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the moment when they were moft neceffary. Lord Raw- 1781. don concluding that gen. Greene was not prepared for an action, and that a favorable moment offered, marched out to attack him. The Americans were cooking their victuals, and Greene was at breakfaft, about ten o'clock, when fome of his advanced fentinels, half a mile in front of the camp, fired upon the van of the British. The American troops were foon formed, and waited. with cheerful countenances the approach of the enemy: col. O. Williams then rode to head quarters, 2 or 300 yards in the rear of the line, and returned before they engaged. All the baggage, as is customary in general actions, was ordered off. The cavalry (which was unfaddled and feeding, on the firft alarm) was now ready; and fo certain was Greene of fuccefs, that without the leaft hesitation, he ordered lieut. col. Washington to turn the right flank of the British, and to charge in their rear. By this time the fire between the British van, and the American light infantry picquets became very lively; and the Maryland troops (who had been ordered to fit down) stood up and made ready. The fecond regiment, being on the left of the line, was ordered to advance and attack the British on their right flank, which was done by lieut. col. Ford, who received a mortal wound in the action: the firft regiment, commanded by col. Gunby, was ordered to charge the enemy in front. The two Virginia regiments were ordered to act in a similar manner upon the left of the British, and were led on by Greene in perfon, aided by gen. Huger, heut. cols. Campbell and Hawes. The artillery was well posted and doing great execution, and a small body of militia was coming into action, when fuddenly a number

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1781. number of the Americans began to retire, though the danger was not apparently great, and every body feemed ignorant of the caufe. Col. Williams was at this inftant near the centre of the Maryland brigade, and with the affiftance of col. Gunby and other officers, endeavoured to rally the men. They halted and gave a few fires; but could not be brought again to charge. A general retreat took place. Washington, in the execution of the order given him, had at one time poffeffed himself of near 200 prifoners: but he relinquished the greatest part on seeing the army retire. The officers he paroled on the field of battle; and then collecting his men, wheeled round, made his own retreat good with the lofs of three men, and carried off with him fifty prisoners. The fortune of the day was irretrievable: but Greene, with his ufual firmness, inftantly took measures to prevent Rawdon's improving the fuccefs he had obtained. The retreat was conducted with fuch order and deliberation, that most of the American wounded, all their artillery and all their baggage, were fafely carried off, together with fix royal commiffioned officers, beside Washington's prifoners. The action was continued with intervals, till about four in the afternoon, and till the Americans had retreated about four miles; when a detachment of the infantry and cavalry, under Washington, were ordered to advance and annoy the British. The York volunteers, a handfome corps of horfe, being a little advanced of the British infantry, Washington, with great intrepidity, inftantly charged them, killed a number and dispersed the reft. The British army, without attempting any thing further, retired to Camden, and Greene encamped the Americans about five miles

from

from their former pofition. cupied only by the dead.

The field of battle was oc- 1781. The lofs of the Americans in killed, wounded and miffing, was 264 *. Among the first was capt. Beatty of the Maryland line, one of the best of officers, and an orna...ent to his profeffion. Many of the miffing returned.

The next day Greene in general orders commended the exertions of feveral corps; but implicitly and by filence cenfured the infantry of the battalions; which would not have been done had he known the real caufe of their apparent mifconduct. The virtual cenfure was feverely felt, and the diffatisfaction of the troops upon the occafion, who faid they were ordered to retire, and the complaints of many of the officers who acknowledged they had communicated fuch orders, at length produced, at the inftance of col. Gunby, a court of inquiry. It then appeared that Gunby received orders to advance and charge bayonets without firing: this order was inftantly communicated to the regiment; which advanced cheerfully for fome distance, when a firing began on the right, and in a fhort time became general through the whole regiment. Soon after, two of the right hand companies gave way, when Gunby ordered the other four to be brought off. This was done, and they joined Gunby at the foot of the hill, where he was exerting himself in rallying the other two companies, and at length effected it. The regiment was again formed, and gave a fire or two as above related. Greene in general orders pronounced Gunby's fpirit and activity unexceptionable; but his order for the regiment to retire extremely improper and unmilitary; and declared that * The return to the Board of War.

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1781, to be the only probable cause why they did not obtain a complete victory.

April

28.

On the 28th gen. Greene thus expreffed himself in a letter to the chevalier de la Luzerne-" This diftreffed country I am fure cannot ftruggle much longer, without more effectual fupport. They may struggle a little while longer, but they must fall; and I fear their fall will lay a train to fap the independence of the rest of America. I have, agreeable to your excellency's advice, impressed the states all in my power with a fense of their danger; but they have not the means to make the neceffary exertions. We fight, get beaten, rise and fight again. The whole country is one continued fcene of blood and flaughter." On the 1ft of May he wrote to the marquis de la Fayette" You may depend upon it, that nothing can equal the fufferings of our little army, but their merit. Let not the love of fame get the better of your prudence; and plunge you into a misfortune in too eager a purfuit after glory. This is the voice of a friend, and not the caution of a general." Capt, Smith of the Americans was deprived of the common indulgence allowed to prifoners, on a charge brought against him by deferters from Greene's army, of murdering an officer and three privates belonging to the guards after the action of Guildford. Greene complained of it to lord Rawdon in a letter of May the 3d, and faid "Nothing can be more foreign to the truth than the charge. I have only to obferve upon it, that had fuch a charge been made against any of your officers, whom the fortune of war had thrown into our hands, before I should have treated them with any peculiar marks of indignity, I fhould firft have made the inquiry, and

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had the fact better established.-It is my wifh that the 1781. war fhould be conducted upon the moft liberal, national and generous principles; but I will never fuffer an indignity or injury to be offered to our officers without retaliation."

3.

Soon after the action with his lordship, Greene knowing that the British garrison in Camden could not subsist long without fresh fupplies from Charlestown or the country, detached a reinforcement to Marion on the road to Nelson's ferry; and on the 3d of May croffed the May Wateree, and took occasionally such pofitions as would most effectually prevent fuccours from going into the town from that quarter. On the 4th he wrote to governor Reed of Pennfylvania-" Those whose true interest it was to have informed congrefs and the people to the northward with the real ftate of things, have joined in the deception, and magnified the strength and resources of this country infinitely above their ability. Many of those who adhere to our party, are fo fond of pleasure, that they cannot think of making the neceffary facrifices to fupport the revolution. There are many good and virtuous people to the fouthward; but they cannot animate the inhabitants in general, as you can to the northward. When ruin appears to approach any state, they are alarmed and begin to think of exerting themselves; but its approach no fooner receives a check, than they fink back into a careless inattention.-Virginia has exerted herself in giving a temporary fupport to the army; but her pleasure and her policy prevent her giving us fuch permanent aid, as her ftrength and refources are capable of affording.-Maryland has done nothing, nor can I hear of any exertions there equal to the emergency

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