Americans suffer worst defeat of revolution at Charleston

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On May 12, 1780, after enduring a siege that began on April 2, Americans faced a significant setback in the Revolutionary War. Major General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered unconditionally to British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton and his 10,000-strong army in Charleston, South Carolina. The British victory resulted in the capture of over 3,000 Patriots and substantial munitions, with only 250 British casualties.

Feeling assured of British control in the South, Clinton departed for New York upon learning of an impending French expedition. General Charles Cornwallis assumed command of 8,300 British troops in the region. The British presence in South Carolina ignited a brutal civil war, with Loyalists and Patriots engaging in violent reprisals.

Patriots such as Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, and Nathanael Greene countered with guerrilla warfare tactics during the Carolina campaign of 1780-81, eventually forcing the British into Virginia. There, they surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

Despite the humiliation of surrendering at Charleston, Major General Lincoln later participated in the pivotal moment when General George Washington accepted Cornwallis' ceremonial surrender at Yorktown on October 20.

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