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' ? H jggTODSKMI-WggHI^^ ^ ^ i. *. orist's sons, publishers, j % Afamiljj Ueujsppor: Jfor (hij promotion of the fjoliticat, Social. Agricultural and (Cornnierrial Interests of the jpeogle. { TK swo?'eoA.VnvBck^t?v b' established 1855. YOltKyiLLK, S. CI, FRIDAY, MARCH li>07. NO. 24. A Romance of the I By W. GIL)] CHAPTER XL. "Sound trumpets?let the coll be set aside That now breaks in upon our conference. ' Meanwhile, the hero of Saratoga? a man who, at that time, almost equally with Washington, divided the good opinion of his countrymen?arrived from Virginia and took command of the southern army. The arrival ot Gates was a relief to the brave German soldier. Baron De Kalb, who previously had the command. The situa iiuxi ui me army ?<? men UIUMI v... barrassing. It lay at Deep river. In the state of North Carolina, In a sterile country, filled either with lukewarm friends or certain enemies. The executive of the colony had done but little to secure aid or co-operation for the Continentals. Provisions were procured with difficulty, and the militia came in slowly, and in unimportant numbers. The command of the state subsidy had been intrusted to Mr. Caswell; a gentleman who has been described as being without the qualities which would make a good soldier, but with sufficient pretensions to make a confident one. He strove to exercise an independent command, and, on various pretenses, kept away from a junction with De Kalb, in whom his own distinct command must have been merged. Even upon Gates's arrival, the emulous militia-man kept aloof until the Junction was absolutely unavoidable, and until its many advantages had been almost entirely neutralized by the untimely delay in effecting it. This junction at length took place on the fifteenth day of August, nearly a month after Gates's assumption of the general command. We repeat here what was the army criticism upon Caswell; but this should be taken with some grains of allowance. Caswell had previously shown himself a man of merit, and had done good service. A new hope sprang up in the bosoms of the Continentals with the arrival of a commander already so highly distinguished. His noble appearance, erect person, majestic height and carriage, and the bold play of his features, free bouyant, and intelligent in high degree, were all calculated to confirm their sanguine expectations. In the prime of life, bred to arms, and having gone through several terms of service with character and credit, everything was expected by the troops from their commander. Fortune, too, had almost invariably smiled upon him; and his recent success at Saratoga?a success which Justice insists should be shared pretty evenly with Arnold?the traitor Arnold?and others equally brave, but far more worthy ?had gone greatly towards inspiring his men with assurances, which, it is not necessary now to say, proved illusory. Nor was De Kalb, to whom General Gates intrusted the command of the Maryland division of the army, including that also from Delaware, without its influence in the affections of the Continentals. He was a brave man, and had all his life been a soldier. A German by birth, he was in the service of the King of France, and was already a brigadier, when transferred to America in the revolutionary struggle. Congress honored him with the commission of a major-general, and he did honor to the trust?he perished in the execution of its duties. The command given to Gates was so far a shadowy one. With the Maryland and Delaware regiments it consisted only of three companies of artillery unasr the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Carrington, which had Just Joined l'rom Virginia, and a small r?a \,o 1 _ legionary cui|?, ui auvui i*y and as many foot, under Colonel Armand, a foreigner. But the general was not to be discouraged by this show of weakness, though evident enough to him at the outset. He Joined the army on the 25th of July, was received with due ceremony by a Continental salute from the little park of artillery, and received the command with due politeness from his* predecessor. He made his acknowledgments to the baron with all the courtesy of a finished gentleman, approved and confirmed his standing orders, and. this done, to the surprise of all. gave the troops instructions to hold them in readiness to move at a moment's warning. This was an order which manifested the activity of their commander's mind and character; but it proved no little annoyance to the troops themselves, who well knew their own condition. They were without rum or rations?their foragers had failed to secure necessary supplies in sufficient quantity?and nothing but that high sense of military subordination which distinguished the favorite line of Continentals under DeKalb's direction, could have prevented the open utterance of those discontents which they yet could not help but feel. De Kalb ventured to remind Gates of the difficulties of their situation. A smile, not more polite than supercilious, accompanied the reply of the too confident adventurer. "All this has been cared for, general. I have not issued orders without duly considering their bearing, and the unavoidable necessities they bring with them. Wagons are on the road with all the articles you name in sufficient quantity, and In a day or two these discontents will all be satisfied. Your line is not refractory, I hope?" "Never more docile, I beg your excellency to believe, than now. The troops I command know that subordination, not less than valor, is the duty of the soldier. But human nature has its wants, and no small part of my care is, that I know their suffering? not from their complaints, sir. for they say nothing?but from my own knowledge of their true condition, and of what their complaints might very well be." "It Is well?they will soon be relieved; and in order to contribute actively to that end. it is decided that we march tomorrow." "Tomorrow, sir! Your excellency is aware that this is impracticable unless we move with but one-half of our baggage, for want of horses. Colonel Williams has just reported a large deficiency." With evident impatience, restrained somewhat by a sense of politeness. Gates turned away from the baron to Colonel Otho Williams, who was then approaching, and put the question to him concerning the true condition of the army with regard to horses. The cheek of the old veteran. De Kalb. grew to a yet deeper hue than was its habitual wear, and his lips were compressed with painful effort as he heard the inquiry. Williams confirmed the statement, and assured the general. that not only a portion of the baggage, but a part of the artillery must be left under the same deficiency in the event of a present movement. "And how many fielc^-pieces are thus unprovided. Colonel Williams?" "Two. sir, at least, and possibly more." Gates strode away for a few moments. then returning quickly as if in that time he had fully discussed the matter in his own mind, he exclaimed : "They must be left; we shall be able to do without them. We must move tomorrow, gentlemen, without loss of time, taking the route over Buffalo ford towards the advance post of the enemy on Lynch's creek. We shall find him there. I think." Gates seemed to think that nothing more was wanting to success than finding his enemy, and his eye declared the confident expectation of youth, American Revolution OHE HIM MM unprepared for, and entirely unthinking of, reverse. Flattered by good fortune to the top of his bent, she nowseemed desirous of fooling him there; and his eye, lip, look, and habitual action, seemed to say that with him no_w, it was only to see, to conquer. De KaiD turnea away sorrowiuuy