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THE MONUMENT UX\"EIIiED. vContinued From Page Two. very serious condition of unrest and disaffection to the revolutionary ad? ministration and its measures, which existed in the upper and back coun? try. "The commission left Charles Town . earl;c in August. 1775, and on August 7 addressed a communication to the council of safety from the Congaree store, near Granby, in which they say: " 'We have consulted with Col. Richardson" (Col. Richard Richard? son, colonel of the Camden regiment of militia) 'touching Mr. Sumter's application to the council. The colo? nel readily approved not only the measure, but the man, notwithstand? ing Kirkland' (a dissatisfied Tory, who had been a Whig) 'recommended him as his successor in the company of rangers, which he has so treacher? ously quitted and attempted to dis? band. The colonel, nevertheless, from his seeming connection with Kirkland, proposes to keep a sharp eye upon Mr. Sumter's conduct.' "To this the council of safety re? plied on the 13th of August. 1775: " 'We think it best to postpone the consideration of a military appoint? ment for Mr. Sumter until your re? turn, or till we more clearly under? stand vfhat duty he proposes to take upon himself and upon what consid? eration.' "The council, however, later made the appointment,* fo1?* w*j ?nd him in November. 1775, holding the office of ? . captain in Col. Wm. Thompson's reg? iment of rangers. "The position of affairs in the back country had become so threatening in November, 1775, that Col. Richard Richardson had been ordered to march to the assistance of Maj. An? drew Williamson, who was then ac? tually besieged at Ninety-Six by the Tory insurgents. Col. Richardson was in command of the army, which, in addition to his own regiment and oth? er bodies of militia, included Col. Wm. Thomson's regiment of rangers. This advance of Col. Richardson was entirely successful. All armed oppo? sition was put down, the insurrection crushed and the daders of the insur? gents taken, while their followers were largely disarmed. The campaign was carried on under circumstances of uncommon exposure and hardship., so as to give it the name of the 'snow campaign,' but so successful was the result that the provincial congress in "March. 1776, presented their thanks to Col. Richardson, and the officers and men under his command, for che important and signal services :hey had . rendered. On thiscampaign CVpt. Thomas Sumter of the regiment of rangers was constituted by Col. Rich ? ardson adjutanc general, and Maj. Jo? seph Kershaw was appointed major of brigades, commissary general and treasurer. " 'AH .of which appointments' (says Drayton in his memoirs) 'were conducted and filled by the two above-named officers in a manner highly honorable to themselves. - and advantageously for the public ser? vice.' Members of Second Provincial -Con' gress. "A new election had been held for members of the provincial congress in August. 1775, and Thomas Sumter was again elected a delegate from the district eastward of Wateree riv? er-thus becoming a member of the second provincial congress. This provincial congress met in November, 1775. and one of its acts was to raise , a regiment of artillery, constituting the fourth regular regiment in the service of the revolutionary govern? ment. "The provincial congress adjourned on the 30th November. 1775, to meet again on the 1st February. 1776. hav? ing elected a new council of safe-: . with powers still more enlarged than the former. The provincial congress having reassembled on the 1st. Febru? ary. 1776. on the 22d February aug? mented their military establishment . by raising two ri?e regiments-thus making a total of six regiments in the regular military establishmbent. Thomas Sumter was appointed lieu? tenant colonel commandant nf the second of these regiments, being the sixth regiment in order of the whole. At the same time William Hendersor was appointed major of this second regiment of riflemen. On March 26, this- second provin? cial congress, of which Sumter was a member as a delegate,from the dis? trict east of the Wateree river, re? solved itself ito the general assembly of the State and adopted a full form of government-executive, legislative and judicial-and elected a president, council, judges and other proper offi? cers to carry on the government, and. after providing for the election of a general assembly to be held in Octo? ber, 1776, adjourned on the 11th April, 1776. Battle Ol Fort Moultrie. The attack on Charles Town in June. 1776, found Sumter with his j regiment as part of the defensive force in the city. While Col. William Moultrie, of the Second regiment w;i in command of the fort on Sullivan's - Island, which became the object of the British attack. Col. Thomson of rhe Third regiment was placee command of a force on the ea end of the island to hold that pa the island and prevent Sir B Clinton, who was with a large ish force on Long Island (now e the Isle of Palms), from crossing to Sullivan's Island. Col. Sumtei pears to have been stationed aloni mainland, from HaddrelFs Point i Mount Pleasant) towards Long and to repel any attempted ero: of the enemy from Long Island the mainland. Of the force so tioned. with the detachments ; other regiments, .he seems to '. been in command. "As the conflict that took t on the 28th June. 1776, was coni to the attack by the fleet on Moultrie, and the skirmish betv Col. Thomson's force and the en on Long Island, Col. Sumter nae active part in it. "In August. 1776. Gen. Charles undertook and expedition to ] Florida with the expectation of e ly taking possession of St. August He was allowed the assistance of military establishment of South Ci lina. Detachments from the ? first regiments accompanied "him the 11th August. 1776. The remair of ' "-oops, including Sumter's r n IL. followed. The expedition r proceed beyond Savannah. Tr Gen. Lee received, in September, express. calling him northw; whither he departed at once, expr* ing before he left his high sense the conduct and behavior of the < cers of the South Carolina troc These troops surf'' ed terribly fr sickness incurred .ii ?the expedition Georgia, whence their were gradu< withdrawn. A Continental Officer. "In June and July, 1776, the Cor nental congress passed a resolution take upon the continental military tablishment all troops upon the r ular establishments of the colon: In pursuance of this action of c< gress the general assembly of Soi Carolina on 20th September, 17 transferred to the continental est* lishment the six regiments of prov cial regulars. This included C Sumter's regiment. AU the officers these regiments exchanged their cb missions hitherto held from the pi vince for commissions in the con nental service of the same grade c tering the continental line as your est officers of their respective rani Sumter, therefore, became a color in the continental service, his comm sion ranking as of that date. "E-x%ctly when Sumter had recei ' ed his commission as colonel does n appear. He was originally, in Fe mary. 1776. appointed lieutenant c< one! of the Sixth regiment. There no distinct mention of his appoin ment as colonel, but, inasmuch as the orders of the time designatii him to sit on courtmartials and refe ring to him for other duties, refer him as Col. Sumter-and these refe enees are in the military order boo: of the time, and must be presumed denote rank and precedence with mi itary exactness, there can be no dou he had received his commission. "At the same time there is mentioi ed Lieut. Col. Henderson, of tl Sixth regiment. If Henderson, wh had been originally appointed majo was later lieutenant colonel. Sumte who commanded the same regimen was evidently colonel. "On the 26th September, 177* Francis Marion, then major , of tr, Second regiment, received his corr j mission as lieutenant colonel of th? ; regiment. "Sumter.i therefore, ranked Mario by seniority of promotion in tue con tinental line. Neither of them eve received any higher rank in the con tinenta? service. "In 1777 the command of the troop in South Carolina, after the departur of Gen. Lee and Gen. James Moore devolved upon Gen. Robert Howe who, upon information that the ene my were about to invade Georgia went off to Savannah, where he wa followed by a strong detachment o the continental troops in South Caro lina, and Gen. Sumter, with his regi ment, must have been part of it, a: in March. 1777. his regiment was ir Savannah, whence they returned som* time in June. "In December, 177V, Sumter was ir Charles Town, as on the 13th De? cember he sat as a member of a coun? cil of war to pass upon the question whether detachments from the conti? nental regiments could with propriety be sent on the proposed expedition. Ir the names of the officers composing the council he is styled 'Col. Sump ter,' whereas Elliot and Marion, who were als', members, are styled 'lieu? tenant Colonel.' In Active Service Until 1778. "Sumter seems to have continued with his r<-irirnvi7L on service in and around Charles Town, for his regi? ment and himself are mentioned un? til April. 1778. in the order books of Uv- First regiment, which have been published, and in Moultrie's l< tiers. The last reference we have to him it this period is in a lett.-r from '"en. Moultrie to Gen. Howe, dated April !'?. 