Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-06-14


site between the rivulet and the village. i
The garrison at Ninety-Six was command.
ed by Colonel John Cruger, a man Of good
family, native of New York city, brave
soldier and very superior officer. His COM
maud consisted of FIVE hundred and fifty
men. OF these, two hundred were New Jer-
sey volunteers, and one hundred and fifty
werea detachment from Delancey's loyal bat
TALON of New York. The remainder were
tories from the neighborhood, commanded
by Colonel King. 1t will be seen that in the
conflict which we are about to describe,
American was pitted against American, and
neighbor against neighbor. .,.' .... .
So soon after the capture of fort CRANKY as
Lieutenant. Colonel Darlington had completed
his ARA ngements for transporting the bag
gage of the American army, and the stores
which had been secured at the several forts
recently captured, General Greene broke up
his camp at Fridays ferry on the Congaree,
and set out, by the most direct route, for
Ninety.Six. The distance between Fridays
ferry and Ninety-Six, is about sixty miles:
On the 22d of May-the day after the sur
render of fort Galphin-General Greene ar
rived in the immediate vicinity of the only
remaining British post in South Carolina, in
the interior of the State. By the prudence,
skill and indomitable courage Of the subal-
tern officers and troops belonging to General
Greene's army, the British strongbolds and
provision depots had melted away like morn
ing clouds. Ninety-Six would have been
abandoned had not all communications be-
tween it and the other British posts been so
completely cut off by the Americans.
General Greene could not but feel intense
ly anxious with regard to the success of his
undertaking. His individual successes here.
tofore in the South, had consisted rather in
battling the undertakings and disconcerting
the plans of the enemy, than in positive vic
tories. As yet no British officer had been
forced to surrender to him in person. At
Guilford Court House and Hobkirks Hill,
his victory consisted in depriving his enemy
of q grand triumph. 1t must be confessed
that from the moment of his arrival at Nine
tySix, General Greene was not very sanguine
of success. He found the place in good
condition both to resist an assault and to
stand siege. Colonel Cruger had not been
idle. Aided by Lieutenant Haldane, skill.
full engineer belonging to the corps attached
to Corvallis command, he continued, day
and night, to strengthen his works. General
Greene determined to undertake the reduc-
ton of this post by regular siege. His force
consisted of less than one thousand Cont
mental soldiers and a varying number Of un-
drilled militia. These latter troops, in some
kinds of warfare, did wonders; but in reg
ular siege or pitched battle. they were not of
much avail These troops were stationed in
four camps, about half mile distant from
four sides of the enemy's works. Such was
the position of the American epcampments,
that the enemy, as we'll as tho spring from
which they received supplies of water, were
entirely enclosed.
Thaddeus Kosciusko, the celebrated Po-
lander, was with General Greene as chief of
his engineers. On the evening of the 22nd of
May, ground was broken short distance
north of the star redoubt. Colonel Cruger
was not slow in discovering the designs of the
American Generals. With promptness and
energy which showed that he was superior
officer, he began to make preparations to repel
the approach of the Americans. He possess
ed but three pieces of cannon. These he
mounted on wheels and placed upon plat.
form constructed for the purpose. His para.
pets were manned with infantry, whose accu-
racy with their deadly rifle, seldom missed the
object of their aim. Under cover Of the ar
tilIery and riAemen, a sallying party, under
Lieutenant Roney, supported by Major
Green, rushed out of the enemy's bitches upon
the beseigers. In moment the guards were
either bayonetted or driven away; the lately
begun works of the Americans were destroyed,
and their entrenching tools carried of. The
gallant Roney was mortally wounded. This
was all the loss the enemy sustained So Wig
orously and so promptly did '.e sallying par
ty act, that although General Greene sent a
reinforcement to succor Kosciusko, the work
was complete before the detachment arrived
Under the direction of fKosciusko, ground was
again broken on the night of the 23rd. This
time, the besiegers commenced operations at
point more distant and under cover of a ra
vine.
A grave mistake seems to have been made
at the very outset. The garrison were sup
piled with water by the spring. This was
guarded by stockade fort and the fortified
Jail. 1t would seem that the first effort should
have been made to deprive the garrison of
the use of the spring. Instead Of this being
attempted, the approaches, by parallels, was
begun on the opposite side of the enemy's
works, thus leaving them in updisturbed pos
session of the spring and rivulet. The pick.
axe and spade were piled, day after day, BY
the Americans, but the work advanced slow
". The brave Koscusko was censured on
account of his slowness, and General Greene
was blamed for submitting to his engineer so
entirely.
On the forenoon of the 9th of June, Colonel
Lee, with his legion, arrived at Ninety.Six,
and General Pickens followed in few days.
Lee and Pickeus were directed to operate
against the stockade fort, which, in part,
guarded the spring. Lee pushed forward the
work assigned him with great dispatch. On
the second day after his arrival, he had COM