and so direct both divisions of his army, as to form a speedy junction between them. Greene, on his arrival, ordered the prisoners to Charlotteville, and directed the troops to Guilford court house, to which place he had ordered General Huger to proceed with the main army. In this retreat the Americans endured extreme hardships with admirable fortitude. The British urged the pursuit with such rapidity, that they reached the Catawba on the evening of the same day on which the Americans crossed it; and before the next morning a heavy fall of rain rendered that river impassable. A passage at length being affected, the pursuit was continued. The Americans, by expeditious, movements, crossed the Yadkin on the second and third days of February, and secured their boats on the north side; but the British, though close in their rear, were incapable of crossing it, through the want of boats, and the rapid rising of the river from preceding rains. This second remarkable escape confirmed the Americans in the belief, that their cause was favoured by Heaven.

After a junction of the two divisions of the American army at Guilford court house, it was concluded in a council of officers, called by General Greene, that he ought to retire over the Dan, and to avoid an engagement until he should be re-enforced. Lord Cornwallis kept the upper countries, where only the rivers are fordable, and attempted to get between General Greene and Virginia, to cut off his retreat, and oblige him to fight under many disadvantages; but the American general completely eluded him. So urgent was the pursuit of the British, that on the fourteenth of February the American light troops were compelled to retire upward of forty miles; and on that day General Greene, by indefatigable exertions, transported his army over the Dan into Virginia. Here again the pressure was so elose, that the van of the British just arrived, as the rear of the Americans had crossed. The continental army being now driven out of North Carolina, Earl Cornwallis left the Dan, and proceeded to Hillsborough, where he set up the royal standard. Greene, perceiving the necessity of some spirited measure to counteract his Lordship's influence on the inhabitants of the country, concluded at every hazard to recross the Dan. After manouvering in a very masterly manner to avoid an action with Cornwallis three weeks, during which time he was often obliged to ask bread of the common soldiers, his army was joined by two brigades of militia from North Carolina, and one from Virginia, together with four hundred regulars. This re-enforcement giving him a superiority of numbers, he determined no longer to avoid an engagement. The American army consisted of about four thousand four hundred men, of which more than one half were militia; the British, of about two thousand four hundred, chiefly veteran troops. The Americans were drawn up in three lines. The front line was composed of North Carolina militia, commanded by Generals Butler and Eaton; the second, of Virginia militia, commanded by Stephens and Law

son; the third, of continental troops, commanded by General Hu ger and Colonel Williams. The British, after a brisk cannonade in front, advanced in three columns, the Hessians on the right, the guards in the centre, and Lietenant-Colonel Webster's brigade on the left; and attacked the front line. The militia composing this line, through the misconduct of an officer in giving occasion to a false alarm, precipitately quitted the field. The Virginia militia stood their ground, and kept up their fire, until they were ordered to retreat.* The continental troops were last engaged, and maintained the conflict with great spirit an hour and a half; but then were forced to give way before their veteran adversaries. The British broke the second Maryland brigade; turned the American left flank; and got in rear of the Virginia brigade. On their appearing to be gaining Greene's right, and thus threatening to encircle the whole 1 of the continental troops, a retreat was ordered, which was well conducted. This was a dear victory to the British, whose killed and wounded amounted to several hundred.† Lieutenant-Colonel Webster, an officer of distinguished merit, died of his wounds, much regretted by the whole royal army. About three hundred of the con tinentals, and one hundred of the Virginia militia, were killed or wounded; among the former was Major Anderson, a most valuable officer of the Maryland line.

Soon after the action, Lord Cornwallis began a march toward Wilmington. General Greene, on receiving intelligence of this movement, put his army in motion to follow him, and conducted the pursuit to Ramsay's mill, on Deep River. Cornwallis, having halted and refreshed his men about three weeks at Wilmington, marched across the country to Petersburg in Virginia. Greene, before he had knowledge that his Lordship intended this movement, had formed the bold resolution of returning into South Carolina. Before he commenced his march back, he sent orders to General Pickens to prevent supplies from going to the British garrisons at Ninety-Six and Augusta, and detached Lieutenant-Colonel Lee to advance before the continental troops. Lee in eight days reached General Marion's quarters on the Santee; and the main army a few days after completed its march from Deep River to Camden.

