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was supplied by the North-Carolina militia, under Gen. Ashe, consisting of 1 100, which augmented the army of Gen. Lincoln to 2400 men.

At this time Gen. Prevost moved his whole force into South-Carolina, and took possession of Port-Royal Island. Gen. Moultrie put himself at the head of a body of Charleston militia; commenced an attack upon the island, and dislodged the enemy with great loss, and drove them back into Georgia, February 3d, where they continued to estab lish themselves, and overrun the country.

Col. Campbell took his position at Augusta, at the head of about 2000 regulars and tories, where he fomented divisions, and insurrections, amongst the tories in SouthCarolina, whose depredations greatly distressed that state.

To suppress those ravages, Col. Pickins assembled a party of militia from the district of Ninety-Six; pursued these banditti, overtook, engaged, killed, routed and destroyed, or dispersed their whole party, with the loss of their leader, Col. Boyd. who was slain, and the remnant threw themselves upon the mercy of the state.

South Carolina entered with spirit into these measures, tried and convicted 70 of the rebels, and sentenced them to death; but mercy interposed, and only 5 of the principals were executed; the remainder were pardoned.

Gen. Lincoln ordered Gen. Williamson to take a strong position upon the Savannah, opposite to Augusta, to watch the enemy and check their ravages, and Gen. Ashe was detached into the upper country to support Gen. Williamson, with 1500 or 2000 men, where he arrived on the evening of the 13th of February.

Col. Campbell, upon intelligence of this junction, made a hasty movement the same night, and retired down the river 14 miles. This movement led Gen. Lincoln to order Gen. Ashe to pursue with his detachment, and when he had gained a certain position, to leave his detachment,

and meet him at a given time and place, to concert measures for their future operations. Gen. Ashe obeyed, and the commanders met accordingly. At this time Gens. Brian and Elbert took a strong position on Brian Creek, and on the next day Gen. Ashe returned to his post; on the same day the British reconnoitered his camp very closely, and on the next day Lt. Col. Prevost gained the rear of the American camp, by a circuitous march of about 50 miles, and commenced a furious attack; Gen. Elbert with his handful of regulars advanced to the charge, to check the enemy, until the militia could recover their surprise, and come into action, but their surprise was roused into fear, and fear into flight, and the detachment of Gen. Elbert was overpowered and cut to pieces, whilst Gen. Ashe and his militia fled to their homes, and never more returned. The Americans lost 150 killed, 162 captured, and the wounded are not numbered; about 450 of this whole force joined Gen. Lincoln, and the fugitives were never collected.

This decisive victory opened the whole state of Georgia to the victors, and a free communication with the tories of South-Carolina.

Alarmed for the safety of the state, they chose John Rutledge, Esq. their governor, and delegated to him and his council, full powers" to do every thing that appeared to him, and them, necessary for the public good." They at once assembled a large body of militia at Orangeburg, near the centre of the state, to act as occasion might require the governor next ordered Gen. Williamson to send parties into Georgia, and distress the enemy, by laying waste the country, by driving off and destroying all the horses, cattle, provisions, carriages, &c. they could find. Gen. Lincoln took the liberty to remark to the governor, with some severity upon this order, as affecting alike the

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innocent and the guilty, the aged and infirm, women and children, and filling the country with distress.

Gen. Lincoln, now being reinforced at his camp at Blackswamp, determined by the advice of a council of war, to advance into Georgia, with all his force, excepting a strong guard to be left in his camp at Purysburg, under Gen. Moultrie, and take some strong position that he might circumscribe the limits of the enemy, and prevent his communication with the savages of the back country.

Gen. Prevost suffered the American Gen. to advance 150 miles into the country, and then availed himself of the favourable moment, and made a movement to surprise Gen. Moultrie in his camp at Black-swamp; the Gen. eluded this attack by having changed his ground three hours before, and being joined at the same time by Col. Mackintosh, with his party from Purysburg; he next took his post at Tullifinny-bridge, to intercept the march of the British to Charleston. On the first of May Gen. Lincoln, learning the movement of Gen. Prevost, detached 300 continentals, with orders to make a rapid march to reinforce Gen. Moultrie, and moved with the remainder of his army into the heart of Georgia.

