to
assent to them. _Common Sense_ taught thousands of Americans to
recognise for the first time their own thoughts and wishes, and
encouraged others, who already knew what they wanted, to cease from
disguising their hopes by empty professions. Separation would, it was
expected in England, be opposed most vigorously in the southern
colonies. In them its cause was forwarded by violence. Lord Dunmore, the
governor of Virginia, took refuge on board a man-of-war in June, 1775,
manned a small flotilla, and attempted to reduce his province by making
descents upon the coast. He enraged the people by offering freedom to
slaves who would enlist under him, and by destroying the town of Norfolk
through setting fire to some wharfs from which his men had been shot at
while landing for water. He further engaged in a scheme for invading the
southern colonies from inland with the help of the Indians. It failed,
and the result of his proceedings was that Virginia was foremost in
urging congress to a declaration of independence.

[Sidenote: _THE ATTEMPT ON CHARLESTON._]

The governors of the two Carolinas assured the king that if a force were
sent to their provinces the loyalists would rise; the Carolinas might be
secured, Virginia coerced, and all the south recovered for the crown.
Both George and Dartmouth believed them, and, against the advice of
military men, an expedition was prepared to sail to Cape Fear. The
troops were conveyed in a squadron under Sir Peter Parker and were under
the command of Lord Cornwallis. Clinton left Boston in December to take
the command, but the expedition was long a-preparing: it did not leave
Cork until February 12, 1776; the ships met with storms; none arrived at
Cape Fear before May 3, some were even later. Meanwhile Martin, the
governor of North Carolina, stirred up the loyalist Scots settled in the
province to take arms; they marched towards the coast, expecting to meet
the royal troops, were intercepted, and utterly routed. When at last
Clinton's force was gathered together, his time for action was short,
for he was under orders to meet Howe at New York at an early date. He
and Parker decided to make an attempt on the harbour of Charleston, the
chief town of South Carolina, for the trade carried on there was an
important source of the insurgents' funds. It was not until June 4 that
the British force, about 2,000 troops, with Parker's squadron arrived at
Charleston harbour.

The entrance was comma