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Upon the disbanding of this force Augusta was occupied by Colonels Brown and Grierson, two notorious partisan officers in the king's army. The former had been a resident of that town prior to the inception of the war. His conduct and language had then been so offensive and insulting to the friends of liberty that he was finally arrested by the parish committee, tried, tarred and feathered, and exposed to public ridicule in a cart drawn by three mules. This ignominious punishment ended, he made his escape to the British, swearing vengeance against all patriots. En- trusted now with the command of the town in the streets of which he had suffered such gross indignities, he was resolved to gratify a revenge sternly cherished, and to repay, with interest,
1 McCall's History of Georgia, vol. ii. p. 304. Savannah. 1816.
449
CRUELTY OF COLONEL THOMAS BROWN.
to the citizens of Augusta the ill-usage he had experienced at their hands. His first measure was the sequestration of the prop- erty of the republican inhabitants. This was speedily followed by an order banishing, beyond the limits of Georgia, all Whig families. Stripped of their possessions and driven from their homes, exposed to insults and enduring numberless privations, these proscribed Georgians were compelled to journey even to the borders of North Carolina, where they arrived half famished, broken down by the fatigue and hardships of travel, and some of them with constitutions so sadly shattered that all hope of health and life had fled.1 The tyrant rejoiced in his supremacy ; and, gloating over the sorrows he had wrought, boasted that his
. .
. "great revenge
Had stomach for them all."
Emissaries were dispatched into the adjacent country with au- thority to grant protections and exact oaths of allegiance to the British Crown. A party thus commissioned, and led by Captain Corker, at dead of night forced an entrance into the dwelling- house of Colonel John Dooly and, in the most barbarous manner, murdered him in the presence of his wife and. children. Thus perished an officer who had borne himself gallantly in many af- fairs and deserved well of the republic.
When the disaffection of Williamson was made known to Colonel Clarke he was in command of three hundred men in Wilkes County, whom, by his personal exertions, he had there " embodied." Maddened and chagrined at the traitorous act, and disappointed in his expectation of immediately taking the field against the British and Tories who, in large numbers, were running riot through various portions of South Carolina, he dis- missed his command, granting leaves of absence and furloughs for twenty days that his officers and men might take leave of their families, arrange their affairs, and prepare for a long campaign. Freeman's Fort in Elbert County was named as the point for the reassembling of this force.
By the 11th of July, 1780, one hundred and forty men, strongly mounted and well armed, rendezvoused at the desig- nated place. Without waiting for further accessions, Colonel Clarke crossed his command by night at a ford six miles above Petersburg. The British and loyalists were in South Carolina in the line of his intended march. His force being composed of
1 Sec Jackson's MS. notes on Ramsay's lina. Stevens' fistory of Georgia, vol. ii. History of the Revolution in South Caro- p. 244. Philadelphia. 1859.
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450
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
volunteers, so soon as his troopers left Georgia each man claimed the right of thinking and acting for himself. Influenced by the manifest dangers which opposed, and moved by the insubordina- tion which prevailed in his little army, Colonel Clarke deemed it prudent to return to Georgia and await a more favorable oppor- tunity for cooperating with the South Carolinians in an effort to dislodge the enemy.
Colonel John Jones, of Burke County, refused to join in the retreat, and succeeded in persuading thirty-five men to unite with him in the attempt to penetrate the country and form a junction with the republican forces wherever they might be. Organized into a company with Colonel Jones as captain, John Freeman as lieutenant, and Benjamin Laurence as guide, this little band pressed forward. While traversing the disaffected territory these men represented themselves to be loyalists in the active service of the king. In this capacity they were furnished with guides. Having passed the head waters of the Saluda River they were informed by one of the guides that a party of Royal- ists had, a short distance in front, been attacked and defeated by some rebels. Jones thereupon expressed a wish to be conducted to the spot that he might unite with the loyalists in taking " re- venge for the blood of the king's subjects which had been shed."
