THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR (_continued_), 1781.
With the commencement of the year all parties in the South prepared for
war. On the 1st of January, Lord Cornwallis left his camp at
Winnsborough, intending to advance into North Carolina and interpose
between Greene and Morgan, who were now actively on the alert, and
against the latter of whom Tarleton had been despatched, with orders to
“push him to the utmost.” Greene, at the head of 1,000 men, was encamped
at the confluence of Hick’s Creek with the Peedee, while Morgan, with
the same number, had been sent westward by him to guard the passes of
the Pacolet river. On Tarleton’s approach Morgan retreated; Tarleton
crossed the river, and the pursuit began. The situation of Morgan was
perilous, the enemy was behind him, the Broad River before him, to cross
which was impossible. But Morgan, the stout quondam wrestler and
teamsman, was not easily daunted; on his right lay a hilly district
which might afford him protection; choosing, therefore, his ground
hastily, he drew up his men in order of battle, at a place called the
Cowpens, about three miles south of the boundary of South Carolina. The
forces were about equal. Tarleton was confident of victory; Morgan also
intended that the day should be his; about half of his troops, however,
were South Carolina militia, under General Pickens, new to war, and
therefore little to be relied upon. These he placed in the van, while
the continentals, on whom he could depend, were posted in an open wood,
and the cavalry on a slope in the rear. As he expected, the militia gave
way immediately before the impetuous attack of Tarleton; the British
troops shouted for victory, and rushed forward in pursuit, but then the
real struggle of the fight commenced. The continentals, too, had
retrograded for a moment before the rapid advance of the British, who,
mistaking this for retreat, rushed forward in some confusion, and the
next moment a deadly fire from the Americans, who had suddenly faced
about, turned the British pursuit into flight; and while these rapid
movements had been taking place, the American cavalry coming up decided
the fortune of the day. The ground was in an instant, as it were,
covered with killed and wounded. Tarleton’s whole force was completely
routed. The British lost 400 in killed and wounded, while 500 prisoners,
with a large quantity of baggage, and 100 dragoon horses, fell into the
hands of the Americans, whose loss was less than eighty men.
Immediately on the news of this unexpected disaster, Lord Cornwallis,
then on the left bank of the Broad River, despatched a part of his army,
disencumbered of baggage, in the hope of intercepting Morgan before he
could pass that river, and recovering, at least, the prisoners; but
Morgan, ever active, and aware of his probable danger, pushed on without
loss of time for the fords of the river, which he was fortunately able
to cross two hours before the van of the enemy appeared on the opposite
bank, and by that time a sudden rise of the river had rendered it
impassable.
Disappointed, therefore, in this design, and knowing that the loss of
the light troops could only be remedied by the general activity of the
whole army, Lord Cornwallis spent two days in burning all superfluous
baggage and stores, himself setting the example by destroying every
unnecessary article or luxury which belonged to himself. Upon this
principle all the wagons, excepting those loaded with hospital stores,
salt, or ammunition, and four empty ones reserved for the sick or
wounded, were destroyed; all casks of spirituous liquors or wine were
staved, and the only supply of flour they could depend upon was the
pittance they might obtain and carry along with them.
The heavy rains which had been so serviceable to Morgan in preventing
the further progress of the enemy continued for two days, and all the
fords for forty miles were not only impassible from the accession of the
waters, but vigilantly guarded by American detachments; and Greene
himself, on receiving intelligence of the battle of the Cowpens,
hastened forward from the Peedee, and assumed in person the command of
Morgan’s division, being now desirous of keeping the enemy on the other
side of the river until the whole force arrived.
On the first falling of the water, Lord Cornwallis, who had in the
meantime come up, detached a party of the army to attack a private ford
which was held by 300 Americans, and of which they succeeded in forcing
a passage. Again the American army retreated, and again the British were
in pursuit, and a second time came very close upon their rear as they
were about to cross the Yadkin, as the Peedee is called in its upper
course. Again the American army crossed safely, and only a small portion
of their baggage remained on the other side, when the British came in
sight, and a smart skirmish took place between the advance and rear
guards. But again the river rose, and the pursuers were unable to cross.
The hand of Providence seemed extended as of old to open for his people
a path through the waters, which he closed again to their enemies. So it
appeared to the Americans safe on the other side, and so it was regarded
throughout the country.
