Sal and Amanda Take Morgan's Victory March to the Battle of Cowpens (2 page)

Just then, Grammy called from the kitchen, “Ben, have you started your notes?”

“Not yet, Grammy. Jen and I are going to talk about it, and then she'll help me write it down,” Ben winked at Jen.

“Well, y'all take some of these cookies and lemonade and see if you can get it all straight. I want to see what you've learned about the founding of our great nation.”

Ben took the cookies and Jen grabbed the cups of lemonade Grammy had fixed, and they hurried out to the oak tree.

“Here we are!” Amanda exclaimed as she and her brother climbed out from under a log.

“Just keeping cool!” Sal explained.

“That's right! Salamanders need to stay moist!” Ben said, remembering what Sal and Amanda had taught them about amphibians.

“We've been hanging out at the Pacolet River. Plenty of salamander buddies there!” Sal nodded.

“Well, that's what we need help with!” Ben shrieked.

“The Pacolet River?” Amanda asked, looking quite confused.

“Well, not the river exactly, but all the events that happened during the Revolution around the river,” Ben clarified. “That's what my project is about.”

“A lot took place before the war got to the Pacolet area. Let's catch you up!” Amanda smiled and sat down to start her speech.

“Could you give us the
short
version?” Ben asked.

Jen glared at Ben. “Don't be rude!”

“Oh, no, it's OK, I planned to do that,” Amanda replied.

“Oh, by the way, would either of you like some cookies and lemonade?” Jen asked. The salamander pair smiled at each other, thankful for the children and their hospitality but eager to get on with their storytelling.

“No thanks! We just had some earthworms on our way from the river,” Amanda smiled.

Jen and Ben gulped and exchanged disgusted looks.

“Well, let's get to the story! There's some really cool stuff about the battles and the fighting and the people!” Sal added.

“I know, but it's all rattling around in my head from the history books and from what Grammy told me,” Ben shuddered.

“Time to listen up!” Amanda started. “The first permanent settlers to come to South Carolina were from England. Explorers from Spain and France also tried to establish colonies on the coast, but they failed.”

“Why did all these people want to come all the way across the Atlantic in ships anyway?” Ben asked.

“Some were searching for gold, some wanted religious freedom, some wanted a better life and some wanted adventure. But they were all trying to claim the land for their country,” Amanda explained.

Sal went on, “These settlers often used the phrase ‘for King and Country!' The king of England gave people land here, and they became known as colonists. They were ruled by the king just like the people in England. Our colony was one of the first! It was called Charles Towne.”

“I knew that! And later it became Charleston!” Ben wanted to show that he remembered
something
.

“Ben's cousin Kara lives there, and she's coming to the Morgan March,” Jen added.

Sal smiled. “Yeah, and our Uncle Newt lives there too! He's a real historian. Uncle Newt always says, ‘A revolution is a change in people's lives and government.' And I think…”

“OK, OK, let's stick to the story,” Amanda interrupted. “Where was I? Let's see, Charles Towne was established in 1670, but it was almost one hundred years before settlers came to the backcountry where we live. By that time, this colony was known as Carolina.

“These backcountry folk were mostly Scots Irish. That means they were from Scottish ancestors who had been living in Ireland. They migrated to this area from the northern ports where they first landed in the New World. They came to the Blue Ridge and the Piedmont because these regions reminded them of their homeland.”

“But how did the war get started?” Ben asked impatiently.

“That's just what I was about to tell you. There was a
revolution
!” Sal blurted out.

“Let me finish! Then,
you
can tell about the war!” Amanda warned. “Many of the colonists wanted a change from British laws because they thought they were unfair.”

“Sounds that way to me!” Ben piped up.

“Well, in the 1750s and 1760s, England sent soldiers to the colonies to help fight both the Native Americans and the French,” Amanda explained.

“What was that all about? I thought the Native Americans owned the land since they were here first! And I thought the French left?” Ben exclaimed, sounding more puzzled than ever. Jen decided it was her turn to add some facts to this history lesson.

“I learned last year that the Native Americans were trying to keep the land they had lived on for years. And the French continued to try to gain control of some of the land so they could start their own colony. Everyone wanted the land, so there was a war.”

Ben sat pondering what Jen said and remembered learning that this conflict was why Fort Thicketty, which was located just down the road from Grammy, was built. It was to protect the colonists from the Indians.

“Three of the major tribes, the Catawba, the Cherokee and the Yemassee, fought in that war. It lasted for seven years and was fought throughout all the colonies,” Amanda added with authority.

“And that war, called the French and Indian War, cost England a lot of money 'cause it sent men and supplies here to protect the colonists,” Amanda finished without taking a breath.

“And…” Sal started.

Jumping all over each other with excitement, Amanda spoke over her brother and exclaimed, “And to pay for the wars, England charged taxes to the colonists on goods it shipped here like sugar and tea and other stuff they couldn't grow or make. It also passed a law called the Stamp Act, which meant the colonists had to buy stamps to put on all paper stuff, even playing cards. And the British said that they could only buy tea from the British East India Tea Company.”