While the army was on its march to Camden, General Marion and Lieutenant-Colonel Lee invested Fort Watson, which lay between Camden and Charlestown. This fort was built on an Indian mount, upward of thirty feet high; but the besiegers, speedily erecting a work which overlooked the fort, fired into it with such execu

* General Stephens, their heroic commander, had posted forty riflemen at equal dis tances, twenty paces in the rear of his brigade, with orders to shoot every man who should leave his post.

+ The return of killed, wounded and missing, on the part of the British, stated the whole number to be 532. [See Tarleton, p. 310, note B.] Lieut. Col. Stewart, of the guards, was killed; and Lieut. Col. Tarleton, of the British legion, wounded.

tion, that the garrison, consisting of one hundred and fourteen men, surrendered by capitulation. Camden was at this time defended by Lord Rawdon with about nine hundred men. General Greene, whose army consisted but of about an equal number of continentals, and between two and three hundred militia, took a good position about a mile distant, in expectation of alluring the garrison out of their lines. On the twenty-fifth, Lord Rawdon sallied out with great spirit; and an engagement ensued. The American army, in the first of the action, had essentially the advantage; but, in the progress of it, the premature retreat of two companies occasioned a total defeat. Greene, to prevent Lord Rawdon from improving the success that he had gained, made an orderly retreat, and encamped about five miles from his former position. Most of his wounded, and all his artillery, together with a number of prisoners, were safely brought off from the field. The British retired to Camden. Lord Rawdon, receiving a reinforcement, attempted the next day to compel General Greene to another action; but, not succeeding in that design, he returned to Camden, and, having burned the gaol, mills, many private houses, and a great part of his own baggage, evacuated that post, and retired to the southward of the Santee. The day after the evacuation, the post of Orangeburg, consisting of seventy British militia and twelve regulars, surrendered to General Sumpter. On the day following, Fort Motte, situated above the fork on the south side of the Congaree, capitulated. The British had built their works around the dwelling-house of Mrs. Motte, who cheerfully furnished the Americans with materials for firing it; by which means the garrison, consisting of one hundred and sixty-five men, were constrained to surrender at discretion. Two days afterward, the British evacuated their post at Nelson's Ferry. On the succeeding day, Fort Granby, garrisoned by three hundred and fifty-two men, mostly royal militia, surrendered to Lieutenant-Colonel Lee.

About this time, General Marion, with a party of forty militia, marched to Georgetown, and began regular approaches against the British post in that place; but on the first night after his men had broken ground, the garrison evacuated their works, and retreated to Charlestown. Shortly after, Manson, a Carolinian tory, appearing in an armed vessel, and being refused permission to land his men in the town, sent a few of them ashore, and set fire to it. Upward of forty houses were burnt.

On the twenty-first of May, the British post at Silver Bluff, with a field piece and considerable stores, surrendered to a detachment of Lee's legion, commanded by Captain Rudolph. Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, immediately after the surrender of Fort Granby, marched to Augusta, and joined Brigadier-General Pickens, who with a body of militia had some time before taken post in the vicinity; and these two able officers jointly carried on their approaches against Fort Cornwallis. Two batteries were erected within thirty yards of the. parapet, which overlooked the fort; and from them the American

riflemen shot into the inside of the works with effect. The garrison, almost entirely burying themselves under ground, obstinately refused to capitulate until resistance became useless; and then the fort with about three hundred men surrendered on honourable terms of capitulation. The Americans, during the siege, had about forty men killed and wounded.

On the twenty-second of May, General Greene laid siege to Ninety-Six, which was defended by Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger with upward of five hundred men. The works of the besiegers were carried forward with indefatigable industry and success until the eighteenth of June, when, on intelligence of the approach of Lord Rawdon for the relief of the place, it was concluded to attempt its reduction by assault. The assailants displayed great resolution; but, failing of success, General Greene raised the siege, and retreated over the Saluda. His loss, in the assault and previous conflicts, was about one hundred and fifty men.

The British having evacuated all their posts to the northward of the Santee, and Congaree, and to the westward of Edisto, once more resumed their station near the junction of the Wateree and Congaree. Upon this movement, General Greene, with the intention of forcing them down toward Charlestown, crossed the Wateree and Congaree, and collected his whole force on the south side of the last mentioned river. On his approach, the British retired about forty miles nearer Charlestown, and took post at the Eutaw Springs. On the eighth of September, at four in the morning, General Greene advanced with two thousand men, to attack them in their encampment. His army moved from the ground in the following order. The South and North Carolina militia, commanded by Generals Marion and Pickens, and by Colonel Malmedy, composed the front line; the continental troops, from North-Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, led on by General Sumner, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, and Colonel Williams, composed the second line. The legion of Lieutenant-Colonel Lee covered the right flank; and the state troops of South-Carolina, under Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson, covered the left. Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, with his cavalry, and Captain Kirkwood, with the Delaware troops, formed a corps de reserve. As the army advanced, the van fell in with two parties of the British, about four miles from the camp of Eutaw, and was briskly attacked; but the enemy, on receiving a heavy fire from the state troops, and a charge with the bayonet from the infantry of the legion, soon retired. On notice of the approach of the Americans, Lieut. Colonel Stewart, who commanded the British army, immediately formed the line of battle. It was drawn up obliquely across the road, on the heights near Eutaw Springs. The right flank was covered by a battalion, commanded by Major Majoribanks, the left of which approached the road, and was concealed by a thick hedge. The road was occupied by two pieces of artillery, and a covering party of infantry. The front line of the Americans continuing to

fire and advance, the action soon became general. In the heat of the engagement, Colonel Williams and Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, with the Maryland and Virginia continentals, were ordered to charge with trailed arms; and nothing could exceed the intrepidity with which these orders were executed. The troops rushed on in good order through a tremendous fire of artillery and musketry, and bore down all before them. Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, while leading on his men to the decisive charge, received a mortal wound. On inquiring, after he had fallen, who gave way, and being told, that the British were fleeing in all quarters, he said "I die contented," and immediately expired. A part of the British line, consisting of new troops, broke, and fled; but the veteran corps received the charge of the assailants on the points of their bayonets. The hostile ranks were a short time intermingled, and the officers fought hand to hand; but Lee, who had turned the British left flank, charging them at this instant in the rear, their line was soon completely broken, and driven off the field. They were vigorously pursued by the Amerieans, who took upward of five hundred of them prisoners. The enemy, on their retreat, took post in a large three story brick house, and in a picketed garden; and from these advantageous positions renewed the action. Four six pounders were ordered up before the house; but the Americans were compelled to leave these pieces and retire. They formed again at a small distance in the woods; but General Greene, thinking it inexpedient to renew the desperate attempt, left a strong picket on the field of battle, and retired with his prisoners to the ground from which he had marched in the morning. In the evening of the next day, Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, leaving seventy of his wounded men and a thousand stant of arms, moved from Eutaw toward Charlestown. The loss of the British, inclusive of prisoners, was supposed to be not less than eleven hundred men.* The loss of the Americans, in killed, wounded, and missing, was five hundred and fifty-five.

Congress passed a vote of thanks to every corps in the army; and a resolution for presenting to Major-General Greene, "as an honourable testimony of his merit, a British standard, and a golden medal, emblematic of the battle, and of his victory."

The battle of Eutaw may be considered as closing the revolutionary war in South Carolina.

*It was stated by themselves to be 693 men; of whom 85 only were killed in the field. General Greene, in his letter to Congress of 11th September, says, that, including 70 wounded, who were left at Eutaw, he had made 500 prisoners. "The fugitives," he observes, "spread such an alarm, that the enemy burnt their provisions at Dorchester, and quitted their post at Fairlawn. Nothing but the brick house, and their strong post at Eutaw's, hindered the remains of the British army from falling into our hands." General Greene testified high respect for the memory of Lieut. Col. Campbell. Col. Henderson, a valuable officer, received a dangerous wound during the action, and the command of the South Carolina state troops devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Hampton an officer of distinguished merit. Colonel Washington was wounded; and, while diengaging himself from his horse, which was shot under him, he was taken prisoner