To arrest his progress, general Greene resolved to demonstrate an intention to attack Ninety Six, while colonel Morgan, with five hundred Virginian regulars, some companies of militia, and the light horse of colonel Washington, was detached to guard the passages of the river Pacolet. As to Greene himself, he went to encamp at the confluence of Hicks Creck with the Pedee, opposite to Cheraw Hill. He was blamed by many military critics, for having thus divided his forces. In effect, if the English had pushed rapidly forward, they might have thrown themselves between the corps of Greene and Morgan, and crushed them both without difficulty. But perhaps the American general had calculated that the royalists were embarrassed by too many obstacles to act with such celerity; perhaps, also, he had not yet heard of the junction of Leslie and Cornwallis. The latter general immediately detached Tarleton with his legion of cavalry and a body of infantry to cover Ninety Six. On arriving in that part, Tarleton found every thing quiet; the enemy had retired after some light skirmishes. He then determined to march against Morgan, confident of being able either to rout him by surprise, or at least to drive him beyond the Broad river, which would have left the ways clear to the royal army. He consulted lord Cornwallis by letter, who not only approved his design, but resolved also to concur to its execution, by ascending the left bank of the Broad, in order to menace the rear of Morgan. Every thing went well for them at first. Tarleton, after having passed with equal celerity and good fortune the rivers Ennoree and Tiger, presented himself upon the banks of the Pacolet. Morgan retreated thence forthwith, and Tarleton set himself to pursue him. He pressed him hard. Morgan felt how full of danger was become the passage of Broad river, in the presence of so enterprising an enemy as now hung upon his rear. He therefore thought it better to make a stand. He formed his troops in two divisions; the first composed of militia, under the conduct of colonel Pickens, occupied the front of a wood, in view of the enemy; the second, commanded by colonel Howard, was concealed in the wood itself, and consisted of his marksmen and old continental troops. Colonel Washington, with his cavalry, was posted behind the second division, as a reserve. Tarleton soon came up, and formed in two lines; his infantry in the centre of each, and his horse on the flanks. Every thing seemed to promise him victory. He was superior in cavalry, and his troops, both officers and soldiers, manifested an extreme ardor. The English attacked the first American line; after a single discharge, with little harm to the enemy, it fled in confusion. They then fell upon the second; but here they found a more obstinate resistance. The action was engaged and supported with equal advantage. Tarleton, to decide it in his favor, pushed forward a battalion of his second line, and at the same time directed a charge of cavalry upon the right flank of the Americans. He was afraid to

attack their left, supported by colonel Washington, who had already vigorously repulsed an assault of the British light horse. The mancuvre of Tarleton had the expected effect; the American regulars gave way, and were thrown into disorder. The English rushed on, persuaded that the day was now their own. Already Tarleton, with his cavalry, was in full pursuit of the routed, when colonel Washington, whose troop was still entire, fell upon the enemy with such impetuosity, that in a few moments he had restored the battle. During this interval, colonel Howard had rallied his continental troops, and led them back upon the English. Colonel Pickens had also, by prodigious efforts, reassembled the militia, and again brought them to the fire. Morgan was visible every where; his presence and words reanimated the spirits of his soldiers. He profited of that moment of enthusiasm to precipitate them in one general charge upon the enemy. The shock was so tremendous, that the English at first paused, then recoiled, and soon fled in confusion. The Americans pursued them with inexpressible eagerness. It was in vain that the British officers employed exhortations, prayers and threats, to stay the fugitives; the discomfiture was total. Tarleton lost, in dead, wounded and prisoners, more than eight hundred men, two pieces of cannon, the colors of the seventh regiment, all his carriages and baggage. He regretted especially the horses killed or taken in this engagement. The nature of the country, which is flat and open, renders cavalry of the utmost importance to a campaign in that quarter.

