CHAPTER LV.

-HE ENCAMPS

GENERAL GREENE MARCHES AGAINST LORD RAWDON AT CAMDEN
ON HOBKIRK'S HILL-IS ATTACKED BY THE BRITISH-AMERICANS DEFEATED-
GREENE'S GOOD RETREAT-HE TAKES A STRONG POSITION -RAWDON BURNS
CAMDEN AND FLEES TO THE SANTEE- GREENE MARCHES TO ATTACK FORT
NINETY-SIX-CAPTURE OF BRITISH POSTS-CORNWALLIS INVADES VIRGINIA —
HE RETREATS BEFORE LAFAYETTE, WAYNE, AND STEUBEN-BATTLE AT JAMES-
TOWN CORNWALLIS PROCEEDS TO PORTSMOUTH WASHINGTON'S ARMY INAC-
TIVE ITS WEAKNESS AND LACK OF SUPPLIES-CONFERENCE BETWEEN WASH-
INGTON AND ROCHAMBEAU AT WEATHERSFIELD-SUMMER CAMPAIGN PARTIALLY
ARRANGED DESIGNS UPON NEW YORK-RECOnnoisance OF BRITISH POSTS ON
YORK ISLAND-EXPEDITION TO VIRGINIA-SIR HENRY CLINTON DECEIVED —
MARCH OF THE ALLIES SOUTHWARD-ARNOLD'S MARAUD IN CONNECTICUT-
ITS FAILURE TO DIVERT WASHINGTON FROM HIS PURPOSE.

LORD RAWDON was one of Cornwallis's most efficient officers, and was in command of a considerable British force at the important post of Camden, in the spring of 1781. General Greene having resolved to strike a heavy blow for the recovery of South Carolina, broke up his encampment on the Deep river on the sixth of April, and marched directly upon Camden. On the nineteenth he encamped upon Hobkirk's hill, within a mile of Rawdon's entrenchments, and sent out detachments in various directions, to attack British posts upon the Congaree and Santee rivers.

Rawdon's force was much inferior to that of Greene's, but being strongly intrenched, he did not feel himself in any peril in presence of his foe. Greene perceived that his own little army was unequal to the task of carrying the British works by storm, and he resolved to wait for expected reinforcements.

During the night of the twenty-fourth of April, a deserter from Greene's army made his way into Rawdon's camp, and informed

ET. 49.]

DEFEAT AT HOBKIRK'S HILL.

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him of the weakness of the republican forces. Rawdon resolved to attack Greene at once, before he should become stronger, for his own provisions were nearly exhausted, and his supporting outposts were menaced. Before daylight his troops were in marching order, and at dawn they pushed silently on toward Greene's camp by a circuitous way, under the shelter of a swamp forest. The republicans were utterly unsuspicious of any such movement, and when the British vanguard appeared, some were leisurely breakfasting, others were washing their clothes, and others were cleaning their muskets.

The Americans flew to arms, and formed in battle order with great celerity. The British rushed forward, and a battle ensued which lasted several hours. The Americans were finally defeated, and fled toward Saunders's creek, having lost in killed, wounded, and missing, two hundred and fifty-six. The British loss was two hundred and fifty-eight. The Americans had only eighteen killed, and the British thirty-eight. Greene retreated in good order, carrying away all of his artillery and baggage, and fifty British prisoners, and encamped that night on the north side of Saunders's creek. Rawdon retired within his works at Camden.

This defeat was unexpected to Greene, and for a moment discon certed him, for, with the exception of the capture of Fort Watson, below, by Marion and Lee, he knew not how his partisan corps were proceeding. But he was not the man to be paralyzed by disaster. On the morning after the battle he retired as far as Rugeley's mills, and then crossing the Wateree, took a strong position for offensive and defensive operations.

The two armies were now about equal in numbers, and Greene's began to increase. Rawdon was informed of this, and, alarmed for the safety of his posts in the lower country, he set fire to Camden on the tenth of May, and retreated to Nelson's ferry, on the Santee. At the same time he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Cruger to abandon Ninety-Six and join Brown at Augusta, and directed Maxwell, the commander of Fort Granby, near the present city of Columbia, to leave that place and retire to Orangeburg, on the North Edisto.

But Rawdon's order and movements were made too late. Within the space of a week Orangeburg, Fort Motte, Nelson's ferry, and Fort Granby-four important posts-fell into the hands of the republicans, and by the middle of May, Greene was making rapid marches toward Ninety-Six.

While these events were transpiring in the Carolinas, Cornwallis was making his way into Virginia. He had arrived at Wilmington on the eighth of April, where he remained long enough to refresh and recruit his shattered army. When apprized of Greene's march upon Camden, he started for Virginia, hoping, by that movement, to draw the American general away from Lord Rawdon. He joined Arnold and Phillips at Petersburg, on the twentieth of May; those two commanders having recently ascended the James river, driven the Baron Steuben and his little army of a thousand militia, across the Appomattox, and committed depredations in the direction of Richmond, and at Manchester, opposite that town. With these forces Cornwallis resolved to attempt the subjugation of the state. Lafayette was then in Virginia, but his force was quite inadequate to resist the invaders, and the state, for a time, seemed doomed to British rule.

Cornwallis felt so sure of success against the young marquis, that he wrote from Petersburg to the British ministry, saying, "The boy can not escape me," and then proceeded to prostrate Virginia at his feet. For the purpose of bringing the marquis into action, or to awe the inhabitants into submission, he penetrated the country beyond Richmond, and destroyed an immense amount of property. At the same time he sent out detachments under Tarleton, Simcoe, and others, to distress the inhabitants; and for several weeks the whole state was kept in great alarm. A part of Tarleton's corps came very near capturing Governor Jefferson, at his seat at Monticello; and they actually seized several members of the Virginia legislature, and other influential inhabitants at Charlottesville.

Lafayette had retreated slowly before the earl toward the Rappahanock, and was soon joined by Steuben; and a little later Wayne came marching from the North with a considerable reinforcement.