Historics: Carl Vinson

Congressman Carl Vinson (via Wikipedia)

Surfing around in the news is President Trump's order that the USS Carl Vinson - a supercarrier - move toward North Korea and perform exercises with the Japanese and South Koreans as a show of force.

The carrier strike force is definitely something to be reckoned with, but the name Carl Vinson probably doesn't ring many bells these days. Continue reading and that may change - at least for you.

Vinson was a Congressman from Georgia's 10th Congressional District who served from 1914 to 1933. After 1933 his constituency changed to Georgia's 6th Congressional District, where he served until 1965.

He was born November 18, 1883 in Baldwin County, Georgia.

He attended Georgia Military College and subsequently attended Mercer University, where he graduated with a law degree in 1902. He ran for Congress in 1908.

He was a strong proponent of a powerful US navy and was instrumental in securing support for maintaining fleets on both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Due to this, the USS Carl Vinson was named in his honor.

Rep. Vinson was also the longest serving Congressman ever from the state of Georgia and he has yet to be surpassed in length of service. He was also the last  Congressman who had served in at the time of the United State's declaration on the German Empire, which led to World War II.

Like most Southern members of Congress at the time, Vinson was a staunch segregationist and helped author the Southern manifesto. He retired in 1965 at age 82, perhaps in part because of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

He died in 1981 at the ripe old age of 97.

Historics 2017

Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge

In this engagement a patriot force split a loyalist force in two and captured quite a few of them. They then attacked across Moore's Creek and drove the rest of the loyalists away. The engagement was one of the first in the Southern colonies, and helped the patriots keep control of them.

The Battle of Fort Stanwix, and Oriskany

During this fight the British and their Indian allies attempted to take Fort Stanwix from the Americans. The attempt prompted the Americans to dispatch several expeditions to relieve the garrison and drive the British away. The first under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer was ambushed and nearly annihilated by Native American and Loyalists forces dispatched from the besiegers. The tactical defeat soon turned into a relatively major patriot victory because during the absence of such a large portion of the besieging force, the garrison at Fort Stanwix made a sortie and captured much of the baggage in the British camp. This almost completely demoralized the Native Americans (who lost much of what they possessed) and caused them to desert. The British commander, faced with the loss of such a large portion of his force and the advance of another American force approaching under Benedict Arnold, abandoned the siege. The de facto American victory parried the British thrust up the Mohawk valley and foiled their plan to join both armies at Albany, New York.

The Siege of Savannah

After the British captured Savannah as part of their southern campaign. The armies of both belligerents fought several small mostly inconclusive engagements. Then about 9 months after the capture of Savannah the Americans, and French began a siege that lasted about a month. The Americans were lead by General Benjamin Lincoln, and General Casimir Pulaski. The French were lead by Comte d'Estaing. The Comte arrived after capturing Grenada, with 25 ships-of-the-line and a substantial number of French soldiers. American and French troops numbered around 5,000 while the British counted 3,200 troops entrenched in heavily fortified defenses. The initial attack was plagued by delays and misinformation. d'Estaing and Pulaski were wounded and Pulaski mortally. The latter's wound was a result of a heroic and daring charge which failed. Although the British were driven back at first they managed to regroup, and drive back the Franco-American assault. All in all nearly 960 American and French troops became casualties. While the British suffered much less. The siege's outcome allowed the British to keep a base for operations in Georgia.

Capture of Savannah

During this action British forces under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell captured the city of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was defended by Continental troops under General Robert Howe. Howe had on hearing reports of the British fleet occupied the city with 550 Continentals which were reinforced by militia. The British landed their troops near Girardeau's plantation. On hearing this Howe sent some Continental's to take control of the bluffs facing the landing areas, but after firing a few shots the Continental's retreated. The British advanced till they were within sight of Howe's line which appeared quite strong. A slave however revealed a path through which the American line could be outflanked. As soon as the flanking troops reached their objective (which turned out to be the Continental barracks. The British infantry charged resulting in a retreat of the defenders which turned into a rout. The Americans desperately attempted to escape through to escape through the swamps, but were cut off by a force sent for that reason. Some Continentals managed to escape before they were cut off, and many tried to swim a creek. However many drowned in the attempt to swim it. A rear guard managed to cover the remaining troops' retreat. The British captured the city with the loss of 7 killed, and 17 wounded. Howe lost 83 killed, and 11 wounded plus a number that drowned. Howe was court-martial-ed, but was exonerated. He was however admonished on not opposing the British landing with a more significant force, or withholding his force altogether. 

By CWS 

The Swamp Fox

The Swamp Fox

Francis Marion was a American officer serving in Charleston, but wasn't captured in the siege because he had previously broken an ankle and was recuperating in the countryside. After the surrender of Charleston he organized a small force of irregulars serving without pay and attached himself to Horatio Gates command. Gates however had little to no confidence in Marion, and sent him to take command of the Williamsburg militia. Therefore Marion missed the decisive British victory at Camden. After this he became a terrible annoyance to the British by terrorizing Loyalists, and attacking outposts with spectacular hit-and-run tactics. Using paths that went the South Carolina swamps he could disappear suddenly, and reappear half-way across the countryside. Obviously this made him a very troublesome and dangerous opponent. The British finally sent their best cavalry officer Banastre Tarleton after Marion's guerrillas, but after a long chase even he gave declaring that nobody could catch him. He continued on to daring exploits not the least of which was the rescue of a small body of soldiers trapped by 500 British troops.

CWS

The British Attack the South

A New British Strategy

Once the French started fighting for the Americans the British began to rethink their colonial strategy. First they had to stop focusing all their energies on the 13 former colonies, and prepare to defend other colonies such as Florida and their colonies in the West Indies. This forced them to withdraw their troops from Philadelphia to strengthen the garrison at New York City against a French attack by sea and a American attack by land. They also had appointed a new commander in place of William Howe. This was Howe's former subordinate Henry Clinton. The British Government took away Howe's position because of his inability to crush the rebellion even though he won nearly every battle he took part in. Clinton seemed more aggressive-minded so he was appointed commander. 

A New Phase of the War

Clinton's troops attacked Charleston in March-May of 1780 launching their southern campaign. Charleston commander Benjamin Lincoln surrendered too avoid high civilian casualties (the British began to cruelly fire red-hot shot into the town) since disease had already taken its toll. This made prisoners of 5,000 Continental soldiers that composed a large portion of the southern Continental Army. General Horatio Gates was given command of the remainder of the southern troops, but after a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Camden he also was removed from command. His replacement was a Quaker from Rhode Island named Nathaniel Greene. Greene began to pursue a hit-and-run strategy similar to the Indian raids from the French and Indian war. 

till next post CWS