The Battle of Lenud's Ferry () was a battle of 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

that was fought on May 6, 1780 in present-day

Berkeley County, South Carolina Berkeley County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 229,861. Its county seat is Moncks Corner, South Carolina, Moncks Corner, and the larg ...

. All of the British soldiers who took part in the Battle of Lenud's Ferry were in fact Loyalists who had been born and raised in the colony of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, with the sole exception being their commanding officer Banastre Tarleton. The unit was known as the Loyalist

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The Loyalist

scattered a company of Patriot militia at Lenud's Ferry, a crossing point on the Santee River, north of which lies present-day Georgetown County.

Background

General Sir Henry Clinton arrived before

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

in late March 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 representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

troops under the command of General

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 ...

. Many of the rebels fighting in the battle of Lenud's Ferry were survivors of the Battle of Monck's Corner.The Real History of the American Revolution: A New Look at the Past by Alan Axelrod page 315 As part of his plan to cut off Lincoln's avenues of escape from Charleston, Clinton sent out troops under

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

to identify places to impede or block potential

movements north of the city. Cornwallis stationed himself near the forks of the Wando River, and sent out patrols to watch the area. Lieutenant Colonel William Washington's company of Patriot cavalry had been scattered by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and the

at Monck's Corner in mid-April. These troops regrouped several weeks later north of the Santee River, where they came under the command of Colonel Anthony Walton White, who had recently arrived with a company of

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 wi ...

s from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. White crossed the Santee on a probe to the south on May 5, while Col. Abraham Buford remained on the north side. They captured 18 British soldiers about four miles (6.4 km) north of Awendaw Creek, and returned to the Santee at Lenud's Ferry with their prisoners. Tarleton happened to be on a patrol with 150 dragoons heading toward Lenud's Ferry when he learned from a local Loyalist of the Patriot movements.

Battle

Making all haste, Tarleton raced to the crossing. White had no patrols or scouts out so his men were completely unprepared when Tarleton approached. A significant number of men became casualties, five officers and 36 men, while White, Jamieson, and Washington joined others in escaping via the river. Tarleton lost 2 men and 4 horses.

In Tarleton's words, "being totally surprised, resistance and slaughter soon ceased...All the horses, arms, and accoutrements of the Americans were captured. Colonels White, Washington, and Jamieson, with some officers and men, availed themselves of their swimming, to take their escape, while many who wished to follow their example perished in the river."

Aftermath

Cornwallis claimed that this action "totalled demolished their Cavalry".Borick, p. 193 The battle showed that the British had control over the northern escape routes from the city of Charleston. Lincoln surrendered the city and his army, more than 5,000 men, on May 12.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenuds Ferry Conflicts in 1780 Battles involving the United States Battles involving Great Britain Lenud's Ferry Berkeley County, South Carolina Lenud's Ferry 1780 in South Carolina