From the Yadkin, Greene proceeded to Guildford Court-house, having
effected a junction with his main army, which, under General Huger, had
advanced up the left bank of the river, and continued his flight, still
vigorously pursued by Cornwallis, who was anxious to prevent his
entering Virginia, whence alone supplies and recruits could be expected.
It was now for the third time a trial of speed between the two armies,
and for the third time also the British reached the banks of the river
Dan, an upper branch of the Roanoke, just as the American rear were
safely across. Here Cornwallis, mortified at such repeated
disappointments after the extraordinary efforts which he had made, gave
up the pursuit and turned slowly towards the South. It was well that he
did so, for the American army needed repose; the march of the last day
had been forty miles; the shoes were worn from the soldiers’ feet, many
were quite barefoot, and this long and hasty flight was tracked with
their blood.[40]
The American army thus driven out of North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis,
after giving his troops a day’s rest, led them slowly back to
Hillsborough, the seat of the state government, where he erected the
royal standard, and issued a proclamation inviting all loyal subjects to
repair to him and aid in restoring the constitutional government to the
colony. We have mentioned the sufferings of the American army—those of
the British were not much less. “The wants and distresses of the English
troops,” says the British chronicler of these events, “were only
equalled by their toils and fatigues. They traversed a country which was
alternately a wild and inhospitable forest, or inhabited by a people who
were, at least, highly adverse, however they might venture or not to be
hostile. When to these are added all the possible incommodities incident
to bad roads, heavy rains, want of cover, and the continual wading
through numberless deep creeks and rivers in the depth of winter, some
idea may be formed of their sufferings.”
While these events were going forward, and the state authorities having
fled from Hillsborough to Newbern, a British detachment from Wilmington
marched to that place, entered it without impediment, burned the
shipping, and having destroyed all the salt, sugar, rum, and stores of
every kind, returned to Wilmington.
In response to the proclamation of Lord Cornwallis, the Tories of North
Carolina began to embody themselves, and on February 21st, Tarleton was
despatched into the district between the Haw and Deep rivers to assist
in their organisation. In the meantime, General Greene, reinforced by a
body of Virginians, re-entered North Carolina, and hearing of this
movement among the Tories, sent Colonel Lee, with a body of militia, to
prevent it. On his way Lee encountered the newly-embodied loyalist
troops, with whom Tarleton had not yet come up, and they mistaking these
troops for those of their friends, eagerly made known their loyalty by
shouts of “Long live the King!” when being at once surrounded by the
Americans, the greater number were cut to pieces, and the remainder made
prisoners.
Greene, though still receiving reinforcements, did not consider himself
as yet strong enough to encounter an engagement; and in order to avoid
surprise, took up a new position every night, never informing any person
the day before where his next encampment would be. Indeed, the strict
reserve which this commander maintained regarding his plans caused the
utmost embarrassment to the British throughout the whole southern
campaign. The prisoners taken on any occasion from the American army
would give no account of the numbers and disposition of the troops, nor
yet of the ground where they lay. Lord Cornwallis complains repeatedly,
that “either from stupidity or design the country people would give him
no information, or if they did, it was unintelligible or contradictory;
the little reliance to be placed on any information which was obtained
being among the distinguishing features of the war in this province.”
Lord Cornwallis moved from point to point, anxious to cover the country
and afford the loyalists encouragement and opportunity to join his army,
and at the same time to keep open the communication of Cape Fear River,
which the “grievous distresses” of his army rendered necessary. At
length, towards the middle of March, Greene’s forces, now amounting to
about 4,500 men, and being at a great distance from his supplies, and in
the midst of a country where his friends were few and wavering, he, too,
sought a battle in his turn. For many days Cornwallis had been harassed
by uncertain rumours as to the course of his enemy, when, on the 15th,
he received the authentic intelligence that Greene had reached Guilford,
twelve miles only from the British camp, and that a battle might be
expected.
The country in which the two armies were to meet was a wilderness
covered with tall wood, and a thick undergrowth of shrubs, with here and
there a clearing. Greene, having left his baggage seventeen miles in the
rear, posted his men on advantageous ground on a wooded hill with an
open field in front, about two miles from Guilford Court-house. The
North Carolina militia, many of them compelled to serve as a punishment
for their suspected loyalty, were posted in the front. At the first
charge these militia fled, throwing away their arms and knapsacks; the
Virginian militia, however, stood firm and fought resolutely for a
considerable time, when, being driven back, the action became general;
but owing to the nature of the ground the order of battle was completely
broken, and consisted rather of a series of irregular, hard-fought and
bloody skirmishes. At length the Americans were driven back, and their
artillery captured, when Greene ordered a retreat, which was made
without confusion, and the same night he reached the Iron Works of
Troublesome Creek, at eighteen miles’ distance.
