Loading map viewer...

A sketch of the operations before Charlestown the capital of South Carolina

In 1780, the British tried to capture Charleston, South Carolina again. This chart depicts the six-week siege that forced American troops to surrender on May 12, 1780. This was the largest surrender of American troops during the war. Along with Samuel Holland, Joseph F.W. Des Barres conducted extensive coastal surveys of the British colonies beginning in 1764. Although their charts were prepared primarily for navigational purposes, this one features the fortifications constructed by British and American troops (colored yellow) and the British and American fleets. This version of the chart appeared in Des Barres’ The Atlantic Neptune, the most comprehensive maritime atlas of the period.