Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-04-13
NO. Is
HIS7ORICAL P1I'ERN
"Men and Women of the Revolution"
SERIES OF VALUABLE AND ENTERTAINING
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE Pen or THE
EMINENT HISTORIAN,
BENSON j. LOSING, LII. d.
The Patriotic widow of tho copsnroe.

No. "
The Patriotic widow Of tho ConRnrce.
Copyrighted 1888. by Fuyk & wAuNALLs. for
The Vermont phUnix
was at Fort Motto station, near the
Congaree river, in South Carolina, not far
from the junction Of that stream with the
Wateree, on a bright, frosty morning in
January, 1S49.
"Will you direct me to the Fort Motto
plantation ~ l said TO a lad
Pointing up gentle slope, he said,
"On the top o the hill is Mr.. Loves house,
which they call Fort Motte 1t is only a
short walk from here up that dirt road 50
At the summit found very aged man,
with thin white hair and warmly clad, sit
ting upon log by the wayside lie was
resting his hands upon long stall, and
smiled pleasantly as l approached After
cordial greeting | asked,
Is that Fort Motto ~ pointing toward
rather fine looking house for the region,
standing on the high rolling plain which
sloped to the swamps on every side.
80 they call it, r said the old man "but
more'n sixty year ago-burnt EN- out, you
may say"
Were YOU one of its captors ?" I asked
81 reckon / wuz, replied the old man.
Dye see that scar y pointing TO his fore
arm, which he had barred of its sleeve. "a
redcoat's bullet made it in a scrimmage
afore the siege l was Horry's eftenant
Horny, you know, was Maron's right hand
man when hunting Tories. He suffered
when hurried to say anything quick Com
ing suddenly on Tory camp one night, he
wanted to to tell us to fire quick He said,
-fi-f-shoot, darn ye !! and we blazed
away in the dark
why was this called Fort Motto 2" in
quired
Bless your soul ~ said the old soldier,
with animation. Don't you know Becky
Motte-Becky Brewton that was-lived
here Mighty plucky woman was Becky
Motto. A purity woman, too as purity as
picture, though she was well nigh forty
year old, and had darter married to Gin
eral Pinckney She was Charleston lady
daughter of Britisher, and this was her
best country house-a mighty healthy place
ON this hill. The British druv Becky out Of
her house, dug big ditch all around it,
piled up a high bank o. dirt round the
ditch, next the house, and so made fort of
it-a purity strong fort agin muskets and
rifles 1t was a nice house, but not 30 fine
as Mr.. Loves, which Becky had built right
away after the war helped draw timber
to build it."
''The British drove Mrs Motto and her
family out of her house, did they Where
did they 90 p l asked
To her Overseers, on yon hill he re
Piled Becky was rich widder lost her
husband early in the war, and lived here in
the summer. At that farm house she show
ed raal grit, tell ye grit that made us all
feel as if we would willingly die for her
yes, die for her ~
How did she show grit = l asked as
seated myself on the log beside the veteran
in the bright sunshine.
"Well, you see, " said the old patriot, as
his voice waxed stronger by the stimulus of
vivid recollections, they had her house,
and five hundred redcoats were in and
around it. Leftenant-C Colonel Lee-Legion
Harry, you know-you must have heard of
him--a dashing young trooper then of my
age-twenty -ive-had joined us with his
hghthorsemen, and we all pushed forward,
horse and foot for this place to drive off the
Britishers That very mornin' some troop
ers from Charleston came to the fort with
dispatches for Lord Rawdon at Camden
They were about to leave when we appear
ed at Becky's farmhouse. They wuz skeer-
ed and didn't go. Lee had little six
FOUNDER cannon which he placed in battery
on the knoll you see yonder, speckled with
the stumps of some trees lately cut down.
The redcoats had no artillery, so we had
em, we reckoned." "
"Who were Lees troopers ?" l asked.
Mostly young Virginians, l reckon,
ready to go where he might lead and he
was ready to lead wherever his country
needed brave men. He was a handsome
young man, with large dark eyes and
made the homespun clothes of Marion's bri
gade appear meaner than ever. But we
had the grit as well as they"
How did you take the fort with only
that little feld-piece p l inquired.
''1'll tell ye. Lee dismounted his troop
ers, led EN- into narrow hollow up to a
short way from the fort, and with the help
of some niggers began to dig toward it.,
and threw up breastworks whilst we took
post at the field piece to defend it in case
the redcoats should come out and attack us.
They were ordered to surrender They
said they wouldn't. Jist then we heard
that Rawdon was retreating from Camden,
and had sent troops to Join the garrison at
Fort Motto. That very night their camp
fires were seen on a hill not far away. The
sight made us lively, tell you. Something
must be done quickly. To batter down
reach them by digging trenches would take
too much time. But Lee was up to any
thing. we must burn em out he said
'The shingles on the house wuz dry as
tinder, for the sunshine wuz hot on that
day, at the middle of May. L can send fire
on 'em with arrows said Lee, and they'll
blaze in a minute But he didn't like to do
it. Becky Motto wuz his friend her SON
in law wuz his friend; but he thought of his
country first and his friends afterward.
When he mentioned it to Becky, the plucky
woman clapped her hands and said, Good
good Do it if you can. Burn the house
if they won't surrender Wasn't that real
grit-real patriotism
Lee sent another order for the redcoats
to surrender. They knew help was nigh
and they wouldn't do it. He asked Marion,
| Have you man who can shoot straight
with a bow and arrowf ? Yes, the Gin
eral said Nathan Savage is as good a shot
as any Indian
"A bow and arrow were quickly made
and taken to Lees headquarters at the
overseers house with Nathan. He tried
the bow and said, it amt strong enough.
| Here, darter said Becky to the youngest,
who married Colonel Alston run and git
the Indian bow and arrows Turpentine
| torches were fastened to two or three of the
arrows, when Nathe sent them like blazin'
stars straight to the roof. The shingles
smoked and we hurrahed, They blazed,
and we shouted The redcoats ran up and
began to knock off the burning shingles.
Shots from the six-pounder raked the loft
and sent the Britishers scampering pell nell
below. Pretty soon white flag was seen
waving, and at noon we had em the red
coats were all our prisoners. Wasn't we
happy fellers l didn't mind the bullet
hole in my arm a bit, just then. Becky
Motte-plucky Becky Motte-was as happy
as any of us, though her fine house was in
ruins. She invited the British officers, as
well as ours, to her farmhouse to lunch,
and, perfect lady as she was everywhere,
she wuz as purlite to her countrys enemies
as TO its friends.
"While we were at table" continued the
old soldier, WORD came TO our Gineral
that some of his men wuz amusing them
selves by hanging Tories. Marion hurried
out and with his drawn sword ran to the
spot in time TO save the life of one of 'em.
1t was Tom Cunningham, one of the worst,
who died at Kingston last year, The Gin
eral threatened TO kill any man who should
attempt to harm another prisoner. A just
man, brave man, Christian man was
General Marion
When the venerable soldier had finished
his story | strolled ON to the house of Mr..
Love, where | spent several hours very
pleasantly He said the narrator was
worthy pensioner and man of truth, and
that the traditions of the country as well as
| official raports were i'm panaral aprpament