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ISSUED SEMI-WEEKL^^ ^ . ' ^ . f ^ 1. m. grists sons. Publishers. | % dfamilj Ilfirspaprr: Jfor th< promotion of the political, facial, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the people. ^ {"''m^^k.wvicsS11"' established 1855. YORKVILLE, S. O, FRIDAY, JULY '27, 1906. NO. 60. THE R A Story of the Timei Alexandei BY JERE CHAPTER XIII?Continued. "Is there any late news from France?" he inquired, observing that Hamilton manifested no inclination to recur to the former topic. "Nothing but what you have heard. The treaty is ratified, and we are soon to have a French fleet upon our coast and a French army fighting by our side." "And I sincerely wish," exclaimed Billings, "that fleet may And its way to the bottom of the Atlantic before it touches these shores. His most Catholic majesty has thrust his spoon Into a dish where he is not wanted. There is no more porridge than will suffice for our own stomachs, and I pray earnestly that he may get well scalded for his impertinence." "I cannot agree with you. Billings. This alliance was all important. It secures our independence beyond cavil or dispute." "It was secured without it. England had but one chance from the beginning to reconquer these colonies, and that was thrown away by the foolish statesman who controlled her councils. If she had poured an overwhelming force upon us before the Declaration of Independence; if she had landed an army at Boston another at New York, and another at Charleston, and marched from each place directly into tne country, one-na.ii ui me pwi^ic would have Joined her standard, and the other half would have been subdued in a twelvemonth. As it was, they sent over an Insignificant force, which has been confined to the sea-coast, because they dared not move beyond supporting distance of their ships, and even there have been compelled to huddle together, lest they should be cut to pieces in detail. The necessary result of such a policy has been to give the republicans full time to overawe the loyalists, to dissipate their dread of British prowess, and inspire them with a confidence in themselves which makes reconquest an impossibility. The first two years of the war achieved the Independence of America. After that, it was merely a question how long British obstinacy would persist in a hopeless attempt at subjugation. I hoped and believed that It would be ten or twelve years, and In that time I calculated that the free necks of the colonists would be pretty well prepared to receive the yoke of a military leader, under some title, no matter what, so he had the power of an emperor. Now this interference of France disturbs those calculations, and leaves me at sea, without a chart or compass to guide me. John Bull's game Is proverbial. He may become Incensed at the intermedding of his old enemy and rouse himself to more strenuous exertions; but, on the other hand, there is a chance of his being alarmed at the probability of America becoming a dependency of France, and he may thus be induced to conclude a treaty with his revolted subjects as soon as decency will permit?a result that would put an effectual extinguisher upon your hopes and upon mine. I could sec my way cieariy ueioir, i tannot do so now. The probabilities are so nearly balanced that it is difficult to decide which scale preponderates; and therefore I pray that the French fleet may be met on the ocean, and sunk or captured, whenever it sails. A great naval victory will so stimulate the national pride of England, that parliament will vote liberal supplies to carry on the war, and ministers dare not run counter to the national repugnance of the people to surrender these rich provinces to the fostering care of King Louis. Every time they beat the French, by land or sea, the fortunes of Alexander Hamilton will wear a brighter verdure." "There is another side to the argument." replied Hamilton, "to which you do not seem to attach sufficient importance. The same success that encourages them will depress the spirits of our army ana peopie, ana aispose mem to return to their allegiance upon terms of simple forgiveness for the past. You will admit that this would be more fatal to our hopes than the case you have supposed." " I wish. Colonel Hamilton," answered Billings, earnestly, "that you would study the history of this people more carefully than you have done, and make yourself better acquainted with their character. The three tides of emigration. which have at different periods swelled the number of inhabitants on this continent were all singularly alike in one remarkable trait. Obstinacy was the leading feature in the character of all of them. First, there came the old Puritans, who rather than comply with certain immaterial forms of public worship, abandoned home and kindred for a residence among savages and wild beasts. The questions whether a man should repeat his prayer? standing or kneeling, whether he should read them from a book or utter their extemporaneously from the lips, whether a minister should or should nol wear a gown of a particular fashion and the dozen other euuallv importanl points of disagreement between the es. tablished church and the dissenters all seem to my niind unspeakably absurd. Not so thought the Puritans They had marked out a particular mac to heaven, and were determined ti travel no other. A creature possessed of as much reason as a mad bull, ought to have understood that it made nt difference through what avenue tin soul approached the kingdom of eternal rest. It was foolish to require them to follow a particular form worship; but since that form coulu it nowise affect their future welfare, ii was the part of plain common sense t< yield obedience to the law. These sten zealots would not look at the subjeci in any such reasonable or peacefu light. They loved opposition for it: own sake, and clung to their prejudices the more