British Capture Savannah

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

In 1778, after three years of fighting their rebellious American colonists, the grand British Army had been stymied in the northern theater. At this point, Lord George Germaine, secretary of state for the American Department, decided to focus his efforts southward, having been repeatedly informed by exiled American Loyalists that Georgia and the two Carolinas were heavily populated by Loyalists simply waiting for assistance from the British Army. On December 29, a British force led by Colonel Archibald Campbell captured Savannah, effectively gaining control of Georgia.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses Germaine’s strategy towards the southern colonies, and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of Architect of the Capital, British Museum, Library of Congress, Brown University Library, New York Public Library, National Army Museum, National Gallery of Art, Wikipedia. 

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Following General Benjamin Lincoln’s surrender of Charleston on May 12, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander, offered a full parole to the captured Americans as long as they remained neutral. The other American garrisons in the state at Ninety Six, Camden, Beaufort, and Georgetown were extended these same terms.

Tom Hand
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