in silence; but Colonel Williams, presuming on a large personal intimacy with the general, ventured to expostulate with him upon the precipitate step which he was about to take. He insisted upon the necessity of horse, not only for the baggage and artillery, but for the purpose of mounting a large additional force of the infantry, to act as cavalry along the route. But Gates taking him by the arm, smiled playfully to his aide, as he replied: "But what do we want with cavalry, Williams??we had none at Saratoga." Perhaps it would be safe to assert that the game won at Saratoga was the true cause of the game lost at Camden. The folly of such an answer was apparent to all but the speaker. With a marked deference, careful not to offend, Williams suggested the radical difference between the two regions thus tactily compared. He did not dwell upon the irregular and broken surface of the ground at Saratoga, which rendered cavalry next to useless, and, indeed, perfectly unnecessary; but he gave a true picture of the country through which they were now to pass. Ey nature sterile, abounding with sandy plains and swamps, thinlyinhabited, nothing but cavalry could possibly compass the extent of ground over which it would be necessary thatthey should go daily in order to secure provisions. He proceeded, and described the settlers in the neighborhood as chiefly Tories?another name for a banditti the most reckless and barbarous?who would harass his army at every step, and seek safe cover in the swamps whenever he should turn upon them. Williams, who knew the country, ably depicted its condition to his superior, and with a degree of earnestness only warranted by the friendship existing between them. It was, nevertheless, far from agreeable to his hearer, who, somewhat peevish ly, at length responded: "Colonel Williams, we are to fight the enemy, you will admit? He will not come to us, that is clear. What next? We must go to him. We must pit the cock on his own dunghill." "It will be well general. If he doesn't pit us there. Though we do seek to fight him, there's no need of such an excess of civility as to give him his own choice of ground for it; and permit me to suggest a route by which we shall seek him quite as effectually, I think, and with due regard to your already expressed decision, on better terms for ourselves." "Proceed!" was all the answer of Gates, who began whistling the popular air of Yankee Doodle with much sang-froid, even while his aide was speaking. The brow of Williams grew slightly contracted for an instant; but well knowing the habits of the speaker, and regarding much more the harmony of the army and its prospect of success than his own personal feelings, he calmly enough proceeded in his suggestions. A rude map of the country lay on the table before him on whlch-he traced out the path which he now counselled his superior to take. "Here sir, your excellency will see that a route almost north-west would cross the Peedee river, at or about the spot where it becomes the Yadkin: this would lead us to the little town of Salisbury, where the people are firm friends, and where the country all around is fertile and abundant. This course, sir, has the advantage of any other, not only as it promises us plenty of provisions, but as it yields us an asylum for the sick and wounded, in the event of a disaster, either in Mecklenburg or Rowan counties, in both of which our friends are stanch and powerful." The suggestion of disaster provoked a scornful smile to the lips of Gates, and he seemed about to speak, but perceiving that Williams had not yet concluded, he merely waved his hand to him to proceed. Williams beheld the smile and its peculiar expression, and his manly and ingenous countenance was again slightly flushed as he surveyed it. His tall, graceful figure rose to Its full height, as he went on to designate the several advantages offered to the army by the suggested route. In this review were included, among other leading objects, the establishment of a laboratory for the repair of arms at Salisbury or Charlotte?a depot for the security of stores conveyed from the northward by the upper route?the advantage which such a course gave of turning to the left of the enemy's outposts by a circuitous route, and the facility of reaching the most considerable among them (Camden), with friends always in the rear, and with a river (the . Wateree) on the right. These, and other suggestions, were offered by Williams, who at the same time, begged to fortify his own opinions by a reference to other and better informed gentlemen than himself on the subject. Gates, who had heard him through with some impatience, only qualified in its show by the manifest complacency with which he contemplated his own project, turned .quietly around to him at the con| elusion and replied" briefly? | "All very well, Williams, and very wise?but we must march now. Tomorrow, when the troops shall halt at n<H>n. I will lay these matters, as you have suggested them, before the general officers." Laying due sti?ess upon the word general, he effectually conveyed the idea to the mind of Williams, that, though he had received the suggestions of a friend and intimate, he was not unwilling to rebuke the presump[ tion of the inferior officer aiming to give counsel. With a melancholy shake of the head, De Kalb turned away, jerking up the hips of his smallclothes, as he did so, with a sufficiently discontented movement. Williams followed him from the presence of the infatuated generalissimo, and ail parties were soon busy in preparation for a uturt The next morning, the journey was begun; the army setting forth, unmurmuring, though with but half its baggage, and with no present prospect of provisions. Gates, however, seemed assured of their proximity, and cheered his officers. and through them, the men, with his assurance. At noon the army came to a halt, and here they were joined by Colonel Walton. bearing advices from Marion, and bringing up his own skeleton corps, which was incorporated with Colonel Dix> n's regiment of the North Carolina militia. The services of Walton, as, indeed, had been anticipated by him. were appropriated at noon by the general in his own family. No conference took place at this halt, as Gates had promised Williams. After a brief delay, which the men employed in ransacking their knapsacks for the scraps and remnants which they contained, the march was resumed; the wagons with provisions not yet in sight, and their scouts returning with no intelligence calculated for their encouragement. The country through which the journey was to be taken, exceeded in sterility all the representations which had been made of it. Hut few settlements relieved, with an appearance of human life, the monotonous originality of the wild nature around them; and these, too. were commonly deserted by their inhabitants on the appearance of the army. The settlers, dividing on either side, had formed themselves into squads to plunder and prey upon the neighboring and more productive districts. They were Ishmaelltes in all their practices, and usually shrank away from any force larger than their own: conscious that power must only bring them chastisement. The distresses of the soldiery, on this sad and solitary march, increased with every day in their progress. Still, none of the provisions and stores promised them by the general at the outset, came to their relief. In lieu of these, they had the long perspective, full of fertile promise, set before them. There was the Peedee river at hand, the banks of which, they were told, exceedingly fertile, held forth the prospect of abundance: but hour after hour came and passed, without the realization of these