Watson and Doyle pursue Marion--He baffles and harasses
them--Pursues Doyle--His Despondency and final
Resolution.
The preparations of Col. Watson for pursuing and destroying our partisan
in his stronghold, were at length complete. He sallied forth from Fort
Watson about the first of March, and, with a British regiment and a
large body of loyalists--a force quite sufficient, as was thought, for
the desired object--marched down the Santee, shaping his course for
Snow's Island. At the same time, Col. Doyle, at the head of another
British regiment, intended for cooperation with Watson, was directed to
proceed by way of M'Callum's Ferry, on Lynch's, and down Jeffers' Creek,
to the Pedee. Here they were to form a junction.
Marion had no force to meet these enemies in open combat. His number
did not much exceed three hundred, but he had other resources of his own
which better served to equalize them. Doyle's approach was slow, and it
seems partially unsuspected. In fact, in order to meet his enemies,
and make the most of his strength, Marion had generally called in his
scouting parties. Of Watson's movements he had ample information. His
scouts, well provided with relays of horses, traversed the country
between his camp and Camden. Advised correctly of Watson's progress, he
made one of those rapid marches for which he was famous, and met him at
Wiboo Swamp, about midway between Nelson's and Murray's ferries. At
this place commenced a conflict as remarkable as it was protracted. The
advance of Watson consisted of the Tory horse, under Col. Richboo. Col.
Peter Horry led Marion's advance, consisting of about thirty men.
The remainder of the brigade lay in reserve. The encounter of the two
advanced parties produced a mutual panic, both recoiling upon their main
bodies; but that of Horry was the first to recover; and the command to
charge, given by Marion himself, produced the desired effect. Horry was
at length driven back by Watson's regulars, and the field-pieces, which
finally dislodged him. They were pursued by the Tory horse of Harrison,
which, pressing upon the main body, gained some advantages; and, in the
uncertainty of the event, while there was some confusion, afforded an
opportunity for several instances of great individual valor. As the
column of Harrison pressed over the causeway, which was narrow, Gavin
James, a private of great spirit and gigantic size, mounted on a strong
grey horse, and armed with musket and bayonet, threw himself in
advance of his comrades, and directly in the path of the enemy. Taking
deliberate aim, he fired his piece, dropped his man, and drew a volley
from those in front of him, not a shot of which took effect. His
determined position and presence, in the centre of the narrow causeway,
produced a pause in the advance. A dragoon rushed upon him, and was
stricken down by the bayonet. A second, coming to the assistance of his
comrade, shared the same fate, but, in falling, laid hold of the muzzle
of James' musket, and was dragged by him in the retreat some forty or
fifty paces. This heroism was not without its effect. If the men of
Marion faltered for a moment, such examples, and the voice of their
general, re-invigorated their courage. Capts. Macauley and Conyers,
at the head of the cavalry, arrested the advance of the Tories; and
Harrison himself fell, mortally wounded, by the hands of Conyers. The
Tories were dispersed, and sought shelter from the infantry of Watson,
before the advance of which Marion deemed it prudent for the time to
retire.
Marion lost nothing by this meeting. Its effect upon the Tories was
highly beneficial. They had suffered severely in killed and wounded, and
were thus intimidated at the outset. Watson encamped that night on the
field of battle, and Marion a few miles below. The next morning the
pursuit was resumed. Watson marched down the river, Marion keeping just
sufficiently ahead of him to be able to post an ambuscade for him at
the first point that seemed suitable for such a purpose. At Mount Hope,
Watson had to build up the bridges, and sustain a second conflict with
a chosen party of Marion's, led by Col. Hugh Horry. By bringing forward
his field-pieces, and drilling the swamp thickets with grape, he
succeeded in expelling Horry, and clearing the way for his column. But
the same game was to be renewed with every renewal of the opportunity.
When Watson drew near to Murray's Ferry, he passed the Kingstree road;
and, coming to that of Black river, which crosses at the lower bridge,
he made a feint of still continuing along the Santee; but soon after
wheeled about, and took the former route. This manoeuvre might have
deceived a less wary antagonist than Marion. He was soon aware of the
enemy's intention. Detaching Major James, at the head of seventy men,
thirty of whom were M'Cottry's rifles, he ordered him to destroy the
bridge, and so post himself as to command it. He himself kept his eye
fixed upon Watson. This bridge was on the main pass to Williamsburg, and
the men chosen for its defence were judiciously taken from that part of
the country. It was naturally supposed that, in sight of their cottage
smokes, they would struggle manfully against the enemy's forces.
