With the Swamp Fox: A Story of General Marion's Young Spies

by George Bird Grinnell

  CHAPTER XI.

  GABRIEL.

  I know not how to set down properly such a narrative as this, and,therefore, should be excused for such mistakes as may occur throughignorance and inexperience.

  It is with the attack upon Georgetown that I must end this portion ofthe adventures which befell Percy and myself during the time we servedunder General Marion, and it may be the story should be continuedstraight on without any heed whatsoever to those who fought with us,although in the same squad.

  Whether it be right or wrong, I cannot well neglect to speak of thepart played by that other party of twenty who volunteered their livesas eagerly as did we who followed Captain Melton, and what I writeconcerning them must, of course, be from hearsay.

  Therefore it seems to me proper to tell first the story of ColonelHorry's squad, as I have heard it related again and again, beforeattempting to set down that which I know of my own knowledge.

  When the forty volunteers were divided into two squads there wasno time lost, as I have already said, in setting forward upon thatmission which we believed could be fully accomplished only throughthe sacrifice of us all, and we parted at the limits of the temporaryhalting place, Captain Melton leading his force to the right, whileColonel Horry began the reconnoiter by bearing to the left.

  As to what befell the first squad, this is as I have heard it related:

  They continued on through the woods until near to daybreak, when, asColonel Horry himself has said, and I am now quoting from his officialaccount, he "laid an ambuscade, with my twenty men, near the road.About sunrise a chair appeared with two ladies escorted by two Britishofficers. I was ready in advance with an officer to cut them off, butreflecting that they might escape, and alarm the town, which wouldprevent my taking greater numbers, I desisted. The officers and chairhalted very near me, but soon the chair went on, and the officersgalloped into the town. Our party continued in ambush until 10 o'clock.

  "Nothing appearing, and we having eaten nothing for many hours, retiredto a plantation not far distant, where I knew were to be found friends.As soon as I entered the house four ladies appeared, two of whom wereMrs. White and her daughter. I was asked what I wanted. I answered,food, refreshment. The other two ladies were those whom I had seenescorted by the British officers.

  "The strange ladies seemed greatly agitated, and begged most earnestlythat I would go away. I kept my eye on Mrs. White, and saw she had asmiling countenance, but said nothing. Soon she left the room, and Ileft it also and went into the piazza, laid my cap, sword and pistolson the long bench, and walked the piazza; when I discovered Mrs. Whitebehind the house chimney beckoning me.

  "I got to her undiscovered by the young ladies, when she said:'Colonel Horry, be on your guard; these two young ladies are just fromGeorgetown; they are much frightened, and I believe the British areleaving it and may soon attack you. As to provisions, I have plenty inyonder barn, but you must affect to take them by force.'

  "I begged her to say no more, for I was well acquainted with all suchmatters. We both secretly returned, she to the room where the youngladies were, and I to the piazza I had just left."

  The colonel had no more than gained this point, when the sentinels gavean alarm.

  Two musket-shots told him that an enemy was near at hand, and almostimmediately afterward the firing became so rapid that he knew anencounter was already begun.

  That brave officer thought only of his men, and so nearly were theinterests of the squad allied, that he forgot all else save the desireto be with them in the time of danger.

  He rushed into the fight, forgetting to take with him even hissaber--intent only on being with those who had so well proven theirdevotion to the Cause.

  The British were seventeen in number, well armed, and commanded by abrave fellow named Merritt; but they were taken by surprise.

  The redcoats retreated, but turned in their flight to strike a blow,and our men, believing they had been ordered on even to death, pursuedwith fatal earnestness.

  Of the enemy's force only two men escaped death or capture, and one ofthese was the captain, of whom Colonel Horry writes:

  "My men in succession came up with Captain Merritt, who was in therear of his party, urging them forward. They engaged him. He was abrave fellow. Baxter, with pistols, fired at his breast, and missinghim, retired; Postell and Greene, with swords, engaged him; both werebeaten off. Greene nearly lost his head. His buckskin breeches were cutthrough several inches. I almost blush to say that this one Britishofficer beat off three Americans. Merritt escaped to a neighboringswamp, from whence, at midnight, he got to Georgetown."

