Charleston Surrenders to British

In February 1780, Sir Henry Clinton, commander of British forces in North America, and 8,500 Redcoats disembarked thirty miles south of Charleston, intent on capturing the Queen City of the South. Charleston was defended by 6,000 Americans led by General Benjamin Lincoln and included a fleet of ten ships under the command of Admiral Abraham Whipple. By mid-April, the city was surrounded, and, on May 12, 1780, Lincoln surrendered the city and his entire command.