The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-27

EOrleS IrOm Tue uclSuooluOou1 Soumoue
ed by Col. King. twill be seen that il
the conflict which We are about to de-
scribe; American was pitted against
American and neighbor sgainst neighbor
So soon after the capture of Fort
CRANKY as Lieutenant Colonel Caring
ton had completed his arrangements fol
transporting the baggage of the Amer.
can army, and the stores which had been
secured at the several forts recently cap
tured, Gen. 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 Fri.
days Ferry and Ninety Six is about
sixty miles.
On the 22nd of May-the day after
the surrender of Fort Galphin-General
Greene arrived in the immediate vicinity
Of the only remaining British post in
South Carolina, in the interior OF the
State. By The prudence, skill and In
domitable courage of the subaltern off.
GERS and troops belonging to General
Greene's army, the British strongholds
and provision depots had melted away
like morning clouds. Ninety Six would
have been abandoned had not all COM
munication between it and the other
British posts been SO completely cut Oh
by the Americans.
Gen. Greene could not but feel in.
tensely anxious with regard to the sue.
cess Of his undertaking. His'individual
successes heretofore in the South had
consisted rather in battling the under
takings and disconcerting the plans OF
the enemy. than in positive victories. AS
vet no British officer had been forced to
surrender to him in person. At Gull
ford Court House and Hobkirk's Hill his
victory consisted in depriving his enemy
Of grand triumph. 1t must be con-
fessed that from the moment of his arri-
val at. Ninety Six Gen. Greene was not
very saHguine of success. He found the
place in q good condition both to resist
an assault and to stand siege. Col.
Cruger had not been idle. Aided by
Lieut.. Haldane, q skillfal engineer be-
longing to the corps attached to Corn.
wallis command, he continued, day and
night, 70 strengthen his works. Gen.
Greene determined to undertake the
reduction of this post by regular siege.
His force consisted of less than one
thousand Continental soldiers and 8
varying number of undrilled militia.
These latter troops, in some kinds OF
did wonders; but in irregular
siege or a pitched battle they we're not
of much avail. These troops were sta
toned in four camps, about half mile
distant from four sides of the enemy's
works. Such was the position of the
American encampments that the enemy,
as well as the spring from which they
received supplies of water, were entirely
enclosed. .,sF -5z,s.... ~.
Thaddeus Kosciusko, the celebrated
Polander, was with Gen. Greene as chief
of his engineers. On the evening of the
Odd of May, ground was broken a short
distance north of the star redonbt. Col.
Cruger was not slow in discovering the
designs of the American generals. With
q promptness and energy which showed
that he was q superior officer, he began
to make preparations to repel the ap.
proach of the Americans. He'possessed
but three pieces of cannon. These he
mounted on wheels and placed upon a
platform constructed for the purpose.
His parapetsswere manned with infantry,
whose accuracy. With their deadly rifle
seldom missed the object of their, aim.
Under cover Of the artillery and rihemen,
q; saliying party, under Lieut.. Roney,
supported by Major Green, rushed out
Of the enemy's bitches upon the be-
siegers. In q moment the guards were
either bayonetsed 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 vigor-
Gus and SO promptly did the sallying
party act that, although Gen. Greene sent
a reinforcement to succor z.Kosciusko,
the work was complete before the de-
tachment arrived. Under the direction
of Kosciusko ground was again broken
on the night of the 23d. This time the
besiegers commenced operations at a
point more distant and under cover Of q
ravine.. 80
A grave mistake seems to have been
made at the very outset. The garrison
were supplied with water by the spring.
This was guarded by stockade fort and
the fortified jail. 1t would seem that the
first efftrt should have been to deprive
the, garrison of the use Of the spring.
Instead Of this being attempted, the
approaches, by parallels, were begun
on the opposite side of. the enemy's
works, thus leaving them in undisturbed
possession of the spring and riyulet
The pick-axe and spade we're piled day
after day by the Americans, but the
work advanced slowly. The brave Kos
ciusko was censured on account'of his
slowuess, and Gen. Greene was blamed
for submitting to his engineer SO entire.
ly.
On the forenoon of the 9th of June
Col. Lee, with bis legion, arrived al
Ninety Six; and Gen. Pickens followed
in few days. Lee snd Pickens 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 completed
his ditch to the. point designed for the
erection of a battery. On the same day
the battery was erected, six pounder
placed in position, and Lieut.. Finn put
in command of it.
Cruger was now pushed both on the
right and left. He began to feel that biz
situation was perilous.. His only hope
was in receiving succor from Rawdon
With this officer he was, however, wholly
unable to communicate. When Kos
ciusko had completed his second paral
lels, Gen. Greene directed Col. Othc
Holland Williams, adjutant general, tt
summon COL. Cruger to surrender. Cru
ger replied verbally, through his adju
tant, that he was determined to hole
the place to the last extremity, and tina
he held in perfect disregard both the
threats and promises of the American
general.
At this state of the siege sallying par
ties we're sent out by the enemy to thwar
~