The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-04
position, when they arrived, on small

position, when they arrived, on small
eminence which commands the road.
This was designed as q rallying point in
case rf a repulae, which Tarleton seems
to have spprehenGsd.
The ,w0 force. were Titbin 800 Yards
OF e&:h other when The arrangement fr
battle Was msdo by the British, yet the
Americans did not fire gup. As aron
as the British commander got his forces
pnt in position, he mosed forward 20 the
attack. When at the distance of 30 yards
troops prepared to fire, but were com.
manded by their officers to reserve their
| fire until the British we're Within ten
PAGES When this distance was reached,
the Americans fired, but with scarcely
any effect. The British closed in on the
command of Buforj, and in a few mo-
meuts the affair ended.
The Americans had mora men than The
British, aud they wrre we'll provided with
arms and ammunilion, but they failed to
use them to any advantage The whole
British loss iu the hattie was five killed
and fourteen wounded. The ipss of the
Amcrlcaus was terribly great The kill
ed were nne hundred aud thirteen the
wounded and unable to he moved, one
hundred and fifty; and the prisoners, fifty.
three. In ali three hundred and sixteen.
Tarleton captured three stands of colors,
two brass six Founders, two royals, two
Wagons with ammunition, one artillery
forge cart, fifty five barrels of powder,
twenty six wagons loaded with rev
clothing, srm., musket cartridges, new
cartridges boxes, aints and camp equip
sge.
The render is, 10 doubt, ready to say,
this was strange battle and 80 it was
Colonel Buford seems to have made many
egreginus blunders. j. # be had opened
his artillery. .. T. .lsttea when he was
I forming bis men for action, the result
would have bcen far different. Many of
those in the command OF Colonel BufOrd
we're citizeos of the Counties Of York,
Chester and Lancaster, who had gone
down to assist iu the defense of Charles
ton. For safety, they joined. the com
mand of Buford, and while returning
home many were cut to pieces.
We are at O loss to know which to
ceusure most, Colonel Buford for his mig
management, or Colonel Tarletou for his
cruelty. It is admitted by the Americans
that some of them laid down their arms,
while others kept up an Intellectual fire.
1t was declared, while the slaughter was
gcing Oh, that Tarleton was killed. This
incensed the British, and they hewed the
Americans to pieces without mercy.
On the morning of the 30th, those of
the Americans who were so badly
wounded that they "were not able to
travel, were," Colonel Tarleton says, "pa-
rolled and placed at the neighboring plan.
tations, and Ia a meeting house not far
distant from the battlefield" The
wounded from Chester County were in a
few days removed to their homes. On
the way home, however, number of the
wounded became 30 weak that they we're
deposited in Waxhaw Presbyterian
Church. Here some died and we're bur-
led in the graveyard.
The meeting house, not far distant from
the battlefield, in which Colonel Tarleton
placed some of the wounded, was an As
sociate Church within, perhaps, four
hundred yards. of the battle field. The
probability is that the spring used until
lately by Mr.. s. E. Usher was the meet
ing house spring. This meeting house
was also called Wa3haw, and so was the
whole country from short distance north
of Camden. The meeting house, not far
distant from the battle field, was one of
the places at which Rev. Thomas Clark,
M. D., preached as early as 1859. Some
of the families with whom the wounded
were placed by Tarleton, were Usher,
Barkley, Hull, Montgomery, Nelson,
Porter, Galloway, Carnes, and others for.
gotten.
Thirty-fve or forty years ago, plain
marble monument, seven and half feet
high and eighteen inches square Ct the
base, was erected to the memory of those
Americans who fell in the battle, and a
rndo wa1l of flint atones nlaced around