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Page 34
"That was equal to Decatur's burning of the Philadelphia," said Hand.
"It was," replied Kinnison. "Rudolph was very much of a Decatur in
spirit. Soon after the enterprise I've just mentioned. Captain Rudolph
attacked a party of black dragoons who were out foraging for the
British. The blacks were defeated, and many of them taken. In the course
of the fight, Rudolph engaged one of the largest-sized and boldest of
the black dragoons in a regular hand-to-hand combat; and in a very short
time dismounted and captured him."
"The war in the Southern States had more of romance and daring
enterprise connected with it than the war in the North," said Hand;
"though it must be owned, that the movements of the Northern armies were
of more consequence in the long run."
"Yes, there was more that most young men like to read about in the
Southern war," said Warner; "plenty of dare-devil movements, but no
Canadian expedition, nor Saratoga."
"It's a pity there are no soldiers of the Southern army here to reply to
your sneers," said Kinnison. "I know from what I've heard, there never
were better soldiers than the men who fought under Lee and Morgan, and I
scarcely think that George Washington himself was a better general than
Nathaniel Greene. But I was going to tell you of some other officers of
Lee's Legion; there was Lieutenant Manning, an Irishman, who was very
much of a favourite among his brother officers on account of his
good-humour in company, and his coolness and bravery in battle. Many
anecdotes are told of him which speak his parts, and if agreeable, I'll
tell some of them to you as they were told to me."
"Very agreeable," said Hand.
"The kind of stories I like to hear," said another of the young men.
"Well, you shall hear, if I can recollect aright," said Kinnison. "The
intrigues and efforts of Lord Cornwallis, to excite insurrection, backed
by a very formidable force, had produced among the Highland emigrants a
spirit of revolt, which it required all the energies of General Greene
to counteract, before it could be matured. The zeal and activity of
Lieutenant Colonel Lee, united to his acuteness and happy talent of
obtaining intelligence of every movement, and of the most secret
intentions of the enemy, pointed him out as the fittest man for this
important service. He was accordingly selected with orders to impede the
intercourse of Lord Cornwallis with the disaffected; to repress every
symptom of revolt, and promptly to cut off every party that should take
up arms for Britain. Constantly on the alert, he was equally anxious to
give security to his own command, while he harassed the enemy. A secure
position was, on one occasion, taken near a forked road, one division of
which led directly to Lord Cornwallis' camp, about six miles distant.
The ground was chosen in the dusk of evening; and to prevent surprise,
patrols of cavalry were kept out on each fork during the night. An order
for a movement before day had been communicated to every individual, and
was executed with so little noise and confusion, that Lieutenant Manning
waking at early dawn, found himself, excepting one soldier, left alone.
Stephen Green, the attendant of Captain Carns, lay near him, resting on
the portmanteau of his superior, and buried in profound sleep. Being
awakened he was ordered to mount and follow, while Manning, hastening
towards the fork, hoped to fall upon the track, and speedily rejoin his
regiment. Much rain had fallen during the night, so that, finding both
roads equally cut up, Manning chose at hazard, and took the wrong one.
He had not proceeded far, before he saw at the door of a log-house, a
rifleman leaning on his gun, and apparently placed as a sentinel.
Galloping up to him, he inquired if a regiment of horse and body of
infantry had passed that way? 'Oh, ho,' cried the man, (whistling
loudly, which brought out a dozen others completely armed, and carrying
each a red rag in his hat,) 'you, I suppose, are one of Greene's men.'
The badge which they bore, marked their principles. Without the
slightest indication of alarm, or even hesitation, Manning pointed to
the portmanteau carried by Green, and exclaimed--'Hush, my good
fellow--no clamour for God's sake--I have _there_ what will ruin
Greene--point out the road to Lord Cornwallis' army, for all depends
upon early intelligence of its contents.' 'You are an honest fellow (was
the general cry), and have left the rebels just in time, for the whole
settlement are in arms to join Colonel Pyle tomorrow (naming the place
of rendezvous), where Colonel Tarleton will meet and conduct us to
camp.' 'Come,' said the man, to whom he had first spoken, 'take a
drink--Here's confusion to Greene, and success to the King and his
friends. This is the right road, and you will soon reach the army; or
rather let me conduct you to it myself.' 'Not for the world, my dear
fellow,' replied Manning; 'your direction is plain and I can follow it.
I will never-consent that a faithful subject of his Majesty should be
subjected to the dangers of captivity or death on my account. If we
should fall in with a party of rebels, and we cannot say they are not in
the neighbourhood now, we should both lose our lives. I should be hanged
for desertion, and you for aiding me to reach the British army.' This
speech produced the effect he desired. The libation concluded, Manning
rode off amid the cheers of the company, and when out of sight, crossed
to the other road, and urging his horse to full speed, in a short time
overtook and communicated the interesting intelligence to his commander.
Lee was then meditating an attack upon Tarleton, who had crossed the Haw
River to support the insurgents; but, perceiving the vast importance of
crushing the revolt in the bud, he informed General Greene of his plan
by a confidential messenger, and hastened to the point of rendezvous,
where Pyle, with upwards of four hundred men, had already arrived. You
have heard of the bloody work that ensued. Pyle and his Tories believed
to the last that the soldiers of the Legion were Tarleton's men, and
were therefore easily surprised About three hundred of them were
killed--the rest fled or were made prisoners. I don't want to justify
such butchery; but our men ought to be excused, according to the laws of
war, when we consider that these same Tories and their red-coat friends
never gave the Whigs quarter in case of a surprise, and that some such
slaughter was necessary to make them feel that they couldn't murder
without paying for it."
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