  I would it were possible for me to give as brief an account, with assatisfactory an ending, regarding our portion of the reconnoiter.

  As has been said, after crossing White's Bridge the two squadsseparated, Colonel Horry's going toward the left and ours to the right.

  Then it was, as we rode on slowly, mentally nerved for anything whichmight happen and fully expecting sharp and bloody work at any instant,that Gabriel Marion said, looking first at Percy and then at me:

  "Perhaps it will never again be our good fortune, comrades, to havesuch an opportunity of proving our metal as has come to us this night.Now I am in nowise eager for death; but to my mind there is little fearthat the end be near at hand. Although the odds are so strongly againstus, we shall take this post of Georgetown, and I believe it becausemy uncle, the major, is a careful, prudent soldier, never taking uponhimself chances that are utterly without hope, although many times thefact may have seemed to be the reverse. We shall capture Georgetown,comrades, and if either of us fails to come out alive, we have theproud satisfaction of knowing that whatsoever befalls the Cause ournames must live among those who volunteered everything for freedom."

  "I hold to it that this is not the time for such speeches," GavinWitherspoon said nervously; and had I not known him to be a man oftried courage I should have said that at that moment he was afraid."These forty men who came forward so gallantly understood full well inwhat kind of an adventure they were engaged. It does not prove that hiscourage is the greatest who speaks overly much regarding the future."

  "Meaning by such speech, that I had best hold my tongue," Gabriel saidwith a laugh. "Perhaps you may be right, and yet there is upon me theinclination to speak of what we have ventured, in order that I maybe the better able to appreciate life after it has been offered as asacrifice and refused."

  "I guarantee that once we are come out from this expedition, youwill need no thought of the past to make you understand that we rodedown the very shadow of death, when we crossed yonder bridge, andthis I say, not because there is in my mind any foreknowledge of thefuture, but from what I know regarding the enemy. I realize, withoutbeing told, that ours is as desperate an undertaking as men can wellimagine."

  "I am thinking that your words, Gavin Witherspoon, are as ill-timed aswere Gabriel's, for while he spoke of what might be our reward, you areweighing, as it were, the chances against us, and to my mind it is notpleasant," Percy said with an attempt at cheerfulness which I knew fullwell was forced, and, stepping nearer to the lad, I grasped his hand,an act which, perhaps, gave him as much encouragement as was in my mindto impart.

  Gabriel continued to speak of the future, as if he had no part in thepresent, until word came that each man must hold himself silent becausewe were come so near the town that there was good reason for believingthe enemy's sentinels might be close at hand.

  We straggled on, each as he pleased, although there was some littleshow of military formation. Captain Melton was allowed to remain in thelead as he had stipulated, but we four comrades took good care not tofall back more than two or three paces, for we were minded to bear thebrunt of the first encounter.

  I had never before known what it was to advance against an enemy onfoot, and the fact of being without a horse gave me a certain sense ofuneasiness.

  So far as we of these two advanced squads were concerned, there couldbe no sudden dash; no
spurring forward into the very midst of theenemy. We must fight our way forward slowly, and, as it seemed to me,at a disadvantage.

  However, it is true that my courage did not fail me, although my handtrembled with excitement, and my mouth was parched and dry as if I hadbeen many hours without water.

  Gabriel had just thrown his arm over my shoulder, to show the affectionwhich was in his heart for us all, when the thud of horses' hoofsdirectly in the front told that the enemy were on the alert.

  Instantly we were halted, every man in a posture of defense, and Iventure to say that there was not one among us who did not wish he wasin the saddle.

  "Hold steady, boys!" Captain Melton whispered. "Yonder comes thepatrol, and it may be they will turn before coming as far as this; butif not, we have our work cut out for us. The enemy must not pass thispoint lest our friends in the rear be discovered!"

  Involuntarily we four had crouched upon our knees in such position thatwe could use the muskets to good advantage, and thus we remained inthe front line while the horsemen galloped nearer and nearer until theywere absolutely upon us.

