The clouds of danger darker and darker -- two additional regiments raised --
Marion promoted to a majority -- fort Moultrie built --
A British fleet and army invade Carolina -- grand preparations
to receive them -- admirable patriotism of the Charleston ladies --
heavy attack on fort Moultrie -- glorious defence of the garrison.
The cloud of war growing still darker and darker every day,
the council of safety determined to raise a regiment of artillery,
and another of infantry. In consequence of this, several of the officers
of the former regiments were promoted. Among these was my friend Marion,
who from the rank of captain, was raised to a majority.
His field of duties became, of course, much more wide and difficult,
but he seemed to come forward to the discharge of them
with the familiarity and alertness of one who, as general Moultrie
used to say, was born a soldier. In fact, he appeared never so happy,
never so completely in his element, as when he had his officers and men
out on parade at close training. And for cleanliness of person,
neatness of dress, and gentlemanly manners, with celerity and exactness
in performing their evolutions, they soon became the admiration and praise
both of citizens and soldiers. And indeed I am not afraid to say
that Marion was the `architect' of the second regiment, and laid
the foundation of that excellent discipline and confidence in themselves,
which gained them such reputation whenever they were brought
to face their enemies.
In March, 1776, I was sent over with my company, to Sullivan's island,
to prevent the landing of the British from the men-of-war,
the Cherokee and Tamar, then lying in Rebellion road. I had not been long
on that station, before Col. Moultrie came over with his whole regiment
to erect a fort on the island.
The truth is, the governor had of late become confoundedly afraid of a visit
from the British. The great wealth in Charleston must, he thought,
by this time, have set their honest fingers to itching --
and we also suspected that they could hardly be ignorant
what a number of poor deluded gentlemen, called tories, we had among us.
The arrival of colonel Moultrie, with the second regiment, afforded me
infinite satisfaction. It brought me once more to act in concert with Marion.
'Tis true, he had got one grade above me in the line of preferment;
but, thank God, I never minded that. I loved Marion, and "love,"
as every body knows, "envieth not." We met like brothers.
I read in his looks the smiling evidence of his love towards me:
and I felt the strongest wish to perpetuate his partiality.
Friendship was gay within my heart, and thenceforth all nature WITHOUT
put on her loveliest aspects. The island of sand no longer seemed
a dreary waste. Brighter rolled the blue waves of ocean beneath
the golden beam; and sweeter murmured the billows on their sandy beach.
My heart rejoiced with the playful fishes, as they leaped high
wantoning in the air, or, with sudden flounce, returned again,
wild darting through their lucid element. Our work went on in joy.
The palmetto trees were brought to us by the blacks, in large rafts,
of which we constructed, for our fort, an immense pen, two hundred feet long,
and sixteen feet wide, filled with sand to stop the shot.
For our platforms, we had two-inch oak planks, nailed down with iron spikes.
With glad hearts we then got up our carriages and mounted our guns,
of which twelve were 18 pounders -- twelve 24's, and twelve French 36's,
equal to English 42's.
A general joy was spread over the faces of our regiment,
as we looked along our battery of thunderers.
But our glorifying, under God, was chiefly in our two and forty pounders.
And indeed their appearance was terrible, where they lay
with wide Cerberean mouths, hideously gaping over the roaring waves,
and threatening destruction to the foes of liberty.
They were soon called to a trial of their metal. -- For on the 31st of May,
while we were all busily driving on with our fort, suddenly a cry was heard,
"a fleet! a fleet, ho!" Looking out to sea, we all at once beheld,
as it were, a wilderness of ships, hanging, like snow-white clouds
from the north-east sky. It was the sirs Parker and Clinton,
hastening on with nine ships of war and thirty transports,
bearing three thousand land forces, to attack Charleston.
Such an armament was an awful novelty, that produced on us all
a momentary flutter; but, thank God, no serious fear. On the contrary,
it was very visible in every glowing cheek and sparkling eye, as we looked,
LAUGHING, on one another, that we considered the approaching conflict
as a grand trial of courage, which we rather desired than dreaded.
And to their equal praise, our gallant countrymen in Charleston,
as we learned daily, by the boats, were all in fine spirits,
and constantly making their best preparations to receive the enemy.
And still my pen trembles in my hand; even after this long lapse of time,
it trembles with wonder and delight, to tell of that immortal fire,
which in those perilous days, glowed in the bosoms of the Charleston FAIR.