About eleven o'clock on the night of the 14th of July he was led to the royal party, numbering about forty, collected to pursue the rebels who had retreated to the north. Selecting twenty-two men for the attack, and leaving his horses and baggage in charge of the rest of his command, Jones approached the enemy. He found them generally asleep and wholly unprepared for the onset. At the first fire one was killed and three were wounded. The entire command, numbering thirty-two, cried for quarter and sur- rendered without offering the slightest resistance. Having pa- roled his prisoners, having destroyed all their arms except such as were needed by his command, and taking with him as many horses as could conveniently be led, Jones compelled the aston- ished guide to conduct him to Earle's ford on Pacolet River where, on the following day, he formed a junction with Colonel McDow- ell commanding three hundred North Carolina militia.
Some twenty miles distant from MeDowell's camp, in a south- erly direction, was Prince's Fort, commanded by Colonel Innis. Ignorant of McDowell's approach, that officer had detached Major Dunlap with seventy British dragoons, and a party of loyalists commanded by Colonel Ambrose Mills, in pursuit of Jones whose
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DEFEAT OF MAJOR DUNLAP.
audacious exploit had just been brought to his knowledge. Reaching the vicinity of McDowell's camp late at night, and supposing that he had overtaken Jones' party, Dunlap waited for the dawn to make his attack. As he was crossing the river in the early morning he was discovered by a sentinel who, run- ning in, gave the alarm. Few of the Americans were awake. Before they could form, Dunlap, with drawn swords, hurled his dragoons and loyalists upon them. The Georgians being en- camped nearest to the river received the first shock and suffered considerable loss. Jones was disabled by eight sabre cuts on the head. Falling back about one hundred yards the Georgians, under Lieutenant Freeman, joined Major. Singleton who was forming his men behind a fence, while Colonels McDowell and Hampton were rapidly, with the main body, coming into line of battle on his right. An advance was quickly ordered when Dun- lap, discovering his mistake, beat a hasty retreat which was ef- fected with trifling loss.
Fifty-two of the best riders, including Lieutenant Freeman and fourteen Georgians, were ordered to pursue the retiring foe. After two hours and a ride of fifteen miles the enemy was over- taken. Dunlap was routed upon the first attack ; eight of his troopers being slain. Finding it impossible to rally his men, the British commander joined in the flight, which ceased not until Prince's Fort, garrisoned by three hundred Royalists, was reached. The Americans continued the pursuit, inflicting additional losses, until they came within three hundred yards of that fort. By two o'clock in the afternoon Hampton with every man of his command was back in camp. Thirty-five excellent horses, an ample supply of dragoon equipage, and a considerable amount of baggage, formed the substantial trophies of this brilliant adven- ture.1
Upon his return to Georgia, Colonel Clarke remained but a short while in a state of inactivity. He longed to join the little army of the Revolution then energetically employed in repress- ing the devastations of the British soldiery and loyalists in the upper portion of the Carolinas. In this desire he received every encouragement from President Stephen Heard and the members of his council. Besides, a residence in Georgia proved most on- erous to his men, who were compelled to secrete themselves in the woods and to rely for subsistence upon the charity of friends.
1 Compare McCall's History of Georgia, Draper's King's Mountain and its Heroes, vol. ii. pp. 306-313. Savannah. 1816. pp. 80-83. Cincinnati. 1881.
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452
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Perceiving that no good could be accomplished at home, he soon reassembled his regiment, and, leading it along the eastern slope of the mountains, conducted it to the confines of North Carolina. Here he was joined by Colonel Jones, by several small parties of Georgians, and by a detachment of twenty men from Colonel Pickens' regiment, commanded by Captain James McCall. Hav- ing no military chest, he was compelled to subsist his troops upon the country, and to forage upon the enemy with whom he skir- mished frequently and successfully. Constantly changing his camp to avoid surprise, and always selecting advantageous posi- tions, he held his troopers well in hand and improved every op- portunity of cutting off the supplies upon which Colonel Innis depended. So annoying to the British garrison proved the pres- ence of Clarke that the English commander resolved to force him to a general and decisive engagement. With this intention, he came out of his fort and moved upon Colonel Clarke, who retired upon Wofford's iron works, and there, on the 10th of August, choosing his ground, waited for the enemy's attack. During the afternoon his pickets were driven in, and a fire at long range was maintained until dark. Every effort was made, but without suc- cess, to draw the Americans from their well-selected position. Under the shadows of night the opposing parties withdrew, each claiming the victory, although no decided impression had been created on either side. Innis retired to his fort near Musgrove's Mill, on Enoree River, and Clarke returned the next morning to his former encampment.
