ger, and they had besides, peculiar motives for detesting the insolence of the English. Accordingly, as soon as the occasion was offered them, they assembled upon different points of North Carolina, and upon the extreme frontier of South Carolina. These assemblages, commanded by daring chiefs, gave no little annoyance to the royal troops. They insulted their posts, and sometimes, even carried them. But among all the officers who distinguished themselves at the head of these desultory parties, none appeared with more splendor than colonel Sumpter. Born himself in South Carolina, his personal importance, military talents and prowess, had rendered him there an object of general consideration. The greater part of those Carolinians whom their aversion to British domination had induced to fly from their homes, had hastened to place themselves under the standard of their intrepid fellow-citizen. They were already sufficiently numerous to keep the field, and to menace the enemy upon all points. They had no pay, no uniforms, nor even any certain means of subsistence; they lived upon what chance, or their own courage, provided them. They experienced even a want of arms and munitions of war; but they made themselves rude weapons from the implements of husbandry; instead of balls of lead, they cast them of pewter, with the dishes which the patriots cheerfully gave them for that purpose. These resources, however, were very far from sufficing them. They were seen, several times, to encounter the enemy with only three charges of ammunition to a man. While the combat was engaged, some of those who were destitute of arms or ammunition, kept themselves aside, waiting till the death or wounds of their companions should permit them to take their place. The most precious fruit, to their eyes, of the advantages they gained over the English, was that of being enabled to acquire muskets and cartridges at the expense of the vanquished. At length, colonel Sumpter, finding himself at the head of a numerous corps, attacked one of the most important positions of the enemy, at Rocky Mount. He was repulsed, but not discouraged. Never giving repose either to himself or to his adversaries, he fell, a short time after, upon another British post, at Hanging Rock, and put to the edge of the sword all that defended it, regulars and loyalists. He subjected to a similar fate colonel Bryan, who was come from North Carolina with a body of loyalists of that province. Infesting the enemy upon all points at once, he eluded all their efforts to quell him. His invincible courage and perfect knowledge of the country, offered him continually new resources. As rapid in his attacks as industrious in his retreats, victor or vanquished, he escaped all the snares of his foes. Colonel Williams served no less usefully the same cause, at the head of a light detachment of Carolinians of the district of Ninety-Six. In one of his frequent excursions he surprised and cut in pieces a body of loyalists on the banks of the river Ennoree. This partisan war had the double advantage of restoring

confidence to the Americans, of continually mining the forces of the English, and of supporting the party of Congress in these provinces. These smart skirmishes were only, however, the prelude of the bloody battles that were about to ensue between the principal armies. As soon as Washington was first apprised of the siege of Charleston, he had put on the march towards South Carolina a reenforcement of fourteen hundred continental troops of Maryland and of Delaware, under the conduct of the baron de Kalb. That officer displayed great activity in the execution of his orders, and, if it had been possible for him to gain the point of his destination, it is probable that things would have taken another direction. But the defect of provision, the difficulty of places, and the excessive heat of the season, opposed him with such and so many impediments, that he could only progress step by step. It is related, that this detachment had no other subsistence for many days than the cattle that were found astray in the woods. Sometimes, finding themselves totally destitute of flesh and flour, the soldiers were constrained to sustain life with the grain of unripe wheat and such fish as they could procure; they supported such hardships and distress with an heroic constancy. In passing through Virginia, they were reenforced by the militia of that province; and, on their arrival at the banks of Deep river, they made their junction with the troops of North Carolina, commanded by general Caswell. These detachments combined formed a corps of six thousand effective men; a force so considerable with respect to the United States, as to induce the Congress to employ it without delay for the expulsion of the English from the two Carolinas. Wishing to confide this operation to a man whose name should exercise a happy influence, they made choice of general Gates. The baron de Kalb was recalled; as a stranger, unacquainted with the country, and ignorant of the proper mode of governing undisciplined militia, he could not retain the command.

