The Tide Turns into a Flood
As I last wrote it seemed that the tide was turning, Fort Watson was upended by innovative Americans shooting from a tower down into a for that had no cannon. This snippet also contains some thinking outside the box when time was of the essence ...
1) Fort Motte was constructed in and around the Motte Plantation house 30 miles up river from Fort Watson. May 6th, 1781 started yet another siege of a fort as now the post-by-post elimination of British strongholds set in motion. Rebecca Motte, recent widowed, aristocrat and ardent patriot had been moved into the overseers log cabin by the British who took over her house perched on a 250 foot hill was now surrounded by protective wall of wooden stakes 10 foot high with a seven foot wide, six foot deep ditch around the walls. Inside were 80 Redcoats, 59 Hessians and 45 loyalist Tories led by Lt. McPherson, a Scottish unit that had proved itself in Canada and was now a part of the Brit regulars.
2) Lee (Lighthorse Harry) had 250 and Marion 150 with one six-pounder cannon. The plan was to use slave labor to build zig-zag trenches close to the fort using patriot sharpshooters to protect the laborers. In the middle of this siege, Marion fell into his deepest sour mood to date having done nine months being chased by death squads and having no practical consistent military help and being prodded to give, give, give. Again it was the request of horses that set him off (triggered) but the root issues included both the undermining from other militia leaders who said "Marion had come across plenty of horses", the outright murder of a patriot on his own front porch in front of his family by Tories as well as the typical comings and goings of a militia army. Marion offered to quit and go north to Philadelphia to be assigned elsewhere. Greene wrote back, backing off on the horses but saying the cause and his state needed him at such a time as this. Marion ended up sending Greene one quality horse with a promise of more horses when they could.
3) Word came on May 11th that the Brit Rawdon had left Camden and was in route to reinforced Fort Motte. The tower would not work in this instance, but raining down fire was the action agreed upon when Lee and Marion met with Rebecca Motte for permission which she gave. She also provided a bow from India to launch a fireball at her own plantation house. On May 12th the house was targeted with fire, and with the cannon used to spread cannister shot, the Brits could not put out the fire and surrendered. The patriots saved the house from fire, the prisoners were granted generous conditions even keeping their recent loot. The Brits lost no men and the patriots two. McPherson surrendered to Lee and the Tories to Marion. McPherson thought he was surrendering to a gentleman BUT three months earlier Lee himself had employed tactics used by Tarleton.
4) After the surrender, Lee again received wrath from Marion when Francis learned that Lee was hanging Tories. Three were hung but not the fourth. Lee complained but said that Marion's humanity among the ranks could not be overcome. It was finally at this point for the first time that Greene met with Marion personally and cleared the air. There were no more threats of quitting from this point forward.
5) The Brit Rawdon arrived at Nelson's Ferry on May 14th only to hear that Fort Motte was gone and dismantled and all the supplies taken by the patriots. From there his only recourse was to move his troops to within 30 miles of Charleston at Monck's Corners.
6) More good news was that the Brit force at Orangeburg fell to Sumter and Lee moved to Fort Granby and accepted surrender of Brit forces there on May 15th. The typical hot-headed Gamecock Sumter was ticked that HE was not allowed to accept the surrender on the siege he had started two weeks before. Sumter threatened resignation but ended up getting munitions and slaves to pay his men via "Sumter's Law" Greene also at this time ensured that Sumter was top dog and could order Marion where he needed him.
7) Greene continued on to Ninety-Six where the last inland detachment of British were. Lee continued on to Augusta, Georgia to work with militia leader Elijah Clarke taking Fort Galpin on May 21st then on to assist Pickens in taking out smaller forts around that key city.
8) Marion once again had his eye on Georgetown on the coast .. but that will have to wait for recap #18
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