Savannah 1779

Book excerpt: In 1778 Great Britain launched a second invasion of the southern colonies as part of the “southern strategy” for victory in the American Revolutionary War. A force of 3,000 British soldiers, Hessians and Loyalists was dispatched from New York City to capture Savannah, capital of the State of Georgia. The city fell in December 1778, and became a base for British operations in the southern colonies. Desperate to regain one of the most important southern cities, Continental troops under General Benjamin Lincoln joined forces with a French naval expedition under the Admiral Charles-Henri d'Estaing in an an all-out assault on the British fortified positions protecting Savannah. This fully illustrated study examines the costly French and Patriot attempts to retake Savannah. Replete with stunning artwork and specially commissioned maps, this is the complete story of one of the bloodiest campaigns of the American Revolutionary War.