Savannah, Ga.
The chief commercial city of Georgia; 18 miles from the Atlantic Ocean; county seat of Chatham county; noted for its large exports of cotton, naval stores, rice, and lumber; population in 1900, 54,244.Late in 1778 Sir Henry Clinton de-
A view of Savannah. |
Plan of the siege of Savannah, Oct. 9, 1779. |
In August, 1779, Count d'estaing appeared off the southern coast with twenty-two ships-of-the-line. General Lincoln, in command of the Southern army, was at Charleston, when a French frigate came there to announce the arrival of the fleet and the admiral's willingness to assist the army in the reduction of Savannah, provided he should not be detained too long on that dangerous coast, for he could find neither roadstead nor offing for his great ships-of-war. His entire fleet consisted of thirty-three vessels, bearing a large number of heavy guns. On the appearance of the fleet General Prevost summoned the troops from all his outposts to the defence of Savannah, and 300 negroes from the neighboring plantations were pressed into the service in strengthening the fortifications around the town. Very soon, under the direction of Major Moncrief, thirteen redoubts and fifteen batteries, with connecting lines of intrenchments were completed, on which seventy-six cannon were mounted. Before them a strong abatis was laid.
Meanwhile Lincoln had marched from Charleston, and reached the Savannah River on Sept. 12; and on the same day French troops landed below Savannah and marched up to within 3 miles of the town. Lincoln approached, and on Sept. 23 the [75] combined armies commenced a siege. D'Estaing had demanded a surrender of the post on the 16th, when Prevost, hourly expected reinforcements of 800 men from Beaufort, asked for a truce, which was unwisely granted. The reinforcements came, and then Prevost gave a defiant refusal. The siege, begun on Sept. 23, lasted until Oct. 8, with varying success. During the last five days a heavy cannonade and bombardment had been kept up on the British works with very little effect. D'Estaing, impatient of delay, then proposed to take the place by storm. Lincoln reluctantly agreed to the proposal, for there seemed a certainty of final victory if the siege should continue. A plan of attack was revealed to Prevost by a citizen of Charleston—a sergeant in Lincoln's army—and gave the British a great advantage. The assault was made before dawn on Oct. 9 by the combined forces, 4,500 strong, in three columns, led
Mouth of Savannah Harbor. |
On July 11, 1782, the British troops evacuated Savannah, after an occupation of three years and a half. In consideration of the services of Gen. James Jackson, Wayne, who was in command of the Continentals in Georgia, appointed him to “receive the keys of Savannah from a committee of British officers.” He did so, and on the same day the American army entered Savannah, when royal power ceased in Georgia forever. Governor Martin called a special meeting in Savannah (Aug. 1), of the Georgia legislature, at the house of General McIntosh. Very soon the free and independent State of Georgia began its career. See Georgia.