  "Fire!" our commander shouted, and from that little squad of crouchingfigures a line of fire flashed forth into the very nostrils of theanimals, causing them to rear and plunge madly, thus diverting ourbullets from their targets.

  Three saddles were emptied when a full twenty would have been theresult of the volley had we fired one minute before, and then every manamong us began to reload his weapon with feverish haste, for but fewseconds could elapse before the Britishers would charge.

  "This is what may be called a real battle!" Gabriel cried exultantly;but no one replied.

  Death for many of us was close at hand, and at such a time words do notcome readily.

  I was ramming home the bullet in my musket when the horsemen againdashed upon us from out the darkness; there came a roar as if athousand guns had been discharged at the same instant, and all beforeme seemed to be a sheet of flame.

  Of what followed during the next five or ten minutes I have no clearidea.

  Before me reared and plunged the British horses, while here, there andeverywhere I heard cries of rage or groans of mortal agony until it wasall a hideous, whirling, dancing picture in which I could distinguishonly the outlines of my comrades, who held their places bravely.

  Side by side we fought against the redcoats, ignorant of the factthat we were alone, and then came the moment when all our muskets wereemptied at the same instant.

  The horsemen surrounded us; our weapons were of little service againstthe sabers of the enemy, and we understood it, although there was nothought of surrender in my mind until Gavin Witherspoon seized me bythe arm, shouting in my ear:

  "Surrender, lad, surrender! There is neither honor nor glory in dyingwhen our lives are of no avail for the Cause!"

  Gavin seized my arm, shouting in my ear: "Surrender, lad, surrender!"--Page 250.]

  Even as he spoke three of the redcoats had clutched Gabriel and Percy.

  I allowed my musket, which had been raised as a club, to drop, andimmediately I felt, for the first time, the grasp of a Britisher.

  We were prisoners. The glory of fighting to the bitter end with theknowledge that in so doing we were opening the way for those in therear, was denied us, and but for the shame of it I could have wept likea girl.

  And yet all this was as nothing compared with what followed.

  The troopers were about to disarm us, and some one had fired a torchthat we might be the better seen, when Sam Lee--that miserable Tory andrenegade--came up from the rear, where most likely he had been skulkingduring the fighting, and, seeing us, set up a shout of triumph.

  "Now have I got you rebels where I've been burning to see you?" hecried.

  "Now we shall see----"

  "Is that Sam Lee?" Gabriel shouted, struggling to release himself fromhis captor's grasp.

  "Ay, and it is the cur who has sold his country, his kinsmen andhimself for the king's gold!" Percy replied. "There is no dishonor inbeing overpowered by true soldiers in a fair fight; but to have such asthat villain alive before one's eyes is a disgrace."

  "It shall be worse than that to you!" Sam shrieked, "and as for thatnephew of the rebel Marion, I----"

  "What are you saying?" one of the troopers asked, seizing Sam Lee andshaking him as if to force the reply more quickly. "Is one of these anephew to the Swamp Fox?"

  "Ay, that he is!" Gabriel made answer, stepping forward as far as thehand of the captor would permit. "I am the nephew of General Marion,and proud indeed of the kinship!"

  I was looking at the dear lad that instant, having turned my eyes fromthe scurvy Tory when Gabriel began to speak, otherwise, perhaps, Imight have prevented that terrible thing which followed.

  While the remainder of the party were looking at the brave lad whostood before them in the glare of the torches, Sam Lee, doubled-dyedvillain that he was, rushed upon him with a saber which he had seizedfrom the hand of the trooper.

  In the flickering light I saw the gleam of the steel, and before a wordof warning could escape my lips, the cruel weapon descended, strikingGabriel full upon the head, sheering its way downward until the dearlad sank a lifeless mass at the feet of that cur who was not worthy toso much as kneel before him.

  On the instant it was as if my eyes were blinded by the crimson floodthat followed the stroke of the blade. There was a sensation as if allmy blood was boiling, and, for the time being, reason left me.

