THE PRISONERS.
Giving no heed to those around us, we continued on when the command was
halted, much as if we had not heard the orders, and without anything in
the way of leave-taking.
I know not how it may have been with my companions; but as for myself,
I was in no mood to speak even with my uncle, so thickly did the sad
and gloomy thoughts flow through my mind. It was to me as if we were
playing the last acts in that drama which should have had a glorious
ending--as if we were assisting at the death of the Cause, and I
believe that nine out of every ten men in the brigade had some such
thought as myself.
It was true that we might strike a blow at Nelson's Ferry, but let
the reader remember that ours was probably the only armed force, true
to the colonies, then in the Carolinas; let him remember that the
Britishers overran our land, even as did the locusts of old, and how
might four hundred men or less oppose all the soldiers the king could
send against us?
Surely for us of the southern colonies, this night, when we three set
out to spy upon the victorious troops coming down from Camden with our
friends as prisoners, was the worst ever known.
We were beaten--hemmed in, and, like rats in the corner, could only
make one desperate fight, not against death, but simply as proof that
our courage held good even to the very last moment.
Let all these things be borne well in mind, and it is little wonder
that when we rode on after the command was halted, we were in no mood
for leave-taking. Ours might, and it seemed probable it would, be the
last blow in a gallant struggle for liberty.
When we passed the group of officers at the head of the column, all
sitting their horses motionless as statues, looking neither to the
right nor the left, but each man as it were peering into the recesses
of his own heart, asking himself in what way the end would come, I
gave one glance toward my uncle, and it seemed to me as if there was a
certain uplifting of the eyebrows which I interpreted as a "good-by."
More than that we saw not, and five minutes later the brigade of
Williamsburg patriots, tried and true, were left behind, while we two
lads and the old man rode forward, hoping almost against hope that it
might be possible we should accomplish something toward showing the
British king how strong in our hearts was the desire for liberty.
Our horses, jaded by the long march of the day, were unwilling to leave
the troop; they went forward listlessly, and we had not the heart to
spur them on because it was much as if they shared our feelings.
I question if we gained ten miles in advance of the column that night.
Certain it is we were not yet come within the vicinity of Nelson's
Ferry when Gavin Witherspoon's horse stopped short, and the old man
said as he dismounted slowly:
"We may as well rest here for the night, as a mile or two further on. I
propose that we halt until a couple of hours before sunrise, and by so
doing we shall gain time."
After the experience we had had with the old man, Percy and I were more
than willing to follow his advice, and we set about making ourselves as
comfortable as might be under all the circumstances.
A better place for camping could not be found. A tiny brook running
through a grove of pines, where the underbrush was so dense as to
form ample hiding-place, as well as a shelter from the dews of the
night. There was little green feed for the horses; but we carried a
goodly store of grain on our saddles, and, heedless of the possible
necessities of the future which seemed so dark, we allowed the tired
steeds to eat their pleasure from the store.
Such food as we had, and as I have said was taken from the Tory camp,
we ate, and then, lame and sore in every joint from the long hours in
the saddle, we laid ourselves down for perchance the last sleep on this
earth.
My eyes were closed in slumber within two or three minutes after I
was thus stretched at full length upon the bed of pine needles, and
it seemed as if I had slept several hours when something--I know not
what--awakened me.
There was no movement, and the faint light of the stars did not
penetrate the thicket; yet I could see that the horses were lying down;
that my comrades were wrapped in slumber, and it puzzled me to make out
why I was thus wakeful.
Then, partially turning my head, for no other reason than to make
a change of position, I saw what appeared to be the reflection of a
camp-fire through the underbrush.
When one knows that he is surrounded by enemies, the lightest thing
out of the ordinary arouses his suspicions, and although this gleam of
light was so faint that at another time I would have given no heed to
it, now it seemed absolutely necessary I should understand the cause.
It would be foolish to awaken my comrades, so I argued, when there
might be no good reason, and I crept out through the bushes softly
until, having traversed a distance of fifty yards or more, when I saw
that we were not the only ones who had utilized this thicket as a camp.
Four men sat around a small fire eating, and near by were tethered
their horses.
