His army consisted of about four thousand five hundred men, of whom near two-thirds were North Carolina and Virginia militia. The British were about two thousand four hundred, all regular troops, and the greater part inured to toil and service in their long expedition under Lord Cornwallis, who, on the morning of the 15th, being apprized of General Greene's intentions marched out to meet him.

The engagement commenced at half an hour after one o'clock, by a brisk cannonade. After which, the British advanced in three columns, and attacked the first line, composed, of North Carolina militia. These, who probably had never been in action before, were panic struck at the approach of the enemy, and many of them ran away without firing a gun. Part of them, however, fired, but they then followed the example of their comrades. Their officers made every possible effort to rally them-but in vain. This shameful cowardice had a great effect upon the issue of the battle. The next line, however, behaved much better. They fought with great bravery; and after they were thrown into disorder, returned to the charge, and kept up a heavy fire for a long time, but were at length broken, and driven on the third line, when the engagement became general and very bloody. At length, superiority of discipline carried the day from superiority of numbers. The conflict endured an hour and a half, and was terminated by General Greene's ordering a retreat.

This was a hard fought action.

Lord Corn

wallis stated his losses in killed, wounded, and missing, at 532, among whom were several officers of considerable rank; and though he appeared to have gained the battle, yet within three days

thereafter, he was obliged to make a retrogade motion, and return to Wilmington, situated two hundred miles from the place of action.

The loss of the Americans was about four hundred killed and wounded. However, this was not so severely felt, as the desertion of a considerable number of militia, who fled homewards, and came no more near the army.

Some time after this engagement, General Greene determined to return to South-Carolina, to endeavour to expel the British from that state. His first object was to attempt the reduction of Camden, where Lord Rawdon was posted with about nine hundred men. The strength of this place, was such as to render it impracticable to carry it by storm, with the sıhall army General Greene had, consisting of about seven hundred continentals. He, therefore, encamped at about a mile from the town, in order to prevent supplies from being brought in, and to take advantage of such favourable circumstances as might occur.

Lord Rawdon's situation was extremely delicate. Colonel Watson, to whom he had, on intelligence of General Greene's intentions, sent orders to return to Camden, was so effectually watched by General Marian, that it was impossible for him to obey. His Lordship's supplies were, moreover, very precarious-and, should General Greene's reinforcements arrive, he might be so closely invested, as to be at length obliged to surrender. In this dilemma, the best expedient that suggested itself was a bold attack. He sallied out on the 25th of April, and assailed. General Greene in his camp. The defence was obstinate, and, for some time the advantage appeared to be in favour of America. Lieutenant Colonel Washington, who commanded the cavalry, had at one time not

less than two hundred British prisoners. However, by the misconduct of one of the American regiments, victory was snatched from General Greene, who was compelled to retreat.

There was a great similarity between the consequence of the affair at Guildford, and that of this action. In the former, Lord Cornwallis was successful-but was obliged to retreat two hundred miles from the scene of action, and for a time abandon the grand object of penetrating to the northward. In the latter, Lord Rawdon had the honour of the field, but was shortly after reduced to the necessity of abandoning his post, and leaving behind him a number of sick and wounded.

The evacuation of Camden gave a new face to affairs in South Carolina, where the British ascendancy declined more rapidly than it had been established. The numerous forts, garrisoned by the enemy, with the exception of Fort Ninetysix fell, one after the other, into the hands of the Americans, and a very considerable number of prisoners of war, with military stores and artillery, were found in them.

On the 22d of May, General Greene sat down before Ninety-six, with the main part of his little army. The siege was carried on for a considerable time with great spirit; at length, the works were so far reduced, that a surrender must have been made in a few days; but a reinforcement, of three regiments, from Europe, arrived at Charleston, which enabled Lord Rawdon to proceed to relieve this important post. The superiority of the enemy's force, reduced Greene to the alternative of abandoning the siege altogether, or, previous to their arrival, of attempting the fort by storm. The latter was more agreeable to bis

enterprising spirit, and an attack was made of the morning of the 29th of June. He was repulsed, with the loss of one hundred and fifty men. He raised the siege, and retreated over the Saluda.

Some skirmishes of no great moment took place between detached parties in July and August.— September the 9th, General Greene having assembled about two thousand men, proceeded to attack the British, who, under the command of Colonel Stewart, were posted at Eutaw Springs. As the Americans came forward to the onset, they fell in with some advanced parties of the enemy, at about two or three miles ahead of the main body. These being closely pursued, were driven back-and the action soon became general. In the hottest part of the engagement, General Greene ordered the Maryland and Virginia continentals to charge with trailed arms. This decided the fate of the day. "Nothing," says Dr. Ramsay, "could surpass the intrepidity of both officers and men on this occasion. They rushed on, in good order, through a heavy cannonade, and a shower of musketry, with such unshaken resolution, that they bore down all before them." The British were broken, closely pursued, and upwards of five hundred taken prisoners. They, however, made a fresh stand, in a favourable position, in impenetrable shrubs and a picqueted garden. Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, after having made every effort to dislodge them, was wounded and taken prisoner. Four six pounders were brought forward to play upon them, but they fell into their hands; and the endeavours to drive them from their station being found impracticable, the Americans retired, leaving a strong picquet on the field of battle. Their loss was about five hundred; that of the British upwards of eleven hundred.

General Greene was honoured by Congress with a British standard, and a gold medal," for his wise, decisive, and magnanimous conduct, in the action at Eutaw springs, in which, with a force inferior in number to that of the enemy, he obtained a most signal victory."

The battle of Eutaw produced most signal consequences in favour of America. The British, who had, for such a length of time, lorded it absolutely in South Carolina, were, shortly af ter, obliged to confine themselves in Charleston, whence they never ventured but to make predatory excursions, with bodies of cavalry, which in general met with a warm reception.

During the relaxation that followed, a dangerous plot was formed, by some turbulent persons in the army, to deliver up their brave General to the British. This treasonable design owed its rise to the calamities of the soldiers, who were ill paid, ill clothed, and ill fed. The conspirators did not exceed twelve in number; and a providential discovery defeated the project.:

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis, from whose enterprising spirit the British ministry had expected to repair all their losses, having convinced them of the impracticability of subjugating America, they discontinued offensive operations in every quarter.

The happy period at length arrived, when, aided by the bounty of heaven, America compelled her invaders to recognize her independence. Then her armies quitted the tented fields, and retired to cultivate the arts of peace. Among the rest, General Greene revisited his native country, where he proved himself as valuable a citizen, as the Carolinas had witnessed him a gallant officer. Dissentions had extended their destructive influ