Bab 31: Major Poor and the Free Black Regiment

Orangeburg, South Carolina (Stateburg aligned)

May 5th, 1776

"Come on, move your feet! You call that running?" Major Poor hollered as he jogged ahead of the pack, "If you want to run down your former masters, then you'll have to run faster than that!"

The former slaves and Freedman of the 7th Free South Carolina Regiment were struggling behind the major, effortlessly running backward in front of the group. The major's words seemed to have some effect as some of the men of the regiment let out a burst of speed to match the major's pace.

The main bulk of the Continental Army in the Western Theater was currently stationed in Orangeburg after it was liberated from the British. While General Kim wanted to push his troops towards the southeast to begin his trek towards Charleston, he restrained himself as General Washington and General Lee were defeated at Georgetown. It was the Continental Army's first major defeat, with nearly one thousand dead and an additional four thousand captured. After General Washington moved his troops to support General Lee at Georgetown, the Continental Army attempted to dislodge the British and Loyalists within the coastal town. However, the defenders were well entrenched and utilized the superior British navy for bombardment. General Burgoyne, the Commander in Chief of the British forces in North America, made an aggressive and daring maneuver to isolate the two armies from one another. With the help of the local Loyalists, he managed to achieve a breakthrough and force General Lee to flee, leaving General Washington to hold the line along with his men. Outnumbered and outgunned, General Washington withdrew hastily, and with General Lee's rapid retreat from the battlefield, entire regiments were captured by the British and their allies. The defeat at Georgetown forced General Washington to move back to Kingstree, while General Lee fortified himself several miles east of Kingston, a town near the North Carolina border.

General Kim was ordered to hold his position at Orangeburg and was regelated to raiding only nearby plantations and estates. Until the Continental Army in the Eastern Theater managed to capture Georgetown, his army was to stay put and secure the western portions of the state. While he desired a rapid end to the war, the general did not want to place his troops at risk and overextend his units. The only good thing that came from his new orders was that he could train the recruits under his wing and liberate slaves from plantations nearby. After raiding each plantation, General Kim brought the former slaves back to Orangeburg to ensure their safety and health. Already, the small town was swelling in size from the influx, and housing was being erected rapidly to accommodate the soldiers and former slaves. Thankfully, the town's inhabitants were welcoming due to their liberation from the British and Loyalists (the town was one of the pro-Patriot towns in the region and was forced to quarter and provide for the British and Loyalists when it was occupied). Along with a stream of supplies moving in from North Carolina and General Kim's own wealth, the town remained supplied and fed.

Many of the older men elected to join the Free Regiment, which was expanding rapidly in size. Major Salem Poor was placed as the official "trainer" of the group until the regiment was organized and trained enough to become "combat-ready." Already, he was earning a reputation for being a strict and fierce trainer, a grizzled veteran who fought battles from the very northern winter lands of Quebec to the swamplands of South Carolina.

After running for several minutes longer, he brought the one thousand men of the Free Regiment to a halt, "Attention!"

The regiment took some time to catch their breath and stand at attention, the slowest soldiers earning harsh glares from their instructor. Major Poor shook his head dejectedly and looked at his trainees, "I'm sure all of you have been told this multiple times since you started your training, but there is a reason why you are being trained harshly."

"All of you are here for one thing: to fight to keep your freedom and to help others gain their freedom! All of you are the faces of abolition, of freedom itself! If you perform poorly, you will only validate what the traitors say: that we Negro folks are inferior and are only good as slaves. General Kim is expecting great things from this regiment, and I will ensure that his expectations are met after I am through with you. Now forward, march!"

Major Poor led the unit to the firing range, set up in the grassy areas just outside of the town. There were dozens of soldiers already in the firing range, all of them being marines. The major brought his men to a halt and made them watch the marines practice their firing accuracy from a distance. The marines were hitting the targets with deadly accuracy while moving into various formations, to the awe of the Free Regiment. One of the marines noticed the large presence of soldiers and made his way to the group. He stopped in front of the major and saluted, "Good to see you, sir."

The major returned the salute. The marine that saluted him was a member of his own 8th Company, 4th Battalion, and was recruited into his unit before the South Carolina Campaign. "The same goes to you, Captain Hamilton. How are the others?"

"They are doing fine, sir. I'm running through the exercises you instructed me to carry out, and they are performing them admirably. We also have a few new local recruits, and we're ah... "breaking them in" as we speak."

"Certainly good to hear," Major Poor replied with a grin, "If you don't mind, captain. Can you fetch the quartermaster and tell him that the 7th South Carolina will need muskets for target practice? I believe they are ready for the next step in their training."

Captain Hamilton nodded, "Will do sir. I'll tell the others to step off the firing range and work on some other drills."

As the captain saluted and walked away, Major Poor brought his attention back to the black soldiers, "Starting from today, you will be training in the firing range. You will practice here daily and work your damn hardest to be at your best when we fight the British once again. It may be a week from now, or it may be a month. But until that time comes, there will be no slacking off. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!"