Serjeant Thomas Tucker, of the Seventeenth Light Dragoons, traversing the country with twelve men, came suddenly upon a small American fort, when he leapt into it and made the garrison prisoners. Tucker accompanied the regiment from England as a volunteer; he evinced signal bravery on all occasions, and was rewarded, on the 10th of April, 1779, with a commission of cornet in the regiment: he proved an efficient officer.
1780
In the winter, when the French fleet and land forces, after having been repulsed at Rhode Island and Savannah, withdrew from the American coast, General Sir Henry Clinton fitted out an expedition against South Carolina, where the mildness of the climate, the richness of the country, its vicinity to Georgia, and its distance from the position occupied by the American army under General Washington, pointed out the advantage and facility of conquest. A detachment of the Seventeenth Light Dragoons, attached to Tarleton's legion, formed part of the force employed on this enterprise. The fleet sailed towards the end of December, but was dispersed by strong gales of wind, and the tempestuous weather occasioned the death of nearly all the horses. The transports in which the Seventeenth and Tarleton's legion were embarked, took refuge from the tempest in the harbour of Tybee, an island near the coast of Georgia, from whence the officers and soldiers proceeded in boats to the island of Port Royal, where a number of horses of an inferior description were procured.
The Seventeenth and Tarleton's legion were quartered at Beaufort, from whence they proceeded to join Brigadier-General Patterson, who was proceeding from Savannah, with a body of infantry, to reinforce the expedition under Sir Henry Clinton, who had undertaken the siege of Charlestown. The inhabitants of the country through which the detachment had to travel having heard of the loss of the cavalry horses at sea, many of them equipped themselves as cavaliers, to confine the British to the line of march, and prevent them collecting horses in the country. Some of these cavaliers insulted the front of the column, but were overthrown by a charge of the dragoons, and the Seventeenth took some prisoners and a number of horses, without any loss on their part; but in the neighbourhood of Rantol's bridge the Americans captured an officer and several foot soldiers.
After a march of twelve days through a country intersected with rivers, rendered difficult by heavy rains, and infested with enemies, the Seventeenth arrived on the banks of the Ashley-river with a large quantity of forage and some horses, which they had collected on the march: the cavalry of the detachment halted at Quarter House, but the infantry joined the army before Charlestown.
On the 12th of April, 1780, the men of the Seventeenth advanced, with other troops, to cut off the communications of the garrison of Charlestown with the adjacent country; they halted that night at Goosecreek, and on the evening of the following day they moved silently towards one of the enemy's posts of communication on Cooper's river,—several corps co-operating in the movement. At three o'clock on the following morning the advanced guard of dragoons and mounted infantry approached Monk's Corner, and charging and routing the enemy's guard on the main road, dashed forward into the American cavalry camp. The enemy was surprised, all who made resistance were speedily cut down; favoured by darkness, General Huger, Colonels Washington and Jamieson, and seven others, took refuge in some swampy grounds near the camp; and one hundred and fifty dragoons and hussars, four hundred horses, and fifty waggons loaded with arms, ammunition, and clothing, were captured. The enemy's infantry at Biggin's bridge were routed by a charge with the bayonet; the boats at Bonneau's ferry were also seized, and the American army in Charlestown was closely invested.
On the 6th of May Lieut.-Colonel Tarleton advanced at the head of a patrole of one hundred and fifty men of the Seventeenth and dragoons of the legion, to gain intelligence, when he was overtaken by a loyal American, who informed him that a strong body of the enemy's cavalry had taken a British foraging party, of an officer and seventeen mounted light infantry, prisoners, and was moving towards Lenew's ferry. Stimulated by this news, the patrole quickened its pace, and arrived at three in the afternoon in the presence of the enemy's videts. The Seventeenth instantly charged the American out-guard, which was routed, and pursued upon the main body; the enemy was surprised; five officers and thirty-six soldiers were cut down; seven officers and sixty dragoons were made prisoners, and Colonels White, Washington, and Jamieson, with some other officers and a few soldiers, escaped by swimming across the river, but many were drowned in the attempt.
The foraging party, captured by the Americans in the morning, was rescued as the ferry-boat was pushing off to convey the men across the river.
In this enterprise the British had only two men and four horses killed; the patrole joined the troops under Lieut.-General Earl Cornwallis on the same evening, but upwards of twenty horses died of fatigue.
Charlestown surrendered to the British arms on the 12th of May. Soon after this event the Seventeenth were attached to the troops under Lieut.-General Earl Cornwallis, and marched up the north-east bank of the Santee river in pursuit of a body of Americans under Colonel Burford, who was retreating to North Carolina. Lord Cornwallis halted at Georgetown, from whence forty of the Seventeenth, one hundred and thirty of Tarleton's legion, a hundred mounted infantry, and a three-pounder, followed the Americans by forced marches. After travelling one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours, the detachment approached Wacsaw, on the confines of South Carolina, at three o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th of May, and the advance-guard, overtaking the enemy's rear, took a serjeant and four American light dragoons prisoners. Three hundred and eighty American infantry, a detachment of cavalry, and two six-pounders, formed for battle in an open wood; the British, though not half so numerous, (many men and the only gun with the detachment being unable to keep up,) moved forward in three columns to charge their opponents; the men of the Seventeenth being in the centre column under Captain Talbot. The Americans remained steady until the British were within ten yards, and then fired a volley, which produced little effect; and before the smoke cleared away, their ranks were broken, and the British were cutting them down with a terrible carnage. In a few minutes the conflict had ceased; one hundred Americans lay dead on the spot, two hundred were made prisoners, and three colours, two guns, and a number of waggons containing stores and baggage, were captured by the British, who had only five officers and soldiers killed, and twelve wounded; Lieutenant Matthew Pateshall, of the Seventeenth, being among the wounded.