n. Greene; but Gen. Marion's order, both then and subsequently, was
certainly sufficient to convince him he ought to submit. After this Col.
Horry writes to Gen. Marion: "Col. Maham interferes with my command so
much that I can scarcely act; he gave passes to several ladies to go to
town without my leave, and they accordingly went in a boat, which boat
has since returned, and the ladies have since come up." And again, "I
assure you your presence is much wanted. Your brigade lessens daily."
(31st Jan.) On the 3d of February, Marion answers: "I am surprised at
Col. Maham's interference with your command. I have written him positive
orders not to do so in any respect whatever, and was in hopes Gen.
Greene would have prevented such evils before this." But from a former
letter of Gov. Rutledge, which is a philippic against Horry, and the
subsequent determination of Gov. Matthews, it is evident that Maham
had got the civil authority on his side, and he did not regard the
general's. And thus it is, when civilians interfere with military
affairs that they invariably commit blunders. Having premised these
facts, to show that in Marion's absence there was naught but discord and
dissention, we now proceed to state the consequences.
* Marion's letter to Horry, 10th January.
Almost the whole of the warfare was henceforth carried on in St.
Thomas' and St. James', Santee. About this time, Col. Richard Richardson
commanded the post at Cainhoy. A British galley lay in the river Wando,
which he watched, and patroled the road down to Daniel's island by day,
and returned into the woods and lay without fire by night. A fortnight
after he was posted there, hearing of a party of British which had
landed at Daniel's island, he immediately sent out scouts to the
causeway over to the island, and wrote for a reinforcement. In the
morning Maham's horse arrived, four troops in uniform, and fully equipt;
but their colonel, who would have been ranked by Richardson, was not
present, and they were under the command of Maj. Giles. The British took
the Strawberry road, and about noon stopped at Bishop Smith's, Brabant,
about fourteen miles up the road. To the north of that plantation is
a swamp of considerable width, with a causeway and bridge. Beyond the
causeway, on the right going up, was a fence on a bank and a ditch
behind it, with trees in front. Richardson passed the swamp above,
and going down to the hill above this fence, immediately
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