tenaciously because the) were illegal. It was from this stockheadstrong, obstinate, unyielding, anc unreasonable?that the first colonist: sprung. Their next accession was im IVALS. s of Aaron Burr and Hamilton. CLEMENS. mediately after the civil wars In England. Oliver Cromwell had swept legitimate monarchy from the land, and | ' unceremoniously shortened a crowned kind by a head. The followers of that king by a head. The followers of that i the most determined and unflinching in | his support, whom defeat confiscation, | and the military execution of their . friends, had failed to dismay, refused to accept the offered amnesty of the great | usurper, and came over here, where ^ they were at least removed from his i personal presence. Unlike the Puri- | 1 tans in almost everything else, they | had the same obstinate devotion to ( their own opinions, and the same read- j iness to suffer martyrdom for a punc- , tillio. When Cromwell was taken away , on that tempestuous night was a fit- , ting close to his wild and stormy ca- j reer, the sternest of the regicides, who , never could be brought to acknowledge , the lawful rule of the house of Stuart, , abandoned England and hastened hlth- , er to add a new stock of obstinacy to | a market already more than sufficiently | supplied with that commodity. The ( characteristics of the ancestry have not , been softened in their descendants by * - j 1 ^IOl?..Ulrt? lilt* uaiigriit auu uiiiivuiiics in mr miuoi j of which they have been nursed. The j spirits of such a people cannot be t broken. Their towns may be taken, , their armies may be beaten, but they , will gather head again, and, in the end, < tire out a foe of more than ten times ? their numerical strength. It is imma- ( terial to them whether they fight for ( an abstract principle or against the j most palpable and galling oppression. ? They have no idea of surrendering a j principle because it is of no pntcticaJ y importance, and still less of retracting anything which they have once utter- . ed. They have declared that "these colonies are, and of right ought to be. ^ free and independent states" and they will stick to the declaration until England is compelled to acknowledge ( it by pecuniary exhaustion. Bear these things constanty in mind. We do not | want assistance. If your position should enable you to discourage our French allies, in any way, in God's name, do it! Create jealousies between them and our troops, offend their j punctilious pride, and send them back ( to France in disgust, if possible. You and I were not born in this country; ] nel'her of us Is tied to it by. kindred or by ancestral remembrances; neither, of his afflicted by Utopian dreams of philanthropy; we are laboring for our o\Vn advancement; the means, though difficult, are perfectly obvious. When things do not work to suit us, we must make them- this is no time for doubts or scruples; you have extended your hand to grasp a scepter, and I have staked my all upon your success. A failure after so fair a beginning would be doubly mortifying, and fail we must if this French alliance brings about a speedy peace. If the war ends in one year or two years from this date, George Washington may place a diadem on his head; but it is doubtful whether it would not be torn even from his brow, and it is certain that if any one else makes the effort, his reward will be a gibbet instead of a throne. To remove him now would be of no avail. The army must first get accustomed to the sound of another name. They must be taught that another can pilot them through storms as well as he. ! They must be prepared to look to that other as an unquestionable leader in the event of his death; and to accomplish these things time is indispensable. A protracted struggle is not merely desirable but absolutely essential on another account?it is necessary that the people should become so satiated with blood, so weary of plunder and house burning, that they wiJl be reluctant to engage in a new contest, and quietly acquiesce in whatever choice the army may make. You see I deal plainly, and keep nothing back. Situated as we are, we must not only work for the same end, but the means must be also the same. Each one must know all that the other proposes to do. and the way in which he proposes to do it." "I admit," replied Hamilton, "the general soundness of your reasoning, and I have as little disposition as you , have to bring the war to a hasty con- , elusion: but I have not been, and I am not now, so sanguine of the result. England has not yet put forth a tithe of her strength. She has undervalued the importance of the rebellion frotn the beginning, and throughout the contest she has relied too much upon Tory assistance. When her eves are opened ' to these faults?and the wonder is they ! have not been opened before now?we i shall have an army upon our shores 1 sufficiently powerful to make the asI sistance of a French force very wel> come, if not absolutely necessary to the accomplishment of our independs ence. The difference between us is. that I you underestimate the resources of ' Great Britain, and overvalue the ca pa city of the colonies for resistance, t In my judgment, we shall stand in need of allies before our independence t is acknowledged, and therefore I have been disposed to extend a cordial wel come to the French." "It is an error. Colonel Hamilton," said Billings, emphatically, "a grievous I error. I give Great Britain credit for > vast r? sources for immense energy, i perseverance, and skill in the art or 1 war. I believe there is no power on > the globe that is able, single handed, to stand against her. I have admitted that there was a time and a way in 1 which she might have reconquered f tluse provinces. I know that she can > still spread desolation and ruin over t every portion <>f the land: but. believe * me. Colonel Hamilton, she can do no i more. The people of America are now t perfectly