British Forces Cross the Neck of Charleston

Reconnaissance reports convinced Clinton a surprise amphibious crossing of the Ashley River at John Drayton’s rice plantation was the safest option to reach the Charleston Neck. To misdirect the Patriots, Capt. Keith Elphinstone staged galleys and rowboats at Lining’s Creek, on the Ashley opposite Gibbes plantation. Meanwhile, General Cornwallis marched his corps under the cover of darkness up to Drayton’s Landing. The redcoats were ferried across on light boats, which had rowed upstream quietly in the dark, and secured a foothold on the Charleston peninsula. The British remained undetected until a midday skirmish with Lt. Col. John Lauren’s Continental light infantry pickets alerted Lincoln down in Charleston. Laurens’ troops withdrew as ordered, and the British infantry dug in astride the Broad Road–the main road leading northwards from Charleston–while rear echelon troops established the army’s headquarters and supply depot at Gibbes Landing.