The Battle of Monck's Corner was fought on April 14, 1780, outside the city of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, which was under

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

by British forces under the command of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Henry Clinton in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The Loyalist British Legion, under the command of

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portug ...

, surprised an American force stationed at Monck's Corner, and drove them away. The action cut off an avenue of escape for

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

's besieged army. Aside from the British Legion, and the 33rd Foot and 64th Foot led by Lt. Col. James Webster, the force included

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, the American Volunteers, led by Maj. Patrick Ferguson.Almanac of American Military History, Volume 1 By Spencer Tucker pg. 336

Background

The majority of the British soldiers who took part in the Battle of Monck's Corner were Loyalist troops raised from the colony of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, although a detachment of the 17th Light Dragoons under Capt. William Henry Talbotwith also participated. Tarleton's unit was known as the

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

British Legion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel

. General Sir Henry Clinton arrived before

on 1st April 1780, and began siege preparations as the opening move in British plan to gain control over

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

. The city was defended by

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

troops under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln. Even after the British operations were underway, troops continued to arrive in the city to assist in its defense. On April 8, after the British had begun establishing siege lines around part of the city, 750

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Continentals, under the command of

William Woodford William Woodford (October 6, 1734 – November 13, 1780) was a Virginia planter and militia officer who distinguished himself in the French and Indian War, and later became general of the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the American Revolutionary War ...

, arrived in the city. Clinton learned that a supply train, which was actually the baggage train of this company, was nearing the city, and decided to cut the supply route. He detached 1,400 men under Lieutenant Colonel James Webster to go inland about to Biggin's Bridge on the Cooper River to intercept the train. In order to protect their own lines, the British needed to face General Isaac Huger and his detachment that Lincoln had stationed at Monck's Corner. Huger's force consisted of 500 men, including cavalry under the command of Lt. Col. William Washington, and elements of

Pulaski's Legion Pulaski's Legion was a cavalry and infantry regiment raised on March 28, 1778 at Baltimore, Maryland under the command of Polish-born General Casimir Pulaski and Hungarian nobleman Michael Kovats de Fabriczy for their service with the Continent ...

under the command of Chevalier Pierre-Francois Vernier. On the evening of 13 April, Tarleton intercepted a letter from Huger meant for Lincoln, and learned the disposition of Huger's force. His march continued on in silence.

Battle

The British attacked at 3 AM on the morning of April 14. What followed quickly became a rout.

According to Tarleton, "The Americans were completely surprised, General Huger, Colonels Washington and Jamieson, with many officers and men, fled on foot to the swamps.."

American casualties included 14 killed, 19 wounded and 64 captured. The biggest prize was the capture of the horses belonging to the American officers and cavalry.

Aftermath

Tarleton's reputation for swift surprise attacks started with this first major victory of his in the South. Following the battle, some of Tarleton's Legion

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s went on a rampage as documented by

Charles Stedman Charles Stedman (1753–1812) was a British Army officer who fought in the American War of Independence and afterwards wrote a detailed history on the conflict. Biography Charles Stedman, born at Philadelphia in 1753, was the second son of Alex ...

, including the killing of the Pulaski Horse commander Vernier after he had asked for quarter, and "attempts to ravish several ladies" at the Colleton plantation.Wilson, p. 247 Maj. Patrick Ferguson was offended by these acts, and Webster had the perpetrators sent back to the main army camp outside Charleston, where they were "tried and whipped." Some of the scattered remnants of Huger's force made their way north and east. They eventually regrouped under

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Anthony Walton White Anthony Walton White (July 7, 1750 – February 10, 1803) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War who had previously served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. Early life He was born ...

, but were again scattered by Tarleton at Lenud's Ferry on May 6. Lincoln was forced to surrender Charleston and more than 5,000

troops on May 12. It was the worst American loss of the war. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

did not suffer a loss of similar size until the Battle of Harper's Ferry during the American Civil War.

References

Sources

*Ward, Christopher. ''The War of the Revolution''. 1952. *Wilson, David. ''The Southern Strategy''. University of South Carolina Press. 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Moncks Corner Conflicts in 1780 Battles involving the United States Battles involving Great Britain Monck's Corner Berkeley County, South Carolina Monck's Corner 1780 in South Carolina