Lively Work
The patriot force was up very early next morning, and had eaten
breakfast before daylight, and as soon as they could see, they began the
attack on Fort Ninety-Six.
They fired with the field-pieces as rapidly as possible, and about the
middle of the forenoon they charged upon the fort and made another
attempt to force an entrance, but the British fought desperately, and
the patriot force was driven back.
And soon afterward word was brought by a messenger that had been sent to
keep watch for the coming British reinforcements, to the effect that the
force in question was close at hand.
It would be useless to try to attack the fort again, and so General
Greene ordered that they advance, take up as strong a position as
possible, and resist with persistence the approaching force of British.
The patriot soldiers made their way to the top of a sort of ridge about
half a mile east of Fort Ninety-Six, and here they stationed themselves
behind trees and awaited the coming of the enemy.
Presently they caught sight of the redcoats approaching, but it was seen
a few moments later that it was only an advance guard. The redcoats had
heard the sound of the battle, and were cautious, and had sent a
reconnoitering party ahead, so as to avoid an ambush.
The patriots, knowing they would be discovered before the main force
reached the spot, opened fire on the party as soon as it came in range,
and several of the redcoats were dropped, dead or wounded.
The rest beat a hasty retreat, and rejoined the main force, and reported
the presence of the patriot force at the top of the ridge. The party
came to a stop, and the officers held a council.
Two or three of the officers were for making an attack, but the others
thought differently, and so it was decided to make a detour and go
around the patriots.
This was done, but the patriots learned of the movement, through Dick,
who had followed the reconnoitering party and kept watch on the British,
and the patriots managed to reach a point from which they could fire on
the British as they passed, and killed and wounded a few.
The redcoats returned the fire, but did not stop to show fight. They
kept onward at as fast a pace as possible, until they reached the fort,
which they entered, and they received a hearty welcome from Major
Cruger, who had begun to think that he would have to surrender the fort.
The patriots went into camp about a mile from Fort Ninety-Six, and it
was decided to wait and see what the British would do.
“I believe that we could hold this position, here on the top of this
ridge,” said General Greene. “And I am in favor of staying and giving
them one battle, at any rate.”
The other officers agreed with him in his view of the matter, and so
they put in the rest of the day, strengthening their position by
throwing up earthworks.
When this had been finished, the patriots settled down to take it easy
and await some move on the part of the British.
Dick and Tom and Ben were stationed near the fort, to keep watch and
report any move the enemy might make, and General Greene felt that his
force would be able to make a good showing, as the patriot youths would
send him word if the British emerged and started to come toward the camp
of the patriots.
No such move was made that day, however, nor during the night, and the
patriots had an opportunity to get rested up, after their hard work
during the siege. It was a privilege appreciated by both officers and
men.
Next morning, however, the British came forth from the fort, and began
to advance toward the point where the patriot force had taken up its
position.
They advanced slowly, and Dick sent word by Tom that the redcoats were
coming, and General Greene began making ready to receive the enemy.
Dick and Ben moved back slowly, till they came to the patriot position,
and then they informed General Greene of the nearness of the British,
who put in an appearance a few minutes later.
The British made an attack, advancing swiftly and firing as they came.
They charged up the slope, toward the patriot position, but the
patriots, crouching in the ditch, with the earthwork before them, were
in a protected position, and as soon as the redcoats were within range,
they opened fire.
The battle was on, and a lively battle it was, for a while. The rattle
of the musketry and pistols was loud, and the yells of pain from the
wounded British soldiers added to the din. The patriots were not injured
much, because the bullets from the enemy’s weapons did not penetrate the
earthworks.
The British made a desperate attempt to enter the encampment and capture
the patriot force, but they failed, and finally retreated, taking their
dead and wounded with them.
The patriots were very well satisfied with the result of the battle, but
they realized that they might not be successful again, and so General
Greene called a council and asked the officers if they did not think it
best to begin a retreat.
The officers said they favored retreating, as the British were now too
strong for them, and so that evening, after supper was over and the
soldiers had rested a while, they broke camp and started on the march
toward the east.
They marched onward till about midnight, and then they stopped and went
into camp. They were far enough away from the British, so that they did
not fear an attack, but there might be Indians around, though hardly in
strong enough force to make much trouble.
The patriots did not break camp next morning till rather late, and they
had just got started, when a British force was seen approaching from the
direction of Fort Ninety-Six.
“They are coming in pursuit,” said General Greene.
This was indeed the case, and during that day there was almost a
constant exchange of shots between the British and the patriots.
A large party of Indians put in an appearance, also, and aided the
British in hindering the marching of the patriots as much as possible.