promises. The crop of corn, along the road, had been long since exhausted, and the new grain ?a.u wax yei in me neiua, umijic emu uuuv for use. But the necessity was too peremptory, and not to be restrained. The soldiers plucked the immature ears, and boiling them with their lean beef which herded in the contiguous swamps, they provided themselves with all the food available in that quarter. Green peaches were the substitute for bread; and fashion, too, became a tributary to want, and the hair powder, so lavishly worn by all of the respectable classes of that period, was employed to thicken the unsalted soups, for the more fastidious appetites of the officers. Such fare was productive of consequences the most annoying and enfeebling. The army was one of shadows, weary and dispirited, long before it came In sight of an enemy. It was on the third day of August that the little army crossed the Peeiee, in batteaux, at Mask's ferry, and were met on the southern bank by Lieutenant Colonel Porterfleld of Virginia, with a lean detachment of troops, which he had kept together with much difficulty after the fall of Charleston A few hours after, and ? - . ? 1 1 |,? wniie me arnij ?a.s cnjujins no uoum noonday halt, the little partisan corps of the Swamp Fox rode into camp. His presence created some sensation. for his own reputation had been for some time spreading: but the the miserable and wild appearance if his little brigade was the object of immense merriment on the part of the Continentals. They are represented by the historian as a most mirthful spectacle, all well mounted, but in wretched attire, an odd assemblage of men. and boys, and negroes, with little or no equipment, and arms of the most strange and various assortment. Colonel Marion was at once introduced to the marquee of the general, but his troops remained exposed to the unmeasured jest and laughter of the Continentals. One called them the crow squad, from their sooty outsides; this name another denied them, alleging, with a sorry pun, that they had long since forgotten how to crow, although they were evidently just from the dunghills. A third, more classical, borrowed a passage from Falstaff, and swore he should at once leave the army, as he wouldn't march into Coventry with such scarecrows: but a fourth said that was the very reason tfiat he should stick to it, as Coventry was the only place for them. The fierce low-countrymen did not bear this banter long or with patient temper. As they sauntered about among the several groups which crowded curiously around them, sundry little squabbles, only restrained by the efforts of the officers, took place, and promised some difficulty between the parties. Our friend Porgy himself, though withal remarkably good A V*** iieiiurcu, Hits gicctujr at uuocu uj v?*\> taunts nnd sarcasms uttered continually around him. He replied to many of those that reached his ears, and few were better able at retort than himself; but his patience at length was overcome entirely, as he heard among those engaged most earnestly in the merriment at his expense, the frequent and boisterous jokes of Colonel Armand, a foreign mercenary, who, in broken English, pressed rather rudely the assault upon our friend Porgy's equipment in particular. Armand himself was lean and attenuated naturally. His recent course of living had not materially contributed to his personal bulk. Porgy eyed him with wholesale contempt for a few moments, while the foreigner blundered out his bad English and worse wit. *t length, tapping Armahd upon the shoulder with the utmost coolness and familiarity, Porgy drew his belt a thought tighter around his waist, while he addressed the foreigner. "Look you, my friend?with the body of a sapling, you have the voice that's unnatural and articial. I must reconcile these extremes in your case, and there are two modes of doing so. I must either increase your bulk or lessen your voice. Perhaps It would he quite as well to do both; the extremes meet always most readily; and by reducing your voice, and increasing your bulk at the same time. I shall be able to bring you to a natural and healthy condition." "Vat you mean?" demanded Armand. with a look of mixed astonishment and indignation, as he drew away from the familiar grasp which Porgy had taken upon his shoulder. "I'll tell you: you don't seem to have had a dinner for some time back. Your jaws are thin, your eonplexion mealy, and your belly?what there is of it?is gaunt as a greyhound's. I'll help to replenish it. Tom, bring out the hoecake and that shoulder-bone, bov. You'll find it in the tin box, where I left it. Now, my friend, wait for the negro; he'll be here in short order, and I shall then assist you, as I said before, to increase your body ami diminish your voice: the contrast is too great between them?it is unnatural. unbecoming and must be .remedied. Armand. annoyed by the pertinacity, not less than by the manner of Porgy, who, once aroused, now clung to him tenaciously all the while he spoke, soon ceased to laugh as he had done previously; and, not understanding one-half of Porgy's speech, and at a loss how to take him, for the gourmand was eminently good natured in his aspect, he repeated the question? "Vat you sail say. my friend?" "Tom's coming with ham and hoecake?both good, I assure you, for I have tiled them within the hour: you shall try them also. I mean first to feed you?and by that means increase your bulk?and then to flog you, and so diminish your voice. You have too little of the one, and quite too much of the other." A crowd had now collected about the two. of whom not the least ready and resolute were the men of Marion. As soon as Armand could he made to understand what was wanted of him, he drew back in unmeasured indignation and dismay. "I sail fight wid de gentilmans and de officer, no' wid you. sir." was his reply, with some show of dignity, to the application of Porgy. A hand was quietly laid upon his shoulder, as he uttered these words, and his eye turned to encounter that of Singleton. "I am both, sir, and at your service. Colonel Armand, in this very quarrel: though, in justice, you owe the right to Mr. Porgy, who just asserted it. You waived your own rank, sir, when you undertook to make merrv at the expense of the soldier and the simple ensign, and thus put yourself out of the protection of your epaulet. Put conceding you all that vou claim. I claim to be your equal. and beg t<> repeat, sir, that x am ai your service." "But. sare, who sail be you?vat you sail be name?" "I a in a leader of the squad that has provoked your laughter. I am Major Singleton, of the brigade of Marion. He will answer for my rank and honor." "But sare.?honneur. I sail not laugh at de gentilmans and tie officers." "The officer and the gentleman protects the honor of his followers. Will you compel me to disgrace you, sir? " was the stem demand of Singleton, who had felt quite as keenly as Porgy the ridicule of the foreigner. It is difficult to say what might have been the fruit of this little quarrel, had not an inkling of the truth reached the main force of the general. Arniand's corps, meanwhile, had clustered about their colonel. They con .sisted chiefly of foreigners, and this fact would have told fearfully against them, had the parties come to blows. Singleton, in like manner, was soon supported by a handsome levy from his own squad, fierce from the Cypress and the Santee swamps. There were the potential Porgy, and Bill Humphries the cool, and Jack Davis the stubborn, and young Lance Frampton, eager with finger already on the cock of his rifle. Swords were already half drawn, and restless fingers were working at the knife handles in the belts of their owners, and