  Gavin Witherspoon declares that I wrenched myself free from the trooperwho held me, as if the Britisher had been no more than a babe, that atthe same instant I leaped upon the Tory murderer, bearing him to theearth till his face was sunk deep in the blood-stained moss, and withthe same weapon which had let out the life of the most gallant lad whoever lived, I killed him.

  It was done so quickly, Gavin declares, that the redcoats had notime to interfere before the work was accomplished, and while they,horror-stricken as it were by that which was not warfare in any senseof the word, stood before us three--two dead and one senseless, theremainder of our squad fell upon them.

  This last attack was successful; the Britishers were beaten off, andour brave fellows carried Gabriel's dear body, and myself, back to therear.

  The attempt to capture Georgetown was a failure, now that the enemy hadbeen warned, and our brigade beat a hasty retreat.

  Of all that I know nothing; it was many days before my senses returned,and then we were encamped on Snow's Island.

  It is best that I add to my story what has been written by one who isa master hand at wielding a pen, while I am only a novice, and thatI bring this portion of the adventures which befell Percy Sumter andmyself to an end, with the promise to write out at some later daywhat we two did when the work of the patriots was finally crowned withsuccess.

  * * * * *

  "The murder of Gabriel Marion, with some other instances of brutalityand butchery on the part of the Tories, happening about this time, gavea more savage character than ever to the warfare which ensued. Motivesof private anger and personal revenge embittered and increased theusual ferocities of civil war; and hundreds of dreadful and desperatetragedies caused the inhabitants to pursue each other rather like wildbeasts than like men.

  "In the Cheraw district, on the Pedee, above the line whereMarion commanded, the warfare was one of utter extermination. Therevolutionary struggle in Carolina was of a sort unknown in any otherpart of the Union.

  "The attempt upon Georgetown was defeated. The British had takenthe alarm, and were now in strength, and in a state of vigilance andactivity which precluded the possibility of surprise. Marion's wishes,therefore, with regard to this place, were deferred accordingly to amore auspicious season.

  "He retired to Snow's Island, where he made his camp. It was peculiarlyeligible for his purposes, furnishing a secure retreat, a depot for hisarms, ammunition, prisoners and invalids--difficult of access, easilyguarded, and contiguous to the scenes of his most active o
perations.

  "Snow's Island lies at the confluence of Lynch's Creek and the Pedee.On the east flows the latter river; on the west, Clark's Creek, issuingfrom Lynch's and a stream navigable for small vessels; on the northlies Lynch's Creek, wide and deep, but nearly choked by rafts of logsand refuse timber. The island, high river swamp, was spacious, and,like all the Pedee river swamp of that day, abounded in live stock andprovision. Thick woods covered the elevated tracts, dense cane-brakesthe lower, and here and there the eye rested upon a cultivated spot, inmaize, which the invalids and convalescents were wont to tend.

  "Here Marion made his fortress. Having secured all the boats of theneighborhood, he chose such as he needed, and destroyed the rest. Wherethe natural defenses of the island seemed to require aid from art, hebestowed it; and, by cutting away bridges and obstructing the ordinarypathways with timber, he contrived to insulate, as much as possible,the country under his command.

  "From this fortress his scouting parties were sent forth nightly inall directions. Enemies were always easy to be found. The Britishmaintained minor posts at Nelson's Ferry and Scott's Lake, as well asGeorgetown; and the Tories on Lynch's Creek and Little Pedee were muchmore numerous, if less skilfully conducted, than the men of Marion.

  "Marion's encampment implied no repose, no forbearance of the activebusiness of war. Very far from it. He was never more dangerous to anenemy than when he seemed quiet in camp.

  "His camp, indeed, was frequently a lure, by which to tempt theTories into unseasonable exposure. The post at Snow's Island gave himparticular facilities for this species of warfare. He had but to crossa river, and a three hours' march enabled him to forage in an enemy'scountry.

  "Reinforcements came to him daily, and it was only now, for the firsttime, that his command began to assume the appearance, and exhibit theforce of a brigade."

  THE END