It was fortunate our steeds were so leg-weary, else when this party
drove up they might have given the alarm, for I doubted not but that
these were enemies. At such time in the history of the so-called
rebellion we had so few friends as to be able to say with a certainty
where they were.
It was in my mind to return at once and arouse Gavin Witherspoon and
Percy, that we might make our escape; but all was so quiet, and these
four apparently unsuspicious that any save themselves were in the
vicinity, that I delayed carrying out the purpose in my mind, until,
having almost unconsciously approached a few yards nearer, I recognized
in one of them, that Tory villain, Sam Lee.
Once this discovery was made I no longer thought of returning to where
I had left my comrades; but wriggled along yet nearer, and was well
repaid for the delay.
It would seem as if the men had been questioning young Lee as to his
ability to do something which had been promised, for one of them was
saying when I came within earshot:
"It is a blind chase to push ahead in search of a party of rebels who
by this time may have returned home, hoping to keep secret the part
they have been playing."
To this Sam Lee replied hotly, much as if the honor of the James family
were in his keeping:
"The major will never go home alive so long as one other can be found
to remain with him, and there are many of his kin in Williamsburg."
"But what reason have we for believing you can lead us to them?"
"Because I know of their haunts," the scoundrel said, as if he was
telling the truth. "So far all they have accomplished has been by
surprising our people who are not soldiers; but I guarantee that you
men of the Prince of Wales' regiment will make a different showing
among them."
"Of that I have no question; but these people, knowing fully the
country, can easily disperse between the time we come upon them, and
word has been sent to the command. Then again, we must trust to your
finding them, which I misdoubt greatly, else are you a keener lad than
I have seen in the Carolinas."
It was the eldest of the three men who said this, and as he moved
slightly I saw that his uniform, which I knew full well, was that
of the Prince of Wales' regiment, to which organization Sam Lee had
referred.
"You may do as you please," the young Troy said angrily. "I have told
the colonel that I could lead you to where the scarecrow Marion was
encamped and put you on their trail wheresoever the forces might be
going; but if, now that we are hardly more than started, you choose to
turn back, it is none of my affair, I have done my part."
No reply was made to this, and for a time the men were silent, while I,
speculating as to what might be their purpose, believed it was a simple
matter to guess why they were there.
We knew full well that Sam Lee had been in Captain Barfield's
encampment, and, like the coward that he was, fled when our troops came
up. He also must have ridden all day in order to gain Nelson's Ferry;
had most likely met this regiment of the king's, and claimed ability
to deliver our people into their hands. It seemed also true that these
troopers had ridden in advance of the command, as had we three, and we
were thus come together at a place midway between the Britishers and
our own force.
Up to this point I had no difficulty in forming a satisfactory
conclusion; but beyond that I was all at sea, and naturally thought the
proper course was to return and give information to Gavin Witherspoon.
In fact I was in the act of turning when one of the soldiers said
grumblingly:
"Even though the rebels may be where this lad has stated, I fail to
see why we should have left the camp and ridden half a dozen miles in
advance. What good can be gained by spending the night here, when we
might have done so with our comrades?"
"For my part," the third trooper added, "I would rather sleep here than
do my share of guarding an hundred or more scurvy rebels. Had we stayed
in camp some portion of the duty would have come upon us, whereas we
may lie down under these bushes and sleep until it pleases us to open
our eyes next morning."
"That is all very true," the first speaker replied; "yet there were
good quarters to be found at Nelson's Ferry, and here a bed upon the
ground is the best to be had."
It was almost with difficulty that I suppressed a cry of triumph, for
now I had the full story, and we might return with the information
desired by General Marion before having fairly set out to do the work.
The British force, comprised in whole or in part of the Prince of
Wales' regiment, and guarding an hundred or more of our people,
captured when General Gates was defeated, were encamped at Nelson's
Ferry, six or seven miles away. These fellows, through information
given by Sam Lee, were coming out in search of us, and would not leave
their halting-place until sunrise.
It was a lucky chance which led us to this spot, and the forebodings
which had weighed heavily upon me a few hours previous, were lightened
wonderfully by the thought that fortune, which had borne so hardly upon
us in the past, was about taking a turn in our favor.
I lost no time in returning at once to my comrades, although forced
to do so slowly lest I make so much of noise that the Tory and his
red-coated companions be warned of our nearness.
