tly suspected of intentions to leave the province,
or to defraud their creditors; and they appointed committees in
the several districts and parishes in the state, which were called
committees of public safety, to carry these acts into effect. These
exercised high municipal authority, and supported generally by a
population sometimes intemperate, inflicted singular punishments** upon
such as were not only guilty, but even suspected, of infringing the
association. The provincial congress also, after receiving the news of
the battle of Lexington, determined upon a defensive war, and resolved
to raise two regiments of infantry, and one of cavalry. Marion was
elected a captain in the second regiment of these two, of which William
Moultrie was colonel. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and Thomas Pinckney,
since so much distinguished, were likewise elected captains in this
regiment at the same time. The first of Captain Marion's appearing in
arms against the British, was in the latter part of this year, when he
acted as one of three captains under Colonel Motte, in taking possession
of Fort Johnson, on James Island. On this occasion much resistance
was expected, but the garrison abandoned the fort, and escaped to
two British vessels, the Tamar and Cherokee, then lying in Charleston
harbour. In the autumn of the same year a post was established at
Dorchester, where it was thought prudent to send part of the military
stores, and the public records out of Charleston; and here Captain
Marion had the command. This is only worthy of remark in the
circumstance, that as the climate of this place is remarkably bad in
autumn, it shows that our patriots had already so much enthusiasm in the
cause in which they had embarked, that they refused no station, however
perilous. As the provincial congress and committees of public safety
exercised all the legislative and judicial powers in the state, as might
have been expected, they soon became too complicated for them, and were
thrown into great confusion. The criminal code was still left in force;
but there were no judges to exercise that jurisdiction. The provincial
congress, therefore, without waiting for a convention of the people,
framed a constitution: by this they took the name of the general
assembly of South Carolina, and limited their own continuance until the
21st October, 1776; and, in every two years after that period, a general
election was to take place for members of the assembly. Th