Mower County transcript., 1901-03-06

.relOad1ng Cnelr rlnoS With swift and
steady hands. -c'a.. - ~
We cavalrymen raised a great shout
of approval, which the regulars on the
rise in front of US took up and repeated
A second volley was all that we hao
asked from the militiamen, and it was
sure now Even as our cheer was echo
ing it was delivered with all the cool.
ness and. deadly precision of the first
Again the British line reeled and stop
ped, but they were veterans, led by the
fiery Tarleton, and they came on THIRD
time, only to meet the third of those
deadly volleys, which swept down thei1
front lines and blocked the way with
their own dead and dying
THE battle is won already, " shouted
Colonel Washington, 'and it's the
farmer boys Of South Carolina an6
Georgia who have won it!''
Never did veteran troops show more
gallantry and tenacity than those same
farmer boys on that day. Two volleys
were all that were asked of them, yet
not merely once or twice, but many
times they poured in their deadly vol
leys at close range, again and again
hurting back the British veterans, who
doubled them in number and were sup
ported by artillery and many cavalry,
while we old soldiers in the two lines
behind stood silent, not gun or sa
Der raised, and watched their valor
They retired at last, not broken, bm
in perfect order and at the command OF
Pickens, that we who stood behind them
might have the chance to do our part OF
the days work.
The smoke hung low in clouds ano
half hid either army, British and Amer.
ican. A brilliant sun above pierced
through it in places and cleaned on
clulnps of men, some fallen, some still
fighting. Shrieks and groans strove fo,
place with the curses and shouts.
Again rose the British cheer from
the throats of all those who stood, for,
the militiamen retiring before them,
they thought it was battle won, and
they charged with fresh courage and
vigor, pouring forward in a red ava.
lanche. But the regulars, the steady
old Continentals, who now confronted
them, received them with another vol.
ley, and more infantrymen fell down in
the withered grass, more riderless horses
galloped away.
The battle had rolled a step nearer tc
us, but we cavalrymen, who formed the
third line, were still silent and sat with
tight reins, while directly in front Of US
rose huge bank Of fame and smoke III
which friend and enemy struggled and
fought. Even Old Put, with his iroL
nerves. fretted and pulled on the reins.
The long line of the British overlap.
ped the Continentals, whom they out.
numbered three to one, and the general,
whose gigantic figure | could see
through the haze Of smoke, ordered them
to retreat lest they should be fanked.
Again the British cheer doomed out
when they saw the regulars giving
ground, for now they were sure that
victory was theirs, though more hardly
won than they had thought But the
retreat OF the regulars was only a feint
and to give time for the militiamen be-
hind them to come again into action
General Morgan galloped toward us,
waving his sword to Washington. and
every one Of us knew that our moment
had come: ::,:.. iSs.:..:
'Forwardl'' was the single command
Of our leader, and the reins and the sa-
bers swung free as we swept ii semi
circle around the line of our friends
and then at the enemy. At the same
moment the regulars, ceasing to yield,
charged the astonished foe and poured
in a volley at close range, while the
militiamen threw themselves in a solid
mass upon the British flank.
We of the cavalry were but 80 strong,
with so more mounted volunteers be-
hind us under Major Mccall, but we
were compact body Of strong horses
and strong horsemen, with shortened
rifles and flashing sabers and we were
driven straight at the heart of the ene-
my like the cold edge of chisel.
We slashed into the British, already
reeling from the shock of the Continen.
tails and the militiamen, and they
crumpled up before us like dry paper
before fire. Our rifles were emptied,
and the sabers were doing the silent but
more deadly work. Amid all the wild
din Of the shouting and the musketry
and the blur of the smoke and the flame
I knew little that I was doing except
hack, hack, and I was, glad of it.
could hear steel gritting*; on bone, and
the smell Of leather and smoke and
blood arose, but the smoke was still in
my eyes, and could only see. enough
to strike and keep on striking. We
horsemen, 1870 strong, were still a solid.
compact body, a long cleaning line like
sword blads thrust through the mar
row of the en@ny. Wehad cut our way
directly to the heart Of the English
army, and their broken squares were
falling asunder as our line of steel
lashed and tore: The red army reeled
about over the slopes like man who
has lost power over his limbs. I struck
at trooper on my left, but he disap-
peared, and second trooper on my
right raised his saber to cut me down.
I had no time to fend off the blow, and