Instead of gloomy sadness and tears, for the dark cloud
that threatened their city, they wore the most enlivening looks --
constantly talked the boldest language of patriotism --
animated their husbands, brothers, and lovers to fight bravely --
and, for themselves, they vowed they would "never live the slaves of Britain."
Some people in our days, may not believe me, when I add of these
NOBLE ladies, that they actually begged leave of their commandant,
to let them "fight by the sides of their relatives and friends."
This, though a glorious request, was absolutely refused them.
For who could bear to see the sweet face of beauty roughened over
with the hard frowns of war; or, the warrior's musket, on those tender bosoms,
formed of heaven only to pillow up the cheeks of happy husbands,
and of smiling babes?
But though the SPIRITS of the ladies were willing, their NERVES were weak;
for when the British ships of war hove in sight, opposite to the town,
they all went down to the shore to view them. And then strong fear,
like the cold wind of autumn, struck their tender frames with trembling,
and bleached their rosy cheeks. Some, indeed, of the younger sort,
affected to laugh and boast; but the generality returned silent and pensive,
as from a funeral, hanging their lovely heads, like rows of sickly jonquils,
when the sun has forsaken the garden, and faded nature
mourns his departed beams. Sisters were often seen to turn pale and sigh,
when they looked on their youthful brothers, while tender mothers,
looking down on their infant cherubs at the breast, let drop
their pearly sorrows, and exclaimed, "happy the wombs that bear not,
and the paps that give no suck."
In consequence of a most extraordinary continuation of calms,
baffling winds, and neap tides, the enemy's ships never got within our bar
till the 27th of June, and on the following morn, the memorable 28th,
they weighed anchor on the young flood, and before a fine breeze,
with top gallant sails, royals, and sky scrapers all drawing,
came bearing up for the fort like floating mountains.
The anxious reader must not suppose that we were standing all this while,
with finger in mouth, idly gaping like children on a raree show.
No, by the Living! but, fast as they neared us, we still kept our thunders
close bearing upon them, like infernal pointers at a dead set;
and as soon as they were come within point blank shot, we clapped our matches
and gave them a tornado of round and double-headed bullets,
which made many a poor Englishman's head ache. Nor were they long
in our debt, but letting go their anchors and clewing up their sails,
which they did in a trice, they opened all their batteries,
and broke loose upon us with a roar as if heaven and earth
had been coming together.
Such a sudden burst of flame and thunder, could not but make us
feel very queer at first, especially as we were young hands,
and had never been engaged in such an awful scene before.
But a few rounds presently brought us all to rights again,
and then, with heads bound up, and stripped to the buff,
we plied our bull-dogs like heroes.
The British outnumbered us in men and guns, at least three to one,
but then our guns, some of them at least, were much the heaviest,
carrying balls of two and forty pounds weight! and when the monsters,
crammed to the throat with chained shot and infernal fire, let out,
it was with such hideous peals as made both earth and ocean tremble.
At one time it appeared as though, by a strange kind of accident,
all their broad-sides had struck us at once, which made the fort
tremble again. But our palmettoes stood the fire to a miracle,
closed up without sign of splinter, on their shot, which was stopped
by the intermediate sand; while, on the other hand, every bullet
that we fired, went through and through their ships, smashing alike
sailors, timber heads, and iron anchors, in their furious course.
And thus was the order of our battle -- there, a line of seven tall ships;
and here, one little, solitary fort -- there, British discipline;
and here, American enthusiasm -- there, brave men fighting for a tyrant;
and here, heroes contending for liberty. I am old now, and have forgotten
many things, but never shall I forget the heart-burnings of that day,
when I heard the blast of those rude cannon, that bade me be a slave;
and still my aged bosom swells with the big joy when I hear,
which I often do in fancy's ear, the answer of our faithful bull-dogs,
as with deafening roar, lurid flame and smoke, they hurled back
their iron curses on the wicked claim. But alas! for lack of ammunition,
our opening victory was soon nipped like a luckless flower, in the bud:
for the contest had hardly lasted an hour, before our powder was so expended
that we were obliged, in a great measure, to silence our guns,
which was matter of infinite mortification to us, both because of the grief
it gave our friends, and the high triumph it afforded our enemies.
"Powder! Powder! millions for powder!" was our constant cry.
Oh! had we but had plenty of that `noisy kill-seed', as the Scotchmen call it,
not one of those tall ships would ever have revisited Neptune's
green dominion. They must inevitably have struck, or laid their vast hulks
along-side the fort, as hurdles for the snail-loving `sheep's heads'.