warm work was threatening, while each of the opposing parties seemed already to have singled out his foe. But at the perilous moment the loud voice of command from general officers was heard, the drum I rolled to quarters, and Gates, with De j Kalb and Marlon, appeared among the hostile parties; and they retired from the ground, like so many machines, at the simple will of the maker. The affray was thus prevented, which, a moment before, had seemed Inevitable. Such Is military subordination. The soldier, in fact, is most a soldier, when most a machine; but this very fact requires that the will which governs him should be that of a born master. Gates, with his officers, again returned to their conference, which, before this interruption, had become highly animated and important. Porgy was quite soured that Armand had gone unwhipt. Somebody mentioned that this personage was, in fact, a baron. "Did you know that he is a foreign lord, lieutenant, a Baron de la Robbery or something; and would you 1 whip a lord?" "As the lord liveth," was the seem ngly irreverent answer, "I should have whipt him out of his breeches!" CHAPTER XLJ. ' "The evening clouds are thick with threat of storm. i The night grows wild: the waters l champ and rave. As if they clamored for some destln- ' ed prey." The reader will scarcely believe, knowing as he does the great achievements of General Marion at the south 1 throughout the revolution, that his proffer of service on this occasion was met with indifference by General Gates. Yet so we have It, on the authority of history. That gentleman partook largely of the spirit which circulated so freely in his army; and the 1 uncouth accoutrements, the bare feet, 1 and the tattered garments of the motley assemblage of men and boys, half armed, which the Swamp Fox had j brought with him to do the battles of ' liberty, provoked his risibility along with that of his troops. The personal appearance of Marlon, himself, was as little In his favor. Diffident even to shyness, there was little that was prepossessing In his manners. He was awkward and embarrassed in the presence of strangers; and though ' singularly cool and collected with the necessity and the danger, he was hardly the man to command the favorable consideration of a superficial judge? one of mediocre ability, such as Gen- . eral Gates undoubtedly was. The very contrast between the two men, in physical respect, was enough for the latter. Built, himself, on a superb scale, j the movement, the look, the deportment of Gates, all bespoke the conscious ! great man. Marion, on the other hand, small in person, lame of a leg, with J a downcast eye, and hesitating manners, was a cipher in the estimation of | the more imposing personage who ' looked upon him. And then the coarse ; clothes?the odd mixture of what was j once a uniform, with such portions of his dress as necessity had supplied, and which never could become so?al- ' together offended the nice taste of one rather solicitous than otherwise of the ! symmetries of fashion. Nothing, J therefore, but a well regulated sense 1 of politeness, formed closely upon the ' models of foreign service, prevented the generalissimo from laughing out- \ right at the new auxiliaries now proffered to his aid. But, though he forbore to offend in his manner, he did not scruple to lay before Marion his objections to the proposed use of his followers, on this very ground. The shallow mind could not see that the very poverty, the mis- ' erably clad and armed condition of Marion's men, were the best pledges ' that could be given for their fidelity. Why should they fight in rags for a : desperate cause, without pay or promise of it, but that a high sense J of honor and.of country was the impelling principle? The truth must be 1 spoken; the famous Partisan of Carolina, the very stay of its hope for so long a season?he who, more than any ither man, had done so much towards keeping alive the fires of liberty and courage there, until they grew Into a bright extending, unquenchable ftame ?was very civilly bowed out of the Continental army, and sent back to his swamps upon a service almost nominal. "Our force Is sufficient, my dear colonel," was the conclusion of the general?"quite sufficient: and you can give ' us little if any aid by direct co-operation. Something you may do, indeed? 1 yes?by keeping to the swamps, and furnishing us occasional intelligence? picking off the foragers, and breaking up the communications." "My men are true, your excellency," was the calm reply; "they desire to serve their country. It is the general opinion that you will need all the aid that the militia of the state can afford." "The general opinion, my dear colonel, errs in this, as it does in the majority of other cases. We shall have a force adequate to our objects quite as soon as a junction can be formed with Major General Caswell. Could you procure arms, and the necessary equipments?proper garments, for example, and attach your force to his?" "I understand your excellency, wa? the simple answer, as Gates hinted his true objections in the last sentence; but. save the slight compression of his lips, which were usually parted otherwise. no trace of emotion besides, appeared upon the countenance of the i speaker. "My men," he continued, "are some of them, of the very best families in the country: homeless now, they have been robbed of all by their enemies. They are not the men to fight less earnestly on that account, nor will their poverty and rags hinder them from striking a good blow, when occasion serves, against the invader to whom they owe their sufferings." Gates was sufficiently a tactician to see that the pride of Marion was touched with the unjust estimate which had been made of his men, and he strove to remove the impression by a show of frankness. "Hut, you see. my dear colonel, that though your men may fight like very devils, nothing can possibly keep the Continentals from laughing at them. We can't supply your people; and so long as they remain as they are, so long will they be a laughing stock? so long there will be uproar and insubordination. We are quite too deli eately situated now to risk anything with the army: we aie too nigh the enemy, and our troops have been too stinted. To deny them to laugh, is to force them to rebel: we can only remove the cause of laughter, and in this way, defeat the insubordination which undue merriment, sternly and suddenly cnecked, would certainly bring about." Gates had made the best of his case, and Marion, with few words, yielded to the opinion, from which, however, he mentally withheld all his assent. He contented himself, simply, with stating his own and the desire of his men to serve the country by active operation in the best possible way. Gates replied to this in a manner sufficiently annoying to his hearer, but which had subsequently its own adequate rebuke. "Any increase of force, my dear colonel, would be perfectly unnecessary after my junction with the troops I daily look for. Caswell will bring me all the North Carolina subsidies, and General Stevens, with a strong body of Virginians, will Join in a few days. My force then will be little short of seven thousand men, and quite sufficient for all contemplated purposes. We shall therefore need no aid from your followers." "I hope not, general; though should you, my men are always ready to offei it for their country. Have I your excellency's permission to retire?" "You have, Colonel Marion; but 1 trust you will still continue operations on the Peedee and .the Santee rivers. One service, if you will permit me, 1 will require at your hands; and that is, that you will employ your men In breaking up all the boats which you