The loss on both sides was said to be between 400 and 500; and as the
fighting had extended over a great space of ground, the wounded were
scattered as widely. “There were neither houses nor tents to receive
them,” says Hildreth. “The night that followed the battle was dark and
tempestuous; horrid shrieks resounded through the woods; many expired
before the morning.”
The Americans were routed, but the British were in no condition to
follow them; the troops in the first instance were worn down by the
excessive fatigues of a long march; their wounded, which lay so wide and
so ill provided for, required attention; and besides, such was the
desolate state of the country, that during the two days they remained
here they had no bread, nor was forage to be obtained nearer than nine
miles; and though the victory was gained in a part of the country which
boasted of its loyalty, very little assistance was given, nor did any
great number join the royal cause. Leaving, therefore, seventy of the
worst wounded behind him, in a Quakers’ meeting-house converted into a
hospital, Lord Cornwallis retired by easy marches to Cross Creek, now
Fayetteville, again issuing a proclamation, and using all means in his
power to encourage and call forth the loyalists of the district, but
with little effect. He was disappointed also in the store of provisions
which he expected to have found here; the absolute scarcity compelled
him still to advance; and after a toilsome circuitous march of 200
miles, the victors, who according to their own phrase, “had gained so
much glory at Guilford,” reached Wilmington worn out and famished, and
thankful to find at length shelter and rest.
Though Greene did not fare much better as regarded the subsistence of
his army, no sooner had Cornwallis retired towards Wilmington, than he
determined to march into South Carolina, now held in subjection by Lord
Rawdon and a small force. Early in April, therefore, Greene was
advancing through that barren region in which Gates and his troops had
suffered so much eleven months before, towards Camden, where Lord Rawdon
lay with about 900 loyalists. Despatching Colonel Lee with his cavalry
to join Marion and other partisan corps immediately on his entering
South Carolina, Greene took up his position at Hobkirk’s Mill, about two
miles from Camden, and on April 25th a battle took place, the victory at
first strongly inclining to the Americans. A Maryland regiment, however,
falling into confusion, a rout ensued, but the loss was about equal on
both sides; and in consequence of the American artillery having been run
down a steep hill among some brushwood, it was overlooked by the British
troops in their pursuit, and the American cavalry carried it safely away
before their return. Greene retired the same night to Rugeley’s Mills,
about twelve miles off, where he encamped.
The news of Greene’s bold advance into South Carolina reached Lord
Cornwallis at Wilmington, too late for him to march to the succour of
Lord Rawdon; he, therefore, imitating the American general’s policy,
marched at once into Virginia, to join the British force under Arnold
and Philips, which was committing great ravages there.
Although the British had defeated the Americans in the last engagement,
this victory no more than the former produced any favourable results to
the British cause. Already before this battle was fought, Fort Watson,
on the Santee River, and one of the lines of communication between
Camden and Charleston, had surrendered to Lee and Marion; the whole
country was in arms, and Colonel Watson on his way to reinforce Lord
Rawdon, was in consequence obliged to pass and repass the Santee, going
down almost to the very mouth of the river for the first, and up to the
confluence of that river with the Congaree for the second, before he was
able to reach Camden, where he had long been anxiously expected. But
with his arrival came the intelligence that Fort Motte, situated at the
junction of the Congaree and Santee, was invested by Lee and Marion.
