and Gen. Greene was near, watching
his motions. While thus situated, Col. Cruger evacuated his post at
Ninety-Six, and marching down through the fork of Edisto, joined Rawdon.
As there was no other place at which the Edisto could then be passed but
at Orangeburgh, it was out of Greene's power to prevent the junction;
and Rawdon's army being thus reinforced, Gen. Greene thought it prudent
to retire to Bloom hill, Richardson's plantation, at the High Hills of
Santee. Before retiring, however, he detached Gen. Sumter as commander,
and ordered Marion to join him, to strike at the posts below. On his way
down, Sumter made several successful attacks on British outposts, which
were conducted more immediately by Col. Lee and Col. Wade Hampton.
Generals Sumter and Marion formed a junction near Biggen, and marched
to attack the fort there, garrisoned by five hundred infantry and one
hundred cavalry, and commanded by Col. Coates, a spirited officer. His
cavalry at first repulsed Sumter's advance, but were driven in by the
state troops under Col. Hampton. In the evening after, Col. Coates set
fire to the church, which contained all his heavy baggage and stores,
and retreating by the Strawberry road over Watboo bridge, destroyed it,
and thus gained a considerable advance upon Sumter, who had to march
round by a ford in pursuit. Coates, in like manner, threw the plank off
Huger's bridge, and proceeded rapidly for Quimby. Here he had loosened
the planks of the bridge, and was waiting for his rear guard; but,
in the mean time, Lee had come up with and taken it. Dr. Irvine, by
advancing too far among the combatants, was wounded in this affair,*
together with several of Lee's men. While Coates was waiting, Capt.
Armstrong, at the head of five of his own men, and Capt. James
M'Caulay's troop of militia horse crossed the bridge and charged in
among the enemy, who at first threw down their arms, but seeing the
force so small, soon resumed them, and began to fire; but Armstrong made
good his way through them down the road. In the mean while, the passage
of the cavalry over the bridge had opened such a chasm** in the plank,
that Lee could not cross to follow up the advantage thus gained, and
the critical moment was lost. The enemy had time to recover from their
panic, and to post themselves in Col. Shubrick's house and out houses,
which were near. After some delay, Sumter arrived and ordered an attack,
which was led on by Marion, whose men, an