And Then There Were Thirteen with Dr. Henry Lumpkin was an instructional series debuted by SCETV in the mid-1970s The 20-episode series featured lectures by Dr. Henry Lumpkin of the University of South Carolina Department of History filmed on actual battle sites and campaign areas of the American Revolution in South Carolina.
After the capture of Savannah, and successful defense of the Franco-American attack, the British high command in the South now had a secure deep water fort and a good base for further operations in the campaign involving South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. This meant that Clinton and Cornwallis and Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot could move their forces by land and sea as the French alliance had failed.
When next we meet up with Professor Lumpkin, we find ourselves on board the Yorktown, stationed permanently in Charleston Harbor on the Cooper River, facing the famous old city itself, with the white steeple of St. Michael’s Church visible in the distance. It was in the tower of this Episcopal church, that the observer watched the British fleet coming into the harbor. The professor skillfully presents historical events, introducing us to the participants and actions, including classical European warfare, used in the pivotal engagement that resulted in the capture of Charleston. The Patriots attempted to hold the bar, the peninsula and thus Charleston, even blackening the tower of St. Michael’s, which according to the British, made it even more visible.
Side Notes
- Sir Henry Clinton (1730 – 1795) was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain between 1772 and 1795. He is best known for his service as a general during the American War of Independence. He arrived in Boston in May 1775 and was the British Commander-in-Chief in America from 1778 to 1782.
- Cornwallis
- Vice-Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot (1711 – 1794) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American War of Independence. In December 1779, Arbuthnot conveyed the troops of Sir Henry Clinton to Charleston, South Carolina, and cooperated with him in laying siege to that city. The surrender document signed by prominent citizens was addressed to him and Clinton. On 26 September 1780 he was promoted to Vice-Admiral of the White. On 13 March 1781, he fought the French Newport squadron, at the Battle of Cape Henry, before returning to England.
- Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738 – 1805) was a British Army officer, Whig politician, and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading British general officers in the American War of Independence. His surrender in 1781 to a combined Franco-American force at the siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in North America.
- Commodore Abraham Whipple (1733 – 1819) was an American naval officer best known for his service in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and being one of the founders of Marietta, Ohio. Born near Providence, Colony of Rhode Island, Whipple chose to be a seafarer early in his life and embarked on a career in the lucrative trade with the West Indies, working for Moses and John Brown. In the French and Indian War period, he became a privateersman and commanded privateer Game Cock from 1759 to 1760. In one six-month cruise, he captured 23 French ships.
- General Benjamin Lincoln - In March 1780, Clinton, Prevost, and General Charles Lord Cornwallis, whose force had accompanied Clinton from New York, descended on Charleston. By early April, the combined British forces had successfully trapped the Americans in the beleaguered city. To make matters worse for the defenders, British warships successfully ran past Fort Moultrie at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, further isolating Lincoln’s position by effectively closing off any means of escape or reinforcement. The noose only grew tighter as more British forces converged on the Charleston area and began to bombard the Americans’ hastily prepared defensive works. On April 21, hoping to preserve his army, Lincoln offered to surrender the city if his men were allowed to leave unharmed. Clinton refused to accept these terms and quickly resumed his artillery bombardment.
- John Rutledge (1739 – 1800) was an American Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice of the United States. Additionally, he served as the first president of South Carolina and later as its first governor after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
- Christopher Gadsden (1724 – 1805) was an American politician who was the principal leader of the South Carolina Patriot movement during the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, a merchant and slaver, and the designer of the Gadsden flag. He is a signatory to the Continental Association.
- John Laurens - In the early morning hours of August 27th, 1782, Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens met his death on the banks of the Combahee River. Since his enlistment in the Continental Army five years earlier, many people had commented on his rashness during battle. Often accused of charging headlong into danger without any regard for his own safety, Laurens behaved no differently this morning. He led 50 men in an assault against a detachment of 150 British soldiers, despite being ill and having the option to wait for nearby reinforcements. The effects were disastrous; likely informed by Loyalist spies of the intent of Continental forces to attack at daybreak, the British soldiers were ready for Laurens’ assault and immediately opened fire. Before the volleys concluded, 19 of Laurens’ soldiers were wounded, three were missing, and two had been killed in the action—including Laurens himself. Laurens was only 27 years old.
- George Washington The Southern Campaign was critical in determining the outcome of the American Revolutionary War, yet the South’s importance has been downplayed in most historical accounts to date.
