arrival
on the coast warned Clinton of the necessity for concentration, and he
ordered the evacuation of Rhode Island. When the French fleet had
departed he prepared to attack Charleston, and on February 11, 1780,
landed his army on the coast of South Carolina. The town, which was
defended by Lincoln, was besieged on April 1, and surrendered on May 12.
More than 5,000 prisoners were taken, including seven general officers,
besides about 1,000 French and American seamen, 400 guns, and the whole
naval force in the harbour. Cornwallis obtained further successes in the
province; South Carolina was cleared of the enemy, and the inhabitants
generally professed submission. After striking this great blow Clinton
was forced to return to New York, for a French fleet was bringing over
troops to act with Washington, and Cornwallis was left with only 4,000
regulars, besides provincials, to carry on the war in the south.

[Sidenote: _FIGHTING IN LINE OF BATTLE._]

By the end of 1779 the garrison of Gibraltar was reduced to great
straits. The West India command had lately been given to Rodney, already
a distinguished officer and destined to take a high place among
England's sea-captains. Before he proceeded to his station he sailed
with a large convoy for Gibraltar and Minorca. On his way he captured a
Spanish convoy, sent the sixty-four-gun ship which protected it to
England with the merchandise, and carried the provisions destined for
the besiegers off Gibraltar to the besieged garrison. Off Cape St.
Vincent he came on a Spanish squadron of inferior strength under the
command of Don Juan de Langara, cut the Spaniards off from Cadiz, took
six of their ships, and destroyed another. He carried out the relief of
Gibraltar and on February 13 sailed for the West Indies, where Count de
Guichen was commanding in place of D'Estaing. Down to this time the
naval battles of the century had generally been inconclusive, except
when one fleet was much stronger than the other. Admirals kept strictly
to the formation known as the line of battle in which one ship followed
another in regular order. If both the admirals of opposing fleets were
willing to bring matters to a decided issue, the fleet to windward would
attack, and the ships go at one another at close quarters all along the
line. English admirals, with sufficient force, always hoped to bring
this about. They were seldom successful, for the French admirals were
unwilling to fight at close q