Lacey, Bratton, and Hills' corps never fired a shot, fearful that they would kill their friends as the action was close, and the night very dark. The British loss was considerable: major Wemyss was badly wounded; about twenty were killed, and the ground strewed with their wounded. A surgeon, who was sent with a flag to take care of them declared, when he returned to Winnsborough, that he had never witnessed so much injury being done by so few troops in so short a time, since he had been in America, as had been sustained by the British troops.

Sumpter being cut off from his troops, immagined that all was lost, and had like to have been frozen; but on ascending a high ground, when it became day-light, he was agreeably disappointed by a view of his troops in quiet possession of the field of battle.

If Lacey, Bratton, and Hill, had received orders how to attack; the whole of the British detachment would have been captured; but by the misfortune that befel Sumpter, which was unknown to his officers, no one assumed the chief command; and of course, there was no unity of action.

In the British accounts of this skirmish, it is stated that only a few shots were fired. Major Wemyss received two wounds, which disabled him from the further performance of his duty, and the command devolved on a young lieutenant, who was unacquainted with the ground, the plan,

er the force to be encountered. That all was confusion; and that the British retired with the loss of twenty men.

On the 13th, general Sumpter passed over Broad river and encamped at Niam's plantation, on the Enoree: from thence he marched down to Shirer's ferry, where there was a British post, and menaced it; but the British declined to quit their works and come out to battle: thence he moved up the country; and on the 18th, took post at Blackstock's, on the south side of the river Tyger, sixty miles from Winnsborough, and thirty-five from fish-dam ford, of Broad river.

Blackstock's house was long and narrow, and of two apartments of eighteen feet square, with eighteen feet space between, and a roof over the whole. In the rear of the house, a few hundred yards, is the crossing place of the river Tyger: midway from the house to the river, is a hill making down from the right, nearly parallel with the house, and terminates at the road: the house is on a second elevated ground, below the hill, covered with open wood land, and lunating with its concave to the front. The road leads from the river by the right of the house, and leads directly forward, as the house fronts and descends through the field about one hundred yards to a small rivulet; and near the road to the right, is low brush wood; and on the left a field, with the fence on the left, extending a quarter of a mile, in a straight direction, where the road divides. The

field on the left makes a right angle at the house, and the fence runs directly to the left, to the low grounds of the river; on the right of the road, opposite to the end of the house, was a small pole building. On the second elevation, in the rear of the house, and parallel thereto, general Sumpter encamped his troops, and expecting that he would be attacked, he assigned to each corps their res pective ground to act on.

Colonel Hampton, of Broad river, with his troops was to occupy the house: colonel Twiggs, the senior officer under general Sumpter, assisted by colonel Clarke, and majors Chandler and Jackson, with the Georgia militia, were to occupy the fence and wood land to the left of the house: colonels Bratton, Taylor, Hill, and M'Call were to occupy the right of the house, with their right formed on the curve of the rising ground: this corps was to be commanded by the general in person: colonel Lacey was appointed to cover the right; and colonel Winn was to occupy the hill, as corps of reserve. Colonel Chandler had been detached on the march to collect provisions. General Sumpter's force consisted of four hun、 dred and twenty men.

Hearing that Sumpter had crossed Broad river, and calculating that his views were on Ninetysix, Cornwallis determined to make another blow at him. For this purpose, he ordered colonel Tarlton, with his legion, and the 63rd regiment, commanded by major Moncy, to push Sumpter

to the utmost; and part of the 71st was advanced to Broad river to cover him, if it should be needful. Tarlton had a part of his infantry mounted, making the whole number on horse-back, four hundred'; and three hundred infantry marching on foot. Thus equipped, he advanced in pursuit of Sumpter with his accustomed celerity.

On the morning of the 20th, captain Patrick Carr with a few men was ordered to reconnoitre, and had taken three loyal militia, unarmed, and two boys who had been to mill, prisoners, and was conducting them to camp. Tarlton came up with Carr, who gave him a shot and fled to the camp, leaving the prisoners and mill boys behind; these poor wretches were killed by Tarlton, and were what he denominated "the rebel rear-guard which he had taken and cut to pieces." Colonel Chandler, with his forage wagons, had just pass ed Sumpter's piquet, when they fired on Tarlton's van: Taylor with his party and wagons, ran in with the piquets and were closely pursued by the British dragoons as they entered the camp.

Finding that his infantry moved too slow, Tarlton left them to follow, and rapidly advanced with his cavalry and mounted infantry: when he received the fire from the piquet, he ordered the infantry to dismount, and with the cavalry he made a rapid charge through the field, on the Georgians under colonel Twiggs. The British infantry advanced, and Sumpter led on the right to the attack, and gained their flank. Lacey's

men were on horse-back, and advanced on the enemy's flank. Tarlton retreated with his cavalry, formed and returned to the charge, and thus continued directing his chief efforts with his cavalry, against the Georgians, in order to turn the American left. When Sumpter had fairly engaged with the right, which fired obliquely on the British, he received a shot in the right shoulder: he requested his aid-de-camp, captain Henry Hampton, to put his sword into the scabbard and to direct a man to lead off his horse on which he was mounted," say nothing about it, and request colonel Twiggs to take the command."

By repeated efforts of the enemy, the Georgians on the left were nearly turned, and their left flank gave way: colonel Winn advanced to support them. Tarlton was compelled to retire with precipitation, and was pursued by a party under major James Jackson, which took upward of thirty horses.

In this battle only one man, by the name of Rogers, from Wilkes county, was killed; and general Sumpter, and two privates were wounded. Of the British, ninety-two were killed and one hundred wounded; and Tarlton fled from the field with two hundred and eight men: he retreated two miles, where he met his remaining three hundred infantry and a piece of cannon, and encamped for the night.

The action closed in the afternoon, and soon afterward it began to rain. Colonel Twiggs di