“The war in the Southern States had more of romance and daring enterprise connected with it than the war in the North,” said Hand; “though it must be owned, that the movements of the Northern armies were of more consequence in the long run.”

“Yes, there was more that most young men like to read about in the Southern war,” said Warner; “plenty of dare-devil movements, but no Canadian expedition, nor Saratoga.”

“It’s a pity there are no soldiers of the Southern army here to reply to your sneers,” said Kinnison.  “I know from what I’ve heard, there never were better soldiers than the men who fought under Lee and Morgan, and I scarcely think that George Washington himself was a better general than Nathaniel Greene.  But I was going to tell you of some other officers of Lee’s Legion; there was Lieutenant Manning, an Irishman, who was very much of a favourite among his brother officers on account of his good-humour in company, and his coolness and bravery in battle.  Many anecdotes are told of him which speak his parts, and if agreeable, I’ll tell some of them to you as they were told to me.”

“Very agreeable,” said Hand.

“The kind of stories I like to hear,” said another of the young men.

“Well, you shall hear, if I can recollect aright,” said Kinnison.  “The intrigues and efforts of Lord Cornwallis, to excite insurrection, backed by a very formidable force, had produced among the Highland emigrants a spirit of revolt, which it required all the energies of General Greene to counteract, before it could be matured.  The zeal and activity of Lieutenant Colonel Lee, united to his acuteness and happy talent of obtaining intelligence of every movement, and of the most secret intentions of the enemy, pointed him out as the fittest man for this important service.  He was accordingly selected with orders to impede the intercourse of Lord Cornwallis with the disaffected; to repress every symptom of revolt, and promptly to cut off every party that should take up arms for Britain.  Constantly on the alert, he was equally anxious to give security to his own command, while he harassed the enemy.  A secure position was, on one occasion, taken near a forked road, one division of which led directly to Lord Cornwallis’ camp, about six miles distant.  The ground was chosen in the dusk of evening; and to prevent surprise, patrols of cavalry were kept out on each fork during the night.  An order for a movement before day had been communicated to every individual, and was executed with so little noise and confusion, that Lieutenant Manning waking at early dawn, found himself, excepting one soldier, left alone.  Stephen Green, the attendant of Captain Carns, lay near him, resting on the portmanteau of his superior, and buried in profound sleep.  Being awakened he was ordered to mount and follow, while Manning, hastening towards the fork, hoped to fall upon the track, and speedily rejoin his regiment.  Much rain had fallen during the night, so that, finding