Among the slain in this affair1 was Major Burwell Smith, an activo partisan officer, who had often defended Georgia against the attacks of the Indians and had never suffered either surprise or defeat. His death was sincerely lamented in the republican camp.
Nothing daunted by this demonstration, Colonel Clarke main- tained his ground and manifested increased activity in cutting off the foraging parties of the enemy, and in protecting the patriots against predatory bands of loyalists who roamed through the country plundering and burning every habitation incapable of resisting their devastations. Still intent upon driving Clarke and his command out of the region, Colonel Innis, placing him- self at the head of three hundred and fifty men composed of
1 The Americans lost one injor and and elevon wounded. McCall's History three privates killed and five or six men of Georgia, vol. i. p. 314. Savannah. wounded. Five of the enemy were killed 1816.
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453
ENGAGEMENT NEAR MUSGROVE'S MILL.
British regulars, dragoons, militia, and loyalists, moved out of the fort and advanced in the direction of the American camp. The fact of his approach was communicated by scouts on the night of the 17th of August. Fortunately, Colonel Clarke had recently been reinforced by Colonels Williams, Branham, and Shelby, and it was resolved by a council of war to offer battle in the morning.
Four miles north of Musgrove's Mill was a plantation through which ran a long lane. At the northern end of this Colonel Clarke selected a favorable position for receiving the attack. Advancing with one hundred men, he formed across the road, his flanks being protected by a fence. On either flank he was closely supported by Williams and Branham, while Shelby, with a reserve corps, covered the centre, with orders to throw his force wherever circumstances might require. Moving along the lane, the vanguard of the enemy was within fifty paces of the Amer- icans before the danger was perceived. That he might obtain room to form his regulars, Innis ordered his dragoons and mounted militia to charge and drive the republicans from the ground which they occupied. Conscious that the fate of the engagement depended upon holding his position so as to force the British regulars to form in the open field on either side of the lane while his own men were covered by the fence and the woods, Clarke, supported by Shelby, tenaciously held the centre while Williams and Branham, extending the flanks, delivered an enfilading and destructive fire. Repulsed in their charge, the dragoons and mounted militia recoiled upon the regulars confined in the lane and created much confusion. Into the disordered mass the Americans poured a hot and destructive fire. In their efforts to restore order and lead the cavalry again to the charge, seven British officers were either killed or wounded, and their men were slaughtered without the power of resistance. Among the wounded was Colonel Innis. Captain Ker, second in com- mand, finding it impossible longer to maintain the unequal con- flict, ordered a retreat which continued for four miles and until Musgrove's Mill was reached. So closely were the retiring Brit- ons pressed by the Americans that on more than one occasion they were forced to turn and resort to the bayonet to push back their eager pursuers. Sixty-three of the enemy were killed. One hundred and sixty were wounded and captured. The Amer- icans lost only four killed and nine wounded. Among the former was the gallant Captain Inman ; among the latter were Colonel
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454
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Clarke and his son, Captain John Clarke. In repulsing the charge of the British dragoons and mounted militia a severe hand-to-hand conflict ensued. It was during the melee that Colonel Clarke, who fought with a desperation worthy of all praise, received two sabre cuts, one on the back of his neck and the other on his head. In fact his life was saved by his stock- buckle which received the edge of the weapon. At one time he was actually surrounded by the enemy and in charge of two stout cavalrymen. Renowned for his strength and activity, and exerting himself to the utmost, he knocked one of them down, put the other to flight, and thus liberated himself from his un- pleasant situation. Colonel Clarke was every inch a hero. In feats of arms he was ever plucky and powerful. He was the most noted partisan leader in Georgia. In alluding to this en- gagement Colonel Shelby spoke of it as " the hardest and best fought action he ever was in."
