The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [308]
Greene expected to hear a great deal of Banastre Tarleton, the one man Cornwallis would rely on to seek the vulnerability in Greene’s position. But Tarleton’s effectiveness had been countered by the good work of William Washington and Harry Lee, sharp duels and crisp clashes, a violent chess game by the horsemen that allowed Greene the necessary time to gather his army. He had time as well to find the one piece of ground that would offer the best advantage for a good fight.
So much of the land close to the Virginia line was dense woods, no place for either army to make a stand. But on the long retreat, Greene had passed through Guilford Court House, where a patchwork of farms and open fields divided the forests. As his cavalry continued to clash swords with Tarleton, Greene moved his army back to Guilford. Finally, he was prepared for a fight. He summoned the horsemen to Guilford, placed them as Morgan had done at Cowpens, behind the flanks of his army.
Greene had his numbers, over four thousand men now spread in lines west of the small town. He had his good ground, the wide ridges, open fields surrounded by stands of trees. He could only wait for his invitation to be answered, for the enemy to understand that if they wanted a fight, they would have to march to Guilford. Cornwallis did not disappoint him.
MORGAN’S TROOPS WERE NOW COMMANDED BY COLONEL OTHO Williams, a brilliant young Marylander. Williams had been with the Maryland regiments since Boston, had been seriously wounded and captured at Fort Washington. Later exchanged for a British prisoner, Williams was one of the few bright spots in Horatio Gates’ disaster at Camden. Greene believed he was capable of taking the reins from Daniel Morgan. Greene’s other senior commander was a brigadier, Isaac Huger, who had once commanded the militia in Georgia and South Carolina. Huger’s family was prominent in South Carolina, but Greene had come to rely on the man for more than his recruitment value. After Cowpens, when Greene had left the main body of the army to travel northward with Morgan, Huger had been left behind to command the retreat. He had executed his assignment with the same dexterity and skill as Greene would have done himself. Once the two wings of the army had reunited, Greene knew that Huger was more than some aristocratic product of plantation wealth. He was a capable leader of troops.
THE STARS HAD BEEN SWEPT AWAY BY A CLEAR ICY DAWN, THE GRASSY fields touched by a soft white blanket of frost. Greene had ridden forward, down along the edge of a wide deep valley, thick with tall trees. The road out of Guilford continued westward and Greene moved out into the center, stopped, held up his hand, his staff halting as well. They kept silent, listened for the sounds of some kind of fight, some sign that Cornwallis was close. He stared down the road into the dull light of the silent forest, said, “Difficult to hear anything here. The trees will mask the sounds.” He looked to his staff, said, “Major, send a rider. He should find Colonel Lee on this road. If the enemy is advancing, it is likely that Colonel Lee will be engaged. I must know his disposition.”
The order went out, and a horseman was past him now, dropping off down the steep hill, the man’s hoofbeats quickly muffled by the terrain. Greene glanced at his pocketwatch, eight-thirty, stabbed the watch back into his coat. He turned the horse, looked back up the long rise. He had hoped to see the courthouse itself, the small buildings of the town. But the view was blocked by a thick mass of trees. That will make it difficult, he thought.