Tag: Maj. Gen Nathanael Green

Jun1781: Slow Attrition of British Forces Continues in the Hot Summertime

In my last post that focused on May1781, Francis Marion had successfully kicked the British out of Georgetown on the coast of South Carolina, however, the British remained on their ships in Winyah Bay and would not leave until 11JUN1781.

Continental Maj. General Nathanial Greene had started a siege of Ninety-Six which I described in my last post as the following:

The fortification was intense and artillery consisted of three three-pounders and 550 motivated soldiers knowing that this was the last significant outpost in the interior of South Carolina where once the British had over 30 strongholds and now only had a dozen mainly located near CharlesTown.

It seems that all three militia innovations were attempted during this 28 day siege, Mahem’s tower, flaming arrows and even a tunnel but all were compensated for by the Brits. Both Greene and militia leader Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter present at Ninety-Six, they earnestly desired to have Marion’s men present as well for the final assault.

To show the timeline:

  • 05JUN1781: Brig. Gen. Francis Marion writes to Maj. Gen. Nathanael
    Greene – the evacuated British garrison of Georgetown is still
    sitting in their boats in Winyah Bay.
  • 05JUN1781: Marion receives another message – On 02JUN1781 British Col.
    Pasten Gould lands another 2,000 new British Regulars from Cork
    at CharlesTown. Marion forwards the news to Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter
    and asks Sumter to forward it to Greene.
  • 06JUN1781: Marion camps at Murry’s Ferry. He continues to have great
    difficulty in raising men. Both Greene and Sumter attempt to get him
    to move, but Marion sits tight.
  • 07JUN1781: British leader Francis Lord Rawdon marches out of Moncks Corner and heads to Ninety-Six to break the stalemate between Maj. Gen. Greene and Lt. Col. John Harris Cruger, Loyalist Commandant of Ninety-Six.
  • 16JUN1781: Marion leaves Murry’s Ferry and slowly marches toward
    Ninety-Six. He stops at Nelson’s Ferry to again wait for his men to
    come in, but they continue to linger.

So what is up with Marion’s men? They can be fast and accurate!

Well, first the excuses that Marion offered:

  • Sumter assuming Rawdon was going to another fort and not Ninety-Six at first and him giving Marion orders that conflicted each other (halt, resume march, halt, etc). Mixed signals from leadership ALWAYS has the unintended consequences of this nature!
  • Marion mentioned that there were crops to be protected for Greene’s provisions as well as a growing presence at Monck’S Corner.

Unstated was the primary reason, Marion’s men refused to travel so far from their homes.

Psyche.

Actually, Marion’s men have no desire to fight under or with the Gamecock, Brig. Gen Thomas Sumter. Sumter’s method of fighting did not mesh with those under Marion’s leadership.

There were key philosophical differences between these two militia leaders. “Sumter’s Law”, enacted just a few months before in April 1781 was a recruiting plan that offered slaves and other Loyalist property, taken by the troops during the campaign, as an enlistment bounty granted to men willing to serve for a period of ten months in the state forces. Marion’s men found this morally wrong EVEN THOUGH it was “legal”!

Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter
  • 19JUN1781: Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene breaks off his siege of Ninety-
    Six. He is acutely aware that British leaders Francis Lord Rawdon is on his way. He takes his army northward, across the Bush River.

Maj. Greene then issued a scathing report on 25JUN1781 of how the militia failed him yet again (and added that the Virginia militia did not show up either thanks to Thomas Jefferson). Greene now orders Marion to cooperate with Sumter “in any manner he may direct.”

Greene failed to look in the mirror as his inexperience in the ways of sieges had his troops not discover the water source for Ninety-Six fortification that could have made that fortification fall in less than two weeks instead of almost a month. Marion never responded to this letter but I am sure he had words ready for that opportunity should he see Greene again face-to-face.

How does Marion and his men respond? Marion’s Militia still refuses to join him – most of his men have no desire to fight under Sumter, yet they all know it is almost inevitable.

This is the way it should be. The negatives of militias are outweighed by this important fact, real men should be able to “consent” to an action of their own free will. The militia actually acted as a check on the powers that standing armies have in at any time opt for decisions that a amoral and an offense to society as a whole. Bring a true civil war in South Carolina, this Whig/Tory and Patriot/Loyalist split would someday have to be healed for all to live in community once the violence could subside after the British exited the colony.

So how bad was the real impact of Marion not showing up at Ninety-Six? Two weeks after the siege and assault failed, the British left Ninety-Six and they tried to go after Greene but the Irish in wool uniforms and 100F heat were not holding up well and 50 died from heat-stroke.

