n numbers, they had a manifest
advantage over the British. The latter had been too long cooped up in
the walls of Charleston, on short commons, to be very serviceable;
and the cavalry of Mayham, though somewhat too much crowded with the
"new-made Whigs", were yet confident, from long experience, in their
ability to contend with the enemy. Marion himself was confident, but was
destined, in this instance, to lose, what he himself, in his dispatches,
has styled, "a glorious opportunity of cutting up the British cavalry."
His men moved to the extremity of the lane, before which the enemy had
halted, with a firm and promising countenance. The front section was led
by Capt. Smith, an officer of approved courage, who, in a very recent
affair at St. Thomas' muster-house, had signally distinguished himself.
Yet, seized with a sudden panic, the moment that he reached the end of
the lane, he dashed into the woods on the right, and drew after him the
whole regiment. Marion himself, who was near the head of the column, was
borne away by the torrent, which he in vain struggled to withstand.
The rush was irresistible--the confusion irretrievable. All efforts to
restrain or recover the fugitives were idle, until they had reached the
woods. There Marion succeeded in rallying a party, and at this point the
pursuit of the enemy was checked, and the fugitives partly rallied. They
had sustained but little loss in lives; but the shame, the disgrace
of such a panic, were immeasurably humiliating. The British showed no
eagerness in the pursuit. They seemed to doubt the bloodless victory
which they had won, and, content with their own escape, were not
unreasonably urgent with fortune to make their victory complete. They
subsequently, after they had fully recovered from their panic, contrived
greatly to exaggerate the importance of the event. One of the newspapers
of the day has the following:--"Things bear a better prospect than they
did. Colonel Thomson has defeated General Marion in South Carolina,
killed one hundred men, and Marion was drowned, attempting to escape."
The only officer drowned in the flight, was Lieut. Smyzer of Horry's
cavalry.

The loss of the brigade in horses and accoutrements was greater than in
men. Their greater loss, however, was of that confidence in themselves
and one another, which it was one of the greatest objects of Marion's
training to inspire. The true secret of the superiority of regulars over
militia-men lies