Then, having arrived by the side of Percy and Gavin Witherspoon,
I pressed both hands upon their mouths to prevent any cry in their
awakening.
The old man's grasp upon my arm told that he was fully alive to the
situation, and I repeated as quickly as might be all that had been
heard.
Sitting bolt upright as if any future movement depended wholly upon me,
he said in a whisper:
"Whether the horses can cover sixteen or twenty miles after a long
day's work, is a question."
"But one which you should not ask," Percy added in a more serious tone
than I had ever heard him employ. "We have gained the information for
which we were sent, and it must be carried back to camp without delay."
"I grant you that, lad; but was only asking myself whether it might be
possible for our people to take advantage of it."
"Such speculations can be deferred until we have spoken with General
Marion," Percy replied as he arose, and after that there was no
discussion among us.
To get the horses on their feet without making a noise was no slight
task; but we accomplished it after a certain fashion, and led them out
of the thicket, not mounting until we were fully two miles away.
After that our progress was no more rapid than if we had remained on
foot, for it seemed impossible to urge the animals at a pace faster
than a walk, and it appeared to me as if the morning must be near at
hand when we were finally come to the encampment.
All our men were not given over to slumber, as was shown by our being
challenged before yet we knew how near to us was the military force,
and five minutes later we were standing beside our uncle, who, suddenly
aroused from his sleep, asked with a note of alarm in his tones:
"What disaster has befallen you?"
We soon gave him to understand that fortune had played us a good turn,
and immediately the information was given he became animated.
One would have said he had never known fatigue, to have seen him as he
ran toward where General Marion was sleeping, and, shaking the officer
into wakefulness, he repeated in a few words our story.
I had supposed the news we brought would cause some sensation in the
camp; but never believed it would be acted upon so quickly.
Within fifteen minutes from the time of our being challenged by the
sentinel, every man was in the saddle, and Percy, Gavin Witherspoon
and myself were riding at the head of the column by my uncle's side, in
order that we might point out the place where the soldiers and Sam Lee
were encamped.
We now learned that it was midnight; the tired men and their horses
had had six hours of rest, and although the advance was not rapid, we
pressed forward with greater speed than I had believed possible, our
own steeds seeming to be revived by the companionship of the others.
Now I am come to that point in this story concerning which I can say
but little of my own knowledge, for certain it is that I fell asleep
even while in the saddle, and was not conscious of anything until the
halting of my horse nearly threw me over his head.
We had arrived within two miles of Nelson's Ferry, and it was yet
night. Unless some unfortunate accident occurred at the last moment,
there was an opportunity of our soon learning whether the British
regulars would hold firm under such a surprise as we should be able to
give them.
The purpose of the halt was not to reconnoiter, as I had at first
supposed, but in order that a squad of twenty might be detached to gain
possession of the road in the swamp at that post known as Horse Creek,
while we were to attack the main body in the rear.
The scouts who had been sent ahead half an hour before my awakening,
came back reporting that the enemy were encamped on the east bank of
the creek, which was another and a great point in our favor.
Once more would General Marion have a chance to execute his favorite
maneuver, the only one by which we could hope to win while the odds
were so heavily against us.
Twenty minutes or more were spent here waiting for the detachment to
get into position at Horse Creek, and then the advance was resumed,
this time at a slow pace lest the thud of our horses' feet upon the
road should give an alarm.
Despite the fact that I knew full well we would soon be engaged in
deadly encounter, slumber weighed heavily upon my eyelids, and it was
with difficulty I could prevent them from closing.
Rather like one in a dream, than a lad who burned to give his life for
the Cause, did I hold myself in the saddle, and it seemed as if no more
than ten minutes had passed when we were halted again, this time so
near the enemy that the gleam of his camp-fires could be seen.
The moment for reflection had come.
General Marion's force was about to be hurled upon the best men in
the king's army. We who knew little or nothing of military tactics, we
who were mounted upon jaded steeds, and half dead for lack of sleep,
were about to charge a camp of well armed men, most likely in the best
possible condition, and if the end for us of the southern colonies was
near, it seemed as if this was indeed the last moment.
"At full speed, and do not fire until we are close upon them!" was the
whispered word passed from man to man, and I saw those either side of
me carefully charging their rifles or muskets.