Returning to Ninety-Six briefly, Rawdon saw that it could not be held as the troops could not be provisioned there and battles won made little difference if the troops were starving. The loyalists in the area (non-military) left with Rawdon and Cruger as their protection and safe passage for Charleston.

Greene had actually won by losing at this point in the conflict. He called together Sumter, Lee and Marion to take advantage of the momentum offered. On 26JUN1781, Brig. Gen. Marion finally collects about 400 men, and after Lt. Col. William Washington urges him to meet up at the
Congarees, he leaves Nelson’s Ferry and marches northward to meet personally with Lt. Col. Washington and Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene at Ancrum’s Plantation.

Summer fighting in South Carolina requires a lot of a man should he come from Virginia or further north. Greene concluded that the American forces were weakened by the heat and could not survive on the rice in the region and needed bread again. With no beef they resorted to frogs and alligators, because they taste like chicken.

After the next encounter in July 1781, Greene would then moved his troops to the High Hills of the Santee for the rest of the summer.

-SF1

15-28MAY1781: South Carolina is able to Expel British/Tory Forces from Key Strongholds

From my last post about South Carolina’s effort in MAY1781 to leave the British Empire for good I said:

… seems that the tide is turning into a flood, and mid-May 1781 will come more changes as this internal civil war rages on in South Carolina between Tories and Whigs, British regulars and Continentals and everyone else caught in between …

The flood keeps surging in mid-May as more good news is received that the British force at Orangeburg fell to Sumter and Lt. Col. Henry Lee moved to Fort Granby and accepted surrender of British forces there on May 15th.

Seems the typical hot-headed “Gamecock”, Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter was ticked that HE was not allowed to accept the surrender on the siege he had started two weeks before.  Sumter threatened resignation but ended up getting munitions and slaves to pay his men via “Sumter’s Law”.  Greene also at this time ensured that Sumter was top dog and could order Marion where he needed him.

Continental leader Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Greene and his forces continued on to Ninety-Six where the last inland detachment of British were entrenched.  Lt. Col. Henry Lee is dispatched 16MAY to join Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens and to place a seige on Augusta, Georgia and to work with militia leader Elijah Clarke in taking Fort Galphin on May 21st then on to assist the militia leader Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens in taking out smaller forts around that key city.

In the meantime, on 19MAY, Marion sends news to Greene that Francis, Lord Rawdon is still at Moncks Corner and GeorgeTown is now garrisoned by only ~80 men, including Redcoats and Loyalists. Marion requests approval to go take Georgetown.

On 26MAY, Marion receives a conditional “yes” (as long as Sumter would not be exposed and Rawdon did not move on Ninety-Six) and moved on Georgetown and laid siege, learning from Fort Watson and Fort Motte experiences.  Again he was without cannon but that did not keep him from using black painted peeled logs!

The British leadership had already been given permission to exit should they be pressed and so on the same day the siege started (28MAY) the British spiked their cannons, boarded their ships and left the city. These forced lingered safely in the bay a few days (until 11JUN1781 actually) and then sailed for CharlesTown.

With the occupation of GeorgeTown, Brig. Gen. Marion is able to replenish his wardrobe and fit himself out in a new suit of ‘regimentals’. He is then ordered by Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene to assist with the next siege attempt, that of Ninety-Six, so he leaves a small force in Georgetown under the command of Lt. Col. Peter Horry and marches away with the captured British supplies.

His militia, seeing that the job in GeorgeTown is finished, quietly go back to their homes. Frustrated by the fluidity of volunteer militia, Brig. Gen. Marion begins gathering a new militia to harass Francis Lord Rawdon on his way to Ninety-Six.

Ninety-Six lay in the middle of Tory country and so a siege was tough sledding.  It actually should never had taken place except the orders from Rawdon to Cruger (commander at ’96) to leave Ninety-Six for Augusta was intercepted by the rebels and never delivered. The fortification was intense and artillery consisted of three three-pounders and 550 motivated soldiers knowing that this was the last significant outpost in the interior of South Carolina where once the British had over 30 strongholds and now only had a dozen mainly located near CharlesTown.

In addition to this difficulty, there was a rumor afloat that on about 02JUN1781, Col. Pasten Gould landed another 2,000 new British Regulars from Cork, Ireland at CharlesTown.

June 1781 would be a rough month in this seesaw set of events that can easily occur when an empire can land more troops at will from anywhere in the globe.

Stay tuned for what happens at Ninety-Six!

-SF1

07-12MAY1781: Fort Motte is the Next British Stronghold to Fall

In my last post concerning this Spring 1781 effort to take back South Carolina from the grips of the British Empire, I mentioned how Cornwallis had left the region for good and was in route to Virginia.

