Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-03
From the Yorkville Enquirer OF 1876
INSTALLMENT XI.
Storminu of Savannah.

General Lincoln took up his head
quarters at Sheldon. Such was the
condition of things by which Gen
eral Lincoln was surrounded, that he
could not even thwart the progress
of the enemy. Aware of his exposed
condition, Provost led his troops from
island to island and thus conveyed
them to the point of destination
The American general had no boats
and no means Of procuring any
General Lincoln was beset with an
other sore evil, one which pressed
all the American generals during
the Revolutionary war.
AS soon as the battle Of Stono was
over and the British set out for theiI
headquarters, the American militia
set out for their homes. General Lin
coin was thus left with only his Con-
tinentals, or regular soldiers. With
these, destitute as he was Of the
accoutrements of war, he was able
to do nothing more than prevent the
enemy from undertaking any great
thing.
The planters of the southern Sec
ton in the state, in the track OF
Provost, suffered greatly. In his
march against Charleston, Prevos,
passed through the richest section OF
the state at that time. The houses
of the planters were first plundered
and many of them burned. The
slaves, made wild by the sudden
transition from slavery to unbrdled
license, invaded the homes Of theiI
former masters like so many hungry
wolves. Men and women were strip
ped of their clothing and jewelry
and every manner Of insult heaped
upon their persons. Wings and 10y
alists Jared alike. These deluded ne
groes acted as guides to the Brit
ish in gathering up the plate and
jewels which the planters had hid
den away in unfrequented places
Plate and various articles Of jewelry
were collected by bands Of prowline
negroes, led by British instigators
and brought to the camp Of Provost
and packed away in rice barrels and
sent off to be sold. At this time, al
though it was only a little more than
one hundred years from the time
the first settlement had been made
in the state, many of the planters
were immensely rich and lived In
Iordly style. Their furniture was OF
the most costly kind. This, together
with their china and glassware, was
taken and sent to some point where
it could be sold. Nothing escaped
these. plundering bands. The
churches were robbed and graves
opened, and dead bodies stripped OF
whatever a thirst for plunder might
crave. Unfortunately for these poor
deluded negroes they received nc
for all this wicked
work. So soon as they had COM
pleted the job for which they had
been engaged. the cruel British
placed on board their ships about
four thousand of these miserable
wretches and sent them to be sold
in the same marts in which was
sold the plate and furniture they had
so valiantly assisted in carrying
away from their masters. The Brit
ish had no need for the poor negro
only so far as he could be used to
thwart the efforts of his master
who was struggling to throw off the
yoke of British tyranny.
On the retreat of Provost to Sa-
vannah, those negroes, who had not
been sent off to be sold, were driven
from the camp of the British gen.
eral. Disease, in its most frightful
and deadly forms, broke out
amongst them. Like so many starv-
ing wolves, they hovered around the
camp of their new made friends
Multitudes Of them died and their
emaciated bodies were devoured by
wild beasts and vultures, and their
bones left to bleach upon the islands
They had been told that a return to
their former homes would be visited
by certain death. Anxiously they
watched the British boats as they
wended their way among the islands
A guard was placed on the boats to
prevent them going on board, and
then when some of them attempted
to escape with the British, by. taking
hold of the sides of the vessel and
floating with it, their fingers were
chopped off by the soldiers who were
assigned to this cruel work.
The battle of Stono was fought on
the goth of June. The hot season had
set in, and both armies were forced
to remain quiet for time. Only ac-
tive operations ceased. The leaders
undertakings. Sir Henry Clinton
having failed to accomplish anything
by his campaigns in the north, turn
ed his eyes with hope of better sue
cess toward the south. The object
Of the commander-in-ch of the
British forces in America, seems to
have been to destroy the resources of
Virginia and South Carolina, and
thus force North Carolina for want
of supplies, to submit. To put this
we'll concerted plan into action, Brig
adler General Matthews, with two
thousand soldiers, was sent to Vir-
ginia. On the 9th of May, 1879, the
British squadron anchored in Hamp-
ton Roads. The American military
posts and magazines fell into the
hands of the British and the whole
country sustained great loss. Cen
eral Washington, although sorely
pressed for men despatched to the
southern department two regiments
of cavalry and some new recruits OF
infantry.
Evidently. the cause of the patriots
was i'm a critical condition. 1t is true
that the British had, as yet. accom-
plished nothing but the destruction OF
property, and there was scarcely a
field officer i'm the British army
who did not look upon the subjec-
ton of the American people as an
utter impossibility. These facts the
patriots did not know. and day by