united: the few straggling 1 Tories in British pay are too in dgnifi? cant to be counted: the country is too - extensive to be overawed by garrison r towns; it will, therefore, require as - great a force to keep it as to subdue 1 it; and that is a drain no nation can i bear or will bear. Depend upon it, we have nothing to fear from the success of England. Our danger lies In the opposite direction; we may triumph too soon." The strong, direct, and positive reasoning of his companion made a powerful impression on the mind of Alexander Hamilton. He turned the argument over and over again in his mind, and could discover no flaw in it. It was a strong case, strongly put by a strong-minded man. The facts were undeniable, and the argument founded upon them unanswerable. His own exnorinnno ^iivtnir fVio n*or Viq/1 ^laalnotarl uuimid "? ui^.puvvu many of his previously conceived opinions of British invincibility. He had seen untrained militia stand up for hours against the utmost might of England's veteran soldiery. True, that militia would sometimes run away when there was no excuse for flight; but they would not run far. The first hill or the first wood was a rallying point. They did not scatter, and desert their standards. In an Inconceivably short space of time they collected together again, and perhaps the rery next day, would fearlessly offer battle to the foe before whom they bad fled; nor did it unfrequently happen, on such occasions, that they suc:eeded in compelling that foe to retreat n turn. He had seen these same men jndergo hardships and privations that no regular army could have borne without becoming thoroughly demorilized. and he knew that a little more service and a little more training would make them equal to the best troops In the world. He was thus predisposed to give full weight to the views urged py his confederate; and after events proved that he was not unmindful of the sagacious though villainous counsel that night poured into his ears. Hp did quarrel witn uenerai wasnngton upon a trivial pretext, and rejected the overtures of the general to accommodate the difficulty. At the same time he took care that the quarrel should assume the form of a mere iifference upon a point of etiquette, ind managed to retain the good opinion >f the commander-in-chief even while ieclining to serve longer on his staff. In a private letter to General Schuyler, ifter relating the fact of the rupture to overtures for an accommodation he vrote.? "I must assure you, my dear sir, t was not the effect of resentment; it ivas the deliberate result of maxims ! had long formed for the government if my own conduct." In the same letter he speaks of General Washington in terms which plainly show that he was preparing the way to undermine his reputation and destroy his influence. "The general." he says, "is a very honest man. His competitors have slender abilities and less integrity. His popularity has often been essential to the safety of America, and is still of great Importance to it. These considerations have Influenced my past conduct respecting him, and will nfluence my future. I think It necessary that he should be supported." The comments of Mr. James Bilings on that letter, doubtless ran in :he following manner:? '"The general is a very honest man. But that is all. He is not at all remarkable for either natural or acquired abilities. His competitors are tools and knaves. Therefore it is best to keep him in command until I am n a situation to supplant him. His popularity has helped the cause of \merica, and may still aid it; that is, ie has somehow gained the confidence )f the country, and, though a man of 10 abilities, we must put up with him 'or the present. When his popularity 'eases to be useful, we will throw him iverboard. I think it necessary that ie should be supported?because by maintaining his authority I keep lown rivalries until I am prepared to meet them." Considering the brevity of the forgoing extract, it would be difficult to ind anything in the English language O fquai ll in me penecuuii ui uamning with faint praise" the man to ivhom he owed every thing up to that time, and whom he was not afterivards ashamed to importune for great ind unmerited favors. Nor was Hamilton's conduct toward General Washington the only evdenee that the words of James Billings had not been permitted to fall unheeded to the ground. When the Count D'Estaing arrived on our coast with a powerful fleet, General Washington sent Colonel Hamilton on board his flag-ship to concert a plan of attack upon the British troops station?d at Newport, in Rhode Island. On lis return. Billings extracted from him a full account of the intended expedition. In the camp at Valley Forge he had opened communications with Sir Henry Clinton, and from time to lime had contrived to give that officer much information that tended greatIv to nrolong the war. His absences from the camp had reference to this object. Too cautious to trust a third person in the conduct of such momentous affairs, he went himself in disguise to the British lines whenever the object was of sufficient magnitude to justify the risk. His communications had enabled Sir Henry Clinton to obtain several advantages, unimportant so far as they affected the general result, but calculated to keep up the spirits of the English troops, and encourage the ministry at home to persevere in their efforts to subdue the colonies. Beyond this James Billings had no intention to go. If he had possessed the power to betray and destroy the whole American army at once, all the gold of England could not have bribed him to the act. Not that he had one moral or patriotic scruple to restrain him; but he looked to the eventual success of the colonies as the means of realizing the ambitious dreams of his earlier years. (iotu nau n<> muaiuun mr iumpared with the gratification of resuming his original name, gilded by titles that would hide the memory of the disgrace he had brought upon it. To Sir Henry Clinton he was known only as a common and mercenary informer. and the British commander was sometimes startled by the profound sagacity and stern energy of the man who he believed was playing the dangerous part of a spy for an insignificant bribe. Once or twice these evidences of superiority inclined him to think that a double game was being played upon him. The accuracy of the information he received, however, removed his doubts, and he was left to wonder that a man so much above his fellows In mental ac quirements should be so far sunk below them by a sordid love of money as to sell himself to his country's Invaders. Billings, on his part, was gradually acquiring a knowledge of all Sir Henry's weak points, and storing up a fund of information which he Intended to turn to valuable account at a future day. Heretofore he had caused the capture of a few American posts and the surprise of a few detachments, well knowing that It would have no permanent effect upon General Washington's strength. The arrival of the French fleet I alarmed his fears, as we have seen, and he resolved to spare no effort to insure Its destruction. Having obtained from Colonel Hamilton an accurate account of the number and armament of the vessels, and also of the numbers and description of the land forces destined to co-operate with them, he disappeared from the American camp, upon the pretext of making a Journey to Philadelphia to collect certain moneys alleged to be due him, and of which he pretended to be in great need. In about two weeks he returned, and soon afterwards came the news of the total failure of the Rhode Island expedition: Sir Henry Clinton having obtained information from some quarter which enabled him to defeat it entirely. Colonel Hamilton was in total ignorance of his confederate's correspondence with the enemy. The experiment was too hazardous, and its results too uncertain, to have commanded his assent under any circumstances. Billings knew that upon this point ne was innexiDie, ana aarea not ? trust him with the slightest intimation of his own secret operations. He took the whole responsibility upon himself, trusting to his own matchless skill and impudence to escape detection or even suspicion. While, however, Colonel Hamilton would have been grievously offended and indignant If advised of the part that Billings had acted, the results were such as he regarded with great complacency. There Is no proof that he had any agency in promoting the Jealousies and heart-burnings which broke out between the American and French officers Immediately after the failure of the Rhode Island expedition. In this matter, chance may have favored him. Tt was natural that defeated men should seek to shift the blame . from themselves to their allies, and he may have done no more than refrain from efforts to heal a breach which gave to General Washington the greatest concern. But If he was passive at that time, he did not remain so afterwards. His jealousy of French Influence, and detraction of ^ everything French, grew Into a mania ^ that continued to afflict him during j the remainder of his life. For the r present, he was relieved from their ^ association. Count D'Estaing, dls- ^ gusted by his ill success, and exasperated by the quarrels between his of- < fleers and his allies, sailed for the j south, where, In conjunction with an American force, he made an assault on Savannah, and suffered a bloody repulse. Concluding from the failure 1 of these two attempts that the western hemisphere was not exactly the theater upon which he was best calculated to shine, he turned the prows ' of his ships toward the east, and nev- * er again honored us with his pres- ' ence. After Colonel Burr's resignation ^ thp lealousv of Hamilton slumbered 4 for years. During a great part of the time, Burr was an Invalid. He never ' re-entered the army; and as they sel-tnm csme in contact, there was noth- ' ing upon which a rivalry could feed. 1 That period of his life, therefore, does ' not come properly within the scope of this history, and must be briefly disposed of. After his withdrawal from the staff of General Washington, Colonel Hamilton urgently solicited a commission in the line, which was for some time refused. His wishes were at last complied with, and he again entered the army and served throughout the war, distinguished by courage and eminent ability. At the siege of Yorktown he added still more to his brilliant reputation as a soldier, and stained his character as a man by claiming credit for humanity at the expense of both Washington and La Fayette. This claim, as it afterwards appeared in a "Biography of Mr. Hamilton." is worthy of preservation. I if for no other purpose than to show 1 to what a degree of baseness a man | undoubtedly possessed of many great i qualities could descend, and how i reckless he was of the reputation of others when his own might be en- i hanced by detracting from their just j claims to public admiration. "Previous to the assault," says the , biographer in question, "the Marquis , de la Fayette proposed to General | Washington to put to death all the < British troops that should be found , within the redoubts, as a retaliation | for several acts of barbarity com- , mitted by the royal army. The steady and nervous mind of Washington. , which was never known to yield to , the virtuous prejudice of compassion, , gave his assent to the bloody order; | but Mr. Hamilton, (the tenderness of , whose feelings has led him into er- , ror.) after the redoubts were subdued, | took the conquered under his protec- , tion, and proved to his enemies that ( America knew how to fight but not to murder." With this veracious extract, we close the record of Alexander Hamilton. until we again find him the rival and the unscrupulous traducer of Aaron Burr. TO BE CONTINUED. t-?