Fort Motte was constructed in and around the Motte Plantation house 30 miles up river from Fort Watson. 06MAY1781 started yet another siege of a fort as now the post-by-post elimination of British strongholds set in motion. Rebecca Motte, recent widowed, aristocrat and ardent patriot had been moved into the overseers log cabin by the British who took over her house perched on a 250 foot hill was now surrounded by protective wall of wooden stakes 10 foot high with a seven foot wide, six foot deep ditch around the walls. Inside were 80 Redcoats, 59 Hessians and 45 loyalist Tories led by Lt. McPherson, a Scottish unit that had proved itself in Canada and was now a part of the Brit regulars.

Lt. Col. Lee (‘Lighthorse’ Harry) had 250 and Brig. Gen. Marion 150 with one six-pounder cannon. The plan was to use slave labor to build zig-zag trenches close to the fort using patriot sharpshooters to protect the laborers.

In the middle of this siege, Marion fell into his deepest sour mood to date having done nine months being chased by “death squads” and having no practical consistent military help and being prodded to give, give, give. Again it was the request of horses that set him off (triggered in today’s language), but the root issues included

  • The undermining from other militia leaders who said “Marion had come across plenty of horses”
  • The outright murder of a patriot on his own front porch in front of his family by Tories
  • Typical comings and goings of a militia army.

Marion offered to quit and go north to Philadelphia to be assigned elsewhere. Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, whom he had yet to meet, wrote back and backed off on the horses but saying the cause and his state needed him at such a time as this. Marion ended up sending Greene one quality horse with a promise of more horses when they could.

Word came on 11MAY1781 that the British commander at Camden, Francis Lord Rawdon had left for Charles Town and was in route to reinforce Fort Motte. The tower that worked at Fort Watson would not work in this instance, but raining down fire was the action agreed upon when Lee and Marion met with Rebecca Motte for permission, which she gave.

So on 12MAY1781 the main house was targeted with fire, and with the cannon used to spread canister shot, the Brits could not put out the fire and surrendered. Details from J.D. Lewis’ work called “The Evolution of Marion’s Brigade after the Fall of Charlestown 1780 to 1782” follows:

Waiting until noon when the roof has become hot and dry, Lt. Col. Lee orders the house to be set on fire.

[Weems (known for the fiction about George Washington cutting down a cherry tree) writes that Mrs. Motte lends the Patriots a bow and “African arrows.” However, William Dobein James is there and in his later book about Marion he writes, “the house was not
burnt, as is stated by historians, nor was it fired by an arrow from an African bow, as sung by poets. Nathan Savage, a private in Marion’s brigade, made up a ball of rosin and brimstone, to which he set fire and slung it on the roof of the house.”]

As the roof catches fire, Lt. McPherson sends a detail aloft to rip off the burning shingles. Capt. Samuel Finley fires upon those on the rooftop using his 6-pounder with grapeshot. When Lt. McPherson’s men begin jumping from the burning house, he raises the white flag on May 12 th .

As soon as the British and Loyalists lay down their arms, Brig. Gen. Marion sends his men to the house to help put the fire out. He offers the enemy generous terms. When they march out, Lt. Col. Lee accepts the surrender of the British regulars, while Brig. Gen. Marion accepts the surrender of the Loyalist militia – this is how fractured the Patriots are at that point in time – Continentals versus militia.

Basically, the patriots saved the house from fire, the prisoners were granted generous conditions even keeping their recent loot. The Brits lost no men and the patriots lost two. McPherson surrendered to Lee and the Tories to Marion. McPherson thought he was surrendering to a gentleman BUT three months earlier Lee himself had employed tactics (i.e. “Tarleton’s Quarter”) used by the hated Banastre Tarleton himself. This tendency that all leaders on all sides of conflicts struggle with will be highlighted in the next few hours.

After the surrender, Lee again received wrath from Marion when Francis learned that Lee was hanging Tories:

Mrs. Motte invites both the Patriot and British officers to dine with her that night. The dinner is marred when one of Lt. Col. Lee’s officers, Cornet William Butler Harrison, orders three Loyalists to be hanged.

Brig. Gen. Marion is seated at the table when Lt. McPherson receives the news of this hanging. Brig. Gen. Marion leaps up from the table and storms out of the mansion, arriving to find two dead Loyalist on the ground and one swinging from a noose.

He orders the man cut down and strongly tells Lt. Col. Lee’s men that he is in charge and that he will kill the next man
who harms any prisoners.

Lee complained but said that Marion’s humanity among the ranks could not be overcome.

