Here's a story about Rebecca Mott. It is told in the South even today. Some like a fairy tale, some like a true story.
In the South they love tales about old times. And they tell it with such a feeling as if these events happened to one of their friends or relatives, and not a long time ago, but just a week or a month ago. That's just how Southerners are.
Everyone knows the courage and dedication that Southern women showed during the Revolutionary War. Listen to the story of one such woman from South Carolina - Rebecca Mott, known throughout the South.
Along the banks of the Congery River, about fifty miles from the city of Columbia, lies a large plantation owned by the Mote family. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Mr. Mott and all the members of his family, of course, sided with the Americans. Mr. Mott was on the battlefield, and Mrs. Rebecca Mott alone coped with all the household chores and helped the rebels as best she could.
The Americans temporarily went on the defensive, and Colonel Tarleton of the British troops captured Mrs. Mott's house. It housed the officers. And since the house was strong and reliable, the British turned it into a military fortress. Fortifications were built around it and it was called Fort Motte.
However, General Francis Marion, walking at the head of a barefooted army of American patriots, which was like a sharp thorn in the side of the British, decided to drive the king's supporters out of Mrs. Mott's house. He attacked them again and again until he recaptured one of the outposts. Then Mrs. Mott, who continued to live in the large house, was ordered to leave it. The British were afraid to leave their enemy's wife in the fort.
Having received the order to move to one of the cottages outside the fortress, Mrs. Mot quickly collected all the necessary things. Among them happened to be a quiver with three arrows, which had once been given to her by a friend of hers who had come from the eastern states. The arrows were poisoned, the kind of arrows the Indians used during the war. In addition, they were impregnated with a special composition that ignited the wood.
All the time that Cavalry General Harry Lee and General Marion, nicknamed the Swamp Fox, were attacking the big house, Mrs. Mott remained in a small cottage nearby.
The siege dragged on. For the impatient Swamp Fox and the Winged Horse, as the restless cavalry was nicknamed -
General, it even went on too long. And they decided to put an end to it.
The two commanders met in council to discuss what to do next with the besieged fortress. General Marion, short, dark, and fearless as a lion, said:
- General, there is only one way to quickly end the siege of the fort.
General Lee, a distinguished, energetic man, asked:
- What is it, general?
- The simplest thing. Smoke the enemy out of him. Set the house on fire and the enemy will run!
- Well, that's a good idea, General. But you forget that this is the house of our friends and that Mrs. Mott has kindly offered to help us. You can’t repay her for this with black ingratitude and burn down her house.
- You're right. But war is war, and this is the only way to dislodge the besieged, otherwise the house will still be lost.
- It’s true, General Marion, for the Mot family he will be lost in any case.
“You yourself must agree,” continued General Marion, “we have no other choice.” True, it would be nice to ask Mrs. Mott herself for permission to do this. I'm sure she won't object. Why don't you, General Lee, talk to her about this? You know how to treat the ladies.
“It won’t be easy for me, but I’ll try.” And he immediately went to Mrs. Mott.
“Madam,” he said, “we have been forced to come to a decision that I am afraid you will find difficult to approve.” General Marion and I are confident that the British must be driven out of your house before reinforcements arrive.
“Of course,” Mrs. Mott agreed. - How are you going to do this?
“There is only one sure way, Mrs. Mott: to set your house on fire.” General Marion thought long and hard before coming to this decision. We know that reinforcements are already on the way, and your house will be so and so
lost. I assure you, it is not easy for me to tell you this, but we see no other way out.
Mrs. Mott paused. Then General Lee heard an answer from her that deeply struck him:
“Sir,” said Mrs. Mott, “I completely agree with you and General Marion. My home is nothing compared to the freedom of my homeland. The decision is the right one, and you should not be bothered by any remorse. Moreover, I will help you myself.
- Are you for us?
- Certainly! I have something that will make your task easier.
“Oh, that is so noble and selfless of you, Mrs. Mott, that it does you credit.” You are a true patriot!
“Any American woman in my place would have done the same.” Now I will tell you how I can help. A friend of mine who lived in the eastern states brought me some arrows as a gift. I still have three left. These are poisoned arrows used during war. But they have one more property. When they hit dry wood, the wood ignites and a fire starts. By complete coincidence, when leaving the house, I took them with me. I don’t even know why, it’s like the finger of fate. I'll give them to you to set my house on fire.
And without further ado, the brave woman left the room. Soon she returned with a quiver that had three arrows left.
Then they invited General Marion, and two experienced fighters checked the arrows.
“Be careful, gentlemen,” Mrs. Mott warned them. “Their tips are poisoned.”
“Yes, but we don’t have a bow to release them,” General Lee noted.
- You can shoot them with a gun. Let’s try it right away,” suggested Mrs. Mot.
They loaded the gun with one arrow and shot it into the roof of the main house. With bated breath, all three watched
her. The arrow, having described an arc in the air, fell on the roof of the house, however... nothing followed.
“Try the second one,” said Mrs. Mott. The second shot was fired, but... with the same result. Then Mrs. Mott said:
“Gentlemen, perhaps the tree is damp, it’s still early morning.” Let's wait until the sun dries the shingles on the roof. I'm sure then success will await us.
They waited until noon and then fired the third arrow.
Before the arrow had time to touch the roof, a light smoke began to rise. And soon the entire roof was on fire. The flames spread quickly, and the British realized that the fire was driving them out of the house.
They hung out a white flag and... For a moment, the war and hostility were forgotten, and the Americans, together with the British soldiers, rushed to put out the fire. They worked so well together that they prevented the fire from engulfing the entire house. Only the roof burned down.
So the brave and noble patriot Mrs. Mott received her house back, with the exception of the roof, safe and sound.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru