In December 1779 Lt. General Henry Clinton set sail for Charleston, South Carolina. He landed south of the city on February 11, 1780 on John's Island. They began a month long approach toward the main land. On March 10, the British finally reached mainland. After a successful night crossing of the Ashley River, Clinton set out to cut off Charleston and Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln from reinforcement and silence its lines of communication.
On May 8, General Clinton demanded surrender, but General Lincoln wanted to negotiate better terms. On May 9, the bombardment began. On May 12, 1780, Lincoln unconditionally surrendered Charleston and several thousand Continental soldiers to Clinton. It was the greatest loss of manpower and equipment of the war for the Americans and gave the British nearly complete control of the Southern colonies.
View the following pages for a more detailed description on the Siege of Charleston: