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THE CAMP-FIRE ON THE OLD PEDEE
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After the disastrous defeat of the American army under General Gates. At Camden, in South Carolina,
General Greene was appointed to supersede him in the command. A better selection for that office could not have been made.
General Greene united in his character all those qualities necessary to retrieve the reputation of the American arms
in the South, and to build up an army on the ruins of the one handed over to him by General Gates.
The unbounded fruitfulness of resource; the prudence of his judgment; the energy of his movements;
and the cool courage which he displayed in the time of greatest danger; have caused him to be ranked
second only to Washington, among the generals of the Revolution. He overtook the remnant of the army at Charlotte;
to which place Gates had advanced.
The appearance of the army was wretched beyond description; and their distress on account of the scarcity of provisions, was little less than from their want of clothing and other necessaries. Gates had lost the confidence of all the officers, and the troops were without discipline. Plunder was the only resource they had for obtaining provisions, and they became the terror of the neighborhood. The officers wee obliged to live upon charity; making daily collections in that manner, and then only obtaining a little Indian meal and beef at a time. This was the state of the army when Greene took command. Almost naked in the middle of winter; obtaining food only by force or begging; among a people divided in their political sentiments and attachment; the troops were dispirited and unfit for action. Greene immediately removed the army from Charlotte, and encamped in the midst of a better country, on the banks of the Old Pedee River. The consequences of this movement showed how judicious it was. The camp soon abounded with supplies for man and horse, principally procured by the personal efforts of Greene; and the most assiduous exertions were made to clothe and discipline the troops. Everything seemed more promising. It was a clear, cold night in January, 1781, soon after the army had encamped on the Old Pedee River. The moon threw her pale, ghostly light over the encampment and upon the surface of the river. The watch-fires of heaven were burning brightly above, but shed no warmth upon those beneath. The wind croaked through the trees, and swept piercingly across the river and through the encampment. In one of the tents, near the edge of the river, a party of men were huddled around a fire, partaking of the morsel allotted to them for an evening meal. The winters of South Carolina, were mild, compared with those further north, and which the American army endured at valley forge; but the men were almost naked. The tent was large enough to lodge about half-a-dozen men. The fire was in the centre, and the men were sitting around it. "Well, Joe," said one of the men, who had just put his last piece in his mouth," this is a kind o' hard farin'; ain't it? Now that we've got somethin' to eat, without stealin' it, I wish we could come across some clothes in the same way." "Ah," returned another, "we call this hard farin'; if all be true that I've heard tell about how the troops suffered up north there, in the early part of the war, this livin' of ours is good. We think it's cold, just now, because it makes us shiver and huddle around this 'ere fire. Why, I've heard tell that when the soldiers used to be marchin' the ice would cut their bare feet, and set the blood flowin'; the men used to be froze fast to the ground, till their comrades broke them away." "Oh, that's pilin' it on too thick. Their marches were tracked by the blood from their feet, but there was no such thing as you're tellin' us about," replied another of the group. "So I've heard 'em say," continued the one who had delivered himself of the story. "them" is the usual indefinite authority. "That Gates was the cause of all our troubles," remarked the one who had spoken first. "If that German baron's advice had been followed, there wouldn't have been a defeat at Camden." "No, nor a battle neither; he knew we weren't fit for a fight," added the one who had been called Joe. "They say that Gates told him he was a coward, just before the battle; he ought to be alive now, to throw it back to the man that went to fetch the rascals back, and didn't come back himself," observed another. "Did any of you hear about the doin's at that council of war, held while the enemy were comin' up?" asked one of the men. "Yes," replied another. "Sergeant Hand was tellin' us all about it; though, how he got to know anythin' of it, I don't understand." "Oh, he's imitate with some of the officers higher'n himself," said another, who had not spoken before; "besides, you know, while Gates was in command, just before Greene come, they weren't near so confounded strict with us as they are now, and they'd tell us anythin' to hurt Gates." "Well, there's no use o' turnin' in yet; besides, if we do, the fire'll get down, and it's most plaguy chilly. So, Joe, you're the gabbiest one of the lot, tell us about it; will you?" said the one who had asked about the council of war. Joe was nothing loathe to talk; indeed, he liked to talk. The men declared that he spoke enough for the whole party. As soon as the call was made, therefore, he caught it up eagerly, and, with a few preparatory hawkings and spittings, he commenced his narration. "You see, boys, I may as well give you a whole account of the council of war and the death of the brave old German. For though I was with you chaps, in the rear of where he fell, I've been pickin' up an account of the whole matter, from some of the men that were fightin' found him, a-trying to save him." "Yes, Joe," interrupted one of the men, "only don't put in any of your own make. Mind, we seen as much of it as you did." "Oh, there's no use of lyin' about the thing. All I'm a-goin' to tell you, I've heard 'em say who was there and seen it all. Well, in the first place, I heard that, the night before the battle, some of the officers were talkin' to Gates about the expected fight, --- among which officers was Baron de Kalb; and one of the officers, in