Laurie & Whittle:  An Exact Plan of Charleston Bar and Harbour. From An Actual Survey. With the Attack of Fort Sulivan, on the 28th of June 1776. By His Majesty's Squadron, Commanded by Sir Peter Parker . . . 1791

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Title: An Exact Plan of Charleston Bar and Harbour. From An Actual Survey. With the Attack of Fort Sulivan, on the 28th of June 1776. By His Majesty's Squadron, Commanded by Sir Peter Parker . . . 1791

Map Maker:  Laurie & Whittle

Description:

An extremely rare separately-issued Revolutionary War battle plan, by Robert Sayer, which appeared in Sayer’s rare North American Pilot, depicting the British Siege of Charleston Harbor in June 1776 and the decisive battle fought at Fort Sullivan on June 28, 1776.

Sayer’s plan of Charleston Harbor is one of the finest and rarest of all Revolutionary War Plans of Charleston, illustrating in great detail the British naval activity in the Harbor and the ultimate British attack and American defense of Fort Sullivan. Unlike smaller plans by Faden and Sayer & Bennett which illustrate only the Attack on Fort Sullivan, this plan provides a detailed account of the British movements throughout the entire Harbor and captures significantly more battle information. A similar plan of all of Charleston Harbor was issued by William Faden in his virtually unobtainable Atlas of the American Revolution.

In the Spring of 1776, South Carolina had been seized by the Americans. The British sent a fleet of twenty ships under Sir Peter Parker and Sir Henry Clinton to oust the Americans. The ships stopped at Five Fathom Hole and later landed on Long Island, just north of Sullivan's Island.

The Americans, under the command of William Moultrie, were woefully short of experienced troops and ammunition. Fort Sullivan was a rather primitive and indefensible structure hastily constructed by the Americans and not capable of withstanding any significant assault. Instead of attacking straight away, Clinton looked for a crossing between Long Island and Sullivan’s Island, which did not exist. This gave the Americans, under the command of William Thomson, time to strengthen their positions.

On June 28th, the British attacked fort, initially receiving heavy resistance and were unable to sail close enough to the island to mount an effective offensive. The British lost two ships in the assault. The British attempt to storm Thomson's position was also defeated.

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Maps of Southeast America