Indeed, small as our stock of ammunition was, we made several of their ships
look like sieves, and smell like slaughter pens. The commodore's ship,
the Bristol, had fifty men killed, and upwards of one hundred wounded!
The laurels of the second regiment can never fade -- the destructive effect
of their fire gave glorious proof, that they loaded and levelled their pieces
like men who wished every shot to tell. They all fought like veterans;
but the behavior of some was gallant beyond compare; and the humble names
of Jasper and M'Donald shall be remembered, when those of proud kings
shall be forgotten.
A ball from the enemy's ships carried away our flag-staff.
Scarcely had the stars of liberty touched the sand,
before Jasper flew and snatched them up and kissed them with great enthusiasm.
Then having fixed them to the point of his spontoon,
he leaped up on the breast-work amidst the storm and fury of the battle,
and restored them to their daring station -- waving his hat at the same time
and huzzaing, "God save liberty and my country for ever!"
As to sergeant M'Donald, while fighting like a hero, at his gun,
a cannon ball came in at the port hole, and mangled him miserably.
As he was borne off, he lifted his dying eyes, and said to his comrades,
"Huzza, my brave fellows, I die, but don't let the cause of liberty
die with me."
The effect of our last gun, and which happened to be fired by Marion,
is too remarkable to be lost. It was his lot that day to command
the left wing of the fort, where many of our heaviest cannon were planted.
As from lack of powder, we were obliged to fire very slow,
Marion would often level the guns himself. And now comes my story. --
Just after sunset the enemy's ships ceased firing, and slipping their cables,
began to move off. Pleased with the event, an officer on
the quarter deck of the Bristol man-of-war, called out to his comrade,
"Well, d--n my eyes, Frank, the play is over! so let's go below and hob nob
to a glass of wine, for I am devilish dry!"
"With all my heart, Jack;" replied the other; so down they whipped
into the cabin, where the wine and glasses had been standing all day
on the table. At that moment, one of our two and forty pounders
being just loaded, Marion called to colonel Moultrie, and asked him
if it would not be well enough to give them the last blow.
"Yes," replied Moultrie, "give them the parting kick."
Marion clapped the match, and away, in thunder and lightning went the ball,
which, entering the cabin windows, shattered the two young friends:
thence raging through the bulk-heads and steerage, it shivered three sailors
on the main deck, and, after all, bursting through the forecastle
into the sea, sunk with sullen joy to the bottom.
We got this story from five British seamen, who ran off
with the Bristol's long boat, and came and joined us that very night.
The next day, that noble whig, Mr. William Logan, sent us
a couple of fat beeves and a hogshead of rum, "to refresh us,"
as he was pleased to say, "after our hard day's work."
And on the second day after the action, the governor and council,
with numbers of the great ladies and gentlemen of Charleston,
came over to the fort to visit us. We all put on our "best bibs and tuckers,"
and paraded at the water's edge to receive them, which we did
with a spanking `feu de joie'*, and were not a little gratified
with their attentions and handsome compliments paid us,
for what they politely termed "our gallant defence of our country."
--
* Bonfire. -- A. L., 1997.
--
And indeed to see the looks of our poor soldiers, when those great ladies,
all glittering in silks and jewels, and powdered and perfumed so nice,
would come up to them, with faces like angels, sparkling and smiling so sweet,
as if they would kiss them; I say, to see the looks of our poor fellows,
their awkward bows and broad grins, and other droll capers they cut,
no human being could have refrained from laughing.
Presently that excellent lady, Mrs. Colonel Elliot (of the artillery,)
came forward and presented us with a most superb pair of colors,
embroidered with gold and silver by her own lily-white hands.
They were delivered, if I mistake not, to the brave sergeant Jasper,
who smiled when he took them, and vowed he "would never give them up
but with his life."
Poor fellow! he too soon made good his promise, near the fatal
walls of Savannah.
But it was not the ladies alone that were attentive to us,
for that great man, governor Rutledge, in presence of the regiment,
took the sword from his side, and with his own noble hand presented it
to sergeant Jasper. He also offered him a commission on the spot;
but this, Jasper absolutely refused. "I am greatly obliged to you, governor,"
said he, "but I had rather not have a commission. As I am,
I pass very well with such company as a poor sergeant has any right to keep.
If I were to get a commission, I should be forced to keep higher company:
and then, as I don't know how to read, I should only be throwing myself
in a way to be laughed at!" Parents, who can waste on grog and tobacco,
that precious money you ought to educate your children with, think of this!