Eutaw Springs Sep 8, 1781
As Nathaniel Greene completed resting his troops in the High Hills of the Santee (only 15 miles from the British, each could see the other's camp fires) about the same time that Marion went to the aid of Harden the other side of Charleston, he decided to engage the 1500 men under Rawdon's replacement Alexander Stewart. Separated by an impassible lake swollen with the summer rains Greene decided to go against the logic of moving south and then upriver to engage the Brit forces directly. Greene chose to go counter-clockwise at a slow pace moving only in the cool morning and early evening to conserve the men's strength. Greene himself had 1250 men but needed militia to help make up the difference. Virginia had promised 2000 militia but with Cornwallis in their backyard they opted to have them stay there. Greene's route took him close to NC where he picked up some untested militia (150-200) under French commander Malmady. He also picked up 300 men under Pickens (some were former Sumter troops), William Henderson's (Sumter replacement) 200 SC state troops and William Washington's Virginia Continental Cavalry.
1) Stewart had heard of Greene's intention and moved 40 miles south down the Santee to Eutaw Springs specifically to take on supplies from Charleston. Greene was aware that Marion was working the other side of Charleston but was hoping he could make it back in time to be a factor now against the Brits. Greene stalled on September 2nd in case he heard of Marion's location. Communique sent on September 4th to Marion said Greene was collecting his force and planning to attack the Brits on the next day. The next day Greene received Marion's Parker Ferry report and found out that Marion was only 20 miles south of Eutaw Springs. Another communique was sent and Marion used the nighttime to circle clockwise around Stewart's Brit forces and by September 7th was together with Greene at Burdell's Tavern just seven miles above Eutaw Springs. Marion's plantation at Pond Bluff was only four miles away, this was home turf.
2) Alexander Stewart, a 40 year old Scot with a high opinion of himself was caught off-guard by the proximity of 2000 patriot forces and even disbelieved a couple of patriot deserters who showed up in camp and proclaimed that a force of several thousand was near. Stewart did however dispatch a cavalry commander to check and he ran into the patriots only two miles away, engaged them and was overwhelmed and escaped to make it back to report to Stewart. Greene then used the Cowpens model by having militia (one-third of his total force present) at the center and cavalry on the flank with solid troops and by 9am September, the battle was green-lighted. Stewart had no Hessians with him on this day and offered a single line on the other side of the battle field. Marion's men advanced surging with Pickens and Henderson's men on their left they continued to fire volley after volley, SEVENTEEN in all, a testament to the character of men Marion had formed. The NC militia quit the field after only three rounds and left a hole in the middle ("the line is faltering") which then encouraged the Brits to use a bayonet charge just when Greene's seasoned Maryland and Virginia Continentals surged themselves with a bayonet charge to give the Brits a taste of their own medicine. This was the first and only time seasoned Brit troops were in full retreat back to their camp. The rout pushed the point of the battle back 300 yards to a garden area adjacent to a brick house that the Brits used as a defensive line of last resort. The left flank of the patriots had the British commander Marjonbanks putting up a devil of a fight and it was the Delaware Continentals, the cream of the crop for patriot troops drove his forces back to the garden area as well. It was at this point that Greene's troops who had been rummed up prior to the battle located the British alcohol in camp and decided to quench their thirst in the 90 degree SC sun. It was here that the patriots lost all their cannon and experienced a Brit counterattack. So after four hours of fighting, Greene ordered a retreat. While many believe that this was a defeat for the patriots, what is known is that a) Brits did not hold the field but were driven back to their camp b) Stewart left 70 wounded men and his dead buried behind c) Greene buried BOTH sides dead and cared for the enemy's wounded and especially d) strategically, the British decided to fall back to Charleston.
This was great news for South Carolina but in no way did it mean the war was done. The British Empire at this moment of time could have had Cornwallis return to South Carolina to almost start all over again as the British had resources they could pull from their global footprint. At this point Marion and Greene were still in the mode of anxious anticipation of the next British move, which takes place in snippet #22
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