The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-08-05

who did the fighting in South Caro-
lima under Sumter, Marion and Pick
ems were purely volunteer soldiers
who came and went as the occasion
demanded without prospect or hope
of pay or reward Theirs was the
same impelling motive Of love OF
country, the same unselhsh devotion
TO the ideal that more than three
quarters of century later sent their
descendants to uphold the rights OF
the South at the cannon's red mouth.
There is no record of the number of
South Carolina soldiers in the war
for American independence. but we
are assured by an eminent historian
! that there were few men living at
that time in South Carolina who did
not serve at one time or other in the
great contest. 1T was time in
which there was no such thing as
neutrality nor place in which there
was spot for safety"
The number of battles, actions and
engagements which occurred in
South Carolina during the Revolu-
tion is eloquent of the position OF
the Palmetto State in the titanic bat
tie for the liberty of America. In
only one other State, New York, were
there more battlefelds. One hun
dred and thirty-seven conflicts bear
testimony of the contribution OF this
State to the Revolution. In the first
two years of that contest nine bat
ties we're fought within this State
and in eight of these none but South
Carolinians fought under the patriot
flag. In the last two years of these
South Carolina alone battled for the
freedom of their land. Of the one
hundred and thirty seven battles, ac-
tions and engagements between the
British and Tories and Indians on the
one hand and the Americans on the
other which took place in South Car
olina, one hundred and three were
fought by South Carolinians alone,
in twenty others South Carolinians
shoulder to shoulder with troops Of
other States, making one hundred
and twenty-three battles in which
South Carolinians fought, leaving but
fourteen in which troops from other
States fought within South Carolina
without their assistance. Not con-
tent with fighting so much in their
own State, South Carolinians fought
twice at Augusta and twice at Sa-
vannah, and to round things off.
fought and pursued the Indians over
the line into North Carolina. No
State can present a better record.
Edward McCrady, the greatest and
the most authoritative of South Car
olina's historians, says:
! "The condition of affairs in South
Carolina was. without parallel in the
history of the Revolution. No other
State was so completely overrun by
British forces. There W part
of her territory from the mountains
to the seaboard which was not trod
by hostile forces, no ford nor ferry
that was not crossed by armed men
in pursuit or retreat, no swamp that
was not to cover lurking foes. No
other State, was so divided upon the
questions at issue and in no other
did the men of both sides so general
ly participate in the struggle. In
none other were Tory organizations
from other States so much used in
connection with royal troops to sub
due American Wings, thus attempt
ing to carry out the British minis
terial plan of overcoming Americans
by Americans While South Carolina
received but little assistance from any
other State but North Carolina and
none from the 4>OIlu, ACl ISiit'oA'
was garrisoned by Americans serving
in the British army listed from Con-
necticut, from New York, from New
Jersey and from Pennsylvania. The
British forces at Kings Mountain and
at Ninety-Six were composed entire
" of soldiers raised in the Northern
States. In no other State was the
civil government set up by the Revo-
lutionists so completely overthrown
and the country so given over to an
archy. The citizens of no other State
suffered exile for the American cause
as did those from South Carolina. In
other States the militia was occas-
ionally engaged in operations with the
continental forces and sometimes,
though rarely, alone in enterprise
against the enemy. The complete
overthrow of all civil government in
South Carolina rendering the employ
ment of militia on either side with
in her borders impracticable, in their