Chapter 27: Chapter 25: For General Arnold… And the United States

The following two weeks were quiet, as the British did not attempt to attack Amelia. General Kim received several reports regarding the status of troops elsewhere and was satisfied to learn that the boundaries in South Carolina was somewhat stable. The Continental Army wasn't winning, especially in the coastal areas, but they were holding. And that's all he needed to bring his hammer down on the Loyalist and British. When the route to North Carolina was clear enough to send messengers, General Kim wrote a briefing about the atrocities committed by the Loyalists in South Carolina and the urgent need for further men and aid to drive the "tyrannical and anti-human" British out of the colony. Additionally, he suggested that Congress utilize this news to spread throughout the colonies to turn them firmly against the British and also notify other European powers to turn the general opinion against the British. Afterward, he began to look inwards and began focusing on his troops.

During the two weeks, the general studied the tactics employed by Marion extensively. Using the laptop he had at hand, he read through various textbooks and articles in order to discern the major's strategies and guerilla warfare methods. The general also read up on various battleplans and tactics utilized by guerillas over the centuries, ranging from the jungle tactics of the Viet Cong to the urban disruption methods employed by the Polish partisans. He looked through the terrain map of South Carolina to determine the best routes for discreet movements and to predict the location of British and Loyalist units in the wilderness. It was a new experience for him, as he never encountered insurgents as a marine lieutenant in modern times. But he was more than willing to learn and sharpen his skills as a leader, for himself and for his men.

And for General Arnold.

Nobody blamed him for General Arnold's untimely death, even though the soldiers knew the risks that General Arnold was taking when he decided to march east. Regardless, General Kim felt responsible for the man's sudden demise, as none of his soldiers knew the truth. He was the one that revealed the future to General Arnold and made him more reckless and daring. He was the one that gave the general the green light to reinforce General Washington. And he was the one that sent hundreds of men to their death due to his carelessness as a commanding officer.

No matter what anyone told him, General Kim held himself responsible for General Arnold's death. The man died a hero, but he died decades earlier than the other history and never got to see himself be hailed as a hero.

It was a mistake that the general was never going to repeat. He was going to command his troops aggressively and wreak havoc on the enemy, but he was also going to carry out his orders carefully and with more intelligence.

During the wait, General Kim also drilled his men on guerilla tactics and asymmetrical warfare. While his troops were already employing unconventional tactics, he developed new doctrines to make them fight better independently and strengthened the roles of the various platoon and company leaders. They were taught strategies and tactics individually, in order for them to carry out their own maneuvers and plans if they were cut off or stranded from the top leadership. The men were taught to maximize the terrain to their advantage and use them to ambush any roving enemy patrols and units. Additionally, the general taught the men how to dig holes and to cover them up with branches and leaves, both as traps and to use as hiding holes to surprise enemy troops.

This training was not exclusive to the soldiers of the Continental Army but was extended to the militiamen as well. As many of the militiamen were locals that knew the surrounding areas, the militiamen met with the general frequently to discuss their plan of attack and mark the settlements that supported the Loyalists. General Kim also took a list of names of local plantation owners and merchants that sympathized with the British and contributed to the rapid fall of Charleston. He didn't like to target civilians, it was unethical and was against the marine doctrine. But he knew it was necessary. Sapping the wealth and influence of the Loyalists was critical to his campaign and he was planning to turn the slaves against them.

Between watching slavery go on and pillaging the property of "traitors," he very much preferred the latter.

His benefactor also supplied with him additional goods for his upcoming offense. While the general wasn't angry at his benefactor of General Arnold's death, he was disappointed in himself for not being able to do anything about the man despite his noticeable benefits and boosts. As if he could hear his thoughts, the benefactor provided General Kim with an array of woodland uniforms (more green/brown colored marine uniforms, along with dark leather hats to blend with the surroundings), mosquito nets, rubber boots, maps, compasses, and bowie knives. The usual "good luck" was written on the message parchment after he received this and the general distributed the new equipment to his men. With the new equipment at hand, he carried out training exercises in nearby forests and trained all the men under his command effectively. While the militiamen were definitely behind the soldiers (the 1st Marine Regiment, the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, 4th Massachusetts Regiment, the 1st Canadian Regiment, and the 6th Massachusetts Regiment) of the Continental Army. However, they were hardened survivors of previous battles and were determined to drive out the Loyalist and British, especially after hearing about the horrific atrocities carried out by Major Marion (while many of them had neutral or hostile opinions on abolition, nearly all of them were disgusted by the blatant execution of surrendering soldiers).

Within two weeks, his troops improved and familiarized themselves with the new doctrines and tactics. All of them were burning for revenge in the name of General Arnold and the brave three hundred that sacrificed themselves while fighting traitors and invaders (the story of General Arnold and his last stand was already being spread to nearby units and towns).

It was April 15th when General Kim received reinforcements, along with some news from Philadelphia. The reinforcement group, headed by Brigadier General Robert Howe and Colonel Anthony "Mad" Wayne (or at least, not mad yet), consisted of nearly three thousand men to help defend Amelia and strengthen the Patriot's control of South Carolina.

That was when General Kim learned of his promotion to Lieutenant General (a completely new rank in the Continental Army), along with confirmation that the story of General Arnold was spreading like wildfire throughout the colonies.

Several days before the offensive towards Orangeburg (a town that was approximately 25 miles southwest of Amelia), a town occupied by the British, he rallied his men together and stood in front of them.

He only said a few sentences, but it was enough.

"General Arnold did not retreat and carried out the motto of the marines to the very end: Semper Fidelis. We will not retreat, because he did not retreat. We will show the traitors that our cause is right and just, and strike them down for what they have done. For General Arnold and the United States!"

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