Overview and Summary of the Battle of Charleston
The British commander Sir Henry Clinton could not conquer the Northern colonies with the forces given him. However, in the South there were many loyalists and resistance to the British Resistance was not so strong. The British forces under the command of Sir Henry Clinton therefore decided to attempt the conquest of the South. Savannah was easily seized and the French and Americans failed to retake it in the Battle of Savannah. In the spring of 1780, Sir Henry Clinton, with a large army, landed on the coast between Savannah and Charleston. He marched overland to Charleston and besieged it from the land side. The Americans held out for a long time but on May 12, 1780, Benjamin Lincoln unconditionally surrendered Charleston and 4650 Continental soldiers to Clinton. It was the greatest loss of manpower and equipment of the war for the Americans and gave the British nearly complete control of the Southern colonies. Sir Henry Clinton then sailed back to New York, and left to Lord Cornwallis the further conquest of the Carolinas. The Battle of Camden followed.
