nce of a small
piece of good fortune obtained by the address of Lieutenant Colonel
Washington.

Smallwood, having received information that a body of royal militia
had entered the country in which he foraged, for the purpose of
intercepting his wagons, detached Morgan and Washington against them.
Intelligence of Morgan's approach being received, the party retreated;
but Colonel Washington, being able to move with more celerity than the
infantry, resolved to make an attempt on another party, which was
stationed at Rugely's farm, within thirteen miles of Camden. He found
them posted in a logged barn, strongly secured by abattis, and
inaccessible to cavalry. Force being of no avail, he resorted to the
following stratagem. Having painted the trunk of a pine, and mounted
it on a carriage so as to resemble a field piece, he paraded it in
front of the enemy, and demanded a surrender. The whole party,
consisting of one hundred and twelve men, with Colonel Rugely at their
head, alarmed at the prospect of a cannonade, surrendered themselves
prisoners of war.[53]

[Footnote 53: The author received this account both from General
Morgan and Colonel Washington.]

[Sidenote: Detaches Morgan over the Catawba.]

To narrow the limits of the British army, and to encourage the
inhabitants, Greene detached Morgan west of the Catawba, with orders
to take a position near the confluence of the Pacolet with the Broad
River. His party consisted of rather more than three hundred chosen
continental troops, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Howard, of
Maryland, of Washington's regiment of light dragoons, amounting to
about eighty men, and of two companies of militia from the northern
and western parts of Virginia commanded by Captains Triplet and Taite,
which were composed almost entirely of old continental soldiers. He
was also to be joined on Broad River by seven or eight hundred
volunteers and militia commanded by General Davidson, and by Colonels
Clarke and Few.

After making this detachment, Greene, for the purpose of entering a
more plentiful country, advanced lower down the Pedee, and encamped on
its east side, opposite the Cheraw hills. Lord Cornwallis remained at
Wynnsborough, preparing to commence active operations, so soon as he
should be joined by Leslie.

The position he occupied on the Pedee was about seventy miles from
Wynnsborough, and towards the north of east from that place. The
detachment commanded by Morgan had taken pos