Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/17

 Heroes of the old Camden District, S. C, 11

wounded and taken prisoner; but our heroes were away again with Sumter on one of his bold, and this time, for a while at least, suc- cessful expeditions.

Sumter, with Colonel Thomas Taylor and a detachment of the Maryland Line, under Colonel Woodford.had succeeded in capturing the British convoy near Camden Ferry, against which he had been sent on the very day upon which Gates, with the army sent for the relief of South Carolina, was defeated.

Flushed with victory, but encumbered with the spoils he had secured and the prisoners he had captured, Sumter was himself ap- proaching danger as he was hastening to get his valuable capture beyond the reach of recovery. As soon as Lord Cornwallis, after his victory over Gates, received the intelligence of the capture of his convoy and the route by which Sumter was retreating with it, he detached Colonel Tarleton with his Legion ind a corps of mounted infantry to pursue him, and to take the road over Rocky Mount Ford, and dispatched orders also to Colonel Turnbull, then stationed at Little river, to interrupt him if he could and bring him to action. But Major Davie, who had been engaged in escorting the wounded at Hanging Rock to Charlotte, hastening to return to the general ren- dezvous at Rudgley's, met the first part of our flying troops about four miles from the battlefield. Pressing on with the hope of being useful in saving soldiers and baggage, he continued to advance when meeting General Huger driving his tired horse before him, he learned the prob- ability of Sumter's ignorance of Gates' defeat and the consequent danger to which he and his party were exposed. Captain Martin and two dragoons was at once dispatched by Davie to inform Sumter and to urge him to take care of his corps. Captain Martin reached Sumter at Rocky Mount the following night. Sumter immediately decamped with his prisoners and booty. Turnbull's attempt to intercept him failed by the celerity with which Sumter had moved, but Tarleton came in sight of his camp fires the night before Sumter left Rocky Mount.

Alas! Sumter seemed to have indulged a belief that he was safe, and having passed Fishing Creek, in Chester, some eight miles, he halted for rest. His arms were stacked; his men were lying around, some bathing, some reposing he himself with his arms laid aside and coat off when down came Tarleton upon him as he had upon Bufort three months before. Of Sumter's force, which was estimated at eight hundred, some were killed, others wounded, and the rest dispersed. Sumter himself escaped in his shirt sleeves with about three hundred