Hide Article Text (OCR)
rn X’-, 's'KS.W/i': ;3.T5V''Ti. -T. ■ r- r.-A—SUNDAY,.JUNE 29,1975 FLORENCE MORNING NEWSjy‘- -Z ..: »YA^iv^ •(.. (Continued from p-Jge 4-A)the regiment of Murphy’s.He had, he told Marion, written him (Murphy) several limes to restore theirplunge/,, whic^they had refused to do —'' except' scich'ns‘ Is'- iio 'service to' them- ' \{-selves; all jhat l§,pf value they keep.-.so ; t.Vf that I'fouhd ilwre’a's'lum'blinfi block..'1/White North Carolina Tories under ; $ David Fanning and Ueclor McNeill were,'-' drifting into the truce zone itmi conduct-ing raids, Ganey turned Tory lender again and gathered behind him such a strong Tory following that Governor Matthewsof South Carolina aiti Governor Martin of North.Carolina agreed upon an expedition • tu put down, tlie Tory uprising,'Die com-m'and'of; I hi Pexpe'd it io:^ was given’, to'' Francis Marlon.'His strength was to.be'* supplementedtby North Carolina troops under MftjphJoej Lewis. A- rendezvous ■ was planned at Ami's Mill on Drowning Creek ^Lumber River) near the North Carolina' line,.': ,• ... ■ 'On the march, Marion addressed a fetter to Major Uahey :,on June|2-.front Lynch.os’-.Creek', Hjc declared that He had ' march^ hjs . brigade'that far l’fpr. the purpose'.bf either making tcims'- br.pro-secdling/jhe.jwar’' — tthichcvcr\Gancy- chdsc By^that .NatHaniel' .CJreeneti adpii!ihed,Br h.^b'fprcesbacij.to, Ihp gatcs of .Charlcston andthe royal' cause, appeared.doomed to failure. Almost eight’ mbhlhsvearller, Cornwallis had surrendered at Yorktown, To.Ganey,' further prosecution of the war on his part must have appeared futile. .•Accordingly, he.ogreetj tocrossjhe Pee Dee River, and. meet Marion at Burch's Mill.' There oh June 8,1782, one yeah after the signing of the1 first truce-'between ' Ganey and Horry, Ganey signed another ' truce with Marion. .11 contained essentially the' same lernis as the first.- .Loyalists holding plundered property would, restore it and declare themselves peaceful citizens loyal to South Carolina• and the United States. Deserters from the ■American cause would be delivered-to . ‘ proper authorities, Persons who did not accept the terms would be permitted to go- within enemy lines with their wives, chil-■ drcn, and moveable'property, exceptstock; which they were permitted to sell.. Excluded from the terms were David Fanning and his followers whose crimes were considered unforgiveable._ Marion remained at Burch's forseveral \ifays lu'accept loyalty oaths and give amnesty to Ganey's followers. Among those who come in was one named Jeff Butler ' whose atrocities against Whigs in the Pee t Dee were-deeply resented by Marion's men. Sostrong was their feeling that members of the brigade declared their purpose to see him kilted no matter what concessions he was'granted.True lo the teniis of:the agreement, Marion warned his men that “both law and honor sanction my resolution” to protect lire life of‘anyone who submitted lo the terms of the'truce: He (hen placed Butler in his own tent as a safety precaution. When told bv li is men that' 'But ler shall be -• . •-dragged to death from your.tent,-‘.Marion j'v. . o'jked. jilsiofficers lo send him men in \ whom’ Ihfcy placed the greatest cohfl- -X; -V^cn'ccrToMhcse he said that, (Hough he...; held Butler in highest contempt, he would ■ protect him from death or perish himself/,;.., .- - - in the attempt. When .nightj;atne.they.' ' •j slipped Duller out of ^he'carnp.t^sMcty.-''.Whatever Ganey'sycondnethad?been .• . earlier, it remained honorable for the re: v, ■mainingmonlhsof the war.'He asked and was given permission by Mariph to go to ■- Charleston to. resign'_hisVrdynl.,piTBtia .'• commission to - British General Leslie. Tills 'done, he returned to. Marion's head- , quarters and enlisted For the six months scr\iie required:by, law.to:obtajn a=full pordwil.AtFajr Lawh,'Marion’s last bat-: liej tiancy foUghT valiantly by his side.; .. Bjlnilther tie nor- fils'men were welcomed back into the society oF loyal citizens. Feeling against him w'asso strong in Marion County, says Alexander.Gregg in his‘‘History'of the.Old Cheraw's thal'he was forced Ip exilcjhinisclf lo.Rlchmohd; CountyJn Norlh Carolina.As for'his'followers, Lt, Col. Lemuel Ben Ion of I he Chcraw militia, addressed a letter to Gov. Matthews complaining bitterly about “Ganey :s truce men who have' -been received by Gen. Marion as citizens, and are now doing military duty, antlen-.. joying equal privileges with your best soldiers and citizens who have borne the burden and heat of the day.”.' Lemuel Bcnlon,.nr Lamb Benton os he called himself; had good reason For resentment. 11 had been Ganey's To ries who had slain his friend, Col, Abel Kolb, and burnt his home at I -ong Bluff (now Society ■ Hill).a short while earlier.Yqu'h.find nothing at Burch’s Mill to indicate now that on-a day in June 1782, Francis Marion and Micajah' Ganey met and signed a document that look Ganey’s Tories out of the war and released Marion lo help press the British hack into Charleston, which they evacuated in Decern ber of that year. The river s 1 ill rounds the bend on its way to the sea, An open field that reaches hear the edge of the bluff appears a likely place where Marion pitched his tents. There is but a trace of the road that led down lo the ferry landing. You have to imagine that Burch’s Mill was located on Mill Branch back from the river's Flow.Thus do we sadly neglect our history.
Newspaper Details
Florence Morning News
Florence, South Carolina, US
Sun, Jun 29, 1975
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Familysearch
Utah, USA 22 Aug 2023
Other Publications Near Florence, South Carolina
Florence Morning News
Morning News
Florence Morning News Review