James proceeded with great rapidity, and, avoiding the road, crossed the
river by a shorter route. He reached the bridge in time to throw down
two of the middle arches, and to fire the string pieces at the eastern
extremity. As soon as the chasm was made, he placed M'Cottry's riflemen
at the end of the bridge and on each side of the ford. The rest of his
detachment were so stationed as to cooperate, when required, with their
comrades. Marion arriving soon after, strengthened the force of James
with the Pedee company under Captain Potts, and took post himself,
with the main body, in the rear. These arrangements had scarcely been
effected when Watson made his appearance. At this place the west bank
of the river is considerably higher than the east. The latter is low and
somewhat swampy. On the west, the road passes to the bridge through a
ravine. The river was forty or fifty yards wide, and though deep,
was fordable below the bridge. The ravine was commanded by M'Cottry's
rifles. As soon as Watson approached the river, which he did from the
west, his field-pieces opened upon the passage which conducted to the
ford. But the position assigned to Marion's men, on the eastern side of
the river, effectually protected them. To bring the field-pieces to
bear upon the low grounds which they occupied, was to expose the
artillerists, upon the elevated banks which they occupied, to the
deliberate and fatal fire of the riflemen. Watson was soon made aware
of the difficulties of the passage. Not a man approached within gun-shot
that did not pay the penalty of his rashness; and those who drew nigh to
succor or carry off the wounded, shared the same fate. It was determined
to attempt the ford, and the advance was put forward, as a forlorn
hope, with this desperate purpose. The officer leading it, came on very
gallantly, waving his sword aloft and loudly encouraging his men. His
progress was fatally arrested by M'Cottry's rifle. The signal drew the
fire of the riflemen and musketeers, with whom the banks were lined, and
the heavy and deliberate discharge drove back and dispersed the British
advance, nor did the reserve move forward to its assistance. Four brave
fellows attempted to carry off the officer who had fallen, but they
remained with him.
Watson was terrified. He was heard to say that "he had never seen such
shooting in his life." There was no effecting the passage in the face of
such enemies, and stealing down to the banks of the river, on the
side which they occupied, and wherever the woods afforded shelter, the
British skirmished with Marion's flankers across the stream until night
put an end to the conflict.
The next morning Watson sent that dispatch to Marion which, from its
lugubrious tenor, has acquired a degree of notoriety much greater than
the name of the officer from whom it emanated. He complained to Marion
of his modes of fighting, objected to the ambuscades of the partisan,
and particularly complained that his picquets and sentinels should be
shot down when they had no suspicion of danger. He concluded by urging
upon Marion to come out and fight him like a gentleman and Christian,
according to the laws of civilized warfare. While the tone of the letter
was thus lugubrious, its language was offensive. He applied to the
partisans the epithets "banditti and murderers". Marion returned no
answer to this precious document, but renewed his order to his nightly
patrols, to shoot the sentinels and cut off the picquets as before. He
thought the measure quite as legitimate in such a war, as the burning
the house and hanging the son of the widow.
But though Marion returned no answer by the flag, to the letter of
Watson, there was a dispatch by one of the brigade, of a somewhat
curious character. There was a sergeant in the brigade by the name of
McDonald, of whom something has been heard before. He was the same bold
fellow who had so closely pursued Major Gainey into Georgetown,
leaving his bayonet in the possession and person of the latter. He was
distinguished by his great coolness and courage, an extraordinary degree
of strength, and a corresponding share of agility. He was as notorious
among the enemy for his audacity, as he was among his comrades for his
great modesty and goodness of heart. It appears that, among some of
Watson's captures, while pressing hard upon our partisans, had been the
entire wardrobe of McDonald. The sergeant felt it as something more than
a loss of property that his clothes should be taken by the enemy. It was
a point of honor that he should recover them. His message to Watson was
of this purport. He concluded with solemnly assuring the bearer of the
flag, that if the clothes were not returned he would kill eight of his
men. Watson was furious at a message which increased the irritation
of his late discomfiture. Knowing nothing himself of McDonald, he was
disposed to treat the message with contempt; but some of his officers,
who knew better the person with whom they had to deal, begged that the
clothes of the sergeant might be returned to him, for that he would
most certainly keep his word if they were not. Watson complied with
the suggestion. When the clothes appeared, McDonald said to the bearer,
"Tell Col. Watson, I will now kill but four of his men." Two days after
he shot Lieut. Torriano through the knee with a rifle, at a distance of
three hundred yards.
