Marjoribanks Makes a Stand

Marjoribanks Makes a Stand. Battle of Eutaw Springs. , When the British line faltered, only Major John Marjoribanks's experienced flank battalion was able to stay together as an orderly unit and make a stand in the blackjack thicket near the creek. Lieutenant Colonel William Washington's cavalry tried to dislodge them, but Washington's horses could not navigate the dense growth. When Washington pulled back and attempted to attack the British from the flank, he exposed his men to devastating fire from Marjoribanks's soldiers., During a hand-to-hand fight with Marjoribanks's troops, Washington's horse was shot out from under him, and the wounded Patriot officer was taken prisoner. Patriot Colonel Otho Holland Williams remembered:,

"But Col. Washington, impatient, perhaps, of a more favorable opportunity, charged upon the enemy's right, where unluckily their flank companies were posted. He received a very galling fire, by which his horse fell in the front of his dragoons. In an instant, his breast was pierced with a bayonet, which, however, wounded him but slightly. His cavalry was repulsed, and that excellent officer became a captive."

, Marjoribanks's light infantry and grenadiers then pulled back to the palisaded garden and brick house., Marjoribanks, who valiantly held off the Patriots, survived the carnage but died shortly after the Battle of Eutaw Springs. He was originally buried at Wantoot Plantation, about 20 miles from here, but was eventually reinterred on this ground, the site of his last military triumph. When British Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart later claimed victory at Eutaw Springs, he reported that the "honor of the day" was largely due to Major Marjoribanks.,

"Lt. Col. Washington made the most astonishing efforts to get through the Thicket… but found it impracticable...." , , Patriot Major General Nathanael Greene

, [Caption:] , Lieutenant Colonel William Washington's cavalry tried in vain to force Major John Marjoribanks's men from their position but were deterred by a tangled blackjack thicket. Marjoribanks's soldiers engaged Washington, shooting his horse out from under him, wounding him with a bayonet, and taking him prisoner.