Such was the issue of the battle of Cowpens, the effects of which were heavily felt by the English during the whole course of the war of the Carolinas and Virginia; it was, in a word, decisive of the fate of those provinces. The destruction of the British cavalry, the total defeat of Tarleton, who had been, until that epoch, the terror of the inhabitants, animated them with fresh spirits. Dejection and despondency were exchanged for confidence and enthusiasm. The Congress voted public thanks to colonel Morgan, and presented him with a medal of gold. Colonels Washington and Howard received medals of silver, and colonel Pickens a sword.

The news of the sanguinary check of Cowpens, was extremely afflictive to lord Cornwallis. He had lost in it the best part of his light troops, and they were to have been the principal instrument of his ulterior operations. But far from allowing himself to be discouraged by this blow, he resolved to prosecute his designs with the corps he had left. He hoped to obtain from it the same service as from light troops, by destroying his heavy baggage, and all the carriages that were not of absolute necessity. Two entire days. were employed in the destruction of superfluous incumbrances. A few wagons only were kept, for the accommodation of the sick and wounded, and the transportation of salt and ammunition. The soldier witnessed the annihilation of his most valuable effects; the casks con41

VOL. II.

taining wine and rum were all staved, and the troops set forward with no other provision than a small quantity of flour. The royal army submitted to all these inconveniences with admirable temper and patience, and manifested the utmost eagerness to accomplish the wishes of its general. He had two objects in view at that time. One was, to fall immediately upon Morgan, worst him, retake the prisoners he had made, and prevent his junction with general Greene, who still continued upon Hicks Creek. The second, and by far the most important, was to push forward by forced marches upon Salisbury, and towards the sources of the Yadkin, before Greene should have crossed that river. If he effected this design, it followed of necessity, that the American general would be cut off from the succours he expected from Virginia, and constrained either to retreat precipitately, with the loss of his artillery and baggage, or to accept a battle under every disadvantage. Lord Cornwallis set out upon the first of these projects. He directed his march with celerity upon the Catawba, in the hope of surprising and crushing Morgan before he could pass that river. But the Americans were upon their guard. After his victory of Cowpens, Morgan, who knew very well that Cornwallis was not far off, had sent his prisoners upon his rear, under the guard of an experienced officer, and soon after set forward himself with all his troops towards the Catawba. Such was the diligence of his march, that on the twenty-ninth of January he had crossed the river, with all his artillery, stores, baggage and prisoners. The Americans were no sooner upon the left bank than the British appeared on the right; the chagrin of Cornwallis is readily conceived. Morgan, still keeping his prisoners on the march towards Virginia, neglected no measures that might tend, if not to arrest, at least to retard the progress of the royal troops. But they soon had even the elements to contend with. There had fallen the preceding night such an abundant rain in the neighboring mountains, that the ford of Catawba became immediately impassable. If this swell of the waters had taken place a few hours sooner, Morgan would have found himself in a critical position.

In this state of things, general Greene arrived at the camp of Morgan, and took the command upon himself. Penetrating the designs of Cornwallis, he had left orders with the troops stationed at Hicks Creek, to make the best of their way, without baggage or incumbrance of any sort, towards the mountainous part, in order to approach the sources of the rivers where they become more fordable. Their point of rendezvous was indicated at Guildford Court House, in North Carolina. Whilst Greene rejoined the corps of Morgan, upon the left bank of the Catawba, general Huger executed his orders with as much zeal as intelligence. The rains were such as to be thought extraordinary even at this season; the bridges were broken, the streams excessively swoln, the roads deep and heavy, or stony and knobbed by frost. The soldiers were destitute of shoes,

of clothing, and often of bread. They seemed to vie with the English in constancy, and supported all their sufferings without a murmur. Not one of them deserted, and in this respect they had more merit than their adversaries. The Americans in disbanding, repaired to their homes and repose; whereas the English deserter must have wandered in a country where every thing opposed him. During the march of this division upon Guildford, the waters of the Catawba diminished, and the royal troops prepared themselves to cross it. But the republicans seemed determined to dispute their passage. Besides the intrepid phalanx of Morgan, all the militia of the counties of Rohan and Mecklenburgh, where the British name was loathed, had assembled upon that point. Notwithstanding these obstacles, Cornwallis took a resolution to attempt the enterprise.