Sal could not keep quiet any longer. “One night, a bunch of colonists dressed up like Indians dumped a load of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was called the Boston Tea Party, and this event made the British even angrier, so they closed Boston Harbor until the colonists agreed to pay for the tea that was ruined. The king sent more troops to try to get the colonists under control. When the British tried to find guns the colonists had hidden, a gunfight broke out. The Revolutionary War had begun! The year was 1775,” Sal finished with pride.

Ben, starting to become far more interested in this Revolutionary history, asked an obvious question: “What did Boston have to do with South Carolina history?”

“It didn't take our state long to get involved!” Sal explained. “In 1776, the British sailed right up to Fort Sullivan in Charles Town and fired cannons on us simply because the Carolina Patriots here were boycotting British goods too. But we showed 'em. The Patriots won the battle. And Sergeant William Jasper became a hero by jumping over the wall and saving our flag.”

“I know all about that!” Jen squealed. “South Carolina has its own holiday because of this victory, and the name of the fort was changed to Fort Moultrie to honor the great Patriot Colonel William Moultrie, who led in the battle.”

Not to be outdone, Ben added, “It was the first fort built of palmetto logs. Those logs were soft and saved us because the cannonballs buried up in them.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “Well, glad to see you remember something!”

Amanda continued, explaining that the victory at Fort Moultrie inspired South Carolina's nickname, the Palmetto State, and that the state's flag was then created with the palmetto tree and the crescent.

“We celebrate this day with Uncle Newt every year in Charleston!” Sal beamed.

“Many say this victory gave the Founding Fathers the courage to write the Declaration of Independence,” Amanda added. “That's why we celebrate the Fourth of July each year, because it was approved on July 4, 1776.”

Sal cheered. He was a huge fan of holidays no matter what the cause.

“From what we studied, it was more about battles than fun!” Jen frowned. “I personally think that it was the people and events that make the story interesting.”

“You are right, Jen,” Sal said, remembering that this was still a very serious story. “History is the story of people, and these people had a
lot
more fighting to do. The battles moved to the North and were called the Northern Campaign until the British came back to Charles Town in 1780. This time, they seized it.

“This victory started the Southern Campaign. General Cornwallis, commander of the British in the South, defeated the Patriots at Camden. After this, the British thought they could take over the whole colony of South Carolina and then go on to take North Carolina and Virginia.”

“Whoa! How could that have happened? Grammy said we turned the tide of the war right here at the Battle of Cowpens. That's why we celebrate this Morgan Victory March. I'm supposed to write a speech and tell my cousins about it when they come. And it is complicated!” Ben, frustrated with how much information he was getting at once, worried that this history would never make sense to him.

Just then, the door slammed, and Grammy May came toward them. “Ben, who are you and Jen talking to? I've been watching you out the window. What's going on?”

Sal and Amanda quickly disappeared under the nearest rotten log.

“We're just reenacting some of the history Jen's telling me about,” Ben fibbed.

Grammy smiled, happy that he had been working on his assignment. “You can practice for the reenactment. Jen, of course, we want you to come too. We're going to invite Ben's three cousins. It will be such a great time!”

Ben and Jen breathed a sigh of relief when Grammy walked back into the house. They began frantically looking for their friends under the log.

Jen paused to look at Ben in amazement. “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” she whispered.

“Well…I didn't hear you offering any explanations!” As the search for Sal and Amanda became harder, Ben expressed worry that the salamanders wouldn't come back and finish the story.

“Where are our buddies? They weren't finished telling the tale!” Ben exclaimed.

“You scared them away!” Jen pointed out.

“All this commotion and I still don't have my notes about Morgan's March written!” Ben said nervously. “And now the two friends we had that could help us are gone!”

“I'm sure they'll be back!” Jen sighed. “I have to go home now. Call me if you see them, OK?” Ben, feeling quite defeated, slowly began his walk back to the house.

  

Chapter 2

The Southern Campaign

Later that night, Grammy sat down with Ben and said, “I think you better send an e-mail to your cousins about the march so they can remind their parents to put the date on the calendar. You know how busy everyone gets, and I sure wouldn't want them to miss this.”

“I thought you wanted me to finish the speech first,” Ben replied.

“Well, you're coming along with it, so I think it's OK. And besides, it looked like you got a bunch of work done today,” Grammy answered, confident in her grandson.

As Ben sat down to send reminders, he could picture each one of his cousins as their e-mail addresses popped up on the screen. There was Sam in Cheraw, Tonya in Columbia and Kara in Charleston. They were all about the same age and had spent every holiday at their grandparents' home in Pacolet since they were born. Sometimes Ben went to visit them. He especially liked to visit Kara because she lived near the beach.

Grammy thought about her grands. Even though they were close in age, they were all different in interests and personality. Tonya was her bookworm, always carrying a book and a journal for taking notes. Kara was her social butterfly, always making plans. Sam was her entertainer, on stage at all times. Sometimes his actions got him in trouble. And Ben was her thinker who didn't see the need for reading and writing, just thinking and doing. Grammy loved spending time with them. She had tons of pictures all over her house and office showing their adventures.