can possibly find at the several crossing places on the Wateree?at Nelson's and Vance's ferries in particular. We must not let my Lord Rawdon escape us." It was now Marion's turn to smile, and his dark eyes kindled with an arch and lustrous expression as he heard of the anticipated victory. He well knew that Rawdon could not and would not endeavor to retreat. Such a movement would at once .lose him the country. It would have stimulated the dormant hopes of all the people. It would have crushed the Tories, by withdrawing the army whose presence.had been their prop. It would destroy all the immense labors, at one blow, by which the invader had sought, not only to realize, but to secure his power. The weakness of Gates amused the partisan, and the smile upon his lips was Irrepressible. But the self-complaisance of the general did not suffer him to behold It; and, concluding his vishes and his compliments at the same time, he bowed the Swamp Fox out of the marquee, and left him to the attention of the old baron, De Kalb. The veteran was gloomy, and did not scruple to pour his melancholy forebodings into the ears of Marion, for whom he had conceived a liking. When they were about to separate, with a ludicrous smile, he reminded Marion of the employment which Gates had assigned him in the destruction of the boats. "You need not hurry to its execution, my friend," said he; "It is a sad waste of property, and, if.my thoughts do not greatly wander, I fear an unnecessary waste. But God cheer us, and his blessing be upon you." T hey parted?never to meet again. The partisan led his rejected warriors aack In the direction of his swamp dwelling, on the Santee, while thfe veteran went back with a heavy heart to lis duties in the camp. In an hour, the onward march of the army w^s again resumed. The troops .vent forward with more alacrity, as they had that day feasted with more satisfaction to themselves than on mnnv (lava licfnrp A Mmn.1l sunolv of ndlun meal had been brought Into amp by the foragers, and produced [julte a sensation. This gave a mess to all; and the impoverished beef, which, hitherto, they had eaten either alone or with unripe fruit, boiled along with it, grew particularly palatable. With all the elacticy which belongs to soldiers, they forgot past privations, and hurried on, under the promise of mproving circumstances, which were to meet them at every step of their farther progress. This spirit was the more increased, is the commanding officer, aware of the critical situation of the troops, mfolded himself more freely than he had hitherto done to Colonel Williams, who acted as deputy adjutant general. The ^how of confidence operated favorably on the troops, who were at a loss to know why General Gates, against all counsel, had taken the present route. He said it had been forced upon him; that his object was to unite with Caswell; that Caswell had evaded every order to Join with him, that Caswell's vanity desired a separate command, and that he probably contemplated some enterprise by which to distinguish himself. "r Ke. aArmr " oo Id ho "tfi X .BI1UUIUII I uc OU1 L J , ouivi HVf iee nks ambition checked by a rap over the knuckles. If it were not that the militia would disperse and leave this handful of brave men (meaning the Continentals) without even nominal assistance." He urged that the route was taken to counteract the risks of Caswell, by forcing him to the junction he seemed so desirous to avoid; and, at the same time, to secure some of the supplies of provisions and other necessaries, which he asserted, on the alleged authority of the executive of North Carolina, were even then in the greatest profusion in Caswell's camp. He, moreover, guessed that a change of direction now would not only dispirit the troops, but intimidate the people if the country, who had generally sent In their adhesion as he passed, promising to join him under their own 'eaders. These were the arguments of Gates; and whatever may be their value, he should have the benefit of them in his defence. To these were opposed, in vain, the poverty and destitution of the country, and the perfidious character of the people ilong the route they pursued. The die was cast, however, and the army went forward to destruction. But we will not anticipate. On the fifth of August, in the afternoon, General Gates received a letter from Caswell, notifying him of an attack which he meditated upon a post of the British, on Lynch's creek, about fourteen miles from the militia encampment. This increased the anxiety if the general to advance, fearing lest Caswell should involye himself in utter ruin; and he eagerly pressed forward the regulars. While urging them still upon the ensuing (lay, a new despatch was received from the general militia, stating his apprehensions of an attack from the very post which, the day before, he had himself meditated to assault. Such a strange mixture of boldness and timidity alarmed Gates even for his safety; and he now hurried forward to relieve him from himself, and with more rapidity than ever. On the seventh of August, by dint of forced marching, he attained his object, and the long delayed junction was safely effected, at the Cross Roads, about fifteen miles east of the enemv's most advanced post on Lynch's creek. * The army was now refreshed; every thing was in plenty: for amid the greatest confusion, and in spite of all his difficulties, Caswell had contrived to keep a constant supply of wines, and other luxuries on hand with ...ho.ii Huif.fji mitdied Continen tals were pleasantly regaled. After the junction, which occurred about noon in the day. the army marched a few miles towards the advanced station of the British. On the next day. pressing forward to the post, they found the field their own; the enemy had evacuated it, and had retired back, at his own leisure, to a much stronger position on Little Lynch's creek, and within a day's march of the main post of Camden. There Rawdon commanded in person, with a force already strong, and hourly increasing from a judicious contraction of the minor posts around him. which he effected as soon as apprised of the approach of the Continentals. Still, the army pressed forward, in obedience to command, ignorant of its course, and totally unconscious of the next step to be taken. The commander however, began to take his precautions, as he saw the danger of encountering an enemy?encumbered as he now was with unnecessary baggage, and the large numbers of women and children, whom he has found with Caswell's militia. Wagons were detached to convey the heavy baggage, and such women as could be driven away, to a place of safety near CharKnt Iqwo nnmhera of them ore ferred remaining- with the troops, sharing all their dangers, and partaking of their privations. Exhortations and menaces alike failed to effect; they positively refused to leave the army on any terms. Relieved, however, of much of his encumbrance. Gates proceeded to the post on Little Lynch's creek, to which the enemy had retired. Here he found him strongly posted. He was in cover, on a rising ground, on the south side of the Wateree: the way leading to it was over a causeway to a wooden bridge which stood on the north side, resting upon very steep banks. The creek lay in a deep muddy channel. bounded on the north by an extensive swamp, and only passable (except by a circuit of several miles) directly in front of the enemy. "To attack him in face, would be taking the bull by the horns indeed." was the conclusive remark of Gates, as he reviewed the position and ex I amlned its defences. "We'll go round him!"