talkin', happened to say, 'I wonder where we shall dine to-morrow." No doubt, he had a sort o' feelin' that we were goin' to be whipped next day. Well, Gates had a pretty certain kind of a way about him, you know; and he said, --- as if there couldn't be any doubt about the matter, --- 'Dine, sir? Why, at Camden, to be sure. I wouldn't give a pinch of snuff, sir, to be insured a beef-steak, tomorrow, in Camden, and Lord Cornwallis at my table. ' I don't know what he counted on for winnin' the battle; but I s'pose he thought he was a whole army himself. "The Baron de Kalb was there, as I said before; and he said he was decidedly against the doin's of Gates, and foretold how the army would be ruined if a battle was fought then; and he said, too, that he was goin' to fall in the light. You see, he was a man of some judgment; he was an old general, that had fought in Europe, and he knew when an army was fit for fightin', and when it wasn't; but Gates seemed to think that he didn't know as much about the matter as he himself did; and so he didn't pay much attention to it. Well, the next day, when we got wind of the approach of the red-coat army, Gates called a council of war of his officers; and you know that most of 'em seconded him, and went for fightin' the enemy at once; but De Kalb opposed it. He said that it would be best for the army to fall back, and take a good position, and wait for the enemy to come and attack us; then we would stand a better chance with our raw troops; for we had very little cavalry. "Then, they say, Gates would hardly listen to this advice; and when De Kalb had concluded givin' it, Gates said he was fixed on fightin' then and thee; and a kind of hinted that De Kalb was afraid to fight. At the hint bein' given, they say, De Kalb's face colored up; and lookin' at Gates with the contempt he deserved, he said, "Well, sir, a few hours, perhaps, will prove who are the brave;' and then he jumped down from his horse, and went and put himself at the head of his command, on foot. I'd have given all the little clothes I've got on my back now --- and that's the most valuable thing to me here --- if I could have seen the old man when he done that. It would have done me good, I know. I like to see a man who knows his worth, show his contempt of the one who attacks him in that way. His sayin' what he did, shows, too, that he could see right through Gates, and what would be in his actions next day. "Well, you know all about the skirmishes we had that night, and how the militia were dispirited by the advance bein' broken and driven back; and you know, too, how, the next mornin' the battle began in earnest. The whole left wing, as soon as they were charged by the red-coat bagonets, threw down their arms and run, as if they never had a thought of doin' any fightin'." "Yes, we know all about that; there's no use of your tellin' it all over again," said one of the men. "Well, I won't," returned Joe; " but the militia in the left wing threw down their arms and run, as I said before; and Gates went 'to bring the rascals back,' and stayed himself. But we continentallers were in the right wing, and we didn't run. We stood there like men, and fought the whole force of the red-coats." "Yes, and whipped them nicely for awhile. I saw several prisoners taken, myself," put in one of the men. "There was the Baron de Kalb," continued Joe, getting animated in retailing a description given him by some one else, --- "There was the Baron de Kalb, fightin' hand to hand with the enemy; fightin' on foot, at the head of our troops --- showin' who was the brave. The men were fallin' thick around him, standin' by him to the last. He cut down all that pressed on him; and the man who told me about it, says he saw him plunge his sword into the breast of his foes, as they aimed their blows at him; but it was all up-hill work. The brave old man fainted and fell to the ground; he had eleven bagonet wounds. Then there was a rush made to shield his body. The infernal red-coats tried to get at him with their bagonets, and our men tried to stop 'em. Some of the Britishers tried to save him, as well as our men, but they were killed in makin' the attempt. "This his aid-de-camp rushed in through the clashing bagonets, and stretchin' his arms over the body of the old hero, cried out, 'Save the Baron de Kalb! Save the Baron de Kalb!' I suppose the Britishers didn't know who he was before; for as soon as the aid-de-camp cried out, some British officers rushed in, and stopped the Britishers from killin' him right of. We couldn't stand the force of the enemy any longer, after De Kalb fell, and we had to quit the field. I've heard tell, since, that the red-coats took care of De Kalb, but he didn't live long; he thought of us, and the bravery we showed that day, till the last minute of his life. He said he died the death he always prayed for; --- the death of the soldier fightin' for the rights of man. He was a great man, indeed; and whenever I think of him, it makes me feel as if I could chaw some of them red-coats right up!" "He was a great old man, as you say," observed one of the men, "but his death appears to have been more glorious than any other event of his career; and very few of us, perhaps, will have that said of us." "That you don't know," said Joe; "he served a great while in the French army in Europe, and bore a very high rank there. He might have seen many a glorious fight." "He served three years in our army, too, and was in some of our hardest fights," observed another of the group. "Yes," returned the one who had spoken first after Joe had finished his account, "but there was more of the real hero shown in the manner of his death than in anything else that we know of. It's a great sight to see a man choose his ground, and hold on to it till he is cut down by the overpowering force of the enemy. It's what few men who go into battle think of. Too many of the battles we hear tell of are made up of a few rounds of firing, and then a retreat of one party or the other. Men ought to go into a fight with the intention of whipping or being whipped; and so did De Kalb and the men under him, the day of the battle of Camden." "Well, Mr. Preacher, you talk well enough about the matter. The next fight we have, we'll ask for