[Charleston] 16th January 1776
[Extract]
... let me close this by a brief account of our present circumstances & prospects in Charles Town & perhaps you may wonder how there can be a tranquil Heart within our Walls. ー on Thursday the 11th. appeared in the Offing two Ships & a one Masted Sloop ー on Friday a pilot Boat & two Smaller Vessels from Fort Johnson were dispatched to reconnoitre ー the Same Morning a ten Oared Barge Manned by a Lieutenant, a Coxswain & the Oarsmen all well armed & having a chest of Spare loaded Arms came into Rebellion Road, the Lieutenant boarded the Spanish Snow conversed with Mr Rilliet the only Man on board who could speak English ー enquired the Strength of the Fort of the Town ー where the Tamar & Cherokee were gone to, informed the Strength of the Ships without & Said they had Seven pilots, Should come over the Bar & proceed directly up to the Town Mr Rilliet who is very Sensible & who very sincerely abhors tyranny, gave the Gentleman proper answers ー the Barge then was returning to her Ship, Fort Johnson fired two Shot at her, not certainly knowing what She was, but in obedience to orders to bring all Strangers to. ー in her way She first cut off one of the Boats which had been Sent from the Fort the Soldiers & people on board escaped by a Stratagem when the Barge came along side & the Lieutenant asked many questions relative to the Strength of the place, why those Shot had been fired at him. ー boasted of this great force of the Ships in the offing, said one of them was of 50 Guns, which was to be lightned by the Sloop in order to get over the Bar, that before 10 oClock that Night he would make the Commander of the Fort Smart for his Insolence, would batter the Fort & Town about their Ears ー that they had on board the Ships Seven pilots ー the Serjeant & Master of our Boat answered generally they were only Fishermen & knew none of those things ー the Officer then asked for a String of Fish, fortunately they had two, which they gave & complained of bad luck or they would give him more ー he quitted these people & put off in pursuit of the Pilot Boat came up with, hailed & Fired upon her, the pilot Boat being Armed returned the Fire & many exchanges were made in which the Master of the Boat was wounded by a Splinter, & one of the Barge Men Seen to fall Supposed to be killed ー the Barge went off & our Boats came into Harbour & reported. Next Morning being Saturday, three Ships appeared at Anchor close in with the Bar, but no Sloop, their Boats were employed in Sounding the Channel & the best glasses& Eyes, determined their quality to be, a Frigate of 28 or 36 Guns & two Smaller Ships of War ー & it was generally conjectured that the Sloop had been detached to Savanna in Search of the Tamar & Cherokee & for intelligence ー the Lieutenant amidst all his unnecessary vaunting had betrayed Some regret for the absence of those Vessels which he said he had expected to have found in Rebellion Road ー this day the Tide was remarkably low & wind not favourable ー Sunday Morning those three Ships having weighed Anchor were Seen Stretching Southerly, the weather has been ever Since very rainy & dirty & we have heard nothing more concerning them ー they are probably Standing off, till better weather & Spring tides Shall happen, the latter will begin tomorrow & according to the Wind, continue three to Six days ー or possibly they may be gone to join the Tamar & Cherokee upon a conjecture that they are in Tybee sound ー I dispatched a Messenger the 7th Inst to learn the certainty of their being there, who is not yet returned whence I am inclined to hope that they were not there the 14th ー otherwise I should have been informed last Night ー
On Sunday the 14th a General Alarm was Fired, Expresses Sent through the Country ー hundreds of Men came in to the aid of Charles Town as Volunteers & Thousands are preparing to join them if needful ー a Battery on Sullivant's Island, another at Haddrell's point, Fort Johnson, and adjacent & important Battery, all the old Forts & four new Batteries on the front of this Town & a Ship mounting twenty two 12 & 9 pounders are in readiness to make a defence ー & Men appear to be animated ー God only knows what will be the event ー if the people are cool in Action a conquest will be very dearly purchased by the Shipping, & a Manly defence against British Ships of War will cost many a valuable Life & Limb on our part ー Heads of families, Brothers, Sons, friends and good fellow Citizens ー not the Canaille of Soldiery will fall ー who can dry eyed reflect upon this picture! will you not wonder that there is a tranquil Heart within our Walls? & yet I believe there is. ー but thro' the crevices I perceive day light, I must hasten to conclude or I may lose the opportunity for conveying my Letter; God grant this may be a happy Omen, that his light may break in upon & deliver us from the power of our Cruel Brethren; upon their minds & discover to them the fatal error into which they have been led by crafty & designing Men who for Selfish purposes brought on & continue to Support this barbarous persecution & who, at the hazard of all Curses, are willing to owe their greatness to their Country's Ruin ー...