THIS is a critical point! If the rank and file are empowered to interject morals into the middle of war, then long term relationships after the conflict could be so much better. Total war drives wedges into society that lasts generations. Examples include not only “Tarleton’s Revenge”, but also Sheridan’s burning of the Shenandoah Valley and Sherman’s 50 mile wide path through Georgia and South Carolina! Same goes for the CIA taking out the democratically elected president of Iran in 1953. But I digress.

It was finally at this point for the first time that Greene met with Marion personally and cleared the air. There were no more threats of quitting from this point forward. Again, from J.D. Lewis:

Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene finally meets Brig. Gen. Francis
Marion in person at McCord’s Ferry on the Congaree River. They all camp here for the night.

The Brit Rawdon arrived at Nelson’s Ferry on 14MAY only to hear that Fort Motte was gone and dismantled and all the supplies taken by the patriots. From there his only recourse was to move his troops to within 30 miles of Charles Town at Monck’s Corners.

It seems that the tide is turning into a flood, and mid-May 1781 will come more changes as this internal civil war rages on in South Carolina between Tories and Whigs, British regulars and Continentals and everyone else caught in between.

-SF1

11FEB1781 – 01MAR1781: With Cornwallis Chasing Nathaniel Greene in NC …

One might think that South Carolina would be out of the limelight with Lord Cornwallis giving chase to the Continentals (Greene and Lee) in North Carolina, but this means all the more that the remaining rebel forces in this colony needs to keep the British hold there in doubt.

It was 11FEB1781 when Francis Marion received a letter that said Thomas Sumter, fellow militia leader in South Carolina, was back in action and that the “Gamecock” was the highest ranking officer in the state/colony. Thomas Sumter was not happy that Daniel Morgan had been given permission by the Continental Army to operate in the Catawba region of SC and made it look easy by what he pulled off at Cowpens, SC in JAN1781:

.. a huge patriot victory at Cowpens, South Carolina on January 17th where Daniel Morgan achieved a double pincer movement that utilized militia in the front lines to supply 2-3 volleys and then retreat which then brought Tarleton’s dragoons into a trap (remember that from the movie ‘The Patriot’?) and resulting of 85% loss in the dragoon’s 1050 man force (100 dead, 230 wounded and 600 captured). Also captured was two field cannon, 800 muskets and 100 horses.

What has to be remembered is that the united States (emphasizing the thirteen sovereign “states” and not necessarily the united or union component) under the Articles of Confederation which was to be formally ratified the next month (March 1781) did NOT give the federation’s government power over the state’s armed forces. Sumter was technically senior to Marion in the SC State militia even though Marion still held a commission in the Continental Army and Sumter had resigned his in 1778. At this point, recently promoted SC militia leader Andrew Pickens and Francis Marion would be reporting to Thomas Sumter who then reported to the SC governor, John Rutledge, who was in exile in North Carolina.

So with Cornwallis chasing Greene and Lee in NC, Sumter directed Marion to assist him in attacking smaller British outposts in SC.  Sumter had just laid siege to Fort Granby on the Congaree River on Feb 19th. Sumter desired Marion’s actions to distract Rawdon, the British officer in charge at Camden, SC.

Unknown to Sumter was that Rowden was on the move and had forced Marion to retreat 20 miles right after Marion had tried to recruit more men west of the Santee.  Marion’s recruiting was not going well because a rogue Whig militia leader named Snipes had been plundering the civilian areas telling people he was under orders from Marion! Marion countered by re-emphasizing his philosophy of no looting and no taking provisions from plantations without direct orders from himself. He also published a proclamation that said unidentified parties not associated with his militia would be identified by name and at that time all would be free to put them to death without prosecution. It had come to that.

Marion then moved back to Snow’s Island with Rowden in pursuit of him. The “Swamp Fox” was almost caught when Rowden was directed to go after Sumter who was threatening Ninety-Six. In Rowden’s reports he lists Marion’s strength at 300 and all mounted.

It wasn’t until Feb 26th that Marion received Sumter’s orders from a letter dated Feb 20th. In the mean time Sumter had given up a siege of Fort Granby which he attempted without artillery and also an aborted effort to storm a stockade at Belleville SC.  Marion responded that the British pressure was too great to his west at this time but would venture out at the next opportunity.  Marion was definitely not enthusiastic about Sumter, considered him a “showboater” and word of his recent attacks seemed like a fools errand.  Marion knew his men did not like being at large distances from home but Marion saw this as an order and moved somewhat slowly 100 miles west toward Sumter, to give the appearance that he was attempting to follow orders.

