Retreat From Charleston–January 6, 1776

Oil painting of William Moultrie, who was a General when this was painted by Charles Wilson Peale in 1782. From a strategic standpoint, Charleston Bay was probably much more attractive to the British than Boston Harbor was. The northern harbor was more open to the sea, there were a bunch of small islands to navigate around, and the weather could get quite treacherous. Meanwhile in South Carolina, there was a definite entry/exit point, there were fewer islands to deal with, and while it can still get cold in that area, the winters are still much milder. But from a shipping standpoint, both cities were attractive and needed to be controlled, as far as the British were concerned. It’s interesting, in retrospect, that the Patriots would attack the British ships as they departed the harbor area in Charleston, though. If nothing else, they more or less gave away the fact that Sullivan’s Island was fortified, which wasn’t necessarily common knowledge. And sure enough, there was an attack there by the British, which we’ll talk about in June. Stay tuned! The post Retreat From Charleston–January 6, 1776 appeared first on 250 and Counting.