1778, wherein Sumter's regiment is mentioned as being in Charles Towri. The order book of the First regiment refers to his regiment as in Charles Town 5th February, From that date until after the : Charles Town in 17S0 we find no tion of bim in militan-service, not mentioned in any of the m: operations during the last ha '177$, or in 1770, or the first h; 17S0. VThe late Cen. Wilmot G. De sure prepared a list of the nan: the officers who served in the : Carolina regiment on the Contir astablishment. This list was pi by order of the legislature of i Carolina in 1S86, and republish the Year Book of the city of Ch; ton for IS93. In this list it is s that he resigned on Septembe: 1778. No authority for this s ment is given. The list gives his as lieutenant colonel of the Sixth iment. which fs evidently a mis as he was a full colonel. McCra< his history states that domestic Miction having come upon him ir loss of all his children but one. inactivity of the service at the induced him to resign in Septen 1777. "However all this may be. in '. mary, 17S0, . the Continental eons resolved to reduce the five infa regiments in the establishment South Carolina to three. The five iments before known, respective!} the First. Second. Third. Fifth Sixth, were combined and reduce J three, and the officers named w Col. C. C. Pinckney to the F Lieut. Col. Marion to the Second. Colt Thomson to the Third, with ? derson as lieutenant colonel of Third. British Overrun South Carolina "On the 12th April," 17S0, Li Col. Tarleton at the head of the> E ish cavalry, surprised and practic destroyed the American cavalry, c< manded by Gen. Huger, ' at Mom I Corner. On 12th May the city j Charles Town had been surrende to the British, under Sir Henry C j ton. carrying with this surrender entire regular American army j South Carolina. On the 6th M j Tarleton had again surprised and J feated the remnants' of the Amerh cavalry at Lenud's ferry, on the S; J tee. The only organized body j American troops left in South Ca lina was a force of about 350" Cor j nentals, under Col. Buford of Virg I ia. who. after the fall of Char I Town, was in full retreat towal j North Carolina. Tarleton purst j him with great celerity-came j with him at Waxhaws, in what j now Lancaster county, and. althou having a much inferior force, attac I ed at once and practically destroy j Buford's entire force-Tarletoi troops refusing quarter, and contin I ing the massacre after surrender in way that gave proverbial force to t J term' 'Tarleton's quarters.' "The effect of this succession of d j feats was to practically termina J armed resistance in South Carolin The entire State lay. as it seeme prostrate and helpless at the mer I of the enemy. "On the 4th June, 17S0, Sir Hen Clinton wrot? from his headquarte in Charles Town that he could asse that there were few men in Soul Carolina who were not either his pri oners or in arms with him. "This was true. Every continent; organization had been captured < dispersed. The militia were stunnc J and despondent at home, awaitin j each man to see what would be th next step. The only armed men i field were the British troops an their Tory sympathizers, who nc gathered, organized and began to as sert themselves. It was the # lowes ebb of the tide. British Burn Sumter's Home. "In his pursuit of? Buford Tarleto: passed through Clearmont, now th region around Stateburg, in Sumte county. In his pasage the Eritisl went to the plantation of Sumte: and burned his house, turning hi: family out of doors. In the prefac* to some verses on Sumter, publisher in the Charleston Courier on 14tl November. 1S63, the writer statei that Gen. Sumter was aroused frorr sleep by his servants on the approach of the British and took shelter in a thicket, within a few hundred yards of his family mansion, and from that place he saw his family expelled from the dwelling, which was then set on fire and destroyed. "McCrady, in his history, says he left his house a few hours before Tarleton reached his plantation and escaped into North Carolina. and that Tarleton, on reaching Sumter's plantation and finding he was gone, burnt his house. Sumter Begins Organized Resistance. "Buford's force had been destroyed on the L'6th Many. 1780. Within L?s than two months thereafter, viz. about tie- middle of July. Sumter returned from North Carolina and established a camp on (Mom's creek, in what is now lancaster county. This camp represented the first organized force in the SIM.