ck river, for
thirty-five miles, through woods, and swamps and bogs, where there
was no road, encamped the following night on advantageous ground, at
Benbow's ferry, now Lowry's bridge, about ten miles above Kingstree, on
the east side of Black river. In a partisan warfare this position was
the best that could have been taken. He could now defend himself, first
at Black river itself; and after that at three difficult passes, of
swamps, in his rear; all within ten miles, on that side of the river,
before he reached Kingstree; but on the direct road to that place,
on the west, there was but the one defile at the river; besides the
possibility of being overtaken before he reached it. Here then Marion
determined to make a stand, and felled trees across the road to impede
the enemy. On the morning after the retreat, Tarleton found Marion's
trail across the Woodyard, but went round it, and pursued, as he says,
"for seven hours, through swamps and defiles." In fact he pursued about
twenty-five miles, when arriving at Ox swamp,** which was wide and miry,
and without a road to pass it, he desisted, saying to his men, "Come
my boys! let us go back, and we will soon find the game cock, (meaning
Sumter) but as for this d----d _old fox_, the devil himself could not
catch him." After this, the two generals were thus characterized. It
is amusing to read Tarleton's pompous account of this pursuit. He
insinuates that Marion's sole view was to save himself; as Tarleton
stopped ten or twelve miles short of Benbow's, he might not have heard
of the preparations made there to receive him. For the same distance
Marion had been skirting the south branch of Black river, and could at
any time, in a few minutes, have plunged into it, and no regular body of
cavalry could have followed him. Had Tarleton proceeded with his jaded
horses to Benbow's, he would have exposed his force to such sharp
shooting as he had not yet experienced, and that in a place where he
could not have acted either with his artillery or cavalry.

* Darkness visible.

** This Ox swamp is twenty-three miles above Kingstree,
another mentioned hereafter, is thirteen miles below.

On this expedition, Tarleton burnt the house, out houses, corn and
fodder, and a great part of the cattle, hogs and poultry, of the estate
of Gen. Richardson. The general had been active with the Americans, but
was now dead; and the British leader, in civilized times, made his widow