The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-10-02

IlO0my was the OUTLOOK OF the pa
tiiots in the South for independence
after the fall Of Savannah in ITS, for
it provided safe base of supplies for
the British to operate against Georgia
and the Carolinas.
Unfortunately for these States
Washington, by some fatality, had as
signed generals to command the South
ern department who were incapable
and often over the protest of the best
citizens Of that section.
The blundcrs Of General Lincoln
led to the surrender Of Charleston and
almost the total decentralization Of the
wings for many Of the most prominent
Of them accepted protection and even
sworc allegiance to the British gov
crnment.
Gates, Il bombastic soldier who had
won fame by the fate Of circumstance
rather than by the strategy Of gen
eral at Saratoga, was on the petition
of the citizens Of South Carolina as
signed to the command o. the South
crn department, and the glory of Sara
toga was buried in the ignominous de-
feat at Camden in 1880, which left the
South at the mercy Of relentless foe,
who did not fail to exercise their
power as the English arc now doing
with the Beers. When all seemed
lost in the Southern Department that
great soldier and stratcgist, Nathaniel
Green, was appointed to command and
well was the appointment justified,
for he proved himself not only great
soldier, but great statesman, and re-
deemed the South from British rule,
and was the real cause of CORVALLIS
surrender at Yorktown.
Green, the Rhode Island Quaker,
and Lee, the Virginia cavalier, both
Tebcis, are the only generals and
stratcgists that the American CONT
nent has produced.
The defeat of Ferguson at King g
Mountain, and Tarleton at Cowpens,
stirred up the Southern rebels and
fired them with new hope. There VIC
tories were followed by the battle of
Hobkirk Hill, which resulted in fore
ing Lord Rawdon to abandon Camden
aud retreat to Charleston. This mas
ter stroke of General Green relieved
almost all of upper Carolina from the
enemy and the next step was to drive
them out of upper Georgia.
In 1881 Col. Henry Lee, with three
troops Of cavalry, formed juncturc
with Clark and Pickens at Augusta,
but before reaching Augusta a part of
the command of Col. Lee filed of to n
stockade around Galphin home which
was garrisoned by two companies of
Col. Browns infantry, and was filed
with supplies for the British at Au-
grsta, His attack was successful.
Major Eaton with the other part of
Lees command formed junction with
General Pickens at Cherokee ponds,
six miles from Augusta. After the
capture Of Galphin, Lees forces
crossed the Savannah River at Walli-
cons ferry, (known now as Sand Bar
ferry). When the junction of the
commands of Lee, Clark and Pickens
was formed, Brown was ordered to
surrender, which he treated with con-
tempt. On the 23d of May, 1871, the
real siege commenced for tho rcdemp-
tion of Augusta. Fort CORVALLIS was
located in the rear of ST. Paul 8
churchyard, and about one hundred
yards from the river, and commanded
distance &C e:sh. hundred yards
around that fort, On the west from
that fort there was lagoon, which
communicated through a deep gully
with the river, and on the western
margin of it was located Fort Grier-
son, half mile west of Fort Corn
wallis, probably, where Springfield
Baptist Church now stands.
The plan Of the rebels was to drive
Major Grierson out of the fort, and
prevent his junction with Brown.
Clark and P;ckens were to attack on
the north and west sides, Major Eaton
and Major Jackson were to pass down
the river and attack the work on the
northeast. Lee, the greatest cavalry
leader of the Revolutionary War, took
position south of the fort (about where
now stand the old street car stables
and the Clark factory in supporting
distance Of tue attacking forces.
Brown, seeing the critical condition
OF Fort Grierson, attempted to relieve
it, but was thwarted by Lee. Major