their principles, and join the British ranks; but, to his surprise, instead of listening to his offers, they seized his emissaries and delivered them to General Wayne. They were afterwards tried, condemned, and executed as spies. A similar attempt was soon after made by a part of the Jersey line; but it was soon suppressed, and a few of the ringleaders executed.

These revolts disclosed to the people the true condition of the army, and the amount of three months' pay was raised and forwarded to them. This sum was joyfully received as an evidence of the share they yet held in the memories of their countrymen.

MERICAN Independence, for which so much blood had been shed, so many sacrifices made, during the previous campaigns, seemed, at the beginning of the year 1781, as remote as ever. The prospect of success was indeed far from being encouraging. In the south, the whole army under Greene amounted to only two thousand three hundred men, of whom twelve hundred were militia; and these were almost all nearly naked, destitute of magazines, and dependent upon daily collections of food for their subsistence. The region about Charlotte had been made nearly desolate, and the nature of the country, filled with swamps and woods, and infested with Tories, rendered it extremely difficult for the American general to bring provisions from any distance. He saw that the best course would have been to go to the river Pedee, where he could have

MORGAN'S OPERATIONS.

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obtained plenty of food and forage; but that was farther from Camden than Charlotte, and the confidence of the people and his own soldiers might be diminished by anything having the appearance of a retrograde movement. It only remained for him therefore to divide his army; and even this step could. not be taken without much hazard.

Gates had appointed Morgan to the command of the light troops, and Greene retaining him in his command, increased his numbers to three hundred infantry, under Colonel Howard, one hundred and seventy Virginia riflemen, and seventy of Colonel Washington's light dragoons. With this force he was sent to the westward of the Wateree, into South Carolina, to watch the motions of the enemy at Camden and Wynnsborough, and to find provisions for his men.

Marion was employed in the lower parts of South Carolina, in watching the Tories and British in Charleston, Georgetown, and their other posts, and in his own system of partisan warfare. Greene left Charlotte and marched to Hicks' Ferry, on the Pedee. He was here when the campaign of 1781 commenced.

On the 27th of December, 1780, Morgan detached Colonel Washington, with his dragoons and about two hundred militia, to the neighbourhood of Ninety-Six, where he succeeded in surprising a body of Tories, one hundred and fifty of whom were killed or wounded, and forty, with a large number of horses, captured. Morgan was soon after joined by about two hundred and sixty militia from North and South Carolina, under Major M'Dowel and Colonel Pickens; and Greene was joined by Lee, with his partisan legion, on the 13th of January, 1781.

On the 11th of January, General Leslie had joined Cornwallis with a body of fifteen hundred and thirty men, and his lordship now prepared to advance into North Carolina. Such a movement, however, would leave the indefatigable Morgan in his rear; and Cornwallis determined to drive him from his station, and dispirit the inhabitants, who were about rising to join him. Tarleton was despatched on this business, with

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TARLETON PURSUES MORGAN.

near eleven hundred efficient royal troops, and two fieldpieces. This force was known to be superior to that under Morgan; and no doubt was entertained of the sudden flight or total defeat of the Americans. Tarleton moved with his usual celerity, in the hope of surprising his enemy; but Morgan got notice of his approach, and the amount of force under his command. He immediately retreated across the Pacolet and halted; but learning that Tarleton had forded the river a short distance above him, he moved off, and his pursuers reached the place he had quitted about ten o'clock in the evening of the 16th of January. He recommenced the pursuit at three o'clock next morning, and Morgan finding escape by flight impossible, and fearing that he might be overtaken and attacked on unfavourable ground, resolved to hazard a battle. He therefore drew up his men at a place called the Cowpens, about three miles from the division line between North and South Carolina.

Morgan's arrangements were judicious. His militia were posted in advance, with orders, when forced to retire, to form on the right of the second line, composed of the regulars and Virginia riflemen. Colonel Washington, with his cavalry and about forty-five mounted militiamen, formed the reserve, and were stationed in a small copse in the rear. Tarleton advanced with his usual speed, and discovered the dispositions of Morgan just before daybreak. He immediately ordered his troops to form, and without waiting for the execution of the order, led on his troops to the attack. They rushed on with shouts, and poured in an incessant fire of musketry, which, however, does not appear to have produced any great effect. The first line of militia, under Pickens, reserved their fire uutil the enemy were within forty or fifty yards; but the British pressed on, and the militia fell back. Mistaking this for a retreat, the British rushed on in disorder and engaged the second line. This, after an obstinate conflict, separated and fell back upon the cavalry. Meanwhile, Ogilvie, with a troop of cavalry, had commenced an attack on the flank of the militia; but being exposed simultaneously to a galling

fire, and a charge from the cavalry under Washington, was obliged to give way.

Howard had observed the movement of Washington, and finding that the British, owing to the loss of some of their officers, did not improve their advantage, rallied and made a charge with the regulars upon the confused enemy, who were almost at the same instant charged by the militia, who were renewing the battle under Pickens. Panic-stricken at these unexpected charges, the British advance fell back, and the whole body was thrown into confusion. Tarleton's legion cavalry, which had not yet been engaged, fled with the utmost precipitation; and upon Colonel Howard's promising them quarters, several hundred of the enemy surrendered. The only part of the infantry which escaped was a detachment which had been left to guard the baggage. The officer who commanded them, destroyed the greater part of the baggage, and mounting his men on the horses, escaped and joined the army of Cornwallis. Tarleton was pursued several miles by Colonel Washington, who gave him a slight wound in the