[Letter] 1781 Mar. 2, Henry County, Virginia / Stephen Heard

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Dr. [Dear] Sir.
Virginia Henry County
March 2d 1781 [added text (appears to be different hand and ink): 2459 ]
After your Departor [Departure] from georgia General Williamson in a few Days Retreated from Augusta to his own Plantation Nier [Near] Ninty Six. They [The] Council Thought Proper to Adjourn to Wilkes County and Join Camp Expecting to Act occationly [occasionally] with the South Carolineans to Defend the Uper [Upper] parts of Both States till Assistance Could be Sent to our Relief, But to our grate [great] Surprize [Surprise] Williamson and part of his Bragaed [Brigade] Capitulated with a Capt Paris that Imbodied [Embodied] they [the] Torys [Tories] on [illegible text] at this Time Colo [Colonel] Brown was on his march [deleted text: [illegible text] ] far up as Mr Galphins, Under these Circumstances [deleted text: the ] Many of the georgians was much Discouraged both officers and men being informed at the Same time that Bodies of Disaffected ware [were] Collected on the frontiers of Carolinia in order to Prevent their passing through to the American Troops, up on this a flag wass [was] Sent from the Commanding officer [document damaged] Colo [Colonel] Brown to no [know] what powers he wass [was] invested [document damaged] with thee [the] inhabitants, upon Which the Cou [document damaged] Colo [Colonel] John Jones from burk County and myself with about one hundred brave georgians Retired to th [document damaged] formed a Camp Sent an Express inwards but got no Answer The Tory Reports was very much in favour [favor] of [document damaged] [deleted text: [illegible text] ] answer [added text: to the flag ] was sent to they [the] Inhabitants of we [document damaged] The Coald [Could] be Received as prisoners of war [added text: on parole ] to which [document damaged] agreed to and about four hundred Capitulated and Capt Manson Trancated [Transacted] that Buisuness [Business] [deleted text: Being ] apointed [appointed] an Assistant to Colo [Colonel] Brown at this Time things Bore a glumy [gloomy] Aspect theer [their] [added text: all ] Communication being intirly [entirely] Cut of [off] From our Friends it was Detemined [Determined] that we Should march and with some [illegible text] and Through Danger maid [made]


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our way by the Mountains to the Frontiers of North Carolina whare [where] we Joined Colo [Colonel] Macdowel, Colo [Colonel] Jones as he Marched Through The Frontieres [Frontiers] of South Carolina Fell in with a party of Thirty od Torys [odd Tories] Disarmed thim [them] and [illegible text] Each to a Small bound They [illegible text] Persued [Pursued] Jones a party Comanded [Commanded] by a Capt Dunlap which Came upon they [the] Georgians late in the Evning atempting [Evening attempting] a surprise but beining [being] Joined by the North Carolineans and their officers and men Behaving so Exceeding well the British was put to the [unclear text: Rout ] with som [some] Loss severall [several] of the georgians suffered very much as the [they] Bore the Burden of the Action Some of which Died a few Days after the next Day the georgians and North Carolinians pursued the Enemy Came up and Drove them many miles Took some prisoners and kiled [killed] a number of Toryce [Tories] Soon after they [the] georgians was Joined by a Colo [Colonel] Shelby Comandnding [Commanding] a party of Virginians From Holsons River marched in to South Carolina Took a fort with upwards of one hundred prisoner put them on parole with the Loss of their arms soon after this Clark and Shelby fell in with a party of Fergissons men nier they [near the] Iron works on [unclear text: pacolate ] [document damaged] Drove them some miles there the Brave [unclear text: Burnil Smith ] [document damaged] of the wilks Militia Fell at this Time the Niews [News] of General [document damaged] advancing to our Assistance and having a very formaedable [formidable] [document damaged] his Command seemed to Change the apperances [appearances] of things [document damaged] [unclear text: Camdon ] they [the] Georgians flushed with hops [hopes] of [document damaged] Sotheren [Southern] Army attempted to march through the uper [upper] parts of Suth Carolina towards Ninty Six with the Assistance of they [the] Brave Carolineans which they affected as far as the [unclear text: Eanore ] thare [there] fell in with a Regular British force Comanded [Commanded] by a Colo [Colonel] Eaves a fair Action hapened [happened] with out any Surprize [Surprise] and Continued for some tim [time] the British was forced to Retreat with a loss of a number kiled [killed] and wounded on the ground and a number of prisoners taken


