Captain Andrew Barkley's squadron included the small sixth rates HMS Scarborough and HMS Siren, the schooner HMS Cherokee, the cutter and fire ship HMS Raven, the sloop HMS Tamar, and HMS Hinchinbrook, along with armed transports. Their limited guns and roughly two hundred soldiers under Major James Grant were far short of an occupation force. The mix suited obtaining provisions, securing the loading work, and deterring interference. The soldiers could also load cargo when local dock labor was unavailable or deliberately slow and make the force look larger than it was. Local fears of invasion therefore exceeded what this small force could impose once resistance formed.
Notable Point · 58:09-1:04:29
A provisioning squadron mistaken for an invasion force
Captain Andrew Barkley's small squadron came to collect food for besieged Boston, not to overpower Georgia, despite local fears of a punitive expedition.