one of the
Associate Judges in Equity, South-Carolina."

In conformity to the act of Congress of the United States, entitled, "An
Act for the encouragement of learning by securing the copies of maps,
charts and books to the authors and proprietors of such copies during
the times therein mentioned," and also an act entitled, "An Act
supplementary to an act, entitled, 'An act for the encouragement of
learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books, to the
authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein
mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing,
engraving and etching historical and other prints."

JAMES JERVEY, Clerk of the District of South-Carolina.

Preface.

During the siege of Charleston, in May, 1780, the grammar school at
Salem, on Black river, where I had been placed by my father, Major JOHN
JAMES, broke up; and I was compelled to abandon my school boy studies,
and become a militia man, at the age of fifteen. At that time of life it
was a great loss; but still I was so fortunate as to have General
MARION as my commander, and my much honoured father, who was a sincere
christian, as my adviser and protector. I do not intend to write a
history of my own life; but it was thus, that I became in a great
measure an eye witness of the scenes hereafter described; and what I did
not see, I often heard from others in whom confidence could be placed.

I felt an early inclination to record these events; but Major WEMYSS
burnt all my stock of paper, and my little classical library, in my
father's house; and, for two years and a half afterwards, I had not the
common implements of writing or of reading. This may appear strange at
present; but it is a fact, that even our general, when sending out a
patrole, would request the officer to try to get him a quire of paper.
After the war, other active pursuits prevented me from indulging my
inclination; and the public attention, being long fixed upon the
bloody wars and great battles in Europe, had lost all relish for our
revolutionary history, and its comparatively little conflicts. However,
when Dr. RAMSAY announced that he was about to publish his history of
South Carolina, I hastily sketched out from memory a short history of
MARION'S brigade, for him; which he inserted in fifteen pages of his
first volume. This brings it down no lower than the arrival of General
GREENE in South Carolina. Fortunately the events o