The Works of Washington Irving (Volume 38) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 1781.] GREENE APPEARS BEFORE CAMDEN. 1305 CHAPTER CLII. Greene's retrograde operation in South Carolina ? Appears before Cam- den ? Affair at Hobkirk's Hill ? Eawdon abandons Camden ? Rapid successes of the Americans ? Greene's attack on the fortress of Ninety-Six ? Operations against Lord Rawdon ? Greene on the high hills of Santee ? Sumter scours the lower country ? Dash of Colonel Wade Hampton at the gates of Charleston ? Exploits of Lee and Hampton ? Of Captain Armstrong at Quimby Bridge ? Action in the neighbourhood ? End of the campaign. It will be recollected that Greene, on the 5th of April, set out from Deep River on a retrograde march to carry the war again into South Carolina, beginning by an attack on Lord Rawdon's post at Camden. Sumter and Marion had been keeping alive the revolutionary fire in that State; the former on the north-east frontier, the latter in his favourite fighting ground between the Pedee and Santee Eivers. On the re-appearance of Greene they stood ready to aid him with heart and hand. On his way to Camden, Greene detached Lee to join Marion with his legion, and make an attack upon Fort Watson by way of diversion. For himself, he appeared before Camden, but finding it too strong and too well garrisoned, fell back about two miles, and took post at Hob- kirk's Hill, hoping to draw his lordship out. He succeeded but too well. His lordship attacked him on the 25th of April, coming upon him partly by surprise. There was a hard-fought battle, but through some false move among part of his troops, Greene was obliged to retreat. His lordship did not pursue, but shut himself up in Camden, waiting to be rejoined by part of his garrison which was absent. Greene posted himself near Camden ferry on the Wa- teree to intercept these reinforcements. Le...