This being the case, Lord Rawdon, now reinforced, withdrew to Nelson’s
Ferry, sixty miles from Camden, having first made a vain attempt to draw
General Greene into another engagement. On the 9th of May he abandoned
Camden, having destroyed all the works, and leaving behind him such sick
and wounded as were unable to bear the removal, and on the 13th arrived
at Nelson’s Ferry, the unwelcome news having reached him by the way of
the surrender of Fort Motte. This was a heavy loss, for at this place
were deposited all the provisions that were intended for the supply of
Camden. More bad news followed: Sumter took another strong post at
Orangeburg, and Fort Granby surrendered to Lee, who was then sent
against Augusta. Scarcely had these tidings been received than Colonel
Balfour, the commandant of Charleston, made his appearance, full of
apprehensions regarding the state of affairs there, and the alarming
turn which they had taken in so short a time. So little, indeed, had
this been expected, that the whole fortifications of the town had been
removed, and the new were not yet completed; and so strong was his
belief in the general disaffection of the people, that if any misfortune
happened to Lord Rawdon’s forces, the loss of the province and capital
might be anticipated. As a proof of the disaffection of the country, it
is related by the English that for five days after Lord Rawdon had
crossed the Santee, not a single person of any sort whatever came near
his camp, nor could the spies and emissaries which he sent out in all
directions procure for him any true intelligence as to the situation of
the enemy. The enemy, however, was busy all this time, and as we have
said, one strong post after another was taken. Alarmed at these ominous
proceedings, Lord Rawdon, accompanied by a great number of Tory
families, retreated from Nelson’s Ferry to Monk’s Corner, still nearer
to Charleston, that he might protect the town and the fertile country
which intervened.
The next tidings were that General Greene was investing Ninety-Six, the
principal British stronghold in the upper country, which the garrison of
American loyalists was very bravely defending. On this, being
fortunately just then reinforced by three regiments from Ireland, Lord
Rawdon hastened to its relief. It was then the middle of summer, and
marching with as much speed as the excessive heat would allow, he had
the mortification of learning by the way, that Augusta had surrendered,
and that the forces employed in its reduction had now joined Greene.
The Americans were attempting an unsuccessful assault on Ninety-Six,
when the unwelcome tidings reached them, that Lord Rawdon, strongly
reinforced, was advancing to the relief of that fort. The utmost bravery
had been displayed in the attack, the ditch was full of killed and
wounded, when Greene determined to abandon the attempt, and not even to
face the new foe. He had already, it appeared, anticipated such an
event, by sending off all the heavy baggage across the Saluda, whither
he now also followed. The British pursued for forty miles, as far as the
fords of Ennoree, but finding then that the Americans had crossed safely
two hours before, and the troops being spent with fatigue and the
excessive heat, Lord Rawdon slowly returned to Ninety-Six, which was
then abandoned, and the British army, again accompanied by great numbers
of terrified loyalists, retired to Orangeburg, where leaving the greater
part of his forces to aid the loyalists in embodying themselves, he
marched with the remainder to Congaree, closely pursued by Greene, who
hoped to be able to surround him while he waited for promised
reinforcements. It happened, however, that Lord Rawdon arrived at
Congaree two days sooner than was expected, and finding the enemy so
near, and suspecting their intentions, he made a rapid move again
towards Orangeburg, and Greene, now joined by Marion, having altered his
intentions, retired as suddenly to the hills of the Santee, to refresh
his troops and wait for reinforcements.
The summer in the South closed the campaign. The sufferings of the
British in this climate were excessive. During renewed forced marches,
under the rage of a burning sun, they were frequently, when sinking
under the extremest fatigue, not only destitute of every comfort, but
almost of every necessary. They were for the greater part destitute of
bread, and the country afforded no vegetables as a substitute—salt too
failed them, at length, and their only resource was water and the wild
cattle found in the woods. About fifty men in this last expedition sunk
under the rigour of their exertions and died of sheer fatigue. Nor did
the Americans suffer less. Twice they had been defeated in two pitched
battles; yet upon the whole the campaign terminated in their favour. The
greater part of Georgia was recovered, as were also the two Carolinas;
the British being now limited to the district between the Santee and the
Lower Savannah.
