ench islands with a strong squadron. During
Admiral Byron's absence, Count D'Estaing directed an attack to be made
on the island of St. Vincent, the garrison of which was very
inconsiderable, and soon surrendered to the superior strength of the
French, assisted by a great multitude of the Caribbee Indians, and who
seized this opportunity of revenging themselves for injuries inflicted
upon them by the English during the last French war.

In the meantime Count D'Estaing was still further reinforced by the
arrival of the squadron commanded by M. de la Motte. His fleet now
consisted of twenty-six ships of the line and twelve frigates, and his
land force amounted to ten thousand men. With this powerful armament he
sailed for the island of Grenada, the strength of which consisted of
about one hundred and fifty regulars and three or four hundred armed
inhabitants. The garrison was compelled to yield to the prodigious
superiority of force against them, after a most heroic defence, in
which no less than three hundred of the French were killed and
wounded.[20]

The complaints of the Americans of the failure of Count D'Estaing's
expedition to America, of his abandoning the expedition against Long
Island, of his leaving the coasts of the Southern colonies unprotected
and exposed, and proceeding to the West Indies, reached the French
Court, which sent instructions to Count D'Estaing enjoining him to
return with all speed to the assistance of the colonies. For this
purpose he left the West Indies on the 1st of September. Mr. Tucker
remarks: "General Lincoln (commander of the colonial forces in Carolina)
having informed Count D'Estaing that the British ships had gone into
port to repair the damages sustained in the late engagement with his
fleet in the West Indies, and that a fair opportunity was presented of
destroying the British army in Georgia, with the co-operation of the
French fleet, the Count immediately left the West Indies, with
twenty-two sail of the line and eleven frigates. He had on board six
thousand land forces, and arrived so unexpectedly on the coast that a
British fifty-gun ship and three frigates fell into his hands. He then,
in conjunction with General Lincoln, planned an attack on the town of
Savannah."[21]

The arrangements for the attack having been made, the whole French fleet
came to anchor at the mouth of the Savannah river on the 1st day of
September. He was occupied ten days in landing his troops and
a