Soon after this affair Colonel Clarke returned to Georgia with his command. In a circular letter, addressed by Lord Cornwallis to his subalterns commanding various advanced posts, appeared the following severe injunctions : "The inhabitants of the Prov- inces who have subscribed to and taken part in this revolt should be punished with the utmost rigour : and also those who will not turn out shall be imprisoned and their whole property taken from them or destroyed. I have ordered in the most positive manner that every militia man who has borne arms with us, and afterward joined the enemy, shall be immediately hanged. I desire you will take the most rigourous measures to punish the rebels in the district in which you command, and that you obey in the strictest manner the directions I have given in this letter relative to the inhabitants in this country."
Under color of this authority, cruelties the most barbarous were practiced. Grievous punishments were inflicted without even the forms of trial. Condemnations and executions occurred, the prisoners being unacquainted with the offenses with which they were charged. The morning after this sanguinary order was received in Augusta five victims were taken from the jail, and by order of Colonel Brown were publicly strangled on the gibbet.1 Confiscations were multiplied, and a reign of terror overspread sucli portions of Georgia and South Carolina as were under the control of the king's forces.
Hoping that this inhuman order would rouse the manhood of 1 McCall's History of Georgia, vol. ii. p. 320. Savannah. 1816.
455
CLARKE ATTEMPTS TO RETAKE AUGUSTA.
the State to determined resistance and concentrate the friends of American liberty in a supreme effort for its assertion, Colonel Clarke, in association with Lieutenant-Colonel McCall, planned an expedition for the capture of Augusta. In the success of the enterprise they were the more inclined to repose confidence because Lord Cornwallis, in mustering his forces to oppose General Gates, had materially depleted the garrison at that point. It was hoped that they might, within a short time, by their joint exertions raise an army of one thousand men. With such a force it was believed that Brown would be compelled to evacuate his post, and that the northern and western divisions of Georgia and South Carolina would be speedily restored to their Confederate alle- giance. Soap Creek in Georgia, forty miles northwest of Au- gusta, was agreed upon as the place of rendezvous.
Entering Wilkes County about the 1st of September, 1780, Colonel Clarke succeeded, within less than two weeks, in placing in the field some three hundred and fifty men. After the most strenuous efforts expended in the western part of Ninety-Six district, in South Carolina, Colonel McCall persuaded only eighty men to accompany him upon the expedition. A union of these detachments occurred at Soap Creek at the appointed time. Celerity of movement being all important, Colonel Clarke put his column on the march without delay and, on the morning of the 14th of September, halted near Augusta and formed his com- mand for action. The enemy was ignorant of his purpose until he appeared before the town. One division, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel McCall, was instructed to enter Augusta by the lower road. The left division, led by Major Samuel Taylor, was ordered to approach by the upper road, while Colonel Clarke in person, with the centre division, was to effect an entrance by the middle or southern road. Moving rapidly and simultaneously these divisions advanced upon Augusta.
Near Hawk's Creek on the west, Major Taylor fell in with an Indian encampment which he at once carried. The savages retreated upon their allies, keeping up a desultory fire as they retired. This assault upon the Indian camp gave to Colonel Brown the first intimation of the approach of the Americans. Taylor pressed on to gain possession of Mckay's trading post, denominated the White House, and situated about a mile and a half west of Augusta as the town then stood. This house was occupied by a company of the King's Rangers commanded by Captain Johnston. Thither did the retreating Indians betake
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456
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
themselves. Ordering Grierson to reinforce Johnston, Brown ad- vanced with the main body of his troops to contest the entrance of the Americans. Completely surprised by the centre and right divisions, the forts surrended after scarcely a show of resistance. Seventy prisoners and a large quantity of Indian presents 1 fell into the hands of the captors. These being secured and left under the charge of a suitable guard, Colonel Clarke hastened to the assistance of Major Taylor.
Meanwhile, Brown and Grierson had joined Johnston and the Indians at the White House and entered upon its vigorous de- fense. Taking possession of several small houses to the eastward, Clarke endeavored, under their cover, to dislodge the enemy. The attempt proved futile. From eleven o'clock in the forenoon until nightfall an irregular fire was maintained between the con- tending parties, but without producing any material impression. It was manifest that the enemy could not be driven from his stronghold without the assistance of artillery. Sheltering them- selves behind the bank of the river, and protected by the trees which grew along the margin, such of the Indians as could not be accommodated in the White House found security in that locality, and thence delivered a careful and annoying fire. Hos- tilities ceased with the close of the day, and strong guards were posted to prevent the escape of the enemy.
