Benjamin Lincoln Papers, 1635-1964 » June–Oct. 1779  

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This reel consists of letters and other documents detailing Lincoln's command of the Southern Army during the withdrawal of the British from South Carolina and the allied movement against British-held Savannah. The bulk of the papers concern military matters and almost all of the correspondents are the same as those on Reel 3. Very few letters written by Benjamin Lincoln appear on this reel. Copies of his military correspondence between June and August can be found in the letterbook at the beginning of Reel 3. Subjects documented in these papers include: the inability of the American forces to rout the British after the failed attack on Charleston, Lincoln's proposed resignation of his command, the return of the British to Savannah in the late summer, the arrival of the French fleet under Count d'Estaing, and the delayed attack on Savannah by the French and American forces. This reel contains only two family letters, both written by Benjamin Lincoln, Jr., one to his father and the other to his sister.