?and, for the first time, the commander prepared to take the lest direct road to the enemy. Defiling by [ the right, having cautiously thrown i out a flanking regiment under Colo. nel Hall of Maryland, the army pushed [ on by a circuitous course towards . Rawdon. 1 This movement had the effect of 1 breaking up the minor post of the r enemy which Gates had been compell- c ed to avoid, and its commanding of- c fleer, with some precipitation, fell ? back, with all his garrison, upon Cam- J den. The post at Clermont, Rugely's n Mills, was also abandoned at the same * time: and, on the thirteenth of August, it was occupied by the American gen- 8 eral with his jaded army. The movements of Gates had been j1 closely watched by the enemy, who was vigilant in the extreme. The pre- * cautions taken by Rawdon?who, up c to this moment, had been the general u in co-mmand opposed to him?were e judicious and timely. But the command was now to be delivered into yet v abler hands; for, with the first account <>r the proximity of the southern v army, Cornwallls, with a portion of e the garrison from Charleston, set forth " for Camden. His march communicat- 1 ed, like wildfire, the business of his (1 mission to the people of the country P through which he was to pass; and it JJ was with feelings in nowise enviable, that he saw the exulting looks of the disaffected whenever they met with " him on his progress. At Dorchester, r' where he paused a day, and by his presence controlled somewhat the rest- c less spirit of those In that quarter, ' who otherwise, were willing enough to j1 rise In mutiny, he could almost hear fj the muttered rebellion as it rose in- ' voluntarily to the Hps of many. Standinsr lustily in his doorway as the gilt- * terlng regiments went through the vll- H lage, old Pryor growled out his hope for their destruction. ? "Ay, go; ye glitter now, and look * d?d fine, but Gates will roll your re ? jackets in the mud. He'll give you a v dressing, my lads, ye shall remember. a Ay, shake your flags, and beat your 13 drums, but you'll have another guess sort of shake and tune when you're Cl coming back. The stern and lofty earl, erect and " tall, inflexible and thoughtful moved 11 along upon his steed like some mas- 11 slve tower, before the dwelling of the " sturdy rebel; who, uttering no shout, " waving no hat, giving no sign but that " of scornful hate, and a most bitter contempt, gazed upon the warrior " without fear or shrinking. ? "Go, d?n you, go; go where the u drum that beats for you shall be muf- w fled; go where the bugle that rings in your ears shall not stir you again In 3 your saddles; go where the rifle shall a have a better mark in your bodies a than it ever found at Bunker's and at ? Lexington." u And as he muttered thus, his old eye rekindled, and he watched the last -etreatlng forms in the distance, re- C( peatlng to himself the fond hope, fi ivhinh u.-aa Hipn a nrpimnnt spntiment _ In the bosom of thousands, who had a felt long what they could not resent, and now rejoiced in the belief, confi- {, dentl.v entertained, that their enemies a had gone to a battlefield from whence t| they never would rturn. The hour of 8l nunishment was at hand?so they fondly thought?and Gates's was the a avenging arm sent for its infliction. r( On the night of the fifteenth of Au- w gust, without any conference with his officers, Gates bade his army advance n from Clermont on the route to Cam- j, den. What was his hope? What, indeed, we may well ask, was his object? n He literally had no Intelligence in res- a pect to his enemy; he had omitted f{ most of those precautions by which, in r armies, intelligence was to be procured. The suggestions of his own friends 5 were unheeded, and he deigned no general consultation. Colonels Wil- n liams and Walton, both ventured to j, remind htm, In general terms, of the near neighborhood of the foe, doubt- v less in force, for, on the subject of e their numbers, no information had yet a been received. On the same day, an ^ inhabitant from Camden, named t| Hughson, came to headquarters, affecting ignorance of the approach of the Americans, and pretending a warm ^ interest in their success. He was a t| Marylander, and was disposed to be e very friendly with his countrymen, the n Continentals. He freely gave his information to Gates?information which C( was true, so far as it went;, but which which was given in just sufficient e quantity to promote the precipitation s of the American commander and the 'tj purpose of the British. Gates readily believed all that was told him; and u though suspicions arose in the minds g of some of the offlqers around him, the f( credulity of the general himself underwent no lessening from the more s prudent counsels of his subordinates, The spy?for such he was?was ac- n tually suffered to leave the camp and return to Camden, not only with the a fulfillment of the ournose for which he M went, but possessed of the more valua- y ble information with which he was permitted to return. Besotted self- ^ confidence had actually blinded the a American general to the huge and ^ 'earful trench which he had been d> t| ging for himself, and which now lay t| immediately before him. ? A few hours only divided him from j, his enemy; yet. strange to say. he t( knew not that it was Cornwallis, him- c self, who stood opposed to him. The a grave commander had hurried with all c possible celerity to the scene of ac- a tion. He knew how greatly the for- a tunes of the colony depended upon the r present contest. Marion was even ^ then busy along the Santee, and so a effectually did he guard the passes by f< Nelson's and Watson's, that his lord- rj ship, though commanding a fine body t of troops, veterans all, fresh from <~ Charleston, and superior far to any v, force of the partisan, was compelled ^ to take a circuitous and Indirect route c in reaching Camden. Marion had greatly increased his force with a ^ number of insurgents from Black river. Sumter, too. was in active mo- t tion, and watched the Wateree river with the avidity of a hawk. On the success of this battle depended every ( thing, for, though to gain it would not necessarily have secured the conquest ^ of Cornwallis in Carolina, not to gain it would most probably have been the n loss of all. He knew this, and his desire was for early battle before the t] troops of Gates were rested; befoi-e c the militia could come In to his relief; and before the spirit of revolt, ^ throughout the province, should distract, by various risings and slmul- c taneous enterprises. No general was n ever more ready than Cornwallis to j, carve his way out of difficulties with 0 the strong and the sword. PolIcy, and his passion alike, persuaded .. him now to the adoption of this stern arbitrament. s At the very hour that Gates moved t from Clermont in the route to Cam- c den, the British general set out from fi that station to attack him in his en- h >' -* 1 1 Intolli- I. cainpmeni. in uuira miw nw unci.. < gence of this, he knew not even that c his lordship had reached Camden. -He h neglected every means of intelligence, l| and the retributive justice, which, in p on moment, withered all the choice p laurels of his previous fame, and tore the green honors from his brow, fc though stern and dreadful, must yet b be held the just due of him, who, with p a leading responsibility of life, free- | dom. and fortune depending upon him. t forfeits, by the feebleness of a rasn s spirit, all the rich triumphs that are r otherwise within his grasp. Vainly t has the historian striven after arguments in his excuse. He is without defence; and in reviewing all the s events of this period, we must convict him of headstrong self-confidence, <1 temerity without coolness, and effort, v idly expended, without a purpose, and t almost without an aim. It was the a opinion of his officers, and, indeed, of a ail others, that the delay of a few days, e with his an..y in a secure position, e was all that was necessary towards c giving the American an immense su- p perlority over the British commander, h Provisions would have been plenty in b that time, and the native militia, once c satisfied of his presence, would have c crowded to his camp. But the fates e were impatient 'or their prey, and he o whom God has once appointed for de- v struction, may well fold his robes s about him in preparation for his fall, y CHAPTER XLII. 