New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-12

hesitation bowed low and pressed it to hi
lips, but with somewhat more of warmth
than was required by the stately courtes,
of the day. Their eyes met for an instant
and then. without one word of spoke,
adieu, they parted. When Miss Stea,
turned to join her friend she found hersel
alone with old Billy, who was gazing afte
the fast receding form of the troopers
"Mass' Tahlton done ketch de debbil e
he meet dem Virginia man tonight,
said the old fellow sententiously as b
slowly retired into his pantry.
II.
On the twelfth of May, 1880, Genera
Lincoln, after sustaining close siege O
more than months duration, surren
dered Charleston with 5000 men and 4Ol
pieces Of artillery into the hands of ST
Henry Clinton. The cloud which had lonI
been threatening Lower Carolina now set
tied like pail over the whole State, ant
but for two causes the whole issue of tn,
war might have been changed. One O
these was the severity of CORVALLIS, who
succeeded Clinton in the command, and
who by his unwise policy drove the des
pondent people to desperation; the othe1
was the indomitable courage and self
devoted heroism of the women, which
encouraged and strengthened the flag.
glng patriotism of the men. The militia
who had been captured with the city re.
garded themselves as absolved from q
parole which did not protect them from
enlistment in the ranks of the crown,
and the irregular bands of Marion, Pick.
ems and Sumter received large accessions.
Mill saws were roughly forged into sabres,
and pewter table ware melted and beaten
into slugs for the shutguns with which
the men We're armed. The British dared
not forage except in force, the pickets
were shot from ambushes, and their Tory
allies hung whenever captured. In Au-
gust the disastrous battle of Camden de-
stroyed Gates army, and the Congress
sent Greene to supersede him. Making
his headquarters in North Carolina, this
experienced commander divided his forces
and sent General Morgan, with about 1000
men, into South Carolina to harass Corn
wallis in the rear The latter at once
sent Tarleton with HOO troopers, among
them his famous Legion, to cut off Nor
gan or drive him back upon Greene. In
the latter part of December the Americans
were in the region Of the upper Broad
river, in Spartanburg district, South
Carolina, Morgan having but 100 mounted
men-they could hardly be called cav
whom was Washington's
troop.
It was about nine o'clock on the night
of the sixteenth of January, 1881, that
the little army was encamped between the
Pacolet and Broad rivers, near piece Of
thin woodland known as Hannahs Cow
pens. The weather was very cold, for the
elevation of that part of the country pro-
duces temperature equal in severity to
that of much higher latitude, but
neither tents nor shanties protected the
sleeping soldiers from the frosty air.
Here and there rough shelter of pine
boughs heaped together to windward of
the smouldering campires told of a squad
who had not been too weary to work tor a
little show Of comfort; but in most cases
the men were stretched out on the bare
ground, their feet toward the embers and
their arms wrapped up with them in their
10 keep out the cold. The regular
:roops, who had seen some service, might
nave been easily distinguished from the
ess experienced militia by their su-
oerior sleeping arrangements. Two
md sometimes three men would be
iound wrapped in one blanket, spoon
ashton" with another blanket stretched
above them on four stakes to serve as a
entity, and their fires were usually large
md we'll covered with green branches to
prevent their burning out too rapidly.
One and all, however, slept as soundly
Is if reposing on beds of down, while
he same quiet stars smiled on them and
N the anxious wives and mothers who
ay waking and praying in many dis
ant home. In and out among the weird
md shifting shadows of the outer lines
he dim figures of the sentinels stalked,
With their old "Queen Anne" muskets
It the ''right-shoulder shift, or tramped
Jack and forth along their beats at the
to keep their blood in cir
ulation. At a little distance from the
Infantry camp the horses of Washing
on's dragons and McCall's mounted
ieorgians were picketed in groups of ten,
be saddles piled together, and sentinel
'aced between every two groups, while
be men were stretched around their fires.
leeping on their arms like the infantry,
Or it was known that Tarleton had
rossed the Pacolet that day, and an at
ack was expected at any time. A party
f officers were asleep near one of the
res, with nothing, however, to distin-
uish them from the men but the red or
uff facings Of their heavy cloaks. One
{ these lay with his face to the stars,
leering as placidly as if his boyish form
ere safe beneath his mothers roof. One
rm lay across his chest, clasping to his
ody the staff OF small cavalry flag,
lille the other stretched along his side,
ae hand resting unconsciously upon a
olster-case Of pistols. As the glare of
lie neighboring fire played over his feat
res it was easy to recognize Walter Pey-
N, guarding faithfully, even in his
eep, the banner which Jane Elliott had |
it from her mothers parlor foMeuH, |
I'D which had already become known
the enemy. A rough log cabin
God little way from the bivouac, before
hich two sentinels in the uniform of the |
ontinental regulars were pacing up and |
own. The CLEAN of the roaring light
God fire flashed through the open seams
stween the logs, and heavy volumes of
noke rolled out Of the clay chimney.
lst in front of the huge fireplace stood
Re tall, burly figure of Morgan, and near
N were grouped, in earnest consulta-
On, the manly figure Of William Wash
gton, the brave and knightly John
ager Howard, of Maryland, Mcdowell,
riplett, Cunningham, and officers of the
I'D and staff. Determination not un-
ingled with gloom was visible upon the
ces of all. Every arrangement had been
ade for the probable fight Of the NOR
W, and the council was about to dis
rse, when the silence of the night was
oxen by the call Of distant sentinel,
ken up and repeated along the line.
AIorcta,a i,aS4a,at xix. dissaatalaod ordorl5z |