Under cover of the night Brown materially strengthened his position by throwing up earthworks round the house. The space between the weather boarding and the ceiling was filled with sand and clay so as to render the structure proof against mus- ketry. The windows were secured by boards taken from the floors, and loop-holes were constructed at convenient distances. Every material at command was utilized in enhancing the de- fensive power of the building.
The next morning two pieces of light artillery, a four-pounder and a six-pounder gun, were transported from Fort Grierson and placed in position so as to bear upon the White House. Their carriages not being adapted for field service, and their manage- ment being unskillful, these guns proved of little avail. Captain Martin, too, the only artillerist in Clarke's command, was unfor- tunately killed just after the guns were brought into action. A musketry fire was directed during the day against the enemy, who evinced no intention either of abandoning the post or of sur- rendering.
1 Their aggregato value was reckoned
at £4,000. Sco Letter of Governor Wright
to Lord George Germain, dated Savannah, September 18, 1780.
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457
BRAVERY OF COLONEL BROWN.
During the night of the 15th Brown was reinforced by fifty Cherokee Indians who, well armed, crossed the Savannah in ca- noes and participated in the defense. Before daylight on the morning of the 16th the Americans succeeded in driving the In- dians from their shelter along the river bank and in completely cutting off the garrison from its water supply. Thus was the enemy greatly inconvenienced and the sufferings of the wounded became intense. Their cries for water and medical aid were heart-rending. A horrid stench, arising from the dead bodies of men and horses, enhanced the miseries of the situation. Brown himself, shot through both thighs, was suffering terribly, but his desperate courage never for a moment forsook him. Ignoring the tortures of his wounds, he remained booted at the head of his gallant band, directing the defense and animating his troops by his presence and example. In order to atone in some degree for the absence of water, he ordered all the urine to be carefully preserved in earthen vessels found in the store. When cold, this was served out to the men, he himself taking the first draught.1 A more frightful illustration of the extremity of the situation cannot be imagined. Summoned to surrender on the 17th, he promptly refused the demand, and warned Colonel Clarke that his present demonstration would eventually bring destruction and devastation upon the western division of Georgia. The summons was repeated in the afternoon with an avowal of a fixed determi- nation on the part of the Americans to reduce the garrison at every sacrifice. Brown's only reply was that he should defend himself to the last extremity. Never was braver foe brought to bay. His wonderful resolution sustained all his followers in their dire distress.
Upon the appearance of the Americans, Colonel Brown had dispatched messengers by different routes to inform Colonel Cruger at Ninety-Six of his situation, and to urge that reinforce- ments should be immediately sent to his relief. Sir Patrick Houstoun, one of these messengers, was the first to reach Ninety- Six. IIe communicated the perilous posture of affairs. Cruger lost no time in repairing to the scene of conflict. During the night of the 17th Colonel Clarke was informed by his scouts that Colonel Cruger, at the head of five hundred British regulars and royal militia, was advancing by forced marches for the succor of the besieged. In direct disobedience of orders many of Colonel
1 Sco Lee's Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department, vol. i. p. 207. Phil- adelphia. 1812.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Clarke's men had gone to Burke County to see their families and friends from whom they had long been separated. Others, actuated by the love of booty, had decamped carrying with them the goods which Brown had recently received to be distributed as presents among the Indians.
About eight o'clock on the morning of the 18th the British troops appeared on the opposite bank of the Savannah River. In his enfeebled condition, his ranks depleted by wounds, death, and desertion, Colonel Clarke was compelled to raise the siege. The Americans retreated about ten o'clock, having sustained a loss of sixty in killed and wounded. Among the former were Captains Charles Jourdine and William Martin, and Will- iam Luckie, a brave and much-respected young man from South Carolina, who fell early in the contest while endeavoring to gain possession of the White House.
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