GA, USA
Lee's Mayham Tower Overtopped Fort Cornwallis
June 1, 1781
Faced with Fort Cornwallis's strong walls, Lee's Legion constructed a Mayham Tower — a log scaffolding platform raised high enough to fire down into the fort's interior. The technique had been used successfully at Fort Watson in South Carolina. Riflemen posted on the tower could reach any part of Fort Cornwallis's interior, making the position untenable.
The tower's construction was itself a military engineering achievement: built under fire, using timber brought from the surrounding area, and raised high enough to clear walls that had resisted direct assault. Brown attempted a sortie to destroy it and failed. Once the tower was operational, surrender was only a matter of days.
People Involved
British Loyalist officer known as "Burnfoot Brown" after Patriots burned his feet in 1775. Commanded the British garrison at Augusta from 1780 until the June 1781 surrender of Fort Cornwallis to Pickens and Lee. His use of Cherokee and Creek allies made the Augusta theater particularly brutal.