At this day it seems singular to me that I heard no one speak of the great disaster which had come upon the colonists at Camden.
I can only explain it by the supposition that each man saw in the adventure before us an opportunity to do somewhat by way of retaliation, and set all his thoughts on that purpose.
We were halted, after my rejoining the brigade, twenty minutes or more, and then the word to advance was given; but not in such fashion as I had supposed from what General Marion said, on his learning of the disaster which had come upon Percy.
My idea was, and in my ignorance I saw no other method of procedure, that the little troop would ride into Barfield's Tories even as they had among those commanded by Major Gainey, and that we should profit by the surprise.
This could not be done, as I afterward came to realize.
The capture of Percy, and what Sam Lee could tell, would be sufficient to prevent us from coming upon them unexpectedly.
When the Tory lad should inform the commander that two of Major James' nephews were in that vicinity, it would be immediately known that our uncle, with a goodly following, was somewhere nearabout.
The Tories would be prepared, and those who had suffered defeat that morning must have, by this time, a very good idea of our strength.
General Marion, as I afterward came to know full well, was not the man to neglect any precaution, and while he counted on making an attack despite the difference in numbers, it was his intention to do so in such manner as would come nearest to guaranteeing success.
Fifty of the best mounted men were detached and sent straight toward Dubose Ferry, while the remainder of the brigade rode off at right angles, in such direction as would bring us to the timber lands eastward of the road leading to Indian Village.