St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-03-29
LYDIA MACKEY AND COLONEL
TARLETON.
An Episode Of the Revolutionary War

lAkLElONs
An Episode Of the Revolutionary War.
[From Notes of an Autobiography
In 1871 South Carolina was COM
pletely overrun by the British. Lord
CORVALLIS held quiet possession of
Charleston, had defeated Gates and
Dekalb at Camden, driven Marion to
the swamps of Iedee, scattered the
forces of Sumter. and established his
headquarters in the WaNhaws. ON the
borders of North Carolina, while Tarle-
ton had his on the Hanging Rock Creek.
about thirty miles north of Camden.
Davie alone was left with small force
on the west iank of the Catawba,
making occasional sorties to harass the
outposts of the British.
The Scotch-Irish and Huguenots of
South Carolina were mostly Wings, or
rebels. The English colonists were di-
vided-the majority were Wings, but
there were goodly number of loyal
men among them who conscientiously
espoused the cause of the mother coun-
try. and were called Tories.
Lancaster County was one of the
strongholds of the Wings. The Nc
Elwins. Truesdales, DouglaSes. Cum
ninghams. Twitbys, McDonalds, Nc
Muilens. Mackeys and others of Scotch
Irish origin, occupied and held the
southern portion of Lancaster, and
Charles Mackey was their acknowl-
edged leader; while the Crawfords, Dun
laps, Jacksons General Jackson was
then sixteen years old, Whites, Mas
seys, Dobys, Curetons, and others of
the same stock held the Waxhaws, in
the northern section of the county.
The Wings had always made Lancas-
ter too hot for the Tories, and had
ruthlessly driven them out of the coun-
ty to seek comranionship and sympa-
thy wherever they might find it. But
the advent of the British turned the
tide of war completely, and now the
Tories, with Tarleton's aid, drove the
Wings from Lancaster. some across
the Catawba to join Davie, and some to
the Pedee to join Marion.
Charles Mackey, rs the leader of his
band, had made himself very obnoxious
to the Tories and they impatiently
awaited a time of vengeance.
He was a man of medium size, very
active and energetic, s. fine horseman, a
splendid shot, hot headed, impulsive,
often running unnecessary risks and
doing daredevil deeds No work was
too hazardous fox hin.
Lydia Mackey, his wife, Was woman
of good common sense. with clear head
and fine Judgment, and in coolness and
self-possession far superior to her i'm
ho1
family of two or three children. and
Charles Mackey had not seen or heard
from them for several weeks. Their
home was not more than two and a
half miles from Tarleton's camp on the
Hanging Rock Creek He knew very
well that it would be hazardous for him
to return to his home so near to Tarle-
tons headquarters, but his anxiety be-
came so intense on account of his wife's
peculiar condition that he could no
longer remain in doubt about it. So he
cautiously made his way home, where
he unwisely loitered for a week, and
during this time he had the temerity to
enter Tarleton's lines more than once
in search of information which would
be valuable to his country's defenders.
Charles Mackey's house was double
log cabin, with cultivated patches of
corn and potatoes on either side of a
lane leading to the front, while at the
rear was kitchen-garden of half
an acre or more, extending back
to large huckleberry swamp,
which was almost impenetrable to man
or beast. This swamp covered an
area of ten or fifteen acres, and was
surrounded by a guagmire from ten to
thirty feet wide, thus making it prac-
ticsliy an island. 1t was entered by
jumping from tussock to tussock of
moss-covered clumps of mould foot or
two in diameter, and rising six or eight
inches above the pitch-black semi-jelly
like mire, which shook in every direc-
ton in passing over it. A plank or
fence rail served as temporary draw
bridge, which was pulled into the swamp
after crossing over.
When the county was infested by To-
ries Charles Mackey spent his days in
the swamp, if not out scouting. At
night he ventured home. He had good
watch-dogs, and they gave the alarm
when any one approached. whether by
night or day. If at night, he would
immediately lift loose plank in the
floor of his bedroom, drop through on
the ground, crawl out in the rear, then
run thirty or forty yards across the
garden, gun in hand, and disappear
n the swamp, pulling his fence
rail draw-bridge after him. There was
no approach to the house in the rear,
and his retreat was always effected with
impun;ty.
Charles Mackey had been at home
now about . week, and was on the eve
of leaving with some valuable informs-
ton for the rebel Generals, gained by
his night prowlings in and about the
Headquarters of Colonel Tarleton. But
early in June morning Ian hour or
two before day. his usually faithful
zatah dans failed tn give Naming of