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which was marched to hilsborrou under they [the] [illegible text] of Colo [Colonel] Williams who afterward fell by Forgisson at kings Mountain the Disagreeable niews [news] of Gateses Defeat Reched [Reached] us which in a Little time semed [seemed] to give life and Action to both British and Torys [Tories] the British [unclear text: Prescribed ] an oath for the Inhabitants of georgia to Subscribe which was objected [added text: to ] by a number though Thretened [Threatened] if the [they] Did not Comply by a Cartain [Certain] Day they would be Demed [Deemed] Enemy and Treated Accordingly the georgians Looking upon them [document damaged] Disingaged [Disengaged] from their paroles they ware Detemined [were Determined] to lift Arms before the [they] would bare [bear] Such treat [added text: ment ] Colo [Colonel] Clark going to georgia at [document damaged: the ] same time four Hundred and od Joned [odd Joined] him Marched to Augusta whare thare [where there] was a large Body of Indians from the Creeks and Cherokes Caled [Called] to a treaty by Colo [Colonel] Brow the [unclear text: Britis ] formed up at Seamores white house the Indians on their Right in the wods [woods] who brought on the Action but our men advanced and kiled [killed] a number of Indians took two Fieldpieces and obliged the British to take Sheltor [Shelter] in houses that night intrenched [entrenched] themselves Colo [Colonel] Clark Reniewed [Renewed] the Action the next Day and Raised [document damaged] Round the Enemy [document damaged] of Every Supply Shattered their hous [document damaged] the Fieldpieces and our men behaving so well that the [document damaged] of the Enemy in their works so that Colo [Colonel] Brown sent a [document damaged] bury his Dead which was granted Such as ware [were] in his works [document damaged] musta Cartainly Sarrenderd [must have Certainly Surrendered] in a few hours had not Colo [Colonel] [document damaged] Ninty Six marched to their assistance with a Regular force [document damaged] large Body of Torys [Tories] which obliged Colo [Colonel] Clark to order a retreat and [document damaged] persued [pursued] was obliged to Cross the Mountans [Mountains] the British marched up in [document damaged] County Distresed [Distressed] the Inhabitants Cruelly took a number of prisoner and obliged the people to give up twenty of their [unclear text: princaple [principal] Whig ] friends as hostages for the piece [peace] and good behaviour [bahavior] Forgisson Being Defeated at kings mountain The georgians marched Sothardly [Southwardly] Colos [Colonels] Few Twigs Clark Major Jackson and Lindsay [unclear text: Davies ] and Self formed a Junction with the Suth Carolineans Colo [Colonel] Tarlington was detached [unclear text: after ] Corwallis with a party of [unclear text: his ]


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[added text (appears to be different ink and hand): 2059 ] Trops [Troops] to fall in with us which we met with the officers and men Behaved so Exceeding well that obliged tarlington though his troops ware [were] Regulars and over our numbers to Retreat with a very Considerable loss the georgians proceeded to march to the uper [upper] parts of South Carolina and penetrated as far as pickingers Regment [Regiment] a number of which Joined our Camps Colo [Colonel] Pickings himself is very Active with us which is much in our favour [favor] as his Regment [Regiment] is almost good [document damaged] the Georgian and South Carolinians have been in Every Action [document damaged] the sothard [southward] And if Cornwallis was out of our way, [added text: which we [illegible text] ] [deleted text: [illegible text] ] [document damaged] be Capable of taking and keeping the uper [upper] parts of both States as the Torys [Tories] are many of them kiled [killed] Grierson and Andrew More and Thomas waters of Wilks is very Active Against us have the Command of Aug [added text: usta ] and upwards Ingram is also Active They ware [were] the Caus [Cause] of Removing a number of Famalies [Families] from Georgia of such persons as ware [were] in arms against them in a very unseasonable time of the year. The Brave georgians that was in Camp when you left Augusta have [document damaged] Sarvice [Service] Ever sinc [since] and is mu [document damaged] distressed both officers and [document damaged] much for Clothing and all most [almost] Every necery [necessary] the State [document damaged] to Relieve their wants and must Airnestly Requst [Earnestly Request] that you [document damaged] in their Behalf with the Honourable [Honorable] the [document damaged] for som [some] Relief both in Clothing and Money as its uncartain [uncertain] [document damaged] got will be before we Recover our State fully upwards of Five hundred georgians left the state but not over three hundred keeps constant to Camp and some of their Necessity obliges to lieve [leave] Camp at times in order to procure some necesaries [necessaries] for their support what money was in they [the] treasury was advanced at general Williamsons Request for the [unclear text: Support ] of the Commacary [Commissary] and quartermaster Departments which was to be Replaced but Cannot be Drawn from the Confederate [illegible text] [added text: as ] Colo [Colonel] Wily and Cuthbert are both in Augusta on parol [parole] yours by Capt Walton and Major Jackson Came to hand the Resolve of Councel [Council] you mention [illegible text] at as they both are in a [illegible text] in georgia Mrs Howly and the Children was well the Last [illegible text] from

I am Sir your ser [servant]
[Signed] Stephen Heard
NB [Nota Bene] the Many Loses [Losses] and Disapp [document damaged] tments prevented me from sending [document damaged] Mr Lindsay is woundend [wounded] and Taken Prisoner with Henry Candler son to the late [illegible text] Hawkins [illegible text] [document damaged] Let him Return as soon as possable [possible]
[Signed] SH [Stephen Heard]

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