General Gates arrived at the camp on Deep river the twenty-fifth of July. He immediately reviewed the troops, to ascertain their number and quality. He afterwards advanced upon the Pedee river, which, in the lower parts, separates the northern from the southern Carolina. The name and fortune of Gates produced so favorable and so rapid an effect, that not only the militia flocked to his standard, but also that munitions and provision abounded in his camp. The general impulse was given. Already the inhabitants of that tract of country which extends between the Pedee and Black river, were in arms against the royal troops. Colonel Sumpter, with a corps of infantry and light horse, incessantly harassed the left of the English, in the hope of intercepting their communication with Charleston; his parties scoured all the environs.

As soon as general Gates was arrived upon the confines of South Carolina, he issued a proclamation, by which he invited the inhabit

ants to join him in vindicating the rights of America. He promised an entire amnesty, and remission of all penalty in favor of those from whom the victors should have extorted oaths, excepting only such individuals as should have exercised acts of barbarity or depredation against the persons and property of their fellow-citizens. This proclamation was not unfruitful; not only the people ran to arms in multitude to support the cause of Congress, but even the companies levied in the province for the service of the king either revolted or deserted. Strengthened by these accessions, colonel Sumpter became every day a more formidable enemy for the English. While Cornwallis was occupied at Charleston with the administration of Carolina, lord Rawdon had taken the command of the troops cantoned at Cambden and the adjacent country. He had directed upon Georgetown a convoy of sick soldiers, under the escort of a detachment of Carolinians, commanded by colonel Mills. About the middle of the route, these militia mutined, and having seized their officers, conducted them with the sick English to the camp of general Gates. Colonel Lisle, one of those who had taken oath to the king, gained over a battalion of militia that had been levied in the name of Cornwallis, and led it entire to colonel Sumpter. The latter who incessantly scoured the western bank of the Wateree, had captured considerable convoys of munitions of war, rum and provision that had been sent from Charleston upon Cambden. There had also fallen into his power at the same time, a great number of sick, with the soldiers that formed their escort. Already the route from Cambden to Ninety Six was invested by the republicans; and they began to show themselves in force upon that from Cambden to Charleston. Thus the affairs of the king in the Carolinas began to assume an unfavorable aspect. Lord Rawdon, seeing so lowering a tempest about to burst upon him, and destitute of sufficient means to avert its effects, concentred what troops he had in the vicinity of Cambden, and distributed his cantonments upon the right bank of Lynches Creek. He hastened to give notice of his critical position to lord Cornwallis. In the meantime, Gates appeared with all his forces upon the other bank, and encamped in the front of the enemy. There ensued very warm and frequent skirmishes, with balanced success. The American general would have desired a decisive action, and to profit of his superiority to attack lord Rawdon even in his quarters. But on examination, finding the enemy's position too strong, he dropped the design. His conduct appeared dictated by wisdom; but at the same time, he let slip an opportunity for gaining a signal advantage. If he had ascended by forced marches to the source of the Lynche, he turned without difficulty the left wing of lord Rawdon, and might even seize Cambden on the rear of the British army; this stroke would have decided the fate of the campaign; but either Gates did not see it,

or was afraid to undertake it. A short time after, the British general seeing his right menaced by a movement of the Americans, and fearing for his magazines and hospital, abandoned the banks of the Lynche, and fell back upon Cambden with all his troops. His retreat was in no shape molested by the enemy. At that very time lord Cornwallis arrived in camp. Having surveyed the state of things, and finding to what a degree the forces and audacity of the republicans were augmented, he detached numerous parties on discovery, filled up the companies with the more vigorous convalescents, ordered distributions of arms, and the remounting of Tarleton's legion, which needed horses. Notwithstanding all his efforts, he had not, however, been able to assemble above two thousand men, of whom about fifteen hundred were veteran troops, the rest loyalists and refugees. To attack with means so feeble an enemy so superior, appeared little less than temerity. Cornwallis might indeed have made his retreat to Charleston; but in that case he must have left about eight hundred sick, with a vast quantity of valuable stores, to fall into the hands of the enemy. He likewise foresaw, that excepting Charleston and Savannah, a retreat would be attended with the loss of the two whole provinces of South Carolina and Georgia. On the other hand, he observed, that the major part of his army was composed of soldiers as perfectly equipped as inured to war, and commanded by officers of approved valor and ability. He saw in victory the entire reduction of the two Carolinas, whereas even discomfiture could scarcely have worse consequences than retreat.

