Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-23
S0VFt CAROLINA M
YHE RBp0h UF}0a
How the Spirit of Liberty Was Kept Alive BY an
UncOnquerable People.


command of about five hundred infan.
try, might come to the relief Of the
fort. This being the condition Of
things, Marion and Lee were greatly
perplexed So great was the elevation
of the stockade above the level Of the
surrounding country, that without can
non. no injury could be done to the
garrison.
In Marion's command there was an
individual by the name Of Hezekiah
Maham. He was a native Of st. Ste
phen's parish and was lieutenant colo
mel of an independent corps of cavalry
This individual suggested a novel but
practical plan by which to reduce the
fort. He suggested the idea Of erect
ing near the fort an oblong pen, SO
high that it would overlook the fort
The plan was at once adopted. Indi-
viduals were mounted on horses and
sent in all directions through the sur
rounding country for the purpose of
procuring axes. So soon as a suffi-
cient number of axes were secured, all
hands were taken to the woods. Some
were put to telling trees and cutting
logs of the proper length; while others
were directed to carry the logs to the
proper place. The garrison saw all
this going on but were unable for the
want of artillery to prevent its prog
ress.
On the night of the 22nd, Maham's
tower, as it was called was finished.
Near the top and about the height Of
the stockade was placed a floor Of logs.
In front was a kind of breast work.
In this high pen near its top and over
looking Fort Watson, a chosen band of
rifemen was placed so soon as the
work of erection was completed.
The night of the 22nd was cloudy
and dark. Silently but rapidly the
work of erecting Maham's tower ad-
vanced Just at the dawn Of day the
rifemen placed in the top Of the pen
began to fire upon the garrison below
them. At the same moment detach-
ments from the forces Of Marion and
Lee rushed up the mound and began
a vigorous attack upon the abattis,
which protected the ditch that sup
piled the garrison with water. Nc
Kay now seeing that resistance
would result in complete slaughter,
hung out white flag. The garrison
capitulated, the Americans having lost
two killed and six wounded. The Brit
ish lost everything. Only few were
killed but the whole garrison, officers
and men were taken prisoners and all
the supplies fell into the hands Of the
needy Americans.
The success of Marion and Lee at
Fort Watson was justly ascribed to
"Mahams tower" This tower has been
styled "one of those ingenious devices
which are perhaps more readily found
by a primitive than an educated peo-
pie" This may be true; still the erec-
tion of this tower made the name of
Maham illustrious in South Carolina
during the remainder of the war. and
il will perpetuate his memory for
many generations yet to come.
1t is but just to remark, that the
suggestion was not original with Ma
ham, In February. 1881. General Sum-
ter made an attack upon Fort CRANKY
near Columbia. The besiegers labored
lnder the same disadvantages that
Marion and Lee had to contend with
1t Fort Watson. Colonel Thomas
Taylor. a citizen of Columbia and an
unfaltering Whig devised a structure
Of this kind. The only difference in
the two structures was that Taylor
used fence rails and Maham used logs
internotched so that they were steady
and strong. So far as we know, what
ever merit is due the device it should
be given to Colonel Taylor Maham
is justly due the credit of having
greatly improved it.