Marion, the next day, took post on a ridge below the ford of the river,
which is still popularly called "The General's Island". His rifles still
effectually commanded the passage and baffled every attempt of Watson
to cross. Pushing M'Cottry and Conyers over the river, they exercised
themselves in cutting off his patrols and picquets. To save himself
from these annoyances, Watson retreated a little higher up the river and
pitched his camp at Blakeley's plantation, in the most open field that
he could find. Here he remained for ten days almost environed by his
adroit and active enemy. Night and day was he kept in a condition of
alarm and apprehension. The cavalry beat up his quarters when he
slept, while the riflemen picked off his men the moment they exposed
themselves. It was while he was in this situation that the brave Capt.
Conyers presented himself daily before the lines of the enemy, either as
a single cavalier, or at the head of his troop, demanding an opponent.
The anecdote has been already narrated in another chapter.
The temper of Watson was very much subdued by this sort of warfare. His
next letter to Marion was of very different tone from that sent but
a few days before. He now solicits a pass from his enemy for Lieut.
Torriano and others wounded, whom he desired to send to Charleston.
This was promptly granted. Meanwhile he employed a negro from Chevin's
plantation to carry a letter to the commandant at Georgetown. In
endeavoring to make his way, the negro was killed and the letter fell
into the hands of Marion. It contained a woful complaint of the
unfair mode of fighting pursued by the partisans, and implored a
reinforcement.* In fact Watson was literally besieged. His supplies were
cut off, his progress arrested, and so many of his men perished in the
continual skirmishing, that he is reported by tradition to have sunk
them in Black river in order to conceal their numbers. He was finally
compelled to decamp. If his path was beset with dangers, it was death
to remain in his present situation. Making a forced march down the
Georgetown road, he paused when he reached Ox swamp, six miles below
the lower bridge. His flight had been harassed by light parties of the
Americans; but here he found them prepared for, and awaiting him. The
road through which he was to pass, was skirted by a thick boggy swamp,
and before him the causeway was covered with trees which had been felled
to obstruct his passage. The bridges were destroyed, and Marion lay
directly in his path, prepared for a final encounter. Watson shrunk from
the prospect, and determined upon another route. Wheeling to the right
he dashed through the open pine woods, for the Santee road, about
fifteen miles. When overtaken by Marion upon this road, his infantry
were hurrying forward, like horses, at a full trot. But few natural
obstacles attended his progress on this path, and the extraordinary
rapidity of his flight had put him considerably ahead of his pursuers.
But he was not yet to escape. The cavalry of Horry, and the riflemen of
M'Cottry, galled him at every step in flank and rear. When he reached
Sampit bridge a last skirmish took place, which might have terminated
in the complete defeat of the enemy, but for the cowardice of a Lieut.
Scott, of Horry's detachment. Watson was attacked fiercely in the flank
and rear by the whole force of Marion. His horse was killed, and his own
life endangered. The affair was equally short and sharp, and had it
not been that the ambush placed by Horry failed to discharge its duty,
Watson would, in all probability, never have reached Georgetown, or
only reached it on parole. He gained it finally in safety, thoroughly
harassed and discomfited by the subtle enemy whom he had gone forth,
with a superior force, and a confident hope, to destroy or capture.
* Horry's MS.--
But the success of our partisan against Watson did not necessarily
dispose of his enemies. While he had been engaged in the events, as just
given, Col. Doyle had succeeded in penetrating to his haunts on Snow's
Island. That famous retreat had been entrusted to a small body of men
under the command of Col. Ervin. Ervin was defeated, and Doyle obtained
possession of all Marion's stores. Arms and ammunition were emptied into
Lynch's Creek, and this at a period, when every ounce of powder, and
pound of shot, were worth, to our partisans, their weight in gold. It
was while moving from Sampit towards Snow's Island, that Marion was
apprised of this mortifying intelligence. It was a matter to be deplored
certainly, but it was one of those events that could not have been
prevented. The force of Marion was too small to suffer him to play the
admirable game, already described, with Watson, yet leave a sufficient
body of men in camp for its protection. He had only to console himself
by taking his revenge, and he turned the head of his columns in pursuit
of Doyle. This officer made his way to Witherspoon's Ferry, on Lynch's
Creek, where he lay in a good position on the north side of the Ferry.