He was excited to this movement by the hope of giving the enemy a decisive blow, either by reaching the corps of Huger before its arrival at Guildford, or by throwing himself between it and Virginia. He accordingly marched and counter marched along the right bank of the Catawba, holding out an intent to pass in different places, in order to elude the attention of the Americans. But his real design was to cross at Gowans Ford. In effect, on the morning of the first of February, the English entered the water; the river was broad, deep, and full of large stones. The republicans were drawn up on the left bank, and commanded by general Davidson. But this corps was composed entirely of militia; Morgan with his veterans guarded another passage. The English, however, had to encounter a very brisk and well directed fire; but they supported it with intrepidity, successfully traversed the bed of the river, and gained the opposite bank. The Americans were formed to receive them, and the action commenced. General Davidson was killed at the first discharge; his militia betook themselves to flight, and the detachments posted at other points ran off in the same manner. The whole royal army arrived without obstacle upon the left bank. A single corps of militia, amidst the general route, made a stand at the post of Tarrant; colonel Tarleton charged them vigorously and routed them with severe execution. But colonel Morgan retired untouched, and with celerity towards Salisbury. He hoped to arrive there in season to cross the Yadkin at that place, and thus to put a large river between him and the royal army. The English followed him with great ardor, panting to take their revenge for the defeat of Cowpens. But the American displayed so much activity, and threw so many impediments in the way of his pursuers, that he passed the Yadkin with all his troops, and without any loss, in the first days of February; partly by the ford, and partly in batteaux. He drew all the boats he could find to the left bank. The English at length arrived, under the conduct of general O'Hara. They perceived the enemy drawn up on the opposite side, prepared to oppose

their passage. They would, nevertheless, have attempted it but for the sudden swell of the Yadkin, through the rains that fell that very day. The pious inhabitants of America considered this sudden increment of the rivers as a manifest token of the protection which heaven granted to the justice of their cause. They observed, that if the waters of the Catawba, and afterwards those of the Yadkin, had swelled a few hours sooner, their army, unable to cross, must have been cut in pieces by the furious enemy that pursued it. If, on the contrary, these rivers had not increased all of a sudden, a few hours later, the British would have passed as easily as the Americans, and would have intercepted their retreat. These two consecutive events, and the critical moment at which they took place, were esteemed alike providential. Seeing the impossibility of crossing the Yadkin at the ford of Salisbury, which is the most commodious, and the most frequented, Cornwallis resolved to march up the river, hoping to find it fordable at the place where it branches; this he effected; but the delay occasioned by the circuit, afforded the Americans time enough to reach Guildford without being disquieted. It was there, that, on the seventh of February, the two divisions of the American army operated their junction; that of general Huger which, notwithstanding all his diligence, was the last to arrive, and that of colonel Morgan. Greene felt the more joy at this union, as it was highly honorable to his ability. Thus by the prudence of the American commanders, and by the fortitude and celerity of their soldiers, together with a happy coincidence of fortuitous causes, was defeated the double plan of lord Cornwallis. He could neither exterminate Morgan, nor prevent his reunion with Huger. There remained now but one operation which could indemnify him for so many losses; and that was to cut Greene off from Virginia. The two armies were already upon the confines of that province. It is separated from North Carolina by the Roanoke, which in its upper part is called the Dan. The British general conceiving that river not fordable in the lower parts, calculated that if he could gain the high country, he should be at liberty to move as he might see fit. For supposing that Greene could not pass the Dan, he would then be surrounded on all sides; on the north by Cornwallis himself, on the west by great rivers, on the south by lord Rawdon, who remained at Cambden with a respectable force, and on the east by the sea. Moreover, notwithstanding the juncture of the American troops, they were still so inferior to those of the English, that the latter considered themselves perfectly assured of a complete victory. The two parties were equally aware that success must depend on the rapidity of marches; they accordingly both bent their course, with all possible velocity, upon the fordable parts of the Dan. The English, desirous to repair the time lost in their preceding passages, exerted prodigious efforts, and occupied the fords the first. The position of