Camden 1780 by David Smith

Author:David Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

CAMDEN

Clinton’s optimism regarding the state of affairs in the southern colonies was perhaps coloured by the realization that he would not be responsible for events that followed. During the siege, he had received news that a French fleet was on its way to North America and was expected to target New York. Just as had happened in the middle of operations against Charleston in 1776, Clinton suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to be back in New York. Before leaving, however, he put the second stage of the British strategy in motion.

Initially intent only on capturing Charleston, Clinton had been reluctant to call out loyalist support, asking those well disposed to the crown to remain peacefully in their homes until called upon. Now, with Charleston secured as a refuge for loyalists and with the rebel militia disarmed (although they had been allowed to return to their homes on parole), not to mention the almost complete destruction of Continental forces in the colony, Clinton felt able to make that call. On 22 May he handed Major Patrick Ferguson his official instructions as Inspector of Militia.

Ferguson was to attempt to enlist ‘all the young or unmarried men of the provinces of Georgia and the two Carolinas … into companies consisting of from 50 to 100 men each and … form battalions consisting of from 6 to 12 companies each’. Independent companies were permissible where it was not easy to form battalions and each company was to have a lieutenant chosen by the men themselves. Non-commissioned officers from the regulars could be imported as ensigns to help with instilling discipline into the new companies, but Clinton showed his awareness of the need to keep the enlistees happy; bringing in British soldiers ‘must be done with great caution so as not to disgust the men or mortify unnecessarily their love of freedom’. Suspicions of being lured into long-term service were also to be allayed. Each man would receive a certificate detailing his responsibilities: to serve any six months of the ensuing 12 that might be required at a rate (during active service) of six pence per day plus provisions. The certificate would clearly state the date on which his enlistment expired. Some men would inevitably wish to enlist in full-time provincial corps, and this was to be allowed, but Clinton insisted that no underhand tactics were to be employed to trick the young men into taking the king’s shilling. They could also serve on horse (at their own expense) if they were unwilling to serve as infantry and they would be provided with weapons if they had none of their own. Clinton envisaged this form of enlistee as being eligible for offensive operations, but he also saw the need for local forces, made up of older men or those with families. These men would need to be ready only ‘to assemble occasionally in their several districts’, to respond to temporary crises.

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