Thomas Sumter was impatient and therefore struck at Fort Watson on Feb 28th, but called off action after 18 of his men were killed. Sumter again penned a letter emphasizing that Marion needed to connect with him but then on March 1st, Sumter heard of a British unit heading his way so he retreated to the High Hills region above the Santee, grabbed his paralytic wife and their son and rode another 40 miles to Black River at Bradley’s Plantation. More than likely Sumter and Marion passed each other in the night and did not know it.

These actions, although small on paper, demonstrated that South Carolina could not be counted on by the British as a reconquered province. Marion and the other militia leaders would continue to harass the British in their rear .. no pun intended!

March1781 would be a HUGE month for the rebel cause against the British Empire in the American Colonies.

– SF1

JAN1781: A New Year on Paper, A New Title for Marion .. However – Same Mission

While it always looks good on paper, a new title and all, the men of principle stay the course and so not let promotions distract from their mission.

In January of 1781, Marion’s mission was intact. This was not an easy thing to do as we will see this month unfold. When the militia asks for resources (like having more than the typical 3-4 rounds of ammo these men had on them at any one time), the larger Continental force would ask for horses.

Nathaniel Green’s appetite for horses almost harmed this regular / militia partnership. Greene realized that the fight in the south meant traversing deep rivers (horses swim better than most men, so horses helped) and and moving in and around impassible creeks/swamps. Greene was a quick study using maps to understand the geography and in weeks he knew more than Cornwallis did in half a year. Marion would sometimes not reply directly to the request for horses since he had none to spare as his own men, who routinely had little ammo needed the horses in their hit-n-run style. His men were also farmers, and horses were essential to a good working farm. Greene would remind Marion and would drop the exiled SC governor’s name (Rutledge) to force the issue and even ask how many Marion had and how many he could spare. Marion’s men, unpaid volunteers, giving their horses to an army that was supplied by the Continental Congress? Some of Marion’s men deserted him when they learned of this, and rightly so.

The fact of the matter was, Marion’s cavalry tactic meant that the British could never force a decisive action on the militia. Even with bird shot, effective at only 20-30 yards, Marion’s men could effectively harass the British. In time Greene admitted that taking horses from the militia was like robbing Peter to pay Paul, so eventually he got the message.

By 14JAN1781 Marion thanked Greene for a shipment of ammo and also addressed the need for some reinforcements as the Tories near the North Carolina border were joining forces with other Tories around Georgetown. Within about a week (delayed because of difficulty in finding the Swamp Fox) a detachment of 250 men (mix of cavalry and infantry) led by Lt. Col. “Light-Horse” Harry Lee age 25 (father of Robert E. Lee) arrived at Snow’s Island.

So with a new year arrives a new partner in this mission with a different style than Marion’s. “Light-horse” Harry was different in being a highly educated Virginia gentleman who dressed elegantly and had his men in full uniform with short green coats (similar to Tarleton’s on the British side). This color accent hampered his ability to find Marion as the locals were very suspect of the green!

Also, Light-horse Harry was an egotist, a self-promoter ,unlike Marion BUT similar to Francis with being small in stature as well. Both were believers in discipline, agility and speed.

Light-horse Harry would eventually tout his own achievements in his memoirs while settling scores with his enemies including Thomas Jefferson. But in the end, Harry would speak fondly of Francis Marion even though in his reports he used “I” where he should have used “we”.

By the last week of January 1781 there would emerge a target that both Marion and Lee would need to engage. Little did they know, until after this next battle near Georgetown, South Carolina (alternative seaport that the British used to keep it inland forces supplied) that there was a huge patriot victory at Cowpens, South Carolina on January 17th where Daniel Morgan achieved a double pincer movement that utilized militia in the front lines to supply 2-3 volleys and then retreat which then brought Tarleton’s dragoons into a trap (remember that from the movie ‘The Patriot’?) and resulting of 85% loss in the dragoon’s 1050 man force (100 dead, 230 wounded and 600 captured). Also captured was two field cannon, 800 muskets and 100 horses.

On the heels of this action at Cowpens, Cornwallis chose the offensive and even after having lost 25% of his force, proceeded to chase Morgan and Greene. These two commanders headed towards VA (called later “The Race for the Dan (River)”) for supplies and reinforcements. Cornwallis with Gen Alexander Leslie’s 1500 men would burn their own supply train, including the rum, and chase Greene throughout NC.

That pretty much covers up the January 1781 action with Marion and his militia except for the “amphibious” landing in Georgetown, the source of most of the salt in the region which is critical for the preservation of meat. This action will be covered in my next post in this series that follows the calendar year events of Francis Marion during his two year effort to keep the British Empire from prevailing in their attempt to retain control of the American Colonies.

-SF1