hes
were not communicated to Gates, they were to Greene, who subsequently
made his dispositions for promoting them. While the latter was moving
down to his camp at Hicks' Creek, Marion was engaged in some very active
movements against a party under McArthur and Coffin, and between that
and the High Hills of the Santee. To cut off his retreat by the Pedee,
a strong detachment had been pushed on from Charleston to Georgetown,
intended to intercept him by ascending the north bank of the Pedee
river. But Marion, informed of the movement, readily divined its object,
and, retiring across the country, took a strong position on Lynch's
Creek, in the vicinity of his favorite retreat at Snow's Island, where
he always kept a force to guard his boats and overawe the Tories.
The moment his pursuers had left the ground, Marion resumed offensive
operations upon it. In a short time, his parties were pushed down to the
immediate neighborhood of Georgetown, on all the rivers that flow into
the bay of Winyaw. His smaller parties were actively busy in collecting
boats and transferring provisions to Snow's Island. This was with the
twofold purpose of straitening the enemy, and supplying the Continental
army. In the meantime, with a respectable force of mounted infantry, he
himself pressed closely upon the town, watching an opportunity when
he might attempt something with a prospect of success. But the British
confined themselves to their redoubts. Marion had neither bayonets nor
artillery. With one hundred Continental troops--he writes with his usual
modesty to Greene--he should be able to render important services.
While thus employed, he received intelligence that the loyalists were
embodying above him, in great force, under Hector McNeill. They were at
Amy's Mill on Drowning Creek, and were emboldened by a knowledge of the
fact that the main army was entirely destitute of cavalry. Marion was
not able to detach a force sufficient for their dispersion, and it would
have been fatal to his safety to suffer them to descend upon him while
his detachments were abroad. His first measures were to call in his
scattered parties. He then communicated to Greene the necessity of
reinforcing him against his increasing enemies, and, in particular, of
addressing himself to the movements of McNeill, as he supposed them to
be directed, in part, against the country between the Waccamaw and the
sea-coast, which had never been ravaged, and which, at this time,