- formed after Buford's de? feat There bad preceded ii conflicts between Whigs and Tories, hut these had been conflicts between parties gathered, so t<. say. for the occasion and which dispersed when th? occa? sion was over. Sumter's camp repre? sented an attempt te create a contin uing bodj on the basis of a military Organization. He held at this tiri apparently, no commission whi gave him any legal right t<? conti the organization so effected by hi His men were, like himself, only v< unteers. Their organization was pur ly volutarily and equally so was th? selection of Sumter as a leader, was the recognition of the capabiii and not of any legal right. After t formation of this camp it was r long before the number of Sumte: command was swelicd by the ace? sion of Whigs from all parts-so th he soon had nearly 500 men und his command. Of . stores, supplh arms and ammunition they were first nearly destitute. "Says Moultrie in his memoir .They sometimes began an action wi mot more than three rounds per ma and were obliged to wait to be su plied with more by the fall of the friends or enemies in battle. Wh< they proved victorious they supplh themselves with arms and ammun tion from the killed and wounded.' "And Ramsay states with mo: particularity: ? " "His followers were in a ^rre measure unfurnished with arms ar ammunition, and they had no mag? zincs from which they might draw supply. The iron tools on the neigl boring farms were worked up f< their use by common blacksmiths in1 rude weapons of war. They supplie themselves in. part with bullets t melting the pewter with which the were furnished by private housekeei ers. They sometimes came to batt when they had not three rounds man and some were obliged to kee at a distance ?ill bv the fall of othei they were supplied with arms. Whe they proveo, victorious they wer obliged to rifle the dead and wounde of their arms and ammunition t equip them for their next engage ment. At the head of these volur teers Col. Sumter penetrated int South Carolina and recommenced military opposition to the British, ai ter it had been suspended for abou six weeks.' - "This initiation of organized resist ance was made at a time when th inhabitants of the State had gener ally abandoned all idea and effort o further armed -opposition; and t Sumter is due the credit. [fuck's Defeat. "Action soon followed organizatior "The- British had established a mil itary station at Rocky Mountain, i: what is now Lancaster county. Th commandant at this post sent Capt Christain Huck-the notorious Cap Huck-to repair among the Torie the consequences of the dispersal u .a party of them shortly before a Fishing creek. Huck commanded 3 dragoons of Tarleton.'s legion, 2 mounted infantry of the New Tori volunteers and about. 60 Tory nativ militia. He was, therefore, un com mand of a force of regular Britisl soldiers in addition to militia. Hucl in his progress destroyed the forage furnace and mill at Hill's iron works and advanced, destroying the country and committing offensive outrages or inoffensive inhabitants until, on thi 12th July, he had taken post at WTil liamson's plantation, in York county Here in the early morning Huck wai attacked by a detachment of volun? teers from Sumter's camp and, a*fte* a short engagement. Huck was killec and his command entirely dispersed The British lost between 30 and 4< killed and 50 wounded. The Ameri? can's lost one man killed. "The effect upon the representatives great. It has been well characterize*: as ?nf of the turning points in thc Revolution. It was the first success gained over the royal forces since their landing for investment at Char? les Town. It was-a success won by an enemy composed in part at least of regular British troops. Its result was to reinforce Sumter's force by 600 additional men. "The effect upin the representatives of the royal cause was equally great. They had considered the State practi? cally conquered, and armed resistance at an end. From this pleasant dream the fight at Williamson's and the death of Capt. Huck awakened them. "They found themselves faced by an army-although small-in organ? ized shape and led by commanders wh:> were evidently in earnest and knew their business. ' Among the British commanders who had asserted in their official dis? patches that the inhabitants fr<>m ev? ery quarter had declared their alle? giance to the king and that there were few men in South Carolina that were not either prisoners or in arms for the king, this unlooked for im? pediment of a military force in arms against the king, which had actually defeated and dispersed a force com? posed in part of regular British troops, flushed with continuous suc? cess-in short this impediment, nam? ed Thomas Sumter, 'roused all the passions, which disappointed ambi? tion can inspir?