Although operations between the main armies were suspended during the
hot and unhealthy season, the partisan corps on both sides were actively
employed. This it was which added such additional horrors to the war in
the South. Houses were plundered and burned and their inhabitants
murdered, women and children seldom being spared. One great object of
plunder was slaves. Sumter paid his men in this manner. The number of
slaves carried off during the war is estimated at 30,000. Lord Dunmore,
at the commencement of the struggle, armed the slaves against their
masters; and had the British persevered in this plan, and, treating the
slaves as men and king’s subjects, converted them into soldiers, the
conquest of the Southern States would have been almost inevitable.[41]
Lord Rawdon soon after returned to England, in consequence of ill
health, and the command devolved upon Colonel Stuart. Before his
departure from Charleston, however, a tragical circumstance occurred
there which greatly irritated the Carolinians and threw great odium upon
the British. This was the execution of Colonel Isaac Hayne, a firm
patriot, who, at the commencement of the war, had entered with ardour
into the republican struggle and assisted in person at the defence of
Charleston. On the surrender of the city, having been offered British
protection or rigorous confinement, he was weak enough to choose the
former, it being urged in his excuse, that his wife and children were
ill of the small-pox, and this was his only alternative to avoid being
separated from them. When the British were driven from his
neighbourhood, he took up arms against them, and in this condition was
taken prisoner and brought before Colonel Balfour, the commandant of the
place, who condemned him to death. Every effort was used to save his
life; General Greene avowed his determination to retaliate; the
loyalists, with the governor at their head, and the most distinguished
women of Charleston, begged for his life, as did his little children,
dressed in deep mourning. But in vain; Lord Rawdon reluctantly gave his
consent to the execution, which accordingly took place, causing a
universal execration.
While these events had been occurring in the Carolinas, General Phillips
and the traitor Arnold were carrying everything before them in Virginia,
and successively defeated such bodies of militia as could be suddenly
brought into the field, while their best troops were fighting the
battles of others in the Carolinas[42]. After having fortified
Portsmouth at the mouth of the James River, and thus secured a place of
retreat, Phillips advanced up that river, which, with its numerous
dependent branches and creeks, laid the whole central country on either
hand open to him. On the Appomatox, a confluent of James River, he took
Petersburg, where he destroyed 4,000 hogsheads of tobacco, collected
there for shipment to France. Besides this, shipping and vessels of all
kinds, on the stocks and in the river, public buildings and warehouses,
with their contents of timber, provisions and all other stores, were
destroyed; after which, Arnold advancing up the river where a
considerable fleet of vessels had taken refuge, the greater number were
burned or scuttled to prevent their falling into his hands. From
Petersburg the enemy proceeded to Manchester, just opposite Richmond,
where they destroyed nearly 2,000 hogsheads of tobacco; La Fayette, who
had just arrived there with a detachment of New England troops, and to
whose presence Richmond owed its temporary safety, having the
mortification of witnessing the conflagration from the opposite shore.
Havoc and devastation marked the career of these ruthless invaders, who,
after collecting an immense booty in tobacco and slaves, and having
destroyed ships, warehouses and mills, everything, in short, which came
in their way and was of value to the inhabitants, returned to their
shipping and fell down the river towards its mouth.
As regarded the force collected for the defence of Virginia, it was
totally inadequate to the necessities of the province. The entire force
of the Virginia line now under arms did not exceed 1,000 men, and were
at this time absent serving under Greene; about 500 recruits, unarmed
and unclothed, whom Steuben was vainly endeavouring to equip, were at
Richmond. The only effective force were drafts of the New England
regiments, under La Fayette, who, little inclined to serve in this
unhealthy climate, were only kept together by his threats to shoot
deserters, and by winning their fidelity through their gratitude,
inasmuch as, on his own credit, he supplied them with hats, shoes and
blankets, of which they were in grievous need.
We have already said that Lord Cornwallis, informed of the unfortunate
turn which the British affairs had taken in South Carolina, resolved,
although his own force was reduced, to hardly more than 1,000 effective
men, to march to Virginia and effect a junction with General Phillips.
Again the British commander complained bitterly of the sufferings and
destitute condition of his troops. Neither cavalry nor infantry, he
said, were fit to move, yet they must commence on the morrow a march of
several hundred miles, through a country chiefly hostile, frequently
desert, which did not afford one active or useful friend, where no
intelligence was to be obtained, and where no communication could be
established.[43]
The march, however, was made through all these difficulties and
impediments; and on the 25th of April, about a month after he had set
out, he reached Petersburg, where he found the troops of General
Phillips, who himself had died only a few days previously, and shortly
after was reinforced also by four regiments sent from New York. On the
approach of Cornwallis, La Fayette, having removed the most valuable
stores from Richmond, abandoned that town and retired towards the
north-west, to form a junction with General Wayne, who was now on his
march with 1,000 of the Pennsylvanian levies to join the southern army.
The assembly of Virginia, on the abandonment of Richmond, adjourned to
Charlottesville, and increased powers, suitable to the emergency, were
conferred upon Governor Jefferson. The prisoners under Burgoyne’s
capitulation, who had been living for the last two years in this
neighbourhood in great comfort, in their huts amid their gardens, were
now also suddenly removed across the mountains to Winchester.
