liness and cordiality that atoned for the poor fare which was all
that he could offer them, Kosciuszko was regarded with strong affection
and admiration by a man who was himself worthy of the highest esteem.
Kosciuszko's office, after the survey of the river, was to build boats
for the perilous transport of the army over the treacherous and
turbulent streams of the district. Greene writes: "Kosciuszko is
employed in building flat-bottomed boats to be transported with the army
if ever I shall be able to command the means of transporting them."[1]
The boats of Kosciuszko's devising contributed to the saving of Greene's
army in that wonderful retreat from Cornwallis, which is among the
finest exploits of the War of Independence. Again his skill came
prominently forward when Greene triumphantly passed the Dan with
Cornwallis on his heels, and thus definitely threw off the British
pursuit. Kosciuszko was then despatched to fortify Halifax, but was soon
recalled to assist in the siege of Ninety Six, a fort built with heavy
stockades originally as a post of defence against the Red Indians. The
night before the siege began Greene with Kosciuszko surveyed the English
works. It was dark and rainy, and they approached the enemy so close
that they were challenged and fired at by the sentries. The mining
operations that Kosciuszko directed were of an almost insuperable
difficulty, and his Virginian militiamen struck. By his persuasive and
sympathetic language Kosciuszko rallied them to the work; but finally
Greene abandoned the siege.

[Footnote 1: William Johnson, _Sketches of the Life and Correspondence
of Nathaniel Greene_. Charleston, 1822.]

When the campaign changed to guerilla warfare Kosciuszko fought as a
soldier, not as an engineer. At the battle of Eutaw Springs, where the
licence of the American soldiers pillaging the British camp and
murdering the prisoners lost Greene a decisive victory, we hear of
Kosciuszko as making desperate attempts to restrain a carnage which
horrified his humane feelings, and personally saving the lives of fifty
Englishmen. Peace and the defeat of Great Britain were in the air, but
hostilities still dragged on, and Kosciuszko fought through 1782 near
Charleston with distinction. After the gallant Laurens had fallen, his
post of managing the secret intelligence from Charleston passed to
Kosciuszko. "Kosciuszko's innumerable communications," says the grandson
and biographer of Greene, "exhibit th