To the Last Extremity

The Battles for Charleston, 1776–1782

Mark Maloy

• Publisher: Savas Beatie
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781611216448
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Early American History
• Index: History

"The Charleston Patriots were willing to defend their city . . . An excellent combination of historical narrative and guide book." — Journal of the American Revolution

June 1776: A British fleet of warships and thousands of British soldiers appeared off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Following a brutal day-long battle, the most powerful navy in the world was bloodily repulsed by the Americans.

In the spring of 1780, a massive British force returned to Charleston and laid siege to the city. This siege resulted in the worst defeat of the Revolutionary War for the Americans, as they lost the city and an entire army of nearly six,zero men.

After being conquered by the British, the citizens and soldiers suffered more than two years of occupation and imprisonment. However, the siege of Charleston marked the beginning of the end of the Revolutionary War. The fall of Charleston initiated a series of events that ultimately resulted with the American victory at Yorktown and the successful independence of the United States.

Charleston, South Carolina is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the United States. Numerous sites, battlefields, and buildings from the period of the Revolution still exist. In To the Last Extremity: The Battles for Charleston, historian Mark Maloy not only recounts the Revolutionary War history of Charleston, he takes you to the places where the history actually happened. He shows you where the outnumbered patriots beat back the most powerful navy in the world, where soldiers bravely defended the city in 1779 and 1780, and where thousands suffered under occupation. Through it all, brave patriots were willing to defend the city and their liberty "to the last extremity."

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• TOURING REVOLUTIONARY WAR CHARLESTON
• FOREWORD by Richard Hatcher III
• CHAPTER ONE: The Allure of the South: The British Approach Charleston, 1776
• CHAPTER TWO: Honor and Victory: The Battle of Sullivan’s Island, June 28, 1776
• CHAPTER THREE: Quiet Harbor, Charleston, 1776–1778
• CHAPTER FOUR: We Will Fight It Out: The British Return to Charleston, 1779
• CHAPTER FIVE: The British Advance on Charleston, February–March 1780
• CHAPTER SIX: The Siege of Charleston, April–May 1780
• CHAPTER SEVEN: The Surrender of Charleston, May 12, 1780
• CHAPTER EIGHT: Occupied Charleston, 1780–1782
• CHAPTER NINE: Charleston Liberated, December 14, 1782
• APPENDIX A: George Washington Visits Charleston
• APPENDIX B: Revolutionary War Charleston in American Memory
• Order of Battle
• Suggested Reading
• About the Author