Admidst these movements, and the execution of the orders of Gov. Rutledge, the inhabitants were so distressed as to throw themselves into the arms of the British for succour, and support; this, and the exposed situation of Gen. Moultrie, led Gen. Lincoln to change his operations, and move, by forced marches, to support Gen. Moultrie, lest Gen. Prevost should take advantage of his weak state, and force bis way to Charleston.

Gov. Rutledge took the alarm at the movements of Gen. Prevost; burnt all the houses in the suburbs, and put the city into the best possible state of defence. He next called in the neighbouring militia to give support to his measures, and on the 10th of May Gen. Moultrie joined his troops in the defence of Charleston.

Gen Prevost pushed his pursuit, and on the 11th crossed over the ferry, and appeared before Charleston. On the same day Count Pulaski arrived with his legionary corps, and entered with spirit into the defence of Charleston.

On the same day the Count made a sally upon the enemy, with a detachment of horse, and engaged the enemy's horse, with a view of drawing them into an ambuscade by falling back upon his infantry; but the zeal of his infantry defeated the movement, by sallying out of their lines, and engaging the enemy too soon. The movement was of service in giving spirit, and enterprise to the militia, and these movements, when often repeated, infused a soldier-like zeal into the garrison, as well as the citizens, and thus became instrumental in saving the town.

Gen. Prevost pushed his operations with such vigour, that he might carry the town before Gen. Lincoln could arrive for its defence, that the civil authority sent out to him the following proposition-"That South-Carolina would remain in a state of neutrality, till the close of the war, and then follow the fate of its neighbours, on condition the royal army would withdraw." To which Gen. Prevost replied-"The garrison are in arms, and they shall surrender prisoners of war."

The garrison expected an immediate assault, and prepared for a vigorous resistance; but the approach of Gen. Lincoln with his army in a few days, obliged Gen. Prevost to raise the siege, and file off to the coast for safety, among the islands. Gen. Lincoln concerted an attack upon a party of British, strongly posted at Stono-ferry; a sharp rencounter ensued, and the British were SO severely handled, that Gen. Prevost moved off his army to Beaufort, and from thence back to Georgia again.

Gen. Prevost indulged his army in the most licentious and abandoned system of plunder, and devastation, which rendered the sufferings of South-Carolina, wherever his

army moved, as great as would have been the ravages of an Indian invasion. The inhabitants were indiscriminately robbed of money, plate, jewels, &c. accompanied with the most wanton devastations, by the soldiery; and to crown the whole, they carried off about 3000 slaves, which were generally sent to the West-India markets, and sold.

Sir Henry Clinton co-operated with Gen. Prevost, by sending a force of 2000 men from New-York, into Virginia at this time, under Sir George Collier, and Gen. Mathews, who took possession of Portsmouth, and the remains of Norfolk, about the 10th of May.

Gen. Mathews sent forward a detachment, the same day to Suffolk, where they destroyed a magazine of provisions, with such vessels and naval stores as were found there, and laid the town in ashes, together with all the gentlemen's seats on the plantations, wherever they went. The fleet committed the same ravages upon the coast, and within the space of one fortnight, about 130 vessels were captured or destroyed, together with 3000 hogsheads of tobacco; and the brave general embarked his troops, together with his booty, and returned safe to NewYork.

Gen. Mathews joined Sir Henry Clinton in an expedition against Stoney-Point and Verplank, which proved successful; the former was carried by Sir Henry, and the latter by a detachment under Gen. Vaughan, whilst Sir Henry moved towards the Highlands.

Pending these operations, Lt. Gov. Hamilton, of Detroit, had concerted a plan for laying waste the back settlements of Virginia, by bringing into action the Cherokees, and Chickasaws, and other Indians, to act in concert with the Indians about Detroit, Michilimackinack, &c. The plan was deeply laid, and the whole interior of Tennessee, Kentucky, &c. doomed to destruction. To

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