56:38

raises the white flag, preparing to surrender. But

56:42

as for what happens in this moment, sources

56:45

conflict. According to

56:47

Bannister Tarleton, the Virginians shoot his horse

56:49

while asking for order. Seeing

56:52

this, his men attack ruthlessly before he can

56:54

get up and stop them. According

56:57

to American accounts, Bannister very purposely

56:59

ensures his horse is struck just

57:01

as the surrender begins to have

57:03

a pretext to slaughter. The

57:05

truth of this moment will never be

57:07

known. But what follows, as American doctor

57:10

Robert Brownfield tells us, is

57:12

a loyalist slaughter of disarmed patriots.

57:15

Quote, for 15 minutes after

57:17

every man was prostrate, they

57:20

went over the ground, plunging their

57:22

bayonets into everyone that exhibited any

57:24

signs of life. And in

57:26

some instances, where several had fallen one

57:28

over the other, these monsters were seen

57:30

to throw off on the point of

57:33

the bayonet, the uppermost to come at

57:35

those beneath. Close

57:37

quote, Abraham Buford and

57:39

some of his men get away. But

57:42

over 100 Virginians lie dead while another 150 or

57:45

so are left wounded on the field. Locals

57:48

try to tend to their bayonet wounds, but many

57:50

won't make it. Making

57:52

resources to do anything more, wax-haw

57:55

residents bury these dead patriots in

57:57

mass graves. cries

58:00

of, Remember Buford and

58:02

Tarleton's quarter will fuel

58:05

the Patriot cause. In

58:10

this world touring episode, we have talked

58:12

about various massacres and scorched earth tactics

58:14

coming from both sides. All

58:16

of which left indelible marks and

58:19

made unjust casualties of war including

58:21

civilians and children. A

58:23

sad truth I've learned from history

58:25

is that no single political ideology,

58:27

race, ethnicity, religion, you name it.

58:30

Is above the worst aspects of our species. If

58:33

a person or a group is pushed far and long

58:35

enough, they can break. You

58:39

can break. And I think that's

58:41

a really scary thought for most of us. Because

58:43

we don't want to acknowledge that. The

58:46

groups we belong to or that we as

58:48

individuals all have a Mr.

58:50

Hyde deep inside our Dr. Jackal. We'll

58:53

see more breaking points hit in the revolution's

58:55

difficult year of 1780. As

58:58

the fight for the South continues, the hero

59:01

of Saratoga, General Horatio Gates will falter. While

59:03

up north, his Saratoga nemesis,

59:06

a twice wounded and forever physically impaired

59:08

for the Patriot cause general, will become

59:10

the most notorious traitor in the history

59:12

of the United States. Oh,

59:14

how the mighty fall. That's

59:16

right. Next time we'll not only

59:19

continue the story of the South, we'll also

59:21

head north to witness the treatment.

59:28

The music

59:31

that doesn't talk is created in the United

59:33

States. It's the music that we're

59:35

going to be producing. Perhaps a more

59:38

interesting one. And designed by Molly

59:40

Boggs. Seeing music composed by Greg

59:42

Jackson. Arrangement and additional composition

59:44

by Lindsey Graham of Airship. For

59:46

bibliography of all primary and secondary sources, go to the

59:48

end of writing this up. Visit

59:51

htds.com. HCBS

59:58

listeners, my friends. Jackson.

1:00:00

As many of you have heard, I've been

1:00:02

touring around the country with my live show.

1:00:04

You haven't heard, it's something I wrote specifically

1:00:06

for the stage, not the podcast, where I

1:00:08

tell 100 years of US history in 100

1:00:10

minutes. I call

1:00:12

it the Unlikely Union and it's

1:00:14

about the struggle and triumph of a young

1:00:17

nation to form, define, and reform itself, told

1:00:19

by me, under the lights, with video and

1:00:21

live musicians. We've just added a

1:00:23

few new stops in April before we pause the

1:00:25

tour. I can't be sure when or where

1:00:28

we'll go when we restart later this year, but I've

1:00:30

heard your requests and we'll do our best as

1:00:32

we get around this big beautiful country. In

1:00:34

the meantime, I'd love to meet you at any of

1:00:36

the shows now booked through April. Tickets

1:00:38

for current dates and the latest

1:00:41

info can be found at htbspodcast.com.

1:00:43

That's htbspodcast.com.