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Page 31
THE CRUELTY OF TARLETON.
"Tarleton was a regular blood-hound," said Pitts, "A savage, though
among civilized men. I always admired his fiery spirit and daring
courage, but never could regard him as a civilized warrior. I'll tell
you of an instance in which Tarleton displayed his character in full. I
had a Tory relative in North Carolina, who died not long ago. When
Colonel Tarleton was encamped west of the Haw River, Cornwallis received
information that Lee's fiery Legion had recrossed the Dan, cut up
several detachments of Tories, and was scouring the neighbouring country
in search of parties of the enemy. The British general immediately sent
information to Colonel Tarleton, to warn him to guard against surprise.
My Tory relative was the messenger, and he told me about what he saw at
Tarleton's camp.
"As soon (says the old Tory) as I came in view of the British lines, I
hastened to deliver myself up to the nearest patrol, informing him that
I was the bearer of important despatches from Lord Cornwallis to
Colonel Tarleton. The guard was immediately called out, the commander of
which taking me in charge, carried me at once to Tarleton's marquee. A
servant informed him of my arrival, and returned immediately with the
answer that his master would see me after a while, and that in the mean
time I was to await his pleasure where I then was. The servant was a
grave and sedate looking Englishman, between 50 and 60 years of age, and
informed me that he had known Colonel Tarleton from his earliest youth,
having lived for many years in the family of his father, a worthy
clergyman, at whose particular request he had followed the Colonel to
this country, with the view that, if overtaken by disease and suffering
in his headlong career, he might have some one near him who had known
him ere the pranksome mischief of the boy had hardened into the sterner
vices of the man. 'He was always a wild blade, friend,' (said the old
man) 'and many a heart-ache has he given us all, but he'll mend in time,
I hope." Just then my attention was arrested by the violent plungings of
a horse, which two stout grooms, one on each side, were endeavouring to
lead to the spot where we were standing. He was a large and powerful
brute, beautifully formed, and black as a crow, with an eye that seemed
actually to blaze with rage, at the restraint which was put upon him.
His progress was one continued bound, at times swinging the grooms clear
from the earth, as lightly as though they were but tassels hung on to
the huge Spanish bit, so that with difficulty they escaped being
trampled under foot. I asked the meaning of the scene, and was informed
that the horse was one that Tarleton had heard of as being a magnificent
animal, but one altogether unmanageable; and so delighted was he with
the description, that he sent all the way down into Moore County where
his owner resided, and purchased him at the extravagant price of one
hundred guineas; and that moreover, he was about to ride him that
morning. 'Ride him?' said I, 'why one had as well try to back a streak
of lightning!--the mad brute will certainly be the death of him.' 'Never
fear for him,' said my companion; 'never fear for him, his time has not
come yet.' By this time the horse had been brought up to where we were;
the curtain of the marquee was pushed aside and my attention was drawn
from the savage stud, to rivet itself upon his dauntless rider. And a
picture of a man he was. Rather below the middle height, and with a face
almost femininely beautiful, Tarleton possessed a form that was a model
of manly strength and vigor. Without a particle of superfluous flesh,
his rounded limbs and full broad chest seemed moulded from iron, yet at
the same time displaying all the elasticity which usually accompanies
elegance of proportion. His dress (strange as it may appear) was a
jacket and breeches of white linen, fitted to his form with the utmost
exactness. Boots of Russet leather were half-way up the leg, the broad
tops of which were turned down, and the heels garnished with spurs of an
immense size and length of rowel. On his head was a low-crowned hat
curiously formed from the snow white-feathers of the swan; and in his
hand he carried a heavy scourge, with shot well twisted into its knotted
lash. After looking round for a moment or two, as though to command the
attention of all, he advanced to the side of the horse, and disdaining
the use of the stirrup, with one bound threw himself into the saddle, at
the same time calling on the grooms to let him go. For an instant the
animal seemed paralyzed; then, with a perfect yell of rage, bounded into
the air like a stricken deer.
"The struggle for the mastery had commenced--bound succeeded bound with
the rapidity of thought; every device which its animal instinct could
teach, was resorted to by the maddened brute to shake off its unwelcome
burthen--but in vain. Its ruthless rider proved irresistible--and,
clinging like fate itself, plied the scourge and rowel like a fiend. The
punishment was too severe to be long withstood, and at length, after a
succession of frantic efforts, the tortured animal, with a scream of
agony, leaped forth upon the plain and flew across it with the speed of
an arrow. The ground upon which Tarleton had pitched his camp was an
almost perfectly level plain, something more than half a mile in
circumference.
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