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The British Occupation of Charleston was a major British occupation of the city of Charleston, South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. It began in 1780 as a direct result of the Siege of Charleston and lasted until 1782, due to the imminent signing of the Treaty of Paris and end of the war.

Background

On December 26th, 1779, an armada of British and Hessian troops launched from New York and sailed towards Charleston, South Carolina. Due to unfavorable winter sailing conditions, a large amount of British ammunition, artillery, and horses were lost before the British landed in Great Britain-occupied Savannah, Georgia. Lead by Sir Henry Clinton, 10,000 British soldiers set sail again and landed on Johns Island and moved to establish a position on James Island, which were to the south and west of Charleston. Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, leader of the Continental Army in Charleston, remained in the city. This gave British forces an opening to attack Fort Charleston, which fell on March 6th, 1780.

After crossing the Ashley river, Clinton successfully cut off any hope of Charleston receiving reinforcements. Lincoln, who had been relying on receiving reinforcements, set the people of Charleston to ready defenses. Slaves were brought into service and made barricades and other fortifications around the city, while a small section of the American navy deployed in Charleston Bay to protect it. A large section of this fleet was also deliberately sunk in the harbor to try and block entrance to the Cooper River, while Fort Moultrie and the subsequent batteries on Sullivan's Island were readied.

Despite this, the British forces set up proper siege trenches after gaining reinforcements and began to siege the city. As the siege went on, Lincoln presented multiple deals of surrender to the British forces, but was denied each time. Finally, on May 12th, 1780, Lincoln surrendered himself, a few thousand men, and the city of Charleston unconditionally and British forces moved into the city.

Occupation

Commandants

While under British control, Charleston fell under the jurisdiction of a military commandant. The commandant was tasked with carrying out all basic policies laid out by Clinton and then later by Lord Charles Cornwallis, who was the new commander of the British forces in the South after Clinton left. Brigadier General James Patterson served as the first commandant of Charleston during the early days of the occupation, but was replaced by Brigadier General Nisbet Balfour, who served as the commandant for the majority of the occupation. He was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Allen during the final days of the occupation.

During their time as commandant, these three men worked to restore order and were vital in setting up the basics for governing the city during the occupation. They were also in charge of three different prisoner groups- Continental officers and Continental troops were under their jurisdiction, as well as the prisoners who were on parole within the city. The commandants also were in charge of enforcing military discipline for the occupying forces as well as providing law and order for the civilian inhabitants of the city.

Board of Police

A Board of Police was established early in the occupation of Charleston by Cornwallis at the suggestion of Clinton. It acted as a court of common pleas and as an advisory board to the current British commandant. They served as the key to civil administration in the city during the occupation. The board was basically a judicial tribunal focused on maintaining and operating property as closely as possible as the laws of Great Britain would, to the extent of power that a military government would allow. The board was operated in a manner similar to the previous civil courts in hopes that the local inhabitants would be more willing to work with the board's decision.

James Simpson served as the first intendant general (head of the Board of Police) from June of 1780 to February 1781, when he left for New York. His work as intendant general was highly praised by Balfour, who initially retained Simpson in Charleston after he was called to transfer to New York because he could find “no other person, that can render the same service” as Simpson.

Simpson was replaced by Lieutenant Governor William Bull in 1781, who was far less popular than his predecessor. Bull was anxious for the return of civil government in Charleston for the greater public good, as well as an opportunity for him to become Governor of South Carolina. These aspirations were never realized, however.

Soon after its establishment, the board decided that it would meet on the first Monday of every month. Sessions were held continuously until it had heard all matters that had been presented to it. Decisions of arbitrators on the board would be related back to the board clerk within ten days, and intendants on the board would meet on the third Monday of each month to approve or disapprove of the decision.

The Board of Police continued to meet and function until the final days of the occupation, and fell apart when the British pulled out of the city. Despite this, the board was a much-needed function during the occupation, and kept the commercial activity and civic duties of the city in check during their time in power.

Slaves

During the war, many slaves fled to the British forces to escape their masters and secure their freedom. While this helped the British take Charleston, the excess of runaway slaves became an issue once the city was taken. This was unsurprising, as slaves in Charleston almost made up one half of the overall population of the city. Clinton established a policy that all runaway slaves belonging to Loyalists were to be returned to their masters, who were ordered not to punish them. Slaves belonging to patriots or any other group deemed as “unfriendly” towards Britain were considered public property, and were put under the supervision of John Cruden, who was also in charge of all property seized from patriots during the occupation. These slaves were put to work on these properties or wherever else the administration thought they were needed, and were promised freedom at the end of the war, so long as they had worked hard and honestly.

The British fully utilized slave labor during the occupation, with 800 slaves being employed in engineering and ordinance departments alone. Slave owners of slaves in these departments were paid for their slaves' labor, while the British supplied the slaves with clothing and food free of charge. It was suggested by James Moncrief, the chief egineer in Charleston, that slaves be considered for combat positions as well, but this idea was generally rejected by the majority of the leaders of the occupation.

Social Life and Institutions

The social scene of Charleston suffered during the occupation, with horse racing and professional theater performances ceasing to exist in the city, both of which were extremely popular before the occupation. Life eventually lapped into a similar version of what it was before after a while, though, and both subscription balls and concerts began to be held in the city again. Originally, public schooling was provided by the Free School Act of 1712. However, Charlestonians had to provide funds for public education during the two years of British occupation. This fell into the same education from before after a time, as well.

The biggest change in social structure was the change in leadership, with the upper echelons of society now dominated by Loyalists. These Loyalists not only replaced the revolutionaries who ran the city government, but also replaced them as officers in the clubs and societies of the city, as well as church officials.

British Departure

By 1781, Charleston stood as the last bastion of British influence within the state of South Carolina. Rebel Governor John Ruthen restored civil authority to Continental-controlled parts of the state in 1780 and issued a proclamation against looting during the chaos. An assembly formed in Jacksonborough, South Carolina that became known as the Jacksonborough Assembly. Filled with representatives for the patriot South Carolinian government, the Assembly was followed with great interest by citizens of Charleston.

With the British defeat at Yorktown in 1782, Charlestown became an important topic to patriots and Loyalists alike, with patriots looking for an opportunity to take their state capital back and Loyalists hoping for some sort of turn of fate to drive the Colonial army out of the state. Clinton did not want to lose such an important tactical location, though, and kept 2,000 troops at the ready to deploy at a moments notice, should the need have arisen.

Administrative problems crept up in the city during the closing months of the occupation, and the ciy was flooded with a high number of Loyalist refugees from all over the south. The British threw a number of patriot sympathizers out of the city in April 1782 to counter the formation of the Jacksonborough Assembly, but as it became more apparent that the city was to be evacuated, they stopped caring about groups who made deals with the new republican government

Finally, an agreement was made between Continental General Nathanael Greene and British General Alexander Leslie that the British would leave the city in good condition. In return, the patriots would let them leave peacefully and would not attack their rear guard. Both sides honored this agreement, with no shots or other hostilities being exchanged between the opposing forces during the evacuation. Both troops were close enough to talk to each other at certain points, and there were a few reported cases of American officers riding out to British officers and exchanging in friendly conversation with them.

More than 9,000 people left Charleston during the evacuation, with former intendant governor Bull and other crown officials among them. With the last influence from Britain gone from Charleston, the city fell back to revolutionary control, and all hope of re-establishing royal government in South Carolina was lost.