Even though we were come upon the Prince of Wales' regiment and a
portion of the 63d Regulars, as was afterward learned, the result was
much the same as when we rode down upon the undisciplined Tories.
There was the onward leaping of the horses as the spurs were sunk deep
in their flanks; the thunder of their hoofs; the cries of the enemy
as they were awakened from their slumbers; our shouts of triumph; the
crackle of musketry and the groans of the wounded.
It was a dream--a horrible nightmare rather than a reality, and had
I been a spectator instead of a participant, it would have seemed no
different.
At such times the excitement of the battle is full upon one, and I have
yet to see man or boy who can give a clear and detailed account of all
that occurred while the scent of the powder was in his nostrils.
This much I do know, that, as twice before, I loaded and discharged
my musket, or used it as a club; that I forced my horse to keep pace
with my uncle's steed, who was ever foremost in the fray, and then the
fleeing mass told that the enemy were in retreat.
This victory, when the majority of our men had believed the attack
would prove our final ending, did more to revive the drooping spirits
of General Marion's force than anything else could have done.
We forgot weariness; forgot everything save the fact that we of
Williamsburg had been pitted against the king's best soldiers, and
were come out of the battle as well as when we met Major Gainey's or
Barfield's men.
On this occasion, however, we did not press the pursuit. It was known
that these soldiers would re-form, where raw recruits might continue
panic-stricken, and we were not so strong in numbers as to risk a
regular engagement.
My uncle was the foremost here, as he ever had been, and Percy and I
remained by his side, therefore can I say of a verity that we did not
ride after the retreating column more than half a mile; but, once well
clear of the encampment, drew rein and turned about.
It was now near to daylight, and we soon learned that we had captured
or killed twenty-two regulars, among whom was a captain, and held two
Tories as prisoners.
Our loss was one killed and one wounded.
In addition to having thus gained a victory over the best of his
majesty's soldiers in the colonies, we had recaptured one hundred and
fifty men, and it is not necessary to say how much of rejoicing there
was in our lines when the sun rose.
Now am I come to the shameful part of the story, and one which will be
most difficult of belief.
To Percy and I it seemed that with this successful attack, by
liberating one hundred and fifty men who were supposed to be friends
to the Cause, because of wearing the Continental uniform, we had added
just so much to General Marion's strength, and neither of us had any
question but that every one of them would gladly join our force.
As we two believed, so did all our comrades as well as the officers who
led us, for after the first rejoicings were over those who had been
prisoners were ordered into line, and Major James proposed, with the
air of one who thinks he makes what will be accepted without question,
that they enroll themselves among us of Williamsburg until such time as
we could fight our way through the district to where others who loved
the Cause might be found.
To the shame of these Continental soldiers it must be set down that out
of that number freed by us at risk of our lives, only three consented
to serve under the general.
Some said that the "Cause was lost;" others declared that to fight
longer was "simply to risk one's life without an object, because the
king's troops overrun the country, and after the defeat of Gates there
was no longer the slightest chance we could hold our own many days."
When no more than these three stepped forward from the ranks
in response to his proposal, and the others talked loudly among
themselves, or with our men, my uncle turned away like one who is
stricken with a deadly wound.
Then Percy and I made our way among these men who wore the buff and the
blue, to hear further reasons as to why they had acted such a cowardly
part.
It was a captain, one who should have been the first to urge his men to
enlist, who said in reply to my questions:
"Surely the Cause has none in the Carolinas, save this beggarly force
to which you are attached, while the British have overrun this section
of the country. The Continentals are dispersed or captured; the
Virginia and North Carolina militia are scattered to the four winds;
Sumter's Legion has been whipped by Tarleton, and their leader is
fleeing for his life. In addition to all that, here is a copy of the
letter which Lord Clinton has sent to the commandants of the different
posts throughout the colonies."
Then the officer handed me a slip of paper on which was written the
following:
"I have given orders that all of the inhabitants of this province who
have subscribed, and have taken part in this revolt, should be punished
with the greatest rigor; and also those who will not turn out, that
they may be imprisoned and their whole property taken from them or
destroyed.... I have ordered in the most positive manner that every
militiaman, who has borne arms with us, and afterwards joined the
enemy, shall be immediately hanged!"