美国学生历史 第52期:独立(1)

 　　CHAPTER 16 第16章

　　INDEPENDENCE 独立

　　157.Fall of Charleston, 1780. 157．查理斯顿失守（1780年）

　　It seemed quite certain that Clinton could not conquer the Northern states with the forces given him. In the South there were many loyalists. 很显然，克林顿不可能用手头的兵力夺取北方各州，而南方各州有许多亲英分子，

　　Resistance might not be so stiff there. 那里的反抗行动可能没有多么强硬。

　　At all events Clinton decided¹ to attempt the conquest of the South. 经过深思熟虑，克林顿决定尝试夺取南部各地，

　　Savannah was easily seized (1778), and the French and Americans could not retake it (1779). 1778年他毫不费力地夺取萨凡纳，1779年法国人和美国人试图收复萨凡纳，但没有成功。

　　In the spring of 1780, Clinton, with a large army, landed on the coast between Savannah and Charleston. 1780年春，克林顿带着一支强大的部队在萨凡纳和查理斯顿之间的海岸登陆，

　　He marched overland to Charleston and besieged² it from the land side. 他们经陆路到达查理斯顿，并从陆地这一面将查理斯顿包围起来。

　　The Americans held out for a long time. But they were finally forced to surrender. 美军坚持了很长一段时间，但是，他们最终被迫投降。

　　Clinton then sailed back to New York, and left to Lord Cornwallis the further conquest of the Carolinas. 克林顿随之带兵从水路赶到纽约，留下罗德·康沃利斯去夺取卡罗莱纳。

　　158.Gates's Defeat at Camden, 1780. 158．盖茨战败于卡姆登（1780年）

　　Cornwallis had little trouble in occupying the greater part of South Carolina. 康沃利斯毫不费力地占据了南卡罗莱纳的绝大部分地区，

　　There was no one to oppose him, for the American army had been captured with Charleston. 所向披靡，因为在查理斯顿美军已被俘虏。

　　Another small army was got together in North Carolina and the command given to Gates, the victor at Saratoga. 在北卡罗莱纳，一支小部队被召集起来，其指挥权交给盖茨，他是萨拉托加之战的胜利者。

　　One night both Gates and Cornwallis set out to attack the other's camp. 一天夜里，盖茨和康沃利斯都派兵进攻对方的军营，

　　The two armies met at daybreak, the British having the best position. 两军在破晓时相遇，英国军队占据有利地势，

　　But this really made little difference, for Gates's Virginia militiamen ran away before the British came within fighting distance. 但是这个优势意义不大，英军还没有进入射程盖茨的弗吉尼亚军人们就跑掉了，

　　The North Carolina militia³ followed the Virginians. 北卡罗莱纳义勇军也随之逃跑。

　　Only the regulars from Maryland and Delaware were left. 只有来自马里兰和特拉华的正规军留下来，

　　They fought on like heroes until their leader, General John De Kalb, fell with seventeen wounds. 他们英勇战斗，指挥官约翰·德·卡波将军身受17处伤倒下，

　　Then the survivors⁴ surrendered. 幸存者随后投降。

　　Gates himself had been carried far to the rear by the rush of the fleeing militia. 盖茨本人被败退下来的义勇军冲到后方。

　　159.King's Mountain, October, 1780 159．国王山（1780年10月）

　　Cornwallis now thought that resistance surely was at an end. He sent an expedition to the settlements on the lower slopes of the Alleghany Mountains to get recruits, for there were many loyalists in that region. 此时，康沃利斯认为结束反抗已毫无悬念，他派出一支部队到奥利哈尼山低坡上的一些聚居地招募新兵，那里有许多亲英分子。

　　Suddenly from the mountains and from the settlements in Tennessee rode a body of armed frontiersmen. 突然从山上和田纳西的聚居地冲过来一些全副武装的边区人民军骑兵，

　　They found the British soldiers encamped on the top of King's Mountain. 他们发现英国士兵在国王山山顶宿营，

　　In about an hour they had killed or captured every British soldier. 不到一小时他们就将所有的英军士兵杀死或俘虏。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者