In this central province all the scattered operations of active
hostility converged, as it were, to a point. Cornwallis pursued La
Fayette for thirty miles, in hopes of preventing his union with General
Wayne, but being disappointed in this object, overran the country for
sixty miles on the borders of the James River, and destroyed a vast
amount of both public and private property; among the former the
Virginian laboratory and armoury, in which a large quantity of arms,
ammunition, and other stores, greatly needed by the Virginian army, were
consumed. Whilst this devastation was going on in one direction,
Tarleton was sent to make a dash at the Virginian assembly at
Charlottesville and to carry off Jefferson. On his way he met twelve
wagons laden with clothing and stores for Greene’s army, all of which he
destroyed; he succeeded also in capturing seven members of assembly, but
Jefferson, who had been warned of his danger, escaped.[44]
Lord Cornwallis, on the return of the detachments, having received
orders from Sir Henry Clinton, who was apprehensive that Washington was
about to attack New York with the aid of the French fleet, removed his
army, towards the end of June, from Richmond to Williamsburg,
considerably nearer the sea, and about midway between the great rivers
James and York, destroying, as was customary, whatever property lay in
his way. La Fayette having now joined Wayne, and being still further
strengthened by Baron Steuben’s troops, as well as by such militia as
Virginia herself was able to raise, was in so powerful a condition as to
render any movements of the British a matter of great caution;
nevertheless Cornwallis was active, and his cavalry, mounted on the very
horses which the planters had refused to Greene, and which the British
had now seized, scoured the country, carrying terror into all quarters.
From Williamsburg, Cornwallis proceeded to Portsmouth, which it was
strongly recommended, both in England and by Sir Henry Clinton, should
be occupied as a permanent position convenient for naval operations, and
for such warfare as, while it was defensive on their part, would be
extremely distressing to Virginia. On his way thither, and when just
about to cross James River, Cornwallis was attacked, in the afternoon of
July 6th, by La Fayette, who erroneously supposed that a portion of the
army had crossed the river. General Wayne, who led the advance, seeing
on the contrary the whole British army drawn out against him, made an
impetuous attack and then suddenly retreated, leaving his cannon behind.
The darkness of evening coming on, and Cornwallis suspecting an
ambuscade, no pursuit followed, and the British crossed the river in the
night.
Arrived at Portsmouth, Cornwallis, on personal examination, not deeming
it suitable for the intended purpose, and conceiving that nothing less
than offensive war would be effectual in Virginia, selected, in
preference, the two posts of York Town, on the river of that name, and
Gloucester Point on the opposite side, which he immediately commenced
fortifying, his force amounting in the whole to about 7,000.
“The Southern States were very anxious for the personal presence of
Washington, but he believed that the South might be most effectually
served by striking some decisive blow at New York. The means, however,
for such a blow were not so obvious. The superiority of the British
naval force still kept the French army idle in Rhode Island. The
Southern States, invaded and overrun, were hardly able to defend
themselves; while the Eastern States, hitherto so sturdy, seemed now
almost exhausted. Recruits for the army came in very slowly. The New
York regiments had been detached to defend that state from Tory and
Indian invasion. The Pennsylvanian line, and even some drafts from the
eastern regiments, had been sent to Virginia. Late in the spring the
entire force under Washington’s immediate command fell short of 7,000
men, not equal to the number of loyalists employed at that time in the
British service. It was with the utmost difficulty that even this small
force was fed. To obtain a supply of provisions, Washington was obliged
to send Heath to the Eastern States with a circular-letter and pressing
representations.”[45]
Washington’s letter obtained some supplies from New England, and
Pennsylvania consented to furnish more, on the credit of taxes just
imposed; but impressment, after all, continued to be the principal means
for feeding the army, and the only money which could be obtained was by
selling bills on Benjamin Franklin, which it was hoped the French court
would enable him to meet.
