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finding we were too hard for them in this way, and to screen themselves from the thunder and lightning of our platform, they dug caves in the sides of the walls of the fort and crawled into them. We then continued the entrenchment, and as we entrenched, we rolled up cowhides and placed them on the embankment for portholes to shoot through. One morning I was standing next to young Stafford, who was about to shoot through one of our port holes, and there came a ball from the fort and killed him dead. Young Stafford was with me in Gen. Marion's army, and he was indeed a brave and patriotic fellow, and dying in freedom's cause, his memory should never fade from our recollection. Before Brown would surrender, we entrenched so near his fort that I could run a hoe-helve from the entrenchment into the fort. On finding we were so near upon him, he marched out and surrendered with all his force and goods. Brown had been such a desperate fellow, there existed great anxiety to kill him; but as he came under the capitulation, we had no chance to do so at this time, but I determined to do so on his way down the river. I took a few brave fellows, and slipped down the river to carry into execution my determination, but he made his escape, through the shades of the night, in a small canoe.

When we commenced the siege of Augusta, it was the first of April, 1781; when we closed, it was the first of the ensuing August. Having labored so hard and incessantly to dig Brown out of his fort, I concluded when I had done so to take a peep into it, but it was a sore peep to me, as I took the small-pox from it. I now went home very sick, and as none of our family had ever had it, I had to take the woods so I retreated back of the Big House to an old field, next to the swamp, under a large oak tree. The weather being very hot, I suffered intensely. While there I employed one Peggy Ogleby to be my nurse. This slut was a Tory, and informed her clan where I was. They said they would come and kill the d―n rebel, but as I had an invisible and Almighty Protector, they had not the power to execute their malicious design. If I am not mistaken, the period I lay under that oak was forty days. When I recovered, I joined Major Cooper

at Beech Island, and we continued scouting until the end of the war, in December, 1782. I then returned home, but the British and Tories had destroyed nearly everything we possessed. My mother lived but a short time after the close of the war, and the estate she left each child was thirty-nine pounds, ten shillings sterling.

Although the war had closed, the Tories were still troublesome, plundering and occasionally killing the inhabitants. The foremost scoundrels in this diabolical work were John Black, Zekiel Maulfers, Lark Loudon, and two others, whose names I will not mention, as they have relations in the country who could not help what they did. These fellows murdered a good man at Cherry Hill, Ga.; for which John Black and the two whose names are not mentioned, were killed and hung at Savannah;-the other two, the worst of the clan, made their escape to Carolina, where they murdered and plundered until the citizens were afraid to travel the roads day or night. Finding the Whigs were upon the look out for them, they stole Judge Haywood's match horses, and five negroes and horses from various persons, and started for the Western country.

I heard of their crossing the ridge, and being unwilling they should escape with impunity, I got three other men, Richard Simmons, Gill Thomas, and Benjamin Brown, and put out after them. We pursued them into East Tennessee-over Watorger*, we came upon them and took them prisoners. It was now in the month of January, and extremely cold; the snow was on the ground two feet deep, and withal I had the measles very badly. What to do I hardly knew. I concluded, however, to risk the consequences, and bidding farewell to these cold and frozen regions, I began to retrace my steps with my prisoners and their plunder. We crossed the Watorger on the ice, and when we had gotten on the Yellow Mountains it snowed again and freezed on the top, so that a passage through it was very difficult. We had to force our way by changing the foremost horse every hundred yards. Just as we got to the turn in the mountain night overtook us, so we encamped for the night, building our fire *Watauga

out of the chestnut limbs on the snow. Next morning we came down to the foot of the mountains, to one Samuel Bright's, and got a little dry pumpkin for our breakfast, the people having little or nothing else to eat. Having so many prisoners, horses, and negroes, our funds now run out, so we had to sell what we could spare to defray expenses. We now came to Pad. Bryant's, where these runaways had left one of Judge Haywood's horses, which we got, and tarried all night. It was indeed a dark and rainy night, and the prisoners thought to take an advantage of us by it, so they framed an excuse to go out. Being handcuffed and tied, I apprehended no danger, but I took one of my company along with me. They had, unperceived, loosed the rope under their blankets. It was in an old field, on the slant of a hill, and when we had gotten out, they started to run down the hill. My gun being loaded with buck-shot, I fired at one of them, and stuck one shot in his ancle, his foot being up at the crack of the gun, the shot run up into the calf of his leg, but it did not bring him to the ground. Being young and active, I now threw down my and pushed after him, and just as I was about to take hold of him I struck a stump, which knocked me over, but I soon recovered from my fall, and put out after him again; and as before, just as I was about to take him the second time, I ran upon the second stump, which threw me clean over. I now gave up the chase, as by this time he had gotten too far. Next morning I had a curiosity to examine the ground I had run over after these fellows, and I found but the single two stumps in the way-they had just missed them, and I run over both. We now went in pursuit of these villains, when we soon came upon one, and in taking him, (Simmons), put an end to his existence; the other was taken the next day, and put in the Ninety-Six District prison. When we had gotten home we sent for him, and he was carried to Beaufort, where there were seven indictments against him. He was tried, condemned and hung. On the delivery of Judge Haywood's horses to him, he gave me twentyfive guineas, not only for his horses, but also for putting a stop to the outrages of these villains. The other persons whose property we

gun

brought back, gave us five guineas apiece, and the public gave us twenty-five pounds sterling.

Some time after the close of these things, I married and settled myself between the Sand Hill and Cedar branches, waters of the Lower Three Runs, Barnwell district. On each of these streams I built mills, and from the mills, between which I lived, I gave my place the name of "Fork Mills." The mills are now owned by Major William H. Peyton, my son-in-law. From this place I moved to Boiling Springs, where I have lived and enjoyed fine health for many years, and where I expect to die, if I die at home. I have followed the delightful business of farming ever since the close of the war, and the Lord has been pleased to grant me enough of the good things of this life to keep me free from want down to the present moment.

1. Though Stephen Bull was a patriot and colonel of one of the South Carolina regiments, his brother, Dr. William, was a Tory, and governor of the State. 2. Colonel William Harden war a native of Barnwell District and in active service throughout the Revolution.

6. Twenty-five miles from Coosawhatchie, and a hundred and three from Charleston.

8. The scene of the disastrous defeat of the patriots under Gen. Ashe, March 3, 1779.

9.

12.

A native of Virginia, but a merchant in Augusta, Ga., and distinguished as a patriot.

Where "Tarleton's Quarter" became a byword for cruelty.

13. Daniel McGirth, a South Carolinian, originally a patriot but turned traitor, although his father remained true to his country.

14. Browne, like McGirth, took awful vengeance for brutal treatment inflicted by the patriots.

18. Peter and Hugh Horry.

20. Snipes was an ardent patriot, of remarkable strength and courage. 21. Colonel Lechmere commanded Fort Balcom (Balfour) and was brother-in-law to Col. Andrew Deveaux, who married a Miss Verplanck and after the war lived in great style at his country place in New York, on the banks of the Hudson.

THE

NARRATIVE

OF

MAJOR ABRAHAM LEGGETT,

OF THE ARMY OF THE REVOLUTION,

Now first Printed from the Original Manuscript,

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

WITH

AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES,

BY

CHARLES I. BUSHNELL.

NEW YORK:

PRIVATELY PRINTED,

1865

TARRYTOWN, N. Y.

REPRINTED

WILLIAM ABBATT,

BEING EXTRA NUMBER 101 OF THE MAGAZINE OF HISTORY WITH NOTES AND QUERIES

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