and spirits were enfeebled, and the horses suffering for the want of forage became of little use, at the moment when all the energies of his army were wanted to meet a fresh and eager foe.

General Gates, however, continued his march under all these difficulties, towards Lynch's creek, with Brigadier General Marion on his right, and Sumpter on his left. Arrived here with only the creek between him and Lord Rawdon, the latter thought it necessary to draw in his posts and retire to Camden, whence he despatched intelligence to Lord Cornwallis of his situation. Gates followed, continuing to march up the north side of the creek to Rudgely's mill, where he took post, and where for the present we shall leave him, to attend to some of the skirmishes of Marion and Sumpter.

On the 30th of July, Brigadier General Sumpter having collected the militia under Colonels Lacy, Erwine, and Neale, joined Major Davie, on the north of the Waxhaws, with a determination to attack the British post of Rocky Mount, which had been left in charge of Lieutenant Colonel Turnbull, with 150 New York volunteers and South Carolina militia, and for the purpose of concerting measures for assaulting the other posts within their reach. On the 1st August, Sumpter approached Rocky Mount, but the natural strength of the place, assisted by the bravery and skill of the officers who defended it, rendered his attempts to carry it three times unavailing. Having no artillery he drew off after the third attempt, and retired to his frontier position on the Catawba. He had lost several of his detachment in the assault and one of his bravest Colonels, Neale. Major Davie in the mean time, hearing that a part of the garrison of

Hanging Rock, returning from an excursion had halted at a neighbouring farm house, determined to fall upon them. They were three companies of Bryan's loyalists, who had eluded the vigilance of the North Carolina patriots and escaped a short time before, into South Carolina. Davie used such caution and despatch in making his approaches, that the party were completely surrounded before they knew of their danger. They were nearly all killed or wounded, and Davie brought off with him sixty horses with their trappings complete, and 100 muskets and rifles.

General Sumpter having halted a few days in his position until his troops were refreshed, and rejoined by Davie, advanced on the 6th of August to the assault of Hanging Rock. This place was held by Major Carden, with 500 men, consisting of portions of Tarleton's legion and Brown's regiment, and the remnant of Bryan's loyalists. The attack commenced against the latter, who were soon put to flight; the legion infantry were next forced, when the detachment from Brown's regiment met the assailants at the point of the bayonet. The conflict was for some time fierce and doubtful, but the enemy having lost nearly all their officers and a number of men, at length fell back, but formed anew in the centre of their position with the Legion infantry and Hamilton's regiment. Sumpter still continued vigorously to press upon them, but without effect; his militia had been thrown into disorder by their previous success, and no efforts could bring them again to close action. He retired, therefore, with the prisoners and booty already gained, and brought off his men in good order, in the face of the enemy who made no attempt to interrupt him.— Sumpter lost several of his officers and had a number

severely wounded. Marion in the mean time having collected around him all those who were friendly to the American cause, placed himself in the morasses of the Pedee and Black rivers, and made many successful attacks upon parties of the enemy who vainly sought to discover and break up his rendezvous.

On his arrival at Rudgely's mill, General Gates received information from Sumpter, that a party of the enemy was on the way from Ninety Six, with stores for the main army at Camden, and that with the assistance of artillery he could intercept them as they passed the ferry on the Wateree. The request of Sumpter was immediately complied with, and Lieutenant Colonel Woolford, of the Maryland line, was detached to his aid with four hundred men and two field pieces; and Gates with his army thus weakened prepared to advance still nearer to Camden: he had been joined here, however, by General Stevens with 700 Virginia militia, and seemed to think it a matter of course that Lord Rawdon would retire on his appearance before Camden, as he had done from Lynch's creek. But Lord Cornwallis was now there with all his disposable force, ready and eager for battle.

There seems to have been a fatality of errour in all the calculations of General Gates, respecting the Southern army. He ought to have known enough of the character of Cornwallis to be assued that he would never avoid a battle, and that at the present occasion it was bis interest to seek it, as the preservation of his conquests depended upon his retaining possession of Camden. It is difficult to conceive how General Gates could have remained ignorant of Cornwallis's march from Charleston to Camden, and yet nothing but such ignorance could excuse his weakening his force at the

moment when, if his object had been to force the British army to retreat, he should have called in all his skirmishing parties so as to have shown an imposing superiority. On the very night that Gates moved from Rudgley's mills, Lord Cornwallis with the view of surprising him in this position marched out from Camden. Gates had previously issued orders, being the result of a conference with his general officers, fixing the line of march and order of battle. The troops were directed to be ready to march at 10 o'clock on the night of the 15th of August, with Colonel Armand's small squadron of cavalry in advance, Colonel Porterfield's light infantry on the right flank of Ar-. mand, and Major Armstrong's infantry on the left, both to be in Indian file, two hundred yards from the road. The first and second Maryland Brigades, formed the front division, after them the two divisions of North Carolina and Virginia, and the volunteer cavalry formed the rear guard. The whole army at this moment, including officers, amounted to no more than 3663, of which only about 970 infantry and cavalry, were continentals. Cornwallis's force was much inferior in numbers, being only about 2000, infantry and cavalry, but the greater part of them were well disciplined regulars.

The advanced corps of the two armies met some hours before day-light on the morning of the 16th, about midway between the two posts from which they had both set out, at the same hour, the evening before. Armand's legionary corps were almost instantly thrown into confusion, and driven back upon the leading Maryland regiment, which produced some unavoidable disorder. The two flanking corps of light infantry, however, under Porterfield and Armstrong

gallantly opposed the progress of the enemy's van; and some prisoners having been taken on both sides, the two Generals for the first time learned the proximity of their armies; both immediately halted, neither being willing to risk a battle in the dark. The ground was extremely unfavourable for General Gates; as the deep swamps on both sides of him, prevented his deriving any advantage from his great superiority, by extending his line of attack; while on the other hand it enabled Cornwallis to present as bold a front with his inferiour force as he could have done with double his numbers. The pause was employed by both Generals in preparing for the appearance of light. The British army displayed in one line occupying the whole ground between the swamps, the right under Lieutenant Colonel Webster, and the left under Lord Rawdon ; in front of the line Lieutenant McLeod of the artillery was posted with two 6 and two 3 pounders. The reserve, with two 6 pounders, took post in a second line, one half opposite the centre of each wing; and the cavalry held the road. General Gates rather injudiciously made a change in the original disposition of his troops. General Gist with the second Maryland brigade and the Delaware regiment took the right; General Caswell with the North Carolina militia, the centre; and General Stevens with the Virginia militia took the left, being thus opposed to the best troops of the enemy under Webster. The first Maryland brigade, under General Smallwood, formed the reserve; the artillery was. divided among the several brigades. The Baron de Kalb to whom the line of battle had been entrusted, took post on the right, and General Gates, on the road between the reserve and the front line.