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作者:江暖      更新:2021-02-19 20:43      字数:9322
  Life of Marion。
  Life of Marion。
  DOBEIN JAMES。
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  Life of Marion。
  Preface。
  During the siege of Charleston; in May; 1780; the grammar school at
  Salem; on Black river; where I had been placed by my father; Major JOHN
  JAMES; broke up; and I was compelled to abandon my school boy studies;
  and become a militia man; at the age of fifteen。 At that time of life it was a
  great loss; but still I was so fortunate as to have General MARION as my
  commander; and my much honoured father; who was a sincere christian;
  as my adviser and protector。 I do not intend to write a history of my own
  life; but it was thus; that I became in a great measure an eye witness of the
  scenes   hereafter   described;   and   what   I   did   not   see;   I   often   heard   from
  others in whom confidence could be placed。 I felt an early inclination to
  record these events; but Major WEMYSS burnt all my stock of paper; and
  my little classical library; in my father's house; and; for two years and a
  half afterwards; I had not the common implements of writing or of reading。
  This may appear strange at present; but it is a fact; that even our general;
  when sending out a patrole; would request the officer to try to get him a
  quire   of   paper。   After   the   war;   other   active   pursuits   prevented   me   from
  indulging my inclination; and the public attention; being long fixed upon
  the   bloody   wars   and   great   battles   in   Europe;   had   lost   all   relish   for   our
  revolutionary      history;   and   its  comparatively      little  conflicts。   However;
  when Dr。 RAMSAY announced that he was about to publish his history of
  South   Carolina;   I   hastily   sketched   out   from   memory   a   short   history   of
  MARION'S brigade; for him; which he inserted in fifteen pages of his first
  volume。      This   brings    it  down    no   lower    than   the   arrival  of   General
  GREENE in South Carolina。 Fortunately the events of the late war revived
  the national spirit; and with that a taste for our own history; by it too; my
  inclination     was   renewed     to  communicate       that  of  MARION'S         brigade。
  However; I still wanted materials to confide in more certain than memory。
  The    last  year   I  happened     to  mention    my    wish   to  Mr。   RICHARD
  SINGELLTON; of   Colleton; son…in…law of   Major JOHN  POSTELL;   and
  he obligingly placed in my hands a bundle of original letters from General
  MARION to that distinguished officer。 Not long after I heard that the late
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  Life of Marion。
  General   PETER   HORRY   had   preserved   copies   of   General   MARION'S
  correspondence with General GREENE and other officers; and I applied to
  his   executor;   Mr。   JAMES   GUIGNARD;   who   very   politely   placed   five
  duodecimo   volumes   in   my   hands;   closely   written   by   the   general。   The
  originals were left by General HORRY with the Rev。 M。 L。 WEEMS; but
  it appears he made no use of them in his life of MARION。 The dates and
  facts stated in these copies agree pretty well with the account in the history
  of South Carolina by Dr。 RAMSAY; and General MOULTRIE'S memoirs
  of the American revolution。
  I have also taken the pains to consult several of MARION'S officers
  and    men;    who    still  survive。   The   Hon。    THOMAS        WATIES       gave   me
  considerable       information     respecting     the   first  part   of   the   general's
  operations;   which   I   did   not   witness;   as;   after   MARION'S   retreat   to   the
  White     marsh;    I  was   left  sick  in  North    Carolina。    During    MARION'S
  struggle with WATSON I had returned; but was confined to my bed with
  the   small   pox;   and   the   greater   part   of   that   account   was   received   from
  Captain GAVIN WITHERSPOON; ROBERT WITHERSPOON; Esq。 and
  others。  Respecting   the   affairs   about   Camden;  General   CANTEY  and   Dr。
  BROWNFIELD   gave   me   much   information;   and   the   present   sheriff   of
  Charleston district; FRANCIS G。 DELIESSELINE; Esq。 and myself have
  compared notes ~generally~ on the subject。
  Of   all   these   sources   of   information   I   have   availed   myself;   besides
  having recourse to every account of the events of that period which I had it
  in   my  power   to   consult。 This;  I hope;  will   account satisfactorily  for   any
  departures made from the statement I furnished Dr。 RAMSAY。
  There are no doubt many errors in my narrative; as nothing human is
  exempt from them; but it is believed there are not more than usually occur
  in what is considered accurate history。 It may also need correction in other
  matters; and it may not be pregnant with great events; but still it is a kind
  of domestic history; which teaches lessons of patience and patriotism; not
  surpassed in modern; and seldom in ancient times。
  WM。 DOBEIN JAMES。
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  Life of Marion。
  Introduction。
  A view of the first settlement of the French Protestants on the Santee。
  Lawson's   account   of   them。   The   ancestors   of   General   Marion   emigrate
  among them。
  The   revocation   of   the   edict   of   Nantz;   by   Lewis   XIV。;   though   highly
  detrimental   to   France;   proved   beneficial   to   Holland;   England   and   other
  European        countries;      which      received     the    protestant      refugees;     and
  encouraged their arts and industry。 The effects of this unjust and bigoted
  decree;      extended      themselves      likewise     to   North     America;      but   more
  particularly      to  South     Carolina:     About     seventeen      years    after   its  first
  settlement;      in  the   year   1690;    and   a  short    time   subsequently;      between
  seventy  and   eighty  French   families;  fleeing   from  the   bloody  persecution
  excited against them in their mother country; settled on the banks of the
  Santee。 Among these were the ancestors of General FRANCIS MARION。
  These families extended   themselves at   first only  from the   lower ferry  at
  South   Santee;   in   St。   James'   parish;   up   to   within   a   few   miles   of   Lenud's
  ferry;   and   back   from   the   river   into   the   parish   of   St。   Dennis;   called   the
  Orange quarter。 From their first settlement; they appear to have conciliated
  their neighbours; the Sewee and Santee Indians; and to have submitted to
  their    rigorous     fate   with    that   resignation     and    cheerfulness       which     is
  characteristic      of   their  nation。      Many     must    have    been    the   hardships
  endured by them in settling upon a soil covered with woods; abounding in
  serpents and beasts of prey; naturally sterile; and infested by a climate the
  most   insalubrious。   For   a  picture   of   their   sufferings   read   the  language   of
  one of them; Judith Manigault; bred a lady in ease and affluence:  〃Since
  leaving   France       we   have    experienced      every   kind    of   affliction;   disease;
  pestilence;     famine;     poverty;    hard    labour;    I  have   been    for   six  months
  together   without   tasting   bread;   working   the   ground   like   a   slave。〃   They
  cultivated   the barren   high   lands;  and   at   first   naturally  attempted to   raise
  wheat; barley and other European grains upon them; until better taught by
  the    Indians。    Tradition     informs     us;  that   men    and    their   wives    worked
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  Life of Marion。
  together in felling trees; building houses; making fences; and grubbing up
  their    grounds;      until   their   settlements      were     formed;     and    afterwards
  continued   their  labours   at   the  whip…saw;*   and in   burning   tar  for   market。
  Such was their industry; that in fourteen years after their first settlement;
  and according to the first certain account of them; they were in prosperous
  circumstances。 In the year 1701; John Lawson; then Surveyor General of
  the   province;   visited   these   enterprising   people;   and   as   there   are   but   two
  copies     of   his  〃Journal     of  a  thousand      miles    travelled    through     several
  nations     of  Indians〃;     known     at  present    to  be   in  existence;     no  apology
  appears   to   be   necessary   for   presenting   extracts   o