Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-07-06

ton to engage in battle. The keen eye o.
Tarleton had not failed to discover this spot
CORVALLIS was anxious to gain this place and
he succeeded in doing so.
Precisely at ten o'clock on the evening o.
the fifteenth of August, 1880, the American
forces commenced their march toward Gam
den in the following order: Armand's corps
commanded by Colonel Armand, formed the
advance. This was an awful blunder in Gen
eral Gates. Colonel Armand was French
man, and most of his officers were foreigners
and, worse than all, the majority OF his meI
were deserters, and by no means to be depend
ed upon in an emergency. However brave
Colonel Armand may have been, he could not
in the strict sense of the word, have been call
ed patriotic.
Notwithstanding these facts, Gates put
Armand's corps of deserters in the advance
On the right Of Armand's corps, Colonel Por
ter6eld's light infantry were ordered to march
in Indian file, two hundred yards from the
road. Colonel Armstrong; light infantry
were to march on the left of Armand's corps
in the same order as that pointed out to Col
onel Porter6eld. The centre was composed
of the first and second Maryland brigades
together with the North Carolina and Virgin
ia divisions. The volunteers formed the rear
guard, and the baggage was guarded by the
cavalry. The most profound silence was to
be kept during the march, and any soldier T.
ring gun, was to be put to death on the spot.
At midnight the British troops crossed
Saunders creek. A few minutes past two
o'clock, on the morning of the sixteenth
of August, the van guards of the two armies
met. This was unexpected to the American
General. He fully believed that CORVALLIS,
on hearing of his approach to Camden, would
retreat with precipitation and dismay. The
van guards of both armies began to fire.
Armand's corps cowardly wheeled back, and
in great disorder fed, producing confusion in
the main divisions of the army. Armstrong
and Porter6eld gallantly rushed forward to
the contest and brought the van guard of the
British to halt. The firing continued for
about fifteen minutes, when both parties ceased
firing, and with intense anxiety began to
make preparations for general battle so soon
as day would dawn.
Cornwallis found that his position was most
favorable. A swamp was on both sides of
him, and he could not be fanked.. So soon
as General Gates learned that the British
army was in his front, ready to give him bat
tie, he called his general officers together.
1t was now evident to all that General Gates
had made miscalculation. He thought his
great name would frighten the British. When
the officers assembled, profound silence pre-.
vailed. No one dared, for long time, to
make even suggestion, knowing that il all
probability General Gates would do his own
way, in any event. General Stevens, of Vir-
ginia, at last dared to break the silence, by
remarking that 'it was now too late to re-
treat" General Gates, conscious, no doubt,
that he had committed huge blunder in
leaving Rugeley's mill so precipitately, re-
piled "Then, we must fight! Gentlemen,
please take your posts"
As day began to dawn, the two military
commanders began to arrange their forces for
the conflict The British General placed the
and ID izaartai in the
front line of the army on the right. This
advance was commanded by Lieutenant-Colo-
mel Webster. His right rested on the swamp
and his left extended to the road. The left
front division, composed of Hamilton's and
Bryan's loyalsts, some Irish volunteers and
legion of infantry, was commanded by Lord
Rawdon. The left flank of Rawdon rested
upon swamp. The artillery was placed near
the road. The cavalry were ordered, on &C.
count of the thickness of the wood, to remain
in column, and be ready, when an opportunity
presented itself, to dash in upon the Ameri-
cans. The British force, including officers
and men, numbered two thousand and two
hundred.
Immediately after it was determined, on the
part of the American General, to fight, he
made the following disposition of his forces /:
The right wing, composed of three regiments
of the Maryland line, was commanded by
General Gist. The Virginia militia, COM
manded by General Stevens, with some light
infantry and Porter6eld's corps, formed the
left wing. The North Carolina, militia com.
manded by General Caswell, formed the CEN
tre. Colonel Armand supported the left wing
with his cavalry. The artillery was placed
mainly on the left of the right wing, near the
road. The exact number of men under the
command of Gates, it is, perhaps, impossible
to ascertain with certainty. The British au.
thorities say he had two thousand continent
als and four thousand militia and State troops.
This, no doubt, was the number on his muster
roll but there must have been at least two
thousand absent
When the light of day approached, Cen
eral Gates found some fault with the position
held by Generals Caswell and Stevens. This
he attempted to remedy by making change
in their positions. The British officers per.
ceived this and reported it to Corvallis No
sooner did CORVALLIS learn this fact than he
ordered Webster and Rawdon to make the
attack at once The fight became general, in
few moments, all along the line. At the
first onset the American artillery opened on
the advancing columns Of the British. Col.
onel Williams and General Stevens pressed
upor the British right. Colonel Webster
seeing this, brought his force to bear upon
Williams and Stevens, and soon the Virginia
militia gave way and fled in confusion. The
North Carolina militia soon became panic
struck on seeing the V;rginians flee, and they
fled too. The right of the Americans was
galantly defended by Gist and DeKalb.
The Continental troops and Dixon's regi-
ment of North Carolina militia, were left
alone to meet the foe. The Maryland and
Delaware troops fought with desperate cour-
age. Notwithstanding the fact that the Brit.
ish we're now flushed with victory and pressed
forward with that impulse, the troops under
DeKalb and Gist stood firm. Colonels How
ard and Williams charged the enemy and
broke their line.
The result of the battle was uncertain.
Tarleton and Webster had been ordered to
pursue the fugitives and drive them from the
field. DeKalb, ignorant of the real state of
things, in order to follow up the advantage
.o;noa hu Williams and Howard made q