Sal and Amanda Take Morgan's Victory March to the Battle of Cowpens (9 page)

The children got out of the car to have their pictures taken in front of the statue of Daniel Morgan. As they drove off, Sam yelled, “Chili cheese aplenty here we come!”

As they drove away, Ben looked back at the statue standing proudly above him. He could feel Morgan's restless spirit reaching out to him. Even Sal and Amanda, riding snugly in his pocket, were awed by the general's presence.

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Script from Illustrated Map Program at Cowpens Battlefield (National Park Service), 2013.

  

Chapter 8

Morgan's March

Grammy woke the children early the next morning. She had to be sure they had their authentic dress and coats, caps and gloves. No one knew what kind of weather this time of year would bring in Upstate South Carolina. They were all glad it was sunny and not raining like in 1781.

Grammy had also packed a backpack of snacks for each of her grands. They would need lots of energy for the trek.

Everyone assembled at Asbury Methodist Church to register. People, including reenactors from all over the country, were excited to begin the journey. The route had been carefully mapped out by Mayor Henderson, historians and interpreters. It would progress along the same route and at about the same pace that Morgan and his men had traveled over 230 years earlier.

The children had been training for this for many months. They all wanted to finish the march to get their Morgan's Flying Army Medal. No one wanted to be the only one not to finish.

The children were glad to hear their grandmother announce that they would have bathroom breaks along the way. They would also be provided with food. Morgan and his men had neither of these luxuries.

Dr. Edwards, a local historian dressed as Morgan, explained the important landmarks and battle plan as the group marched along. The children laughed and joked as they followed the trail. Ben thought Dr. Edwards looked a lot like he imagined Morgan to look. His voice even sounded much like the general's.

Dr. Edwards announced, “Our first destination is Grindal Shoals, where Morgan camped for twenty days before the battle.”

“But he didn't stay there all the time; he alternated between Grindal Shoals and Burr's Mill at Thicketty Creek to keep them guessing,” Ben spoke up.

Impressed with what Ben had learned, Grammy smiled at him and said, “I can see all that hard work with Jen paid off!”

“Not to mention us!” Sal and Amanda whispered in Ben's ear from his backpack. He had not seen them crawl in, but somehow he knew they would surely be on this journey.

After viewing the Pacolet River at Grindal Shoals, the marchers continued on their way. The day was crisp and sunny, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the moment. It took them almost five hours to get to Fort Thicketty.

When they arrived, most of the marchers were shocked to see part of the fort still standing. Dr. Edwards explained that the fort had originally been built many years before the Revolutionary War to help guard the settlers from Indian attacks. He went on to say, “Tories took over the fort and used it as headquarters to raid the nearby Patriots.”

“Yes, and most of those Tories were Loyalists from the area,” Ben added.

“Seems like I have an assistant,” Dr. Edwards joked as he patted Ben's shoulder.

“A know-it-all if you ask me,” Sam muttered under his breath.

“Hearing about the Tory attacks from the fort, Colonel Isaac Shelby and six hundred of his men rode from their camp on the Broad River and surrounded it. When the Tories saw what they were up against, they surrendered without firing a shot,” Dr. Edwards continued.

“Wow, they showed 'em!” Kara cheered.

“Yes, and they captured ninety-three Loyalists and one British soldier. They also captured two hundred badly needed muskets!” Dr. Edwards said.

“And then Colonel Shelby went on to win the Battle of Kings Mountain,” Ben added.

“Well, I can't believe parts of the fort are still here! That's amazing!” Tonya commented as she took notes in her journal.

The marchers headed on. They had only about two miles to go before it was time to stop for the day. They reached the campsite farther down the river just as the sun began to set. Most of the marchers headed home or to hotels, but Grammy and the cousins, along with a few other hardy souls, intended to get the full camping experience.

“Where are we sleeping?” Kara asked.

“Right here! The men delivered our tents, sleeping bags and supper. Bless their hearts!” Grammy answered. “Let's get the fire built. Then we can put up our tents. We'll have to hustle to get it done before dark.”

