章 46: Crushing the South and the Siege of Boston
Savannah, Georgia
August 1st, 1776
"We currently have just a little over 11,000 men available from our theater for the attack on Charleston," General Kim said as he pointed at a map of Georgia and South Carolina. The map was labeled to show the approximate location of the Continental units in the area. "General Lee has around 5,000 men at Kingston, but he will be unable to take the town directly with the men he has under his command and must get through Georgetown before reaching Charleston. Therefore, our group will be the main striking force."
Around 8,000 soldiers were stationed between New Windsor and Orangeburg, under the command of General Howe. General Kim had the two Marine regiments and a (hastily created) regiment of Georgia militiamen that consisted of former slaves and white Patriots. Facing them were around 6,000 men, ranging from British regulars to slave conscripts. The information was acquired through less savvy means, but the general believed that the information was reasonably accurate.
"We outnumber the British substantially, but we must not be overconfident. The British and Loyalists have had Charleston under their control for months now, and I have no doubts that they have prepared defenses accordingly. Additionally, we can not rule out their navy as a factor, as they might be able to support the town's defense. What we need is a rapid, devastating attack to capture Charleston and bring the war in the South to an end."
The officers gathered around him nodded their heads in agreement. With the British's attention divided between three fronts (New England, the South, and the Caribbean), it was evident that this was their best chance to firmly secure the South and clear out the Loyalists from the region.
"We must be wary about the possibility of the British sending reinforcements to South Carolina from Flordia," Colonel Knowlton interjected, "There are currently 5,000 British soldiers stationed in East Florida, and while many of them are there to protect the British possessions in the Caribbean, some of them may be sent to Charleston if the town is threatened. If South Carolina falls, then they'll most believe that we'll threaten West and East Florida."
General Kim rubbed his chin, "I have considered the possibility of invading the Floridas after we capture Charleston, but that is for another time. Colonel, do you think that you can gather more intelligence in the Charleston area and find any Patriot sympathizers or slaves to turn against the Loyalists there?"
"Yes, sir. I will recall my men from the nearby areas and focus our attention on Charleston."
"For now, I believe the best course of action is to secure Georgia from any potential counter-attacks and to make preparations for our final assault on Charleston. I will request further reinforcements from General Howe to secure the southernmost areas of the colony and rebuild the fortifications around Savannah. We do not want to be flanked by the British troops in East Florida once we make our way north."
"Isn't it better for our army group to move north to assist General Washington with the siege?" Colonel Warren asked.
Currently, around 10,000 men under General Washington's command were laying siege to Boston to contain General Burgoyne's sudden invasion. While Boston was in British hands, the invasion had been confined to the city and surrounding areas. Other than that, General Kim and his men had little information regarding the status of the siege.
"I am confident that General Washington will emerge victoriously. However, I will send some reinforcements for him north once we secure the South. I have already sent him... an interesting gift that he may be able to use during the siege."
After several more minutes of discussing tactics and invasion paths, the officers adjourned for the night. While General Kim was going over the reports given to him by his regimental officers, a messenger entered his tent and saluted, "General, I come bearing news from General Howe. He says that you may be interested in the contents of the message."
The general accepted the papers given to him by the messenger and read the content of the letter. His eyes widened after he read the first few sentences, "So... Lafayette has come."
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