December, 1778; and in the January following, General Prevost arrived,
and by March had established a sort of civil government in Georgia,
Savannah being the capital. In April, the American general, Lincoln,
feeble in more senses than one, perhaps, began a movement against
Savannah by way of Augusta; but Prevost, aware of his purpose, crossed
into South Carolina and attempted an attack upon Charleston. Finding
the city too well defended, he contented himself with ravaging the
plantations over a wide extent of adjacent country, and returned to
Savannah laden with rich spoils, among which were included three
thousand slaves, of whose labor he made good use later.

The patriots of the South now awaited in hope the coming of the French
fleet; and on the first of September, Count D'Estaing appeared
suddenly on the coast of Georgia with thirty-three sail, surprised and
captured four British warships, and announced to the government of
South Carolina his readiness to assist in the recapture of Savannah.
He urged as a condition, however, that his ships should not be
detained long off so dangerous a coast, as is was now the hurricane
season, and there was neither harbor, road, nor offing for their
protection.

By means of small vessels sent from Charleston he effected a landing
in ten days, and four days thereafter, on the 16th, he summoned the
garrison to surrender to the arms of France. Although this demand was
made in the name of France for the plain reason that the American army
was not yet upon the spot, the loyalists did not fail to make it a
pretext for the accusation that the French were desirous of making
conquests in the war on their own account. In the meantime Lincoln
with the regular troops, was hurrying toward Savannah, and had issued
orders for the militia to rendezvous at the same place; and the