'And the deep pause that ushers In the storm. More fearful than Its presence, thrills us now? This silence of the voice that soon shall speak." The American general at last began 0 exhibit some consciousness of the tear neighborhood of foes; and that lay, the 15th of August, after general irders, he prepared the following in iddition?Colonel "Williams, acting adutant general. Colonel Walton, and me other member of his family being 1 resent:? "1. The sick, the extra artillery tores, the heavy baggage, and such [uartermaster's stores as are not lmnedlately wanted, to march this evenng. under a strong guard, to Waxhaw. 'o this order the general requests the irigadier generals to see that those inder their command pay the most xact and scrupulous obedience. "2. Lieutenant Colonel Edmonds, kith the remaining guns of the park, kill take post and march with the 'irginia brigade under General Stevns. He will direct, as any deficiency lay happen in the artillery affixed to he other brigade, to supply it lmmeiately. His military staff, and a proortion of his officers, with forty of is men, are to attend him and await is orders. "3. The troops will be ready to larch precisely at 10 o'clock, In the allowing order, viz: ? "Colonel Armand's advance?cavalry ommanded by Colonel Armand; Colnel Porterfleld's light infantry upm he right flank of Colonel Armand, In ndian file, two hundred yards from he road; Major Armstrong's light Inuitry in the same order as Colonel 'orterfield's, upon the left flank of the >glon. "Advance guard of foot; composed f the advance pickets, first brigade of raryland, second brigade of Ma?yland ivision of North Carolina, division of irginia; rear guard?volunteer cavlry upon the flank of baggage, equalr divided. "in this order the troons will Dro eed on their inarch this night. "4. In case of an attack by the eneiy's cavalry' in front, the light infanry upon each flank will instantly love up, and give, and continue, the lost galling fire upon the enemy's orse. This will enable Colonel Arrnnd not only to support the shock of he enemy's charge, but Anally to rout im. The colonel will therefore contder the order to stand the attack of he enemy's cavalry, be their number hat It may, as positive. "5. General Stevens will immedlater order one captain, two lieutenants, nd ensign, three sergeants, one drum, nd sixty rank and file, to Join Colonel orterfleld'8 infantry. These are to be iken from the most experienced oodsmen, and men every way fittest ir the service. "6. General Caswell will likewise omplete Major Armstrong's light lnmtry to their original number. These lust be .marched immediately to the dvanced post of the army. "The troops will observe the proundest silence upon the march, and ny soldier who offers to fire without he command of his officer, must intantly be put to death. "When the ground will admit of It, nd the near approach of the enemy snders it necessary, the army will, hen ordered, march in columns. "The artillery at the head of their rspectlve brigades, and the baggage l the rear. The guard of the heavy aggage will be composed of the relaining officers and soldiers of the rtillery, one captain, two subalterns, sur sergeants, one drum, and sixty ank and-Ale, etc. "The tents of the whole army are to e struck at tattoo." Such were the general orders for the larch. Colonel Williams and the adutant general, Colonel Walton, and lajor Thomas Pinckney, were in conersation at the entrance of the gen ral's marquee, when, with a smiling nd good-natured countenance, he rought the paper forth, and called for tie adjutant general's attention. "Colonel Williams, you will be puncuai In the transmission of these orers to the several commands, so that here be no delay. Look also at this stlmate, which has been made this lorning of the entire force, rank and le, of the army. It would seem to be orrect." Williams took the paper, and glancd rapidly over the estimate, which tartled him by its gross exaggeralons. "Correct, sir!" he exclaimed, with nfelgned astonishment; "impossible! leven thousand men!?there are not :>ur thousand fit for duty." "You will see, and report on this," aid the general, coolly, and at once urned away to the tent, In which, a loment after, he was lost from sight. "Pinckney," said Williams, "come nd assist me in this estimate. Colnel Walton will keep In attendance? ou will not be wanted." The gallant young soldier, then a ill, fresh and vigorous youth, noble, nd accomplished by European educalon, as were few native Americans at hat period, immediately complied with he request, and the two moved away non the contemplated mission. AvallI g himself of his orders, which were d bid all the general officers to counII In Rugely's bam, Williams called Iso upon the officers commanding orps for a field return. This he reulred to be as exact as possible; and, s neither himself nor Pinckney was equlred to attend the deliberations, hey devoted themselves to a careful bstract of the true force of the army r>r the general's better Information, 'his was presented to him as soon as he council had broken up, and Just as fates was coming out of the door, rhere Williams and his aides awaited im. He took the paper, and with loudlng brows examined Its contents. "How! what Is this? what IS this gure. Colonel Williams?" he Inquired, ashing his forefinger hurriedly upon he paper. ' A three, sir," was the reply. "A three? And you mean to say that here are only three thousand and flfv-two men, rank and file, fit for uty?" "I do. your excellency?scarce a man lore." "Impossible! There were no less han thirteen general officers in coun11. and our estimate gave not a man ?ss than seven thousand, rank and ile." "Your estimate of the general offiers is correct, enough, sir," said Willams. firmly, "but mine of the men 3 not less so. The disparity between fflciais, and men, in our battles," coninued the speaker, innocently enough, has always been rather remarkable." A quick motion of Gates's head, a udden shooting glance of his eye, inimated his own perception of the sarasm. and apprised Williams, for the rst time, of the equivocal character of lis remark. His cheeks grew to scar;t, as he perceived its force, and his onfuslon would have been evident to lis superior, but that the general reieved him by turning away, with the a per crumpled up In his hands, sim>ly remarking as he left them? "Three thousand?that, is certainly elow the estimate of the morning: ut they are enough?enough for our lurpose." Williams longed to ask him what hat purpose was. but prudence retrained him. The only farther renark of Gates on the subject was utered as he was retiring? "You have delivered the orders, sir? -see them obeyed. There was no dlsent from them in council." True it is that there had been no lissent from them in council; but they k-ere scarcely submitted for examlnalon. There had been no consultation. ,nd their promulgation, out of council, t once provoked the most unrestraind animadversion. The officers genrally insisted that all opinion or discission had been silenced by the very 'ositive terms in which the orders had ieen expressed and, Indeed there could lave