by
the provincial congress a captain in the first rifle regiment, when
they passed an act to raise two such regiments, in March, 1776, was now
appointed commander of one corps, and Col. Peter Horry commander of
the other; he had been captain in the 2d regiment from the beginning of
1775, and was the older officer of the two; the reader will hereafter
see the effect of this observation.

* Governor Rutledge had but two of his council with him at
this time, Daniel Huger and John L. Gervais.

As they had no bounty money to give, recruiting went on slowly, and
they fell upon the following expedient, which was warmly opposed by Gov.
Rutledge at first, but it is supposed was favoured by Marion. All men
that could hire a substitute in the regiments now raising were exempted
from militia duty.--This soon drew from the ranks the best of Marion's
men, men who had served from the first, and had left their families at
home in huts, and still in distress; but they could yet spare one or two
negroes, which they did not much value, to hire a substitute to do duty
for them. The war was now moved comparatively far from them, and they
sighed for home. In the mean time, the six months men came tumbling in
by scores, to supply their places. Their new white feathers, fine coats,
new saddles and bridles, and famished horses, showed they had lately
been in the British garrison. These were not the men to endure
privations and fight their country's battles. Those of Marion's tried
men who remained, could never confide in them; and now, as is always
usual in armies, the most unprincipled men enlisted in the new
regiments, but were not kept in the discipline necessary for taming
such characters, or making them good soldiers. When Maham had got about
seventy men and Horry not yet a troop, both their commissions being of
the same date, they quarreled about precedence in rank; and although
Gov. Rutledge reasoned, Gen. Greene persuaded, and Marion threatened,
they could never be reconciled. Maham appears to have been very
refractory on this occasion, and would listen to no accommodation. While
in the end, Horry acted much in the wrong.

There are in the correspondence of that day many letters of Gov.
Rutledge, several of which, without the suppression of names, it would
be highly injurious to the feelings of many to publish at the present
time; the rest are not interesting, except a few which show the spirit
of the times; and are mos