nd trophies. A sudden
attack of the British infantry took the small party which remained with
him totally by surprise. They broke and left him almost alone, with
nothing but his small sword in his hand. It was at this moment that a
brave fellow of the second regiment, named McDonald, yielded his own
pony to his commander, by which he escaped. McDonald saved himself by
darting into the neighboring swamp. The British, dreading an ambuscade,
did not pursue, and Horry rallied his men, and returned, with a
reinforcement sent by Marion, to the scene of battle; but the enemy had
left it and retired to Georgetown. Horry proceeded to Sand Hill, where,
finding himself in good quarters, among some rich and friendly Whigs,
living well on their supplies, he proceeded to entrench himself in
a regular redoubt. But from this imposing situation Marion soon and
sensibly recalled him. "He wrote me," says Horry, "that the open
field was our play--that the enemy knew better how to defend forts and
entrenched places than we did, and that if we attempted it, we should
soon fall into their hands." Marion's farther instructions were to join
him immediately, with every man that he could bring, for that it was his
purpose to attack the enemy as soon as possible. Horry admits that he
quitted his redoubt and good fare very reluctantly. He set out with
eighty men, but when he joined his commander in Lynch's Creek Swamp,
they were reduced to eighteen. It seems that his force had been made up
in part of new recruits, who had but lately joined themselves to Marion.
Horry calls them "wild Tories or half-made new Whigs--volunteers,
assuredly, not to fight, but plunder,--who would run at the sight of the
enemy." His recent surprise and danger had rendered the colonel sore.
It was on this occasion, that, as we have already related, he was nearly
drowned, and only saved by clinging to the impending branches of a tree.

While Horry was skirmishing with Campbell, Major John Postelle, who was
stationed to guard the lower part of the Pedee, succeeded in capturing
Captain Depeyster, with twenty-nine grenadiers. Depeyster had taken post
in the dwelling-house of Postelle's father. The latter had with him but
twenty-eight militia, but he knew the grounds, and gaining possession
of the kitchen, fired it, and was preparing to burn the house also, when
Depeyster submitted.

We find, at this time, a correspondence of Marion with two of the
British officers, in relatio