been little doubt, from all the ontext. that General Gates did not onceive it necessary that any refernce should be made to the opinions if those around him. The council ras simply the creature of a certain ense of military propriety, and was ielded by Gates rather to general no tlons of what was due to courtesy, than as a matter necessary to the great cause and deep interests In which he was engaged. The elder officers said little when the orders were conveyed to them. The veteran Baron De Kalb, presuming on his age and services, however, and the usual respect with which Oates had treated him hitherto, sought an interview with him, which was not denied. He suggested to him the diminished force of the army, so Infinitely inferior, as it was found to be, to the estimate which had been made of it in the morning. This he held a sufficient reason for changing the present resolution of advance for one less hazardous. There * vyaa iuiuiiici aiiu uiuie lumuie inwvu yet. "Two thirds of our army, your excellency is aware, are militia?men who have never yet seen service, and have scare been exercised in arms together." "True, baron, but" that Is an argument against using them at any period. They must begin some time or other." "Yes, your excellency; but our first experiments with them should be easy ones. By these orders, we are not only to march them; but to require them to form column, and to manoeuvre, by night. In the face of an enemy, and probably under his fire. This is the work of veterans only." "The danger seems to increase in magnitude, baron; does it not?" The old soldier drew himself up with dignity?his manly .person, no longer bowed or bent, his fine blue eye flashing, and his cheek saddening as he spoke; he replied; ? "I know not what your excellency's IC1I10.IXV 11 lev j II1CU.I1, UUl 111 . 1 UgUI u tu the greatness or the littleness of the danger, I who have been forty years a trusted soldier of the King of France, should care but little to encounter it. Were the question one affecting my life only, It were easily answered. I came to fight the battles of your country, sir, and am prepared, at all hours, to die In them." The rebuke had Its effect upon the commander, though he did not acknowledge it. His self-esteem was too great for that. Nor did he allow the suggestions of the baron to have any weight upon his previous determinations. With a commonplace compliment, the conference was closed, and De Kalb went back to his command? doubtful, pained, and justly offended. In camp, the dissatisfaction had rather tubsided, with the single exception, among the officers, of Colonel Armand. He took exception to the positive orders concerning himself, as implying a * doubt of his courage; at the same time he objected to the placing of his cavalry In front of a line of battle? certainly a very injudicious order, particularly as the legion of Armand was most heterogeneous in Its formation, and such a disposition of cavalry had never been made before. He complained that Gates had placed, him there from resentment, on account of a previous dispute between them touching the use of horses. "I do not say." said he, In broken English, "that General Gates Intends to sacrifice us; but I do say, that if such were his intentions, these are just the steps which he should take for it." Still, however, as it was not known that the enemy was positively in force before them, all the parties grew more satisfied, after a while, to proceed. The army moved on accordingly at the appointed hour. The two armies met at midnight. They first felt each other through the mutual salutation of small-arms, between their several advance guards. The cavalry of Armand's legion were the first to reel in the unexpected contest. They recoiled, and in their retreat, flying confusedly, threw the whole corps into disorder. This, with a similar recoil, fell back upon the front column of Infantry, disordered the first Maryland brigade, and occasioned a momentary consternation throughout the entire line of advance. But Colonel Porterfleld advanced from the wing, agreeably to first orders, threw in a prompt fire upon the British van, and his men gallantly cheering as they advanced, restored the general confidence. The British, seemingly no less astounded than the Americans, fell back after the first shock, and both parties seemed to acquiesce in a suspension of all further hostilities for the night Prisoners were taken on both sides in this rencontre, and the intelligence gained by those brought into the American camp, was productive of a degree of astonishment, in General Gates's mind, which found its way to his countenance. He called a council of war instantly. When the adjutant general communicated the call to De Kalb, the old veteran's opinion may be gathered from the response which he made to that officer? "Has the general given you orders to retreat the army, Colonel Williams?" "He has not," was the answer. "I will be with you in a moment, then, but will first burn my papers;" a duty which he performed, a short time after, with scrupulous promptitude. Assembled In the rear of the army, General Gates communicated the intelligence obtained from the prisoners just taken, and then, for the first time, proposed a question, implying some little hesitation on the subject of future operations. "What now Is to be done, gentlemen ?" For a few moments all were silent, until General Stevens of the Virginians, after looking round for some other to speak, advanced In front of the commander, and put his own answer In the form of a new inquiry. "Is It not too late, now, gentlemen, to do any thing but fight?" Another pause ensued, which, as it seemed to give assent to the last words of Stevens, General Gates himself interrupted? "Then we must fight, gentlemen, be pleased to resume your posts." Thou all mnvoH to their StRtlOtlS With the promptness of soldiers, but with the thoughts and feelings of men alsov who could not approve of what had been done, and who had nothing consoling In the prospect before them. Gates moved hurriedly for several moments up and down the little tent which had been raised for him within the hour. His manner was subdued, but cool. Once or twice he looked forth from Its cover with an air of anxiety, then turning to Williams, and the aides in attendance, he remarked? "This is a quiet night, gentlemen, but It promises to be a tedious one. What is the time. Colonel WaltonTl "A little after one, sir," was the reply. "You may leave me an hour, gentlemen?only an hour; we must prepare for daylight." Walton and Major Pinckney, together, strolled away, not requiring repose. The thought of Colonel Walton was with his child?the one?the one only ?who could fill his heart?who could inspire painful anxiety at such a moment in his mind. How fervent were his prayers in that hour for her safety, whatever fate In the coming events of the daylight, might award to him! CHAPTER XLIII. "Then came the cloud, the arrowy storm or war, The fatal stroke, the wild and whizzing shot, Seeking a victim?the close strife, the groan, And the shrill cry of writhing agony." If every thing was doubtful and uncertain in the camp of Gates, the state of things was very different in that of Cornwallls. That able commander knew his ground, his own men, and the confidence and the weakness alike of his enemy. That weakness, that unhappy confidence, were his security and strength. His own force numbered little over two thousand men; but they were tried soldiers, veterans In the British southern army, and familiar with their officers. The troops of Gates?two thirds of them at least? had never once seen service; and the greater number only now for the first (Continued on Fifth Page).