leave _them_ to
defend the country as well as they could, without his assistance. Could
he have concentrated his force, and _had not regarded Ninety-Six_, he
might have driven the British into Charleston, before the sickly season
commenced. But the system of leaving fortresses behind an invading
army, so strongly recommended by Machiavelli, and so much followed by
Bonaparte, had not yet been adopted in tactics. But we are anticipating
our narrative.

* As all the accounts of the movements of Greene and Col.
Lee, into South Carolina, are confused, from a want of
information of the local situation of the country, and the
clashing of the names of places; the present note has been
subjoined to rectify misconceptions. From Ensign Johnson
Baker's account we have seen Lee at the Long bluff, since
called Greenville, now Society-hill. At that time, the
marshes of Black creek, and the bogs of Black river, were
impassable (except to Marion,) on any direct route to
Camden, or Scott's lake, or Santee; but there was an Indian
path, by the way of the present Darlington court house and
Day's ferry, on Lynch's creek, to Kingstree; and from the
latter place there was a road to Murray's ferry on Santee.
From the necessity of the case, therefore, this must have
been Lee's route, for he cannot explain it himself. Lee had
been the principal adviser of Greene to return to South
Carolina, for which the country can never be too grateful to
him; and being now about to invest fort Watson, he sent Dr.
Matthew Irvine, for whom both leaders had a great
friendship, and who, from his persuasive powers was highly
fitted for the mission, to inspire Greene with hope and
confidence. Irvine obtained a guide and an escort from Col.
Richardson, and proceeded by the route of the Piny lands,
back of the Santee hills, then a pathless wilderness, now a
thickly settled country, and _on the first broad road_ he
fell in with in this tract, he unexpectedly met with Greene,
about fifteen miles from Camden. Irvine continued with him,
until descending a range of Sand hills between little and
great Pinetree creeks, about a mile from Camden, he crossed
great Pinetree creek at the place now called M'Crae's mill.
From the latter place, Greene proceeded about three miles to
an old mill on Town creek, called En