* The professor of botany paused under an oak and the young girls in white grouped themselves prettily about him, says the Philadelphia Bui letin. "To tell time by the flowers," he said?"you should all be able to do that. Think how convenient it would be at this season. It is 5 a. m. when the sow thistle opens. It is 5.30 when the dandelion opens. It is 7 when the white lily opens. It is 8 when the hawkweed opens. At 11.12 a. m. the sow thistle closes. At noon precisely the yellow goat's beard closes. At 2 p. m. the hawkweed closes. At 5 the white lily closes. The dandelion closes at 8 sharp. Since Pliny's time forty-six flowers have been known to open and shut with great punctuality at certain hours of the day and night. It would be possible with a little labor, to construct a garden whose flowers, folding and unfolding, would make a I first-rate clock." SOUTH CJWOUi _T How the Spirit of Libert Uneonquen Ily REV. ItOIIKIl From the Yorkvllle Enquirer of 1876 INSTALLMENT XVIII. The Battle of Camden. In order that we may as far as possible keep up the chain of events. It will be necessary that we go back ind take a cursory view of the genpral affairs of the American forces during the early part of 1780. General Washington saw so soon as Sir Henry Clinton directed his attention toward Savannah and Charleston that it was the intention of the British general to make the south the seat }f war. Heretofore this section had suffered comparatively nothing by war. The seat of hostilities had been In the north. The Americans had in one sense been unsuccessful; In another rense they had been very successful, rhey had gained no decisive vlcto ies and in several instances had suffered very great reverses. Still the \mericans in the north were successful. They had baffled the efforts of :he British. The country was no nearer being subjugated than it was ifter the battle of Lexington. Sir HAnry Clinton determined to subjed^ itjthe same time, the extremes of the colonies to the horrors of war. His nblect was to subdue the southern dates In detail. Success crowned his Irst effort, but: In the end fortune leserted him. To assist General Lincoln In his ef'orts to beat back the Invading foe, Jeneral Washington was not prepared ;o'.do much. The American army of :he north was weak and the British lad a well appointed force In that eglon, which required constant matching. Notwithstanding the straitened circumstances of the commander-in-chief of the American forces, ie determined to send Gen. Lincoln ill the assistance In his power. For he purpose of reinforcing the southern army the Maryland and Delaware :roops, amounting to fourteen hunIred effective men under the comnand of Baron DeKalb, were selected. On the fourteenth of April, 1780, 5eKalb left Morrlstown, New Jersey, 'or the south. He passed through Petersburg, Virginia, early In June, rhen he passed through Hillsborough, Corth Carolina, and encamped on Deep river on the sixth of July. Two nonths previous to this. Charleston. 5ouU??Carolina. had fallen Into the lands of the British and Gen. Benjanln Lincoln, the commapder of the southern army, was a prisoner on parole. Baron DeKalb was consejuently the commander of the southern army. The Colonial Congress always pariotlc, generally in great straits and sometimes not very wise or Just In ts decisions, determined to place some man of greater fame than DeKalb at the head of the southern irmy. General Horatio Gates, the IIegitlmate son of Horace Walpole, Lord Oxford of England, was at this :lme at the zenith of his glory. At Saratoga the army under his comnand gained a victory over General Burgoyne. The honor of that victory svas not due to General Gates, but to Generals Schuyler, Arnold and Mor ?an. On the thirteenth of June General dates was appointed by congress to :he command of the southern army. DeKalb was then between Petersnurg, Virginia, and Deep river in S'orth Carolina. Gen. Gates was at lis home in Virginia near Sheperds:own, when he received the appointment. General Gates was a man of jood mind, a fine classical scholar, ind bred a soldier; but withal a vain man who would not scruple to do a iishonorable act, provided his own position would be advanced or his power increased. His heart was set jpon the position held by Washington and he had used means to have Washington removed and himself placed in his place. General Gates was one of those men who could bear neither success nor defeat. Thirteen days after his appointment to the command of the southern irmy he set out with a heart full of joy. In vision many Saratogas loomed up before him. Charles Lee, who tvas strongly eccentric, remarked to dates on his setting out for the south: "Take care that you do not exchange northern laurels for southern willows." The words were as we will see, prophetic. On the twenty-fifth of July, Gates with his secretary, William Clajon, reached DeKalb's camp on Deep river. The army which he was ap pointed to command and the circumstances by which he was surrounded was calculated to chill his ardor; but his hopes were as great as his ambition. It was now midsummer. The troops were poorly provided for and the country greatly depressed. General Caswell was in the field with a considerable force of North Carolina militia. The first step taken by General Gates was to form a junction of his troops with those of General Caswell. Retaining DeKalb In command of Ids own division, the troops crossed Deep river at Buffalo ford, on the afternoon of the twenty-seventh of July, just two days after he had taken command of the southern army. This shows that he was not disposed to Idle his time in loitering about camp. During the evening of the twenty-seventh a consultation was held with regard to the future movements of the army. DeKalb and Colonel Otho H. Williams, acting adjutant-general advised that the army be led to Charlotte and that the heavy baggage and women be left at Salisbury. It was also recommended by DeKalb and Williams that a hospital and magazine be established at Salisbury. From Charlotte It was proposed to lead the army toward Camden, South Carolina, through the Waxhaw settlement. The reason assigned for this course was that the army would be led through a rich II UK HBRCmVTHW y Was Kept Alive By an ible People. T LATIIAN, 13. 