About the same time that Cornwallis entered Virginia, Washington
received the welcome intelligence from the French admiral, the Count de
Grasse, in the West Indies, that he was about to proceed with a powerful
fleet to the American coast, on which the French army, which, had lain
idle for eleven months in Rhode Island, marched to join Washington; who,
breaking up his camp in July, passed the North River to meet them. Their
junction took place at the White Plains, on the New England side of the
Hudson, and the combined armies encamped at Philipsburg, within twelve
miles of King’s Bridge, sufficiently near New York to excite great
alarm. The apparent intention of these great movements was an attack on
New York, which became confirmed by an intercepted letter from
Washington to the French commander, Rochambeau, in which such an attack
was spoken of in undisguised terms. But the intentions of Washington,
whatever they might have been in the commencement, soon became very
different; nevertheless, the object now was to confirm Sir Henry
Clinton’s suspicion, that time might be given to carry out the still
more formidable plan, of which no idea appeared to exist in the mind of
the British commander. It was under the apprehension of this combined
attack that Sir Henry Clinton recalled a considerable part of the troops
under Lord Cornwallis, from Virginia, immediately afterwards
countermanding his recall, being himself reinforced by the arrival of
3,000 Hessians; the same apprehension also rendered it desirable to
occupy some strong position in Virginia.
Now, therefore, in the month of July, New York was kept in a state of
perpetual alarm. A body of 5,000 French and American troops, on one
occasion, took up a position near King’s Bridge, in the night, which
they occupied for forty-eight hours, with every appearance of an
intended attack. The two commanders, Washington and Rochambeau, attended
by their principal officers and engineers, reconnoitered the island of
New York; the report of the expected daily arrival of the Count de
Grasse was sedulously propagated, and when the precise time of that
admiral’s arrival at the Chesapeake was ascertained, the French troops
advanced to Sandy Hook and the coasts opposite Staten Island, as if with
a view of seconding the operations of the fleet. So far, indeed, was
this deception carried, that ovens were erected near the mouth of the
Raritan, on Sandy Hook, as if for the supply of the army.
The intention was very different. The object was to strike a blow at
Cornwallis in Virginia. Orders, therefore, were sent to La Fayette to
take up such a position as would cut off the retreat of the British army
into North Carolina, and on August 19th, Washington crossed the river
and marched directly into the Jerseys, to Trenton upon the Delaware,
this very movement being considered in the first instance merely to
conceal his ultimate intentions. So carefully, indeed, had Washington
concealed the object he had in view, that the New England troops were
ignorant of their destination, and on arriving at Philadelphia and
discovering that they had a long southern march before them, showed such
signs of dissatisfaction that it appeared necessary to pacify them by a
small payment in specie, which could only be done by borrowing from the
French military chest. Fortunately, too, at that moment Laurens had
arrived from France with a supply of clothing, arms, and ammunition; so
that the troops proceeded in good humour, and better clad than usual.
While Washington was preparing for his operations in the South, Greene,
whose ardour was ever unabated, having profited by his temporary
retirement, during the unhealthy season, among the hills of the Santee,
appeared at the beginning of September once more in the field. His
former successes had revived the hopes of the North Carolina Whigs, and
it was now determined to make one great effort for his support. Measures
were accordingly taken for keeping 2,000 militia in the field; he
received a number of horses for the use of his cavalry, together with a
fresh supply of arms. Three hundred horses, imported by Jefferson to
prevent their falling into the hands of the British, were also sent to
him from Virginia.
Thus recruited and reinforced, Greene, being joined also by the partisan
corps of Marion, at the commencement of the cool season, marched up the
Wateree to Camden, in South Carolina, crossed first that river, then the
Congaree, and thus approached the British army, commanded by Colonel
Stuart, who had succeeded Lord Rawdon, which retired before him down the
Santee to Eutaw Springs, whither Greene pursued them. It was the 8th of
September when the two armies, about equal in force, engaged. The
British were at first driven back in great confusion, victory strongly
inclining to the American side, but rallying again in a favourable post,
the British repulsed their assailants with heavy loss. The battle of
Eutaw Springs is memorable as being one of the bloodiest and the most
valiantly-contested fields of the war, and also for being the last of
any consequence at the South. The loss of the British was about 500,
with 250 prisoners, that of the Americans about the same.
Both sides, Hildreth tells us, claimed the victory, but all the
advantage accrued to the Americans. The British immediately retired to
Monk’s Corner, and were thus restricted to the narrow tract between the
rivers Ashley and Cooper. Congress, in acknowledgment of Greene’s
service in this battle, voted him their thanks and presented him with a
conquered standard and a medal struck for the occasion. He, however, was
too much exhausted to continue active operations. His troops were
barefoot and half naked; he had no hospital stores, hardly even salt,
and his ammunition was very low. He retired again to the hills of the
Santee.