n back through their camp; many were
captured; many fled along the Charleston road, and others threw
themselves into the brick house.

Major Majoribanks and his troops could still enfilade the left flank
of the Americans from their covert among the thickets on the border of
the stream. Greene ordered Colonel Washington with his dragoons and
Kirkwood's Delaware infantry to dislodge them, and Colonel Wade
Hampton to assist with the State troops. Colonel Washington, without
waiting for the infantry, dashed forward with his dragoons. It was a
rash move. The thickets were impervious to cavalry. The dragoons
separated into small squads, and endeavored to force their way in.
Horses and riders were shot down or bayoneted; most of the officers
were either killed or wounded. Colonel Washington had his horse shot
under him; he himself was bayoneted, and would have been slain, had
not a British officer interposed, who took him prisoner. By the time
Hampton and Kirkwood came up, the cavalry were routed. While Hampton
rallied them, Kirkwood with his Delawares charged with bayonet upon
the enemy in the thickets. Majoribanks fell back with his troops, and
made a stand in the palisadoed garden of the brick house.

Victory now seemed certain on the side of the Americans.
Unfortunately, the soldiers, thinking the day their own, fell to
plundering the tents, devouring the food and carousing on the liquors
found there. Many of them became intoxicated and unmanageable--the
officers interfered in vain; all was riot and disorder.

The enemy in the meantime recovered from their confusion, and opened a
fire from every window of the house and from the palisadoed garden.
There was a scattering fire also from the woods and thickets on the
right and left. Colonel Stuart was by this time rallying his left
wing, and advancing to support the right; when Greene, finding his
ammunition nearly exhausted, determined to give up the attempt to
dislodge the enemy from their places of refuge, since he could not do
it without severe loss. He remained on the ground long enough to
collect his wounded, excepting those who were too much under the fire
of the house, and then, leaving Colonel Hampton with a strong picket
on the field, he returned to the position seven miles off, which he
had left in the morning.

The enemy decamped in the night after destroying a large quantity of
provisions, and breaking upwards of a thousand stand of arms; they
left behind als