The battle for Fort Sullivan, 28th June, 1776

Almost certainly drawn by an Englishman rather than a colonial American, this naive but charming work depicts the very first contest of the American War of Independence involving ships-of-war. In an attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina, Commodore Sir Peter Parker took a small fleet there early in June 1776. Sullivan's Island was an integral part of Charleston's offshore defences where temporary fortifications - known locally as Fort Moultrie after its first commander - were thrown up to thwart the invaders. A prolonged operation lasting almost a month ensued, with the main attack on 28th June, yet despite their chronic shortage of ammunition, the Americans repelled Parker's combined land/sea assault causing the British to withdraw and suffer the humiliation of defeat by a mere handful of colonists. Had this plan been drawn by an American hand, it seems more likely that the fort would have been named for Moultrie rather than simply the island.