-.' They were 'over? whelmed with astonishment and till ed with indignation.' i "Sumter- essentially a leader of t action-did not lone remain quies? cent. On the 1st August, 17S0, he made -i spirited attack upon tko British intrenched post at Rock> Mount: The post was too strong to be carried without artillery arni Sum ter's assault was repulsed. Fight at Hanging; Hook. "A few days later, on the 6th gust. 1780, he attacked the garr? j at Hanging Rock. That garrison c [ sisted of 500 men, consisting of infantry of Tarlcton's legion. Prince of Wales' American regim part of Col. Browne's corps of i vincials and Col. Bryan's North Ci lina loyalists. Thc whole was un the command of Maj. Carden, of Prince of Wales' regiment. The tacking force numbered about > The result of the action was not c elusive. The British camp was ta' and plundered, but the Ameri< force finally withdrew, leaving field in possession of the Brit whose loss exceeded that of the tacking forces. "Within the space of a month command under Sumter had 1 three engagements with British r i ular troops, and in each case Americans had been the attack; party. "While these operation of Sum -contemporaneously with similar < erations. but on a smaller scale. other partizan leaders-were in prc ress, an army was on its way fr< the northward to assist the h ai presseld American forces in the sou This army consisted of about 2,2 continental soldiers, composed of re. ments from the Maryland and De ware line, and were under the coi mand of Gen. De Kalb, but on t 25th July De Kalb was superseded his command by Gen 'ioratio Gat' the so-called hero of Saratoga. Gi Gates, with- additional reinforcemen crossed the South Carolina line on t 4th August, and. having formed junction with the North Carolina n Iitia under Gov Caswell, pressed dov towards Camden, where the Brit! army lay. There Lord Cornwallis h; taken command and was present person. Sumter, who, wkh the for under him. had reached Gates, hea: . that a large convoy, with clochb and stores for the British army Camden, was on its way to that poi by the road between McCord's ferr on the Congaree, and the ferry ov the Wateree. about a mile from Can den. He proposed to Gates that 1 should intercept this convoy. Gat assented and sent to join him in ti attack on the convoy a detachment i 400 continental regulars, with tw brass field pieces. "Sumter's attack was made on tl 15th August and was wholly succ?s ful. The entire convoy and its guai were captured, and Sumter, with h prizes and prisoners in his possessio commenced his retreat up the wes ern side of the Wateree river. "Gates, without waiting for Sun ter's return, had advanced to war Cornwallis who, in like manner, wc advancing himself. The two armi( joined in battle near Camden on th 16th August, and the result was or of the most complete defeats ever ir flicted upon an American Army." After telling of Sumter's defeat a Fishing Creek., his subsequent ral!} the commission of Gov. Rutledg< making him a brigadier general, an reciting his history as the great "Gam Cock" leader, down to and includin: the date ?of his resignation from th army, in January, 17S2, Mr. Srnit read many testimonials paid to hi valor and bravery. His service ii . the general assembly was then toi' of. and then his services in the na tional house of representatives am the United States senate, dowr td th? date of his resignation in 1S10. "Hf was an ardent follower am supporter of Mr. Jefferson and ari" un? swerving opponent of the Federal ists and all the measures which cul? minated in the alien and seditior laws of 171*8. In the life of Gen Sumter in Appleton's Encyclopaedi? of American Biography it is stated that Gen. Sumter was 'a zealous Fed? eralist.' No authority is given for thi? statement and if we are to be guided by Sumter's actions in opposing all Federalist measures and his own declaration he was exactly the oppo? site. He was an admirer as well as a su porter of Mr. Jefferson and de? clared the Virginia and Kentucky res? olutions of ! 7S to embody the true construction of the constitution. "So close were the relations be? tween Jefferson and himself that on March 24. ISOlTMr. Jefferson writes him a personal letter addressing him a* 'My Dear General.' and telling him that he had determined in future to name the secretaries of legations in place of allowing ministers to take a private secretary of thei/ own. That Chancellor Livingston bad accepted the mission to France and that he had selected Gen. Sumter's son as the secretary of legation I? France if the appointment would b - acceptable to him, ar"! requesting th- ?enera! tc maire the proposition to his son. Retires to Private Life. "After his resignation Gen. Sumter retired to his private estate. South Mount, near Stateburg, in Sumter dis? trict, in the district he had so longh? and faithfully represented. He was .st the Lime of his n tirement 76 years of age. Although he retired from aktive publie life to the quiet and un ostentious life of a South Caroli? na planter and country gentleman, he neverthless continued to take an act