The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [313]
CORNWALLIS HAD REMAINED IN THE OPEN FIELDS AROUND GUILFORD Court House, but it was not some symbolic claim of the victor. It was bloody necessity. For two days, the wounded on both sides were gathered and treated, every home, barn, and shed now a hospital. Cornwallis had sent letters to Greene, imploring the Americans to provide for their own, and Greene responded with wagons of medical supplies, surgeons, any means he could provide to ease the suffering of the wounded.
He had expected Cornwallis to pursue him, and he put his men into as good a defensive position as the land would allow. But the enemy did not come. Very soon he understood why. It was the surgeons who sent word, along with their urgent requests for more help. Cornwallis had lost a quarter of his strength, nearly six hundred casualties. The British were in no condition to pursue anyone.
Greene had tried to make some estimate of his own casualties, and none of the officers believed they had lost more than four hundred men, out of four thousand engaged. But there was a far greater problem. The North Carolina militia had not only deserted the field, they had deserted the army. Over a thousand men had simply disappeared.
The day after the battle, the rains had come, adding to the utter misery of those unsheltered wounded. Greene was concerned as well for the morale of his entire army, especially the hard veterans, whose victory had been thrown away. As the rain turned the river’s edge to deep mud, Greene stayed close to his own tent, receiving the reports, putting together the final numbers he would have to send northward.
He had kept Harry Lee’s Legion in the field, scouting for any sign of movement by the British. He still expected to hear some word of a British advance. Though Cornwallis had been badly mauled, he was still very far from his base of supply. Greene had to be prepared that Cornwallis would have no choice but to continue the attack.
TROUBLESOME CREEK, NORTH CAROLINA,
MARCH 18, 1781
THE RAIN WAS RELENTLESS, THE TENT LEAKING IN A DOZEN PLACES. HE had placed the small camp desk in the one dry corner, stared at blank paper, his first attempt at preparing the report for the commanding general.
“Is this the sanctuary?”
He looked up, saw a dripping Lee, the young man smiling as he wiped the rain from his eyes.
“You may enter, Colonel. Sorry to say, it’s not much drier in here.”
“Oh, I would disagree with you, there, sir. My horse would like to come in as well, if that’s all right.”
It was Lee’s usual mood, and Greene did not share his smile.
“No? Well, I suppose not. If I may sit, sir?”
Greene nodded, pointed to the low camp stool.
“Thank you, sir.”
Lee shed his heavy coat, tossed it in a heap outside the tent. He sat now, his knees up in front of him, and Greene stared at the blank paper.
“I assume, Colonel, that the enemy is enduring the same misery we are?”
“More so, sir. They don’t have tents. We picked up a couple deserters who said Tarleton was wounded. They lost a barnful of officers.”
Greene thought of the one man, leading the assault on the First Maryland. I should have killed him myself.
“Names?”
“Not yet. We’ll find out, sir.”
Greene still studied the paper, and Lee said, “Excuse me asking, sir, but you writing a letter? I can come back.”
“It’s all right, Colonel. It’s my report to General Washington. Or, it will be. Not sure how to begin.”
“Well, sir, I’d start by telling the commanding general that this army has bested the finest army in the world.”
Greene looked at him, saw the same smile.
“I’d prefer to tell him the truth, Colonel. You object to that?”
Greene was not in the mood for conversation, saw Lee’s smile slip away, and Lee said, “You think, sir . . . because the British are sitting in those fields, that we lost that fight?”
“Don’t you? Colonel, I was given the responsibility to command this department for one reason. General Washington believes I have the ability to achieve success. I have not done so. It is my duty to inform