The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-05-27

DINA f0r more ina TWO years OF LIE
British, had not the same happy effect
in securing for the %up-country a ces'
sation of hostilities between the
Wings and Tories. "Other States
says Simms, "know nothing of the
horrors which were the consequence
of these domestic feuds of the south "
The Tories after their defeat by Col.
Richardson fled into the country of
the Cherokees, where they melted the
Indians to rise against the Wings.
| They, therefore, began their massa.
cres upon the frontiers. The panic
stricken inhabitants, unable to defend
themselves. fled to the stockade forts
which had been built for their protec,
ton in such emergencies. A notable
one of these massacres was that of the
Hampton family, which occurred in
~Spartanburg county, and to which
Gen. Hampton so eloquently referred
in his speech at the court house in
1876.
Gen. Williamson having raised a
force of 800 men, proceeded to attack
the savages and captured a small body
of them, among whom were Il white
men disguised as Indians. This
seemed only to intensity the hatred
of the Wings and Tories. "They pur,
sued each other" said Gen. Gates,
like wild beasts" Gen. Williamson
came upon the main body of the
Cherokees at Ocnoree creek, where he
defeated them and laid waste their
territory. The savages sued for peace
and were compelled to cede to South
Carolina all their lands, now compris-
ing the counties of Pickens, Oconee,
Anderson and Greenville.
The campaign of 1870 opened with
South Carolina, after her long respite,
as the principle theatre of hostilities.
After the surrender of Charleston on
May IL, Gen. Clinton, determining to
subdue the whole State, sent out three
armies into the interior; one under
Col. Cruger toward Ninety-Six; an
other under Lord CORVALLIS to Cam
den, aud a third under Col. Brown to
Augusta, while the "Bloody" Tarle-
ton was ranging at large over the
whole State.
Hearing of the advance of Col. Blu
ford with 400 Continentals, Col.
Tarleton with 700 cavalry and mounted
infantry FASTENED to intercept him at
Waxhaws. Negotiations for surrender
failed, and while they besought quar-
ter, Tarleton fell upon the rebels with
a fury equaled only in the annals of
Indian warfare and cut to pieces the
whole command. "Tarleton' S quarter
is to this day a proverb for wholesale
cruelty.
AS the result of these combined
disasters, the spirit of the Carolini-
ans seemed broken; Charleston had
failed and their country was overrun
by an invading army which they felt
themselves powerless to oppose. At
this juucture Gen. Clinton offered a
pardon to all who would take British
protection. The people generally,
those of York excepted, took advant-
age of these terms and Gen. Clinton,
believing the subjugation of the
country complete, sailed for New
York, leaving Lord CORVALLIS in
command. But the British made the
fatal mistake of calling upon those
who had accepted their protection to
take up arms against their country
men.
Then it was that these sturdy back
woodsmen, unaided and alone, took
up the struggle for independence and
began that partisan warfare which f.
nally drove the British from the State.
When it is remembered against
what odds these people were fighting,
how they had to contend not only
against an invading foe. but also their
own vindictive invaders, and this
without pay, without provisions save
what they could supply for them
selves, without arms or ammunition
except as captured from the enemy, it
will be seer how stupendous was the
undertaking, how marvellous the re-
suit.
1t was at this trying period that the
women of the State, seeing the straits
to which their hubands and brothers
were reduced, performed so many he
roic deeds and exhibited those quail
ties of endurance, patience and devo-
tion which were afterwards emulated
by their granddaughter Of the Con-
federacy. Space fails to speak in de-
tail Of the youthful and daring Emily
Geiger, who carried a message from
Gen. Greene to Gen. Sumter through a
country infested with Tories; of BIZ
cey Langston, who swan the deep and
rapid Tiger to warn her brother of the
approach Of "Bloody Bill Cunning
ham; of Mrs. billiard, who rode so
miles through the darkness to save
Col. Clark and his men, encamped at
Cedar Springs, from a surprise by the
Tories; of Mrs. Bratton "who would
not have her husband and his com
rades owe to a cowardly stratagem the
victory they should gain on the field
of battle;' of the lovely Mary Mus
grove and the courageous Esther Gas
ton, whose gentle ministrations sooth-
ed the pain of the wounded and the
dying. These and many other noble
deeds have been recorded in history;
some are preserved in family tradi.
tions, others again are known only to
that ever watchful eye which takes
note even of the fall Of a sparrow.
The most active of the partisan
leaders at this time we're Pickcns,
Sumter and Marion, the three great
and choice spirits of the Revolution.
Marion operated froi4 Camden to the
s~eacoast; Sumter from Camden to
Ninety-Six, while Pickcns travcrsed
the country from Nincty-Six to Au'
gusta. On July -, Sumter, at Will
liamson's plantation in York county,
engaged a detachment of British and
Tories commanded by Coils. HUGH and
completely routed them, killing both
these officers. After an unsuccessful
attack upon the enemy's post at
Rocky Mount, in Fairfield county, he
moved on to Hanging Rock, where he
defeated a large body Of British and
Tsries.
Colonel Williams, another brave
partisan, always on the alert to har.
r,oc tho onomv ottocead and defeated