13. country, Inhabited by Whigs and In the event a retreat should be necesaarv th?v wnnlH hnvp anmpthine to fall back on at Salisbury. In the counsel of DeKalb and Williams there was a vast amount of good sense, but Gen. Gates would do his own way. He was encamped on the road leading to Camden and to no other place would he go but to Camden. He was anxious to meet the foe as soon as possible. The shortest route to Camden, no matter what might be its disadvantages was the route he would go and no other. On the morning of the twenty-eight, he was Joined by Colonel Porterfleld and one hundred Virginians. At once the army with General Gates at its head, set out for Camden. The sufferings of the army under General .Gates, in its march toward Camden, can be better imagined than described. The country was poor and but sparsely populated. The army was poorly provided with supplies and the country afforded neither bread nor meat. The weather was intensely hot and the men sick. The bad food and green corn and peaches the soldiers were forced to eat, in order to support life, brought on disease and aggravated It when contracted. Gen. Gates in spite of all impediments, pushed on slowly but surely. On the fourth of August, whilst encamped on Little Lynch's creek, he Issued a proclamation. In which he announced to the people of South Carolina, that he had been enabled by the patriotic exertlonr of the citizens of the United States. to come to their assistance with -a numerous, well-appointed and formidable army. In one word he was able and he was determined to compel their late triumphant and insulting foe to retreat from his strong posts with precipitation and dismay. His proclamation was when compared with his future conduct mere braggadocio. In the same proclamation, pardon was offered to all except those who In the hour of devastation had exercised acts of barbarity and depredation on the persons and property ol' their fellowcitizens. On the 3ixth of August?the day that Sumter gained a partial victory over Colonel Carden at Hanging Rock and only a few miles from that place on Lynch's creek, General Gates was joined by General Caswell with his North Carolina militia. Lord Comwallis was in Charleston, adjusting the civil affairs of the state and maturing his plans for his future operations. So soon as he learned that General Gates was approaching with a considerable army, he left Charleston, on the thirteenth of August for the British camp at Camden. Previous to his arrival, Lord Rawdon was in command of the post. This officer on the near approach of General Gates had called in his outposts. The principal points, at which detachments were stationed, were Cheraw, Hanging Rock, Rocky Mount and Rugeley's Mill. Lord Rawdon thinking it would be to his disadvantage to suffer Gates to attack him at Camden, marched out with nearly all his available force and took position at a strong post on Lynch's creek. The two armies lay for four days facing each other with nothing between them but Lynch's creek Here Gates began to blunder. Rawdon's post was strong and Gates hesitated to attack him, but he could have flanked Rawdon with the greatest ease and captured all his heavy baggage and put himself in a position to attack the British In detail. Lord Rawdon was aware of this and sent an order to Col. Cruger to send from Ninety-Six. four companies of light infantry. Carden was ordered to Camden and Turnbull was directed to join Ferguson on Little river. It is evident that Lord Rawdon had become greatly alarmed. The battles fought by Sumter, Davie and others at Flat Rock. Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock as well as the great name of Gates, had filled the minds of both Eritish and loyalists. On the day that the battle of Hanging Rock was fought, Colonel Tarleton with thirty dragoons and forty mounted militia, which he had picked up In Charleston crossed the Santee at Lan nieu's ferry. For some time, Tarieion had been prostrated with a fever. He was sick in Charleston and his legion was being cut to pieces by Sumter's and Davie's men. Tarleton with his small force, scoured the region bordering on the Santee, striking terror as he was wont, into the inhabitants. After having committed various depredations, he set out for Camd^'i. Deceiving the inhabitants of the Black river region, by pretending that he was an American officer on his way to Join Gates, he secured a man by the name of Bradley a member of the general assembly of South Carolina, as a guide. Bradley with a few friends, conducted Tarleton safely until the neighborhood of the British camp was reached. At this point, Tarleton secured Bradley and his friends as prisoners and conducted them to Camden. Tarleton Joined Rawdon at Lynch's creek on the 12th instant. On the same day, General Gates gave signs that he was about to move his camp to Rugeley's Mill. Rawdon gave orders to evacuate that point at once. u" t??Anna ivhinh wrort* Qt?. tioned at Rugeley's Mill and Lynch's creek, moved back to Logtown, near Camden. On the next day Cornw.il11s arrived at Camden. He began to prepare for active operations at once. The troops were reviewed. The force from Ninety-Six arrived on the same day that Cornwallis did but many of the Eritish were sick. It was hazardous in Cornwallis to fight; it was more so to suffer himself to be attacked by Gates. On the same day that Cornwallis arrived at Camden, General Gates moved the American army to Rugeley's Mill, about fourteen miles from Cam den. By a strange coincidence botl generals began to make preparation; to do the same thing. Gates