“I'll build the fire, Grammy,” Sam insisted. “I do it all the time in Boy Scouts. Ben, you help Grammy put up the tents, the big one for the girls and the little one for us,” Sam directed, always good at taking charge.

As soon as the fire was crackling and the tents were pitched, Grammy pulled out individual packets of beef, potatoes, carrots and onions wrapped in foil that she called Campfire Stew. She placed the six packets near the edge of the fire to cook.

“Boy, that smells good!” Sam said as he sat down by the fire. The girls and Grammy joined him.

“Let's sing some colonial campfire songs,” Kara suggested. “I'll lead 'cause I researched them,” she announced proudly and looked at Grammy for affirmation.

Kara led them in “Three Blind Mice,” “London Bridge,” “Did You Ever See a Lassie,” “Pop Goes the Weasel” and “Yankee Doodle.” She assured them that the Patriots would be singing them as they sat around the fire.

“‘Yankee Doodle' was written by the British to make fun of the Patriots, but we showed them. We played and sang it when the British surrendered at Yorktown!” Ben stated.

“Why, Ben, you are a wealth of information!” Grammy smiled.

Not to be outdone, Sam bragged, “We learned about it when the guy was teaching us to play the drums!”

“I see,” Grammy answered.

“And how are we going to get our drums tomorrow for the reenactment?” Ben asked.

“Your parents are bringing them. We kept it a secret because we wanted to surprise you, but they'll all be there!” Grammy smiled. “I think our stew is done. Let's eat!”

“And afterward we can roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories,” Sam yelled.

Ben scowled. The last thing he wanted to do was think about ghosts while he was near the battlefield in the dark.

“Grammy, this is delicious!” Jen said, and everyone agreed.

“I wouldn't mind being a soldier if I got to eat like this!” Kara announced.

“Believe me, they did not get food like this. The rations were scarce. Sometimes they had to go without eating. They mostly ate meat that was dried like beef jerky and hardtack, which was bread that was dried out and hard. Farmers would share their vegetables if they were in season. It was a rough time!” Grammy explained.

“You mean they didn't have marshmallows?” Sam joked.

“Nope, they had vinegar to preserve what food they did have, but no sweets,” Grammy answered.

The children sat around the fire, eating their toasted marshmallows. Sam said, “It's time for the ghost stories. Does anyone know any good ones?”

Before they could answer, Sam announced, “Some people say the Johnson House in Cheraw is haunted. I know a story about one of the ghosts there.”

Ben froze. He certainly did not want to hear this!

Thankfully, Kara interrupted, “I know about the gray man that lives at Pawley's Island, and there are tons of ghosts in Charleston!”

“And there's one that lives in the capitol in Columbia,” Tonya added.

“Ben, I don't think we have any ghosts in Pacolet. Do you know of any?” Jen asked.

Ben didn't answer. Jen snapped her fingers at him, trying to get his attention.

“No, I don't think we have any,” he answered quietly.

“Well, we won't have ours long because they are going to destroy the old Johnson House tomorrow to build a drugstore,” Sam added.

“What are you talking about? What do you mean destroy?” Ben was suddenly paying attention.

“It's been the talk of our little town. The relatives who inherited it live in Texas, and they don't want the house. They have already sold it to a pharmacy chain for big bucks. The new owners said they would demolish the house because it would take less time than just tearing it down. That was part of the agreement.”

“Is your daddy involved?” Grammy asked.

“Yes, the city council had to grant permission. Dad tried every way to stop it because he said there might be valuable artifacts in the house. The relatives said it didn't matter to them. They didn't want to come here just to poke around in an old house,” Sam spoke with authority.

“Well, that's too bad. We are losing all kinds of old structures. That house was built before the Civil War by the Johnson family,” Grammy explained.

The girls were all nodding and about to fall asleep. “It's been a long day. We'll have to save the ghost stories for another night. We have to get up early, so brush your teeth and get in your sleeping bags,” Grammy insisted.