Bad weather interrupted his journey for sev-
eral weeks, and it was not until May 1776
that his squadron reached its destination.
Parker and Clinton united for the purpose of
landing and establishing a safe haven for nu-
merous Loyalist sympathizers in the region.
These forces were supposed to secure a
landing zone for the fleet in advance, but in
the wake of their defeat at Moore’s Creek
Bridge, this proved impractical. Parker and
Clinton then decided to hit a secondary tar-
get, the South Carolina capital of Charleston,
which was rumored to be lightly defended.
Its seizure would facilitate the reconquest of
the South and serve as a rallying point for
thousands of Loyalists.
Charleston was, in fact, imperfectly de-
fended. Its major fortification was a small fort
on Sullivan’s Island in the harbor, commanded
by Col. William Moultrie. He directed a small
garrison of 26 guns and 430 men. Another 600
riflemen were stationed at either end of the is-
land. The fort itself was only half-finished,
being covered with sand and newly sawed
palmetto logs. Based on initial appearances,
Sullivan’s Island did not appear capable of
putting up much resistance. Parker and Sulli-
van certainly concurred when they anchored
off Charleston on June 1, 1776. The British ar-
mada consisted of nine warships carrying 280
guns, as well as an invasion force of 2,500 sol-
diers. However, the British lacked navigation
charts, and nearly four weeks lapsed before
soundings could be taken and the battle com-
menced. The Americans put this respite to
good use by shoring up Sullivan’s Island,
awaiting the inevitable onslaught.
On the morning of June 28, 1776, Parker’s
squadron entered the harbor and expertly as-
sumed bombardment positions. The fleet then
ladled the American position with a heavy
concentration of solid shot and exploding
mortar balls. Much to the surprise of both
sides, little damage was inflicted upon Moul-
trie’s fort. The sand embankment absorbed
much of the exploding shells while the
spongy wood of the palmetto logs did the
same to the round shot. By comparison, Moul-
trie’s gunners kept up a steady stream of
heated balls at Parker’s vessels, damaging
several. One round cut the cable of Parker’s
flagship, and it drifted around, permitting a
raking fire. Numerous shots killed and
wounded virtually everybody on the quarter-
deck while the crew worked furiously to right
the vessel. Parker himself had a very close
call when a red-hot ball tore most of his
clothes off, burning him. Clinton, meanwhile,
tried to land boatloads of troops on the island,
but he was repulsed by the riflemen. Worse,
three frigates were grounded, and one, the
HMSActeon,became lodged and had to be
burned. After a lopsided engagement of 10
hours, the twice-wounded Parker finally con-
ceded defeat and withdrew. British casualties
numbered upward of 250 men; the Americans
sustained just 12 killed and 25 wounded. The
defeat at Charleston, minor in military terms,
subsequently became a tremendous symbolic
victory, a rallying point for the entire nation.
Parker’s squadron limped back to New
York, where it joined forces with Adm.
Richard Howe. In this capacity he partici-
pated in the landing of British troops on Long
Island in August 1776, which resulted in the
American abandonment of New York City and
vicinity. That December, Parker conveyed
Clinton on another expedition against New-
port, Rhode Island, which was quickly seized.
He remained on station there for several
months, until the rank of rear admiral was
conferred on April 28, 1777. The following
June he gained appointment as commander in
chief of Jamaica, and two years later he was
promoted to vice admiral. Parker ventured
back to England in 1782, conveying the cap-
tured French Admiral de Grasse and several
of his officers. For his Revolutionary War ser-
vices he was made a baron. Parker remained
in the service for many years thereafter, rising
to admiral in 1787 and also serving as com-
mander in chief of Portsmouth Harbor in- There he struck up a cordial relation-
ship with a young naval lieutenant, Horatio
Nelson, the future victor of Trafalgar, and fa-
cilitated his early career. Parker was one of
PARKER, PETER