The redskins were so good at concealing themselves behind trees that it
was difficult to injure them, and they did considerable damage.
That night the patriot force went into camp on the top of a knoll and
made its position as strong as possible. Double the usual number of
sentinels were stationed, and it would not be possible for the British
to take them by surprise.
The British did not make an attack that night, however, but instead
encircled the encampment of the patriots, and when morning came, the
patriots found that they could not proceed, unless they fought their way
through the British lines.
What to do was the question. If they remained, they would probably
sooner or later be captured, as the British force was more than twice as
strong as their own, and to try to break through the enemy’s lines would
be to cause the loss of many patriot lives.
It was decided, at a council, to remain on the knoll and hold the
British in check as long as possible.
“If we can get word to General Sumpter, he will come to our assistance,”
said General Greene, and he summoned Dick Dare and asked him if he were
willing to make the attempt to slip through the British lines, after
nightfall, that evening, and carry a message to General Sumpter.
As the readers of the Dare Boys stories know, and as they will see by
reading the next volume, entitled, “The Dare Boys With La Fayette,” Dick
Dare was always ready to attempt any feat, no matter how dangerous, if
it would benefit the patriot cause, so now he said promptly that he
would make the attempt.
The British did not make a strong attack, that day, but contented
themselves with firing at the patriots whenever they caught sight of
one. The patriots returned the fire, and thus the day passed, and
evening came.
And as soon as it was dark, Dick Dare started on his perilous
expedition, and worked his way slowly and cautiously through the British
lines. He had selected the weakest point of the line for his attempt,
and he succeeded in getting through, though he was discovered by a
sentinel as he was hastening away, and was fired at. He ran swiftly,
however, and although he was pursued, he managed to escape in the
darkness.
He had received instructions as to the whereabouts of Sumpter, from the
man that had brought the news of the coming of the British force, and so
he did not have a great deal of difficulty in finding Sumpter.
When Dick told Sumpter that the patriot force under General Greene was
surrounded by a superior force of British and that he needed assistance,
Sumpter said that he would go to the assistance of the patriot party at
once.
He set out, with his force, consisting of about five hundred men, and
reached the vicinity of the encampment of the patriot force about the
middle of the afternoon of the next day.
He advanced and attacked the British with great energy, and they, taken
by surprise, were thrown into great disorder. Then the patriot force on
the knoll charged out upon the British, and added to the confusion, and
for a while there raged about as fierce a battle as one would expect to
see.
The British tried to rally and hold their ground, but could not do so,
and finally they broke and fled at the top of their speed, pursued by
the patriots, who were glad to turn the tables on the British.
The British continued on in the direction of Fort Ninety-Six, and it
seemed evident that they did not intend to linger in the vicinity of the
patriots, now that they had a strong force.
Generals Greene and Sumpter held a council, and after considerable
discussion, decided not to follow the enemy and try to capture Fort
Ninety-Six.
Instead they joined forces and went to another part of South Carolina,
where the redcoats and Indians were causing the patriot settlers a lot
of trouble, and made it so hot for the British and Tories and Indians
that they were glad to cease operations and head in the direction of
Fort Ninety-Six.
The patriots were well satisfied with their work. They had stopped most
of the work of plundering by redcoats, Tories and Indians, and were
ready to start to make it lively for other gangs of Tories and Indians,
in other parts of the country.
Dick and Tom Dare, and Ben Foster, having gotten through the campaign
without being wounded, were well pleased with their part in the
campaign, and were eager for further adventures.
“I like the excitement of battling with the British,” said Tom, as they
sat in camp, at evening, and talked of the exciting adventures they had
gone through in the past few weeks. “I hope we will soon get started on
another series of adventures just as exciting.”
“I don’t like fighting for the sake of the excitement of the fight,”
said Dick; “but I am always glad to be fighting when it is to be for the
benefit and good of the patriot Cause.”
“That is the way I look at the matter,” said Ben. “I shall be glad when
the war ends, so far as I am concerned.”
“And so shall I,” said Dick.
“Sure an’ it’s mesilf thot loikes foightin’ as well as the nixt wan,”
said Tim Murphy. “But Oi’ll be willin’ to settle down an’ take it aisy
whin the war is over.”
“Yah, und dot is der vay I loog at id,” said Fritz Schmockenburg.
“Well, there will likely be a lot of fighting yet, before the war is
ended,” said Tom.
“There will be considerable fighting in the next few months, likely,”
said Dick.
And he was right. The war did not end till more than a year later, when
the British were defeated at Yorktown.
THE END