gained. The correspondence closed with the proposal on our part, of neutrality to the town and State during the war, the peace to fix its ultimate condition. This offer was rejected by the British general; and he followed its rejection, by retiring from before the town during the night. What train of reasoning could have produced the rejection of the proposition to surrender the town on condition of neutrality by a general situated as was Prevost, I confess myself incapable of discerning.

May 18th.

The moment he found that the works could not be carried, he ought to have exerted himself to procure possession by negotiation; and certainly the condition of neutrality was in itself eligible. It disarmed South Carolina for the war; the effect of which upon her infant sister, already nearly strangled, would have been conclusive; and Congress would have soon found, that their army, unaided by South Carolina, could not be maintained in Georgia.

No British force would have been retained from the field, to preserve the neutral State; and the sweets of peace, with the allurements of British commerce, would probably have woven a connection with Great Britain fatal in its consequences to the independence of the Southern States.

At all events, by the rejection of the proposal, when about to withdraw with his army, the expedition became abortive. Whereas acceptance of the proffered condition would have obviated the disgrace attached to such a result, and deprived General Lincoln of a great portion of his force, and of all the arms, stores, &c., deposited in Charleston. General Prevost had scarcely crossed the Ashley River, before the American general, returning from Augusta by forced marches, reached Dorchester, the threshold of the isthmus, leading to Charleston, made by the Ashley and Cooper rivers, which uniting below the town pass to the sea.

May 14th.

Reposing a few days in his camp, on the south of Ashley River, Prevost commenced his retreat along the sea-coast, which, with his maritime means, was readily and safely effected.

He first entered James' Island, then John's Island, where he established himself, waiting for a supply of stores, daily expected from New York.

CHAPTER XIII.

Lincoln approaches John's Island.—Battle of Stono.-Prevost returns to Georgia.

GENERAL LINCOLN, having called in his different corps, broke up from his position in Dorchester, and sat down close to John's Island, which the Stono Inlet separates from the main.

On the main at the ferry, upon this inlet or river, the van of the British was posted, consisting of one thousand five hundred men under Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost, who had erected three redoubts in his front for the security of his position. The numerous small craft, being fastened together, formed a communication between the van and the main body on the island.

Notwithstanding the British expedition had resulted in disappointments, to which in military transactions more or less ignominy is always attached, Lincoln was not satisfied, but was very desirous to wind up with éclat the toilsome and passive operations, into which he had been reluctantly drawn by his enterprising adversary. The van of the enemy only was within his reach; and as the bridge of boats afforded the sole conveyance to troops detached to its support, the supporting force was necessarily limited. Relying upon the advantage this circumstance afforded, Lincoln moved toward Stono on the 4th of June, with the resolution of striking at the van post; but after examining the enemy's condition, he thought proper to decline risking an assault.

June 4th

In the course of ten or twelve days, Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost, with a portion of the army, was detached to the Savannah. The vessels forming the temporary bridge being taken by this officer (in consequence of the intention then entertained of retiring from the main) for the purpose of conveying his troops, the communication across the Stono, reverted to ferry transportation. General Prevost afterward relinquished his design of drawing his van into the island, and sent Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland to take charge of it.

This officer possessed a growing reputation which he well deserved. Not only was the boat bridge broken up, rendering the communication more inconvenient, but the garrison had been reduced to five hundred men. Maitland hastened to improve his condition by separating from it every encumbrance. His sick, his spare baggage, his horses, with every other appurtenance, not necessary to defence, were conveyed across the Stono; and he added

to the security of his post all those aids from labor which genius and industry beget.

Lincoln was soon advised of the departure of Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost, with the simultaneous occurrences. Resuming his original design, he did not hesitate to seize the present inviting opportunity to execute it. On the 19th he moved with his army, determined to attack Maitland on the next morning. In accordance with this decision, General Moultrie was directed to take possession of James' Island with a detachment from Charleston, for the purpose of passing thence into John's Island, in order to draw upon himself the attention of the British general, and thus divert him from the attack upon his van. The ground in front of the enemy was level, and covered, at a small distance from his works, with a grove of large pine-trees.

June 20th.

On the 20th, Lincoln advanced to the assault. The North Carolina militia composed his right,* under Brigadier Butler, and his regulars his left, under General Sumner. The flanks were covered by light troops, Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson at the head of one, and Colonel Malmedy at the head of the other corps; and the reserve consisted of the cavalry, with a small brigade of Virginia militia under General Mason. The Highlanders, called the best troops of the enemy, being known to take post on his right, became by this order of battle opposed to the Continental soldiers. Maitland's pickets announced the American approach; and the British detachments formed for action. The seventy-first regiment was posted on the right, and a regiment of Hessians on the left. Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, with the North Carolina regiment, composed the centre. The British flanks seemed to be secure; as the one rested upon a morass, and the other upon a deep ravine. Notwithstanding appearances, both were, in fact, assailable; for the first was firm enough to bear infantry, and the other was not intersected by water. The retiring pickets were supported by two companies of the seventy-first regiment, who, with their usual intrepidity, rushed into close action, and, fighting bravely, were mostly destroyed. This advantage encouraged the assailants, who

* General Lincoln set an example, in his order of battle, worthy of imitation by all commanders at the head of unequal troops, as was invariably the case with American commandants.

