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

On tne rl6nG, inc treucueS were "lIuiu
twenty yards of the enemy's works,
The garrison was nearly cut off from the
spring and rivulet, and suffering had al
ready begun. Rawdon had, by inclining
to the right, passed Sumter, and such
was the rapidity with which the British
General marched that Sumter could
never gain his front. The only Ameri-
can party which harassed Rawdon on his
march was Col. Middleton, with three
hundred cavalry and mounted militia.
Col. Middleton had been sent from the
Congaree to hang upon the rear of the
enemy, capture stragglers, and, particu-
larly, to cut off the foraging parties of
Rawdon. This partisan corps, after CIV
ing the enemy considerable trouble, was
unfortunately led into a we'll planned
ambush and charged upon by Major Cof-
fin at the head of body Of the royal
cavalry. Middleton and his party were
so completely scattered that they never
made their appearance again.
The Americans were of the opinion
that thirty hours would be sufficient to
reduce, without assault, the garrison at
Ninety Six; but they dared not wait SO
long time, lest the arrival of Rawdon
would expose them to total overthrow.
In view of the circumstances, it was de-
termined to attack the place by ageneral
assault
The Assault.
Midday, on the 18th of June, was ap-
pointed as the moment when, at q given
signal, the forces would advance to the
assault. Long poles with iron hooks
were prepared with which to pull down
the sand bags on the enemy's forti6ca-
tions, and material was collected for the
purpose of filling up the bitches. Lieu
tenant Colonel Campbell, of the first
Virginia regiment, with detachment
from the Maryland and Virginia bri-
gades, was directed 10 lead the attack on
the left; Lieutenant Colonel Lee, with
his legion of infantry and Kirkwood's
Delaware regiment, were charged with
the attack on the right. Lieutenants
Duval, of Maryland, and Seldom, of Yir-
ginia, led the forlorn hope on the left |;
Captain Rudolph, of Lees legion, that
on the right.
The signal for attack was to be given
from the centre battery. At II o'clock
the third parallel was manned, and the
sharpshoo.ers took their position in the
Maham tower. On the firing of the first
cannon, which was the signal for the as
sailants to prepare for action, the Ameri.
can columns entered the trenches. The
men were full of enthusiasm. At the
hour of IL the second cannon fired, and
simultaneously and in good order the as
sailing columns, under Lee and Camp
bell, advanced. Cruger, if not expecting
the assault, was fully prepared for it.
The parapets cleaned with pixies and
bayonets, and shrough the apertures be.
tween the sand bags the rifemen of
Major Green moved down the ranks of
the assailants. On an intermediate bat
terry Cruger had placed his three pieces
of cannon. These, rs circumstances
seemed to demand, he sometimes directed
upon the column led by Campbell, and
sometimes on that led by Lee. Cruger's
mind was cool and prompt, and his men
we'll trained and desperately brave. The
cannon were used with telling effect upon
the Americans. Col. Campbell and his
brave Marylanders and Virginians
pressed forward amidst showers of leaden
hail. No one flinched. With the hooks
the soldiers were dragging the sand bags
on the enemy's parapets into the ditch
below. The moment was near at hand
when Campbell would ascend the para
net and terminate the contest in hand
to-hand conflict. Major Green, who
commanded the star redoubt, discovering
the progress which the Americans we're
making, and fearing. the result of a hand.
to.hand conflict between the garrison and
assailants on the parapets, determined to
try the bayonet in his ditch as well as on
his parapet. At a sally port he sent out,
with small detachments, Capt. French,
of Delaney corps. and Capt. Campbell,
of New jersey. Taking opposite direc.
tions in the ditch, Campbell soon en-
countered Duval, and French Seldom.
The conflict wa. dreadful. The Ameri-
cans had to encounter the enemy on the
parapet and those in the ditch. They
stood their ground and fought gallantly,
until both Duval and Seldom we're wound.
ed. Then the forlorn hope was, with
great loss, forced to retire to the Amerl-
can trenches. Only few survived.
The most were left in the enemy's ditch.
The assailing column led by Lieuten-
anti Colonel Lee was more successful.
Capt. Rudolph gained the ditch which
surrounded the stockade fort, and being
followed by the main column soon en-.
tered the fort, when the garrison fled to
the main works. Lee was about to make
an assault upon the jail and then to assist
in reducing the star redoubt. Gen.
Greene, seeing the slaughter which had
taken place in tie ditch in front of the
star redoubt, and unwilling to sacrifice
any more of his troops, ordered Lee to
hold the stockade and attempt nothing
more. The as,ailing column led by
Campbell lay in the trenches, and that
led by Lee remained in the stockade un-
til dark, when both were withdrawn.
Gen. Greene now determined to retreat
to avoid Rawdon. On the evening OF
the day after the assault the siege was
raised, and Gen. Greene led his forces
across the Saluda and retreated rapidly
in the direction of the Enoree.
The siege of Ninety Six lasted from
the 22d of May until the 18th of June.
The American loss during the siege was
Captain Mark Armstrong, shot through
the head on the day of the assault, and
one hundred and eighty-fve men in
killed, wounded and missing. The gar
rison lost eighty.fve. 1t is remarkable
that only one officer on each side was
killed.
The failure to capture Ninety Six was
very mortifying to both the officers and
men in the army. Whether all was
done, and done in the right way and at
the right time, that could have been done
to capture the place, cannot, at this late
date, be ascertained satisfactorily. AT
the time Kosciusko was censured on &C.
count of his slowness, and some thought
Gen. Greene should have exercised more
of his own judgment with regard to the
manner of conducting the siege. Charity
bids us say that all acted their parts well
from patriotic motives.