your instruction. This idea of yours, about a fellow's fightin' till he's cut up, ain't what it's cracked up to be, when you come to tryin' it," said an individual who had hitherto remained silent. Probably, he was one of those who had retreated early in the battle of which they were talking. "He talks like a man of courage," said Joe; "and I think he's one of the kind that follows out what he says. I've seen him stand to his post when many a one wouldn't" "Thank ye, Joe, for that good word," returned the one who had criticized the manner in which battles were occasionally fought. "Well, boys," said one of the soldiers, who had not taken any part in the conversation, or even listened to any of it, having been taking a nap by the fire, "have you heard about the surprise of Sumpter, at Fishing Creek? I don't know anything about the battle of Camden, or De Kalb, either, any more than I've heard you tell; but if you haven't heard about the surprise of Sumpter's troops, I can amuse you for a little while, by tellin' you about it." "Yes, but we didn't hear any of the particulars," replied Joe. "that long customer, over there, that just was talkin' about there bein' no fun in fightin' till you're cut up, was tellin' us about the affair; but he didn't seem to know much about it himself, and he couldn't tell us much. He said there was some little fightin', and a great deal of runnin' away." The soldier who had volunteered to give an account of the surprise, looked over the fire at the individual alluded to by Joe, and seemed, for a moment, to detect in him some resemblance to a person he had seen before; but he said nothing about the matter, and commenced: --- "I was one of the body of men under Sumpter, who, before the defeat of Gates, at Camden, captured some British stores and their convoy between Camden and Charleston. I had joined the corps just before that took place, thinkin' that the kind of fightin' he done was more to my taste than the regular service." At the commencement of the soldier that he had belonged to Sumpter's troops, the long individual looked over the fire in his turn. The scrutiny which he gave the soldier's face seemed to satisfy him of something; for he immediately got very restless in his seat. He said nothing, however, and the soldier continued. "We continued at the post between Camden and Charleston, our parties seekin' every chance to harass the British forces, till we heard of the defeat of Gates, when we also began to retreat, with what prisoners and stores we had captured while at that post. We retreated in the greatest kind of haste, for we knew we should have he British troops after us --- we had caused them so much trouble. We marched four days, with little or no sleep or rest; and at the end of that time we thought we had got pretty much out of the reach of the enemy, and we encamped on the banks of fishing Creek, for the night. Sumpter took every precaution to prevent a surprise. Videttes were stationed at proper points, and such a disposition of the troops made that it seemed almost impossible to come upon us before we had time for preparing for an attack. But the videttes were men; and marching four days, without resting, would overcome some of the stoutest men. They fell asleep at their posts; and, soon after, the camp was aroused by the attack of the British legion of Tarleton. He had pursued us with the most untiring swiftness, and his horsemen rode into our camp before we knew he was near us. The best part of our men took to the river and the woods; but Sumpter rallied a few of them, myself among the number, and we stood our ground for awhile pretty stoutly against Tarleton's infantry; but his horse forced us to break, and we took to the woods. All our artillery and stores, and the prisoners we had taken at our former post, were captured. I escaped through he woods, and the whole of our detachment being dispersed, and not having any place where they would meet again, I determined to join the regular army." By the time the man had concluded his story, the individual who had attracted his scrutiny felt satisfied that he would not be noticed by the narrator; but he was mistaken. "I had almost forgot something, though," said the soldier. "that fellow over yonder, who was talking a little while go about the folly of fightin' till you're whipped, was at that affair, I'm pretty certain. He was in the same company as I was, and I think he was true to his principles; for he was one of the first to leave the ground." "Oh, you've got hold of the wrong feller; I wasn't there," said the man alluded to. "I believe it," said Joe. "He looks and talks like one of the brave boys." "There's no use of denying it," said the one who had given the account of the surprise. "I don't forget men's faces so easily." The advocate of runaway principles persisted in denying that he had been with Sumpter at all; but the whole party joined in the expression of their belief that he was guilty. "Well, put him in the forlorn hope, next time, if he stays with our army; that'll do him some good, perhaps," observed Joe. The men wrapped themselves in their blankets; --- that is, those who had them; --- and those who did not possess that soldier's luxury, secured the nearest place to the fire, for the purpose of resting for the night. While Joe was getting ready, like the rest, he continued talking. "That surprise of Sumpter was another consequence of the battle of Camden. It's a great pity, too; that was an active set of men, and might have been of great service to our cause." "Yes," replied the soldier who had been with Sumpter, "you may well say that. I've heard tell that Cornwallis said that Sumpter gave him more trouble than anybody else in these parts. The red-coats don't understand that sort of war he does; but he's not done with 'em yet. Twenty such defeats wouldn't dampen his spirits." The men had by this time fixed themselves by the fire, and some of them were soon slumbering; but Joe would occasionally break out, propounding some question or other to the individual next to him, till even he ceased to disturb the gathering silence, and the toils and cares of the whole party were soon forgotten, while they wandered in the land of dreams. |
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