contem plated surprising Cornwallis, am Cornwallls contemplated surprislni Gates. General Sumter who was on th< look out for small parties of the Brit ish, learned that a large wagon trait was approaching Camden from Nine ty-Slx. These wagons under a smal escort, were conveying supplies to th< main army. Sumter advised Genera Gates of the fact. Gates detailed om hundred Infantry, a company of arttl lery of the Maryland line and thre< hundred North Carolina militia to as. slst Sumter In capturing this provisioi train. On the fifteenth of August Sumter captured a small redoubt ir Fairfield county, and intercepting th< wagon train, secured forty-four wag. ons, loaded with various army sup. plies and several wagons loaded wit! sick and worn out soldiers. This wai a brilliant affair, but in the enl amounted to nothing, as we will, ai the proper place, see. At Rugeley's Mill, Qates posted tin Maryland brigades, the Delaware regiment, the cannon, the cavalry, the baggage and the militia on the north side of Granny's Quarter creek. Colonel Armstrong's corps and Colonei Po'rterfleld's command were posted or the south side, on the road leading tc Camden. On the fourteenth, seven hundred Virginia militia under Gen. Stevenf joined Gates at Rugeley's. On the fifteenth Cornwallls issued orders foi the troops to be ready to march at a moments warning. In the afternoor of the same day, Col. Tarleton wai sent out for the purpose of gaining intelligence respecting the Americar army. About ten miles from Camden on the road to Rugeley's Mill, thret American soldiers were captured From these Tarleton secured all th< Information he desired. From them he learned that General Gates Intended setting out for Camdeh that night Tarleton hastened back to Camden with his prisoners. Cornwallls examined them carefully, and was convinced that Gates contemplated making an attack upon him as soon as he reached his camp. Orders were given at once for the troops to parade. A! 10 o'clock the march to meet Gate* commenced. Major McArthur, with a small force was left in charge ol the town. The British army set oul from Camden in the following order The first division was commanded bj Lieutenant Colonel Webster. His advance guard was composed of hit own cavalry and some mounted infantry, supported by four companies of light Infantry and the twentythird and thirty-third regiments ol regulars. The centre was command ed by Lord Rawdon. This forct was composed of Hamilton anc Bryan's corps of loyalists and some volunteers from Ireland. Th< seventy-first regiment formed the re serve. Each division had four plecei of artillery and the reserve two. Th< army of the British was arranged wltl the expectation that at some place 01 the march from Camden to Rugeley'i Mill, the American army would tx met. On the fifteenth, General Gates Is sued an order- that the sick, extra mil itary stores, the heavy baggage ant such quartermaster stores as were no Immediately wanted, be sent under i guard to Waxhaw. This was anothei blunder In General Gates. By thli move, In the event a retreat would b< necessary, he had no place to fall bacl upon. Had this, however, been th< only blunder, It would not hav< amounted to much. The order wa made for the troops to march precise ly at 10 o'clock?the very time tha the Eritlsh were to march. Cornwallls must have gained a ver: correct and accurate account of Gen Gates' intentions. Midway betweei Camden and Rugeley's Mill, Is Saun ders creek. On the north side of thli creek is a favorable position to engagt In battle. The keen eye of Tarletoi had not failed to discover this spot Cornwallls was anxious to gain thl: place and he succeeded in doing so. Precisely at 10 o'clock on the even Ing of the fifteenth of August, 1780 the American forces commenced theli inarch toward Camden In the follow ing order: Armand's corps, com manded by Col. Armand, formed th< advance. This was an awful blunde; in Gen. Gates. Col. Armand was i Frenchman and most of his officer were foreigners and worse than all the majority of his men were deser ters and by no means to be dependet upon in an emergency. However brave, Col. Armand may have been he could not In the strict sense of th< word have been called patriotic. Notwithstanding these facts, Gate put Armand's corps of deserters in th< advance. On the right of Armand'i corps, Col. Porterfleld's light infantr: were ordered to march, in Indian file two hundred yards from the road Col. Armstrong's light Infantry wer< to march on the left of Armand'i corps, in the same oraer as mai puim ed out to Col. Porterfleld. The centri was composed of the first and secon< Maryland brigades, together with thi N'orth Carolina and Virginia divisions The volunteers formed the rear guan * * ' - 1 ? ? n rtfl Kv t h I ana me Dugguge Wtta guaiucu -~>j ?.. cavalry. The most profound silenc< was to be kept during the march ant any soldier firing a gun was to be pu to death on the spot. At midnight the British troopi crossed Saunders' creek. A few mln utes past 2 o'clock, on the morning o the sixteenth of August, the vai guards of the two armies met. Thli was unexpected to the American gen eral. He fully believed that Cornwal Us on hearing of his approach to Cam den, would retreat with precipltatfoi and dismay. The van guards of botl armies began to fire. Armand's corp cowardly wheeled back, and In grea disorder fled, producing confusion li in the main divisions of the army Armstrong and Porterfleld gallantl; rushed forward to the contest am brought the van guard of the Britlsl to a halt. The firing continued fo about fifteen minutes when both par ties ceased firing and with Intens anxiety began to make preparation for a general battle so soon as da; ' would dawn. Cornwallls found that his posltioi was most favorable. A swamp wa on both sides of him and he couli not be flanked. So soon as Oenera Gates learned that the British army i was In his front, ready to give him 