(1721–December 21, 1811)
English Admiral
Parker is best remembered for commanding the ill-fated
expedition against Charleston, South Carolina, in 1776. Intensely brave and a
fine sailor, he overcame this defeat to serve as Admiral of the Fleet and was a
patron of the famous Horatio Nelson.
Peter Parker was born probably in Ireland in 1721, the son
of Adm. Christopher Parker. After serving several years aboard ships as a cabin
boy, he followed his father into the naval profession by becoming a lieutenant
in 1741. Parker then served with a succession of warships in the Mediterranean
and elsewhere, rising to captain in 1747. His first command, the small frigate
HMS Margate, returned to the Mediterranean for two years before sailing home at
the conclusion of the War of the Austrian Succession in 1749. Parker was
subsequently placed on half-pay and stationed ashore until 1755, when he
directed construction of the HMS Woolwich at Bristol. He then conducted that
vessel on several successful cruises before returning to half-pay status at the
end of the Seven Years' War in 1763. Parker spent the next decade ashore,
receiving a knighthood but scarcely any employment. In 1773, he was placed at
the helm of the 50-gun vessel HMS Bristol and, three years later, received
control of a small naval squadron with the rank of commodore. Parker then
departed England for service in American waters during the Revolutionary War.
In February 1776, Parker sailed from Plymouth en route to
North Carolina. He conveyed seven army regiments as reinforcements for Gen.
Henry Clinton, with whom he would rendezvous off the Carolina coast. Bad
weather interrupted his journey for several 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 numerous 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 target, 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 defended. 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 island. 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 Sullivan certainly concurred when they
anchored off Charleston on June 1, 1776. The British armada consisted of nine
warships carrying 280 guns, as well as an invasion force of 2,500 soldiers.
However, the British lacked navigation charts, and nearly four weeks lapsed
before soundings could be taken and the battle commenced. 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 assumed 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 Moultrie'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, Moultrie'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 quarterdeck 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 HMS Acteon, became
lodged and had to be burned. After a lopsided engagement of 10 hours, the
twice-wounded Parker finally conceded 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 participated 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 Newport, 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 captured French Admiral de Grasse and several of his officers. For his
Revolutionary War services he was made a baron. Parker remained in the service
for many years thereafter, rising to admiral in 1787 and also serving as
commander in chief of Portsmouth Harbor in 1793. There he struck up a cordial
relationship with a young naval lieutenant, Horatio Nelson, the future victor
of Trafalgar, and facilitated his early career. Parker was one of the foremost
mourners at Nelson's state funeral in 1805. By the time Parker died in London
on December 21, 1811, he had been elevated to Admiral of the Fleet following
the death of Lord Howe. Parker's unfortunate defeat off Charleston was but a
minor episode in a long and distinguished naval career, but it is the incident
for which he is best remembered in America.
Bibliography
Bearss, Edwin C. The Battle of Sullivan's Island and the Capture of Fort
Moultrie. Washington, DC: Division of History, Office of Archaeology and
Historic Preservation, U. S. Dept. of the Interior, 1968; Farley, M. Foster.
"Battering Charleston's Walls." Military History no. 6 (2000): 38-45;
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Lambert, Andrew. War at Sea in the Age of Sail: 1650-1850. London: Cassell,
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Ralfe, James. The Naval Biography of Great Britain. Boston: Gregg Press, 1972;
Reid, Ronald D. "The Battle of Sullivan's Island." American History
33, no. 5 (1998): 34-39, 70-72; Stokely, Jim. Fort Moultrie: Constant Defender.
Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1985; Syrett, David. The Royal Navy in
American Waters During the Revolutionary War. Columbia: University of South
Carolina Press, 1998; Tilley, John A. The British Navy in the American
Revolution. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987; Tracy,
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in the 1760s and 1770s. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1988.
