Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-03-29
Mistury uf 8. Taruliua.

HISTORICAL SKETCHES
OF THE
EarIy Settlement of South Carolina
BY REV. ROBERT IArHAB.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF CAMDEN.
At Ramsey's mill, on Deep river, Genera
Greene consulted with the officers in his army
with reference to the proper course to be pnr
sued. CORVALLIS was gone. Evidently, th'
British, although boasting that they wer'
victorious, were not disposed to meet Greene
again. The majority of the officers in Greene
army advised that the pursuit of Cornwalli
be continued, either by advancing directly e
Wilmington, or by placing the American
forces between Wilmington and Virginia, *
as to be able to prevent the advance Of Corn
wallis in that direction. go .'"
Colonel Lee proposed that CORVALLIS b
left to act as he saw fit, and that the Ameri
can army be led back into South Carolins
for the purpose ut restoring that State to tht
American union. The debate was warm or
both sides; and many strong arguments wer'
advanced by the advocates ofeach plan. Tht
course proposed and advocated by Col. Lex
was finally adopted. The details of the
scheme were that the main army, under Gen
Greene, should march directly to Camden
South Carolina, while Colonel Lee, with the
light corps under his command, should sd
vance farther south and join Gen. Marion
then on Black river, in Williamsburg county
For the purpose of keeping the State o1
South Carolina in subjection. as we'll as fol
the purpose of supplying their own troops
With food and clothing, the British had estsb
liahed chain of forts extending from Cam
den to Ninety.six. The plan proposed by
Lee. contemplated a simultaneous attack up
on all Of tirese forts. Since the defeat o.
Gates, on the 10Th of August; II the State
of South Carolina had been under the heel oi
the British. After Cornwallis, in pursuit Of
General Greene, had left the State, small par.
tisan corps were raised which kept up the ap'
pearance of resistance. Marion, with a few
followers, operated in the east and south east
sections of the State. Such, however, wa,
the character of the inhabitants of the coun.
try in which he operated, that be was unable
to effect any thing decisive in its results.
In that portion of South Carolina, extend.
ing from Richmond and Robson counties,
North Carolina, to the Santee, there were a
multitude of tories. In this section of the
State there have ever been gangs Of robbers.
In the same region there we're many good
Wings, who suffered as much for liberty as
any other individuals in the Confederacy. All
that Marion and the Wing settlers could do
in the absence of the main army, was to keep
these tories partially in subsection. To do
this was not bloodless task. For the sake
of liberty, many good men lost their lives.
Sumter, having recovered from the wound
received at the battle of BIackstocks, collect
ed chosen band and struck terror into the
minds of the tories in the centre of the State.
Colonels Harden and Baker kept up spir-
tied resistance in the region south of Charles
ton. The State was overrun, but not subdued.
The tories were reveling in lust and the
Wings were burning with rage. The more
sensible of the loyalists were filled with
gloomy apprehensions. Such, briefly, was the
condition of things in South Carolina during
the winter Of 17S0-81.
At Ramsey's mill, General Greene dismiss.
ed all his militia except few North Caro-.
lnians. Arrangements we're rapidly made
for the return of the army into South Caro-.
lima. Greene sent q general outline of bis
proposed plan of operation to Sumter and
Pickens. Both were ordered to collect all
the men they could and prepare for active ser.
vice. Sumter was ordered to join the main
army at Camden, and Pickens was instructed
to make an attack upon Ninety-Six, or to
so environ it that reinforcements could not be
sent from that place to Camden. ...
On the 9Th Of April. Colonel Lee, with bis
legion and Captain Oldham's detachment Of
Marylanders, set out to join Marion. After
a successful march of eight days. Lee and
Oldham reached Marion's hiding place in the
swamps of Black river. On the 9TH of April,
General Greene, with the main army, broke
up camp at Ramsey's mill. On the 18th,
they reached Camden. Before Cornwallis
had left Winnsboro, Lord Rawdon had com.
menced to fortify Camden. When Greene
arrived in the vicinity of the town, he found
it we'll fortified, and Lord Rawdon in COM
mand of nine hundred effective men. Gen.
Greene, after the detachment under Lee and
Oldham had been sent of, had only fifteen
hundred men. With this force, he was una.
Bile to carry the place by storm nor was be
able to besiege it with any hopes of success.
The town of Camden is situated in Ker.
shaw county, on the left bank Of the Wateree
river, and about one.balf mile distant 1t is
elevated above the level of the river about
seventy.6ve feet. Between the river and the
town, flows Belton's branch on the east, and
on the south flows Pinetree creek. Belton's
branch flows into Pinetree creek, south of the
town, q short distance from where Pinetree
creek empties into the river. On the west
south and east, the town is surrounded by
water, and on the north the tributaries Of
Belton's branch and little Pinetree creek near.
IL meet. Camden is the oldest inland town in
the State of South Carolina. Here, in 1850
some Quakera, from Ireland, settled. Robert
Milhouse and Samuel Wylie erected mills on
Pinetree creek, and for many years the place
was called Pinetree. About 1850, Colonel
Joseph Kershaw having, for some years, been
successfully engaged in merchandising, laid