Knowing that the Highlanders would take the enemy's right, he placed his Continentals on his left, whereas, agreeably to usage, they should have composed our right. Form ought ever to yield to substance, especially in the arrangements for battle.

were now ordered to reserve their fire and to put the issue of the battle on the bayonet.

Our troops advanced with alacrity; and the enemy waited their approach until they got within sixty yards of the abatis, when a full fire from the artillery and small-arms was delivered. Disobeying orders, our line returned the fire, which was continued on both sides without intermission for half an hour. The action became keen and general; the Americans continuing their fire with ardor. The enemy's left was driven back; and Maitland seeing his danger made a quick movement with the seventy-first regiment, from the right to the left supplying its vacancy with his reserve. The Highlanders revived the contest on the left. The Hessians, being rallied, were brought again into line: and the action raged with increased fury. Lincoln, foreseeing the consequences, was chagrined to find his plan of battle interrupted; and exerted himself to stop the fire. At length he succeeded: a pause ensued; and the order for charge was renewed. Vain attempt! the moment was passed; and instantly the firing recommenced and continued for more than one hour, when the army of General Prevost was seen hastening to the ferry; Moultrie having failed in making the intended diversion for want of boats. The British lieutenant-colonel manifested by the past conflict the probable issue of the future, strengthened, as he soon would be, by the support fast approaching; which consideration induced Lincoln to order a retreat. This movement produced now, as it generally does, some disorder; which being perceived by Maitland, he advanced upon Lincoln with his whole force. The cavalry (Pulaski was not present) were ordered up by the American general to charge the enemy, whose zeal in pursuit had thrown them into loose order. This was gallantly executed; but Maitland closed his ranks as the horse bore upon him, and giving them a full fire from his rear rank, the front, holding its ground with charged bayonets, brought this corps (brave but undisciplined) to the right about. Mason, with his Virginia brigade, now advanced, delivering a heavy fire. The enemy drew back; and our retreat was effected in tolerable order.

Thus terminated the battle of Stono. It was evidently lost, first, by the failure in the diversion from Charleston; secondly, by the erroneous plan of attack; and, lastly, by the deviation from orders in its execution. It seems surprising that if, as we must presume, a sufficiency of boats had been ascertained to be at our command before the assault was determined upon, how it could

happen that any deficiency should occur in the moment of execution, unless from want of due attention in the department charged with their collection, which evinces culpable negligence. Our force of battle was pointed against the enemy's front, in which lay his strength, as he had improved that part of his position by three redoubts, and other defences; whereas our chief effort ought to have been on his flanks, which invited primary attention, as they were unfortified, and would, upon due examination, have been found only to present an opposition easily to be surmounted. The morass was considered as impassable, whereas it was a firm marsh, Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson having passed it in the course of the action with a part of his corps. The halt of the line, returning the enemy's fire instead of pressing on with the bayonet, baffled our last hope of victory; nor is it improbable, had the appeal to the bayonet been uninterrupted, but that our courage would have surmounted all difficulties; and that we should have obtained the desired prize with heavy loss, which was attainable by a small sacrifice of lives, had we directed our attack against the enemy's vulnerable points. There was throughout our war, a lamentable ignorance of the topography of the country in which we fought, imposing upon our generals serious disadvantages. They had to ascer tain the nature of the ground by reconnoitring, or by inquiry among the inhabitants. The first was not always practicable; and the result of the last was generally defective. Government ought to provide, in time of peace, maps on a large scale of the various districts of the country, designating particularly the rivers, their tributary streams, the bridges, morasses, and defiles, and hold them ready for use when wanting, or we shall have to encounter the same difficulties in any future, that we experienced in this, war.

The loss was nearly equal, amounting to one hundred and sixtyfive killed and wounded on the side of America. Among our killed was Colonel Robert, of the Charleston artillery, a much-respected officer. The American troops conducted themselves in this affair very much like genuine soldiers, except in the deranging breach of orders.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, with the Majors M'Arthur and Moncrieff, supported Maitland throughout the action, with zeal and firmness.

In the course of a few days, the British general retired from John's Island and the adjacent main, unperceived, pursuing his >route along the interior navigation to Georgia, leaving Lieutenant