“He never seems to have heard of the barnyard proverb, ‘Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.’ In his fancy he has met the British and routed them on every hand. It promises badly for the army, my lad.”
“Can we do nothing, sir?”
“I fear not. General Gates is not the man to tolerate interference. If he were more open to advice he would be a much safer leader.”
With the departure of Marion the better genius of Gates left him. The British, under Lords Rawdon and Cornwallis, were in possession of Camden, a small town upon the east bank of the Wateree; and Gates conceived the idea of surprising them. On the night of the 15th of August he left his camp at Rugely’s Mills and advanced toward Camden. Upon the same night the British made a move to surprise Gates; so, almost before they knew it, the vanguards of the two armies met in the darkness near a small stream of water known as Sanders Creek.
Before breaking his camp Gates had sent to Marion for a few horsemen who knew the country; and Marion had sent Tom and Cole to lend what aid they could. These two were in the advance guard of the American army when it encountered that of the British. Tom’s big chestnut horse Sultan, up to his knees in the waters of Sanders Creek, was the first to note the approach of the enemy; he cocked his ears, threw up his head and snorted.
“What is it, boy?” said Tom, his eyes running over the ground before him as well as the darkness would permit. As though in answer there came a scattering of rifle-shots and a “pinging” of the leaden messengers about his ears.
He wheeled and rode back to the banks. Saluting the captain in command, he reported:
“The enemy, sir, seem to be on the other side of the creek.”
The captain was inexperienced and very nervous.
“What force is there?” asked he.