Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-05-10

then known as Ancrum's plantation, near
Fridays ferry, and camped. General Greene
crossed the river and visited Fort CRANKY,
now in the possession of Lees command.
Joy and gadness pervaded every breast
Sometime during the night of the 18th, q
courier from Armstrong announced that Raw
don had retired in the direction of Monks
Corner, and early on the morning of the 18th,
another courier arrived bringing the cheering
intelligence that General Sumter had, on the
18th, captured the garrison at Orangeburg.
Thus, within less than month after Gen.
eral Greene led the American army into
South Carolina, every British post in the in.
terror of the State, except Ninety.six, had
been seized. When the announcement was
made that Sumter had captured Orangeburg,
glad shout was raised by the soldiers in
Greene's army. .,....... ..
Alas! all human joy is short lived. Sum.
ter, on his way from Orapgeburg to fort
CRANKY, learned that Colonel Lee had antic-
ipated him and forced the garrison at fort
CRANKY to surrender This was sad news to
Sumter. he had confidently expected to
have the honor of sending summon to Ma
jor Maxwell. In anticipation, he was enjoy
ing the pleasure of debating terms Of capitu-
lation to that avaricious loyalist. The success
of Lee blighted all his hopes. He was NOR
titled that Lee had granted Maxwell so favor
able terms of surrender. He was more than
mortified, and, on the moment, anger so far
got the better of his judgment, that he wrote
General Greene an insulting letter, and en-.
closed his commission as Brigadier General.
Although, for some reason which probably
will never be fully known, Greene had been
displeased with Sumter on account of the
course which the latter had recently been
pursuing; still Greene had great confidence
in the patriotism, courage and military tai
ents of Sumter, and consequently returned the
commission on the next day after its recep'
ton. The return of Sumter's commission was
accompanied with letter from Gen. Greene
to Sumter. Instead Of censuring Sumter,
Greene gave utterance to the high esteem in
which he was held. Here the difficulty ended,
at least publicly. The friends of Lee and
Sumter still remembered it, and on future oc-
casions censures were passed by the admirers
of the disaffected chieftains, whose origin can
be easily traced to the affair at Fort CRANKY.
That no wrong impression be made, it should
be distinctly understood that Sumter was not
angry because Fort CRANKY was captured,
but because Colonel Lee, and not Brigadier
General Sumter, had taken it.
The terms of surrender granted Maxwell
by Lee do appear to be remarkably easy, but
Lee did not at that tme know that Rawdon,
instead of pursuing the Americans, had gone
to Monks Corner, that he might be out of
danger There is scarcely the shadow of
doubt but that Maxwell could have been
forced, in few days. to make an uncondi.
tiona surrender. In his haste, Sumter charg.
ed Lee with taking advantage of his absence
and snatching from him victory for which
he had been struggling for near three months.
There is no evidence, however, that Lee knew
anything about the movements of Sumter.