Under these considerations, he determined not only to face the enemy, but even to hazard a general action. Cambden, the centre of the British line, not being a fortified place, and the boldest resolutions being often also the most fortunate, Cornwallis would not await the Americans in his cantonments. He formed a design to attack the position of Rugeleys Mills, which the enemy occupied, with a view of forcing him to an engagement. On the fifteenth of August, all the royal troops were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to march. About ten o'clock in the evening, the columns put themselves in motion for Rugeleys. The first commanded by colonel Webster, consisted in light infantry and dragoons. The second, under the conduct of lord Rawdon, was composed of Irish volunteers and loyalists. Two English battalions formed the reserve. In the rear was the baggage and a detachment of grenadiers. The English marched amid the obscurity of the night, in the most profound silence. The columns passed the little stream of Saunder, and had already left Cambden ten miles behind them. But while the English were advancing upon Rugeleys Mills, the Americans themselves had quitted that place, at ten o'clock, with intent to surprise them. Gates and Cornwallis had both at once formed the

same design, the one against the other. The American van consisted in the legion of cavalry of colonel Armand, flanked on the right by the light infantry of colonel Porterfield, and on the left by the light infantry of major Armstrong. Next, marched the brigades of Maryland regulars, with the militia of North Carolina and Virginia. The baggage followed the rear guard, formed of a numerous corps of volunteers, with light horse at the two flanks. General Gates had commanded his troops to march compact and in silence, and not to fire without order. He had sent to Wacsaw, on his rear, the sick, the unnecessary baggage, in a word, whatever might tend to impede his march. So many precautions on both sides, indicated that the two generals had mutually penetrated one the other. It was yet only two in the morning, when the advanced guard of the British army encountered the head of the first American column. It was briskly repulsed by colonel Porterfield; but that officer received a serious wound. The English, supported by two regiments of infantry, charged the Americans in their turn. The action was engaged with spirit, and the loss considerable on both sides; but, all of a sudden, equally fearing the hazard of a nocturnal conflict, the two generals suspended the fire, and again the most profound silence reigned in the midst of darkness; the day was impatiently awaited.

Meanwhile, Cornwallis ascertained by the people of the country, that the ground was as propitious to him as it was unfavorable to the enemy. Gates, in effect, could not advance to the attack but through a narrow way, bordered on either side by deep swamps. This circumstance, by depriving the Americans of the advantage of superior number, reestablished an equality of forces. The British general formed his plan of battle accordingly. By daylight he disposed the front of his army in two divisions; that of the right, commanded by colonel Webster, had its right flank covered by a morass, and its left supported upon the great road; the other division under the conduct of lord Rawdon had in like manner a morass on its left, while its right was reunited by the highway to the corps of Webster. The artillery was placed between the two divisions. A battalion drawn up behind each, served them as a sort of rear guard. Tarleton's legion was posted upon the right of the road, in readiness to attack the enemy or receive him according to the occasion. The Americans, on their part, made all the dispositions that appeared to them the most suitable. Gates divided his vanguard in three columns. That of the right, commanded by general Gist, having the morass on its right, connected by its left upon the great road with the column of the centre, composed of the North Carolina militia, led by general Caswell. The column of the left comprised the militia of Virginia, at the orders of general Stevens. Behind the Virginians were posted the light infantry of Porterfield and Armstrong. Colonel Armand had placed his cavalry behind the left, to face the legion of Tarleton.