Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-11
HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
From the First Settlement to the Close OF
the Revolution.


adapted than the aborigines Of Amer
lea. Accustomed from youth to scour
the woods in search Of game, they were
by their mode of life trained to watch
an invading foe. In this work Of scout
ing they were assisted by the High
land regiment. These Highlanders
were no less brave than the Indians
and but little less savage; and besides,
their hatred for the Spanish was un-
conquerable.
Repeated attempts were made by
the invaders to reach Fredrica. Every
effort was In vain. The fierce savages
and the Highlanders, thirsting for re-
venge. lay concealed in the thickets
and in the swamps and from these
dark hiding places poured destruc-
ton and death into the advancing COL
umns of the invading foe. So great
was the hindrance produced by these
scouts, that the Spanish soldiers said
"the devil himself could not reach
Fredrica, so long as the H!ghlanders
and Indians lay concealed in the sur
rounding thickets."
Don Manuel de Monteano, the COM
mander- in chief of the invaders, after
having lost a number of his officers,
besides several hundred men killed
and more taken prisoners, determined
| to change his mode Of attack. During
the flowing of the tide some vessels
were sent up the river, whilst the main
body Of his army was kept under
cover of his cannon. However, Ogle-
thorpe conducted himself during the
expedition against st. Augustine, he now
showed himself an able general. Ne
cessity may have stimulated his brain
and self preservation prompted to VI
gorous action. Be that as 1t may, he
showed himself equal to the emergen-
cy The Spanish commander did not
entrap him. Il body Of Indians were
sent secretly up the river to watch the
vessels and prevent the men from
landing 1t was not their object to
land 1t was simply a ruse de guerre
"a trick of war.
Oglethorpe now determined to attack
the Spanish camp during the night. A
prisoner whom the Spaniards had cap
tured, managed to effect his escape
and made good his return to Fredrica.
From this individual 1t was ascertained
that there was a serious difficulty ex-
listing between the Spanish troops. On
account of this difficulty, those troops
from Havana camped In one place and
those from Florida in another place.
This fact suggested to Oglethorpe the
propriety Of a night attack upon one of
the camps. For the execution Of this
plan, three hundred men were chosen,
together with the Highland regiment.
With a perfect knowledge of the coun-
try, the party succeeded without being
discovered in arriving within two miles
of the enemies camp. Here they halted
and Oglethorpe and a few men went
forward to reconnoiter In this party OF
men was a Frenchman whose treacher-
Gus soul led him to fire off his gun
and dash, with all possible speed to the
Spanish camp. This frustrated the
present plan, but it did not frustrate
General ,Oglethorpe. He saw at once
that 1t would since the Frenchman
had gone to the Spanish camp, be ex-
tremely hazardous to proceed farther
with his night attack.
| He Immediately set out for his camp
at Fredrica, and set to work to coun-
teract any and every thing the desert
ing Frenchman might do or say. He
wrote a note to the Frenchman, In
which he addressed him as II he were
a spy, whom he had sent into the en-
emy's camp, for the purpose Of learning
their movements and secretly directing
their actions. Among other instruc-
tions given this deserter, In the letter
he was charged to persuade the Span
iards to make an immediate attack
upon Fredrica. He was instructed to
tell them that it was in a defenseless
condition and the garrison was weak,
and that success would be sure In the
event 1t was at once assailed. In the
event he should fail in this, he was to
make a strenuous effort to detain the
Spanish forces for at least three days
at Fort Simon; for within that time
he, (Oglethorpe) would be reinforced
by a land force of two thousand men
and a fleet Of six British ships. The
deserter was further charged to keep
II a profound secret that General Yer
non. was soon to make an attack. upon
st. Augustine. A Spanish prisoner was
hired, by Oglethorpe, to take this let
ter and give 1t to the deserter. The
work was readily undertaken, since the
prisoner gained his freedom by it.
Instead, however, of giving the let
ter to the French deserter, 1t was
placed in the hands Of Monteano, the
commander n-chief of the Spanish
army. This was just what Oglethorpe
specially desired. The F'renchman
who had deserted from Oglethorpe was
put in irons on the spot A consulta-
ton was held over the mysterious let
ter Some thought 1t was letter writ
ten by Oglethorpe to a genuine spy
and it's meaning was what its words
literally impaired. Others thought 1t
sham, intended simply to deceive the
Spanish commander. What the final
conclusion would have been 1t Is hard
to say, but whilst the consultation was
going on, three small ships which the
governor of South Carolina had sent
out, appeared I'm sight. This settled
the question. The three ships were
taken for part of the six British ships
mentioned in the letter. and the whole
Spanish camp was soon In panic.
Their fort was set on fire and in the
greatest confusion all embarked-leav-
ing their cannon, ammunition and sup
plies all behind. The wind was unfa-
vorabIe for the three South Carolina
ships, and the Spanish army sped past
them and hastened to st. Augustine.
Finding that they had been outwitted
and gained no advantage whatever,
the Spanish threatened another inva-
sion; but the threat was never put in
| TO execution. OglethOrpe showed him