9 battle he called his general officers to gether. It was now evident to all that 1 Gen. Gates had made a miscalculation. I He thought his great name would frightened the British. When the ofi fleers assembled, profound silence pre vailed. No one dared, for a long time, i to make even a suggestion, knowing . that in all probability General Gates 1 would do his own way, in any event i Gen. Stevens of Virginia, at last dar1 ed to break the silence by remarking 3 that "It was now too late to retreat" . Gen. Gates conscious, no doubt that . he had committed a huge blunder in . leaving Rugeley's Mill so precipitate , ly, replied: "Then we must fight! Gentlemen, please take your poets." As day began to dawn, the two military commanders began to arrange their forces for the conflict. The British general placed the twentythird and thirty-third regiments In the front line of the army on the right. This advance was conmanded by Lieutenant Colonel Webster. His right rested on the swamp and his left extended to the road. The left front division, composed of Hamilton's and Bryan's loyalists, some Irish volunteers and a legion of infantry was commanded by Lord Rawdon. The left flank of Rawdon' rested upon a swamp. The artillery was placed near the road. The cavalry were ordered, on account of the thickness of the wood to remain In column, and be ready when an opportunity presented itself, to dash in upon the Americans. The British force including officers and men numbered two thousand and two hundred. Immediately after it was determined on the part of the American general to fight, he made the following disposition of his forces: The right ' wing, composed of three regiments of the Maryland line, was commanded by General Gist. The Virginia militia commanded by Gen. Stevens with some light Infantry and Porterfleld's corps formed the left wing. The North Carolina militia commanded by Gen. Caswell, formed the centre. Col. Armand supported the left wing with his cavalry. The artillery was placed mainly on the left of the right wing near the road. The exact number of men under the command of Gates, It is perhaps impossible to ascertain with certainty. The British authorities Bay that he had two thousand continentals and four thousand militia and state troops. This no doubt was the number on his muster roll; but there must have been at least two thousand absent When the light of day approached, Gen. Gates found some fault with the position held by Generals Caswell and Stevens. This he attempted to remedy by making a change in their positiona The British officers perceived this and reported it to Cornwallls. No sooner did Cornwallls learn this fact than he ordered Webster and Rawdon to make the attack at once. The light became general in a few moments, all along the line. At the first onset the American artillery opened on the advancing columns of the British. Col. Williams and Gen. Stevens pressed upon the British right Col. Webster see Ing this, brought bis rorce to bear upon . Williams and Stevens and soon the . Virginia militia gave way, and fled ] In confusion. The North Carolina t militia soon became panic struck on j seeing the Virginians flee any they r fled too. The right of the Americans 3 was gallantly defended by Cist and s DeKalb. c The Continental troops and Dixon's s regiment of North Carolina militia g were left alone to meet the foe. The s Maryland and Delaware troops fought . with desperate courage. ( Notwitht standing the fact that the British were now flushed with victory and pressed y forward with that impulse, the troops under DeKalb and Olst stood Arm. a Colonels Howard and Williams charg. ed the enemy and broke their line. s The result of the battle was uncerg tain, Tarleton and Webster had been 1 ordered to pursue the fugitives and drive them from the field. DeKalb s Ignorant of the real state of things, in order to follow up tne advantage . gained by Williams and Howard mad* a vigorous charge with his whole r force. Cornwallis seeing the condition of affairs, ordered his whole force to . concentrate against DeKalb and Gist, j Webster gained their flank and the r brave DeKalb fell, pierced with eleven l balls. He was ignorant to this njo9 ment of the confusion of the American army. In wild confusion the mil. itia fled, casting from them everything j that would in the least impede their , progress. Gen. Gates followed the militia as far as Rugeley's Mill vainly j attempting to stop them. He then hastened to Charlotte. s Cornwallis gained a complete yice tory. The British lost in killed, s wounded and missing, including offly cers, three hundred and twenty-four. The loss of the Americans was seventy-five officers and two thousand B men in killed, wounded and prisoners, eight pieces of cannon and all their stores. The road from Camden to B Charlotte was strewed with guns and j military trappings. Gates had exe changed his northern laurels for , southern willows. 1 e Diplomatic.?"Mr. Gldsmore." be9 gan the young man, "when you pro1 posed to your wife?or to the estlt mable lady who is now Mrs. Gldsmore?did she tell you to ask her 9 father?" "She did, my boy," affably replied f Mr. Gldsmore. , "And did you try to shirk the Job?" 9 "Well, come to think of It, I did. . I?I believe I tried to get her to do . the asking, "pon my soul! Ha. ha?" "And when you did ask him?of i course you had to speak to him 11nalhr" 1 ~~ s "Of course I did; of course." t "And when you did ask him did , your knees shake, and was your ton, gue dry, and did you have stage y fright generally?" j "I was scared to death." U "Well, that's the way I feel. I r told Gladys I knew I could And some mutual bond of sympathy between e us when I came to tell you that she g has promised to marry me."?Life. y xa~ "After all. It may be the devil's n a gentleman?" "Well, you may be s sure he'll be civil enough to tell all d of us to walk In, and welcome!"? i Atlanta Constitution. \ I