Marion approached him cautiously, with M'Cottry's mounted riflemen in
advance. Arriving at the creek a detachment of the British was found
on the opposite side, engaged in scuttling the ferry boat. The riflemen
drew nigh unperceived, and poured in a well directed and deadly fire,
which produced the utmost consternation. The fire was returned in
volleys, but the limbs and branches of the trees suffered infinitely
more than the riflemen who lay behind them. Marion now made his
arrangements for crossing the stream. But this was not to be done in the
face of the enemy, with the creek before him wide and swollen. Marion
moved rapidly up the creek, which he swam at the first favorable point
some five miles above Witherspoon's. This brought him nearer to Doyle's
position, but the latter had not waited for him. Whether it was that
he had little taste for the sort of annoyances to which Watson had been
subjected, or that he had received instructions from Lord Rawdon to join
him at Camden, in all haste, it is certain that he made the greatest
speed in hurrying in that direction.
It was at this period that Marion held a consultation with Horry,
in which he is represented by that officer as in an unusual state of
despondency. His enemies were accumulating around him with unwonted
rapidity, and in greater force than ever. Watson, furious at his late
disasters, and mortified with the result of his confident anticipations,
had sallied forth from Georgetown with a reinforcement. He had gone
towards the Pedee, where he strengthened himself with the large body of
Tories which Gainey had commanded. Horry tells us of a third body of men
at the same time in the field, with Doyle and Watson, and all addressing
themselves to the same object, his utter expulsion from the country. At
that moment the expulsion of our Partisan would leave the conquest of
the State complete.
In these emergencies, with these foes accumulating around him, the mind
of Marion naturally addressed itself with more gravity than usual to
the task of his extrication from his enemies. His countenance, as Horry
describes it, was troubled. But, with his usual taciturnity, he said
nothing on the subject of his anxieties. Seeing him walking alone, and
in deep revery, Horry approached him, and said--
"General, our men are few, and, if what I hear be true, you never wanted
them more."
Marion started, and replied--
"Go immediately to the field officers, and know from them, if, in the
event of my being compelled to retire to the mountains, they will follow
my fortunes, and with me carry on the war, until the enemy is forced out
of the country. Go, and bring me their answer without delay."
It was a peculiarity in Marion's character, that he should have
entrusted such a commission to a subordinate. But it accords with all
that we have seen of the reserve and shyness of his moods. The simple
remark to Horry indicates his admirable firmness, his calculations, even
of possible necessities long in advance, and his instinctive mode
of encountering them as he best might. His determination, on his own
account, to carry on the war against the enemy in the mountains, till
they or himself were expelled from the country, denotes the unsubmitting
patriot. The reader must not forget that, at this moment, there was no
force in the State but his own, arrayed against the British. Sumter was
still 'hors de combat' from his wound. The army of Greene, having with
it Pickens, and other native militia, was in North Carolina, watching
the movements of Cornwallis. Lord Rawdon, with a strong British
garrison, held Camden. Charleston and Georgetown, Ninety-Six and Granby,
Forts Watson and Motte, were all held, with numerous other conspicuous
points, by the British; and with Watson, whose force now numbered a
thousand men, Doyle half that number, and several active and large
bodies of Tories prepared to cooperate with these against our partisan,
the danger of Marion's situation, and his patriotic resolve of
character, are conspicuous at a glance.
Horry sought the officers, and promptly returned to his commander. To
a man they had pledged themselves to follow his fortunes, however
disastrous, while one of them survived, and until their country was
freed from the enemy. Marion's countenance instantly brightened--we
cannot forbear the use of Horry's own language, though it may provoke a
smile--"he was tip-toed"--(i.e.)--he rose upon his toes--and said "I am
satisfied--one of these parties shall soon feel us."*
* Horry's MS., pp. 59, 60.--