Chapter 35: Chapter 33: The Hammer to Break Them

New Windsor, South Carolina (Stateburg Aligned)
June 18th, 1776

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The town of New Windsor had been evacuated prior to General Kim's arrival. The border town was small and nearly devoid of life as the Continental Army marched in. According to the civilians that remained within the town (many of them being Swiss or Palatine, as they were descended from the original settlers of New Windsor), New Windsor was occupied by the Loyalists around mid-April, when the Continental Army was still trying to secure their lines in South Carolina and was defeated at Georgetown. The town was lightly occupied, as most of the Loyalists and British troops were stationed in the east near Charleston. A few units had been probing the settlements further west, but after the fall of Orangeburg, those units were withdrawn back to the east. Prior to the general's arrival, the Loyalists had only a few hundred men stationed in the town and withdrew immediately upon being alerted of the Asian general's presence.

"Are there any slaves in the settlement?" General Kim asked the head of the town as his men set up camp and built defenses around the small town.

David Zubly Sr., a man in his late thirties, hesitantly nodded his head, "There are a few, but most of us have heard about your Proclamation. We will set them free, but please do not raid or destroy any of our fields."

"The soldiers under my command will only raid the plantations of Loyalists and those that do not free their slaves willingly. As long as you ensure that the slaves of this town are freed, no harm will come to New Windsor or any of its inhabitants,"

"Thank you, sir. And what of the slaves?"

"If you wish to hire them to work in your fields, then you may do so. However, I will not allow any of the freed slaves to be exploited. They are to be accommodated and decently paid. I will also compensate any former slave owners with a fee to ensure that you do not face immediate hardship during these times," The general replied cooly.

Zubly bowed his head and looked around at the thousands of soldiers occupying the town, "Will you protect us from the Loyalists and the British, should they try to occupy this town again?"

General Kim rubbed his chin, "Most of my forces will remain within the town, so do not worry about the British coming back. I will allow all of you to return to your normal lives, provided that you follow my terms regarding slaves."

The Swiss man nodded without a word and ran off to inform the other townsmen of the news. Meanwhile, General Kim gathered the Marines and made them line up in the center of the town, as a show of strength and to also announce his next course of the attack. He noted the faces of several "important" figures in the other history standing in the ranks. This included, but was not limited to, Colonel Knowlton (who was now a grizzled, seasoned soldier who had seen through hell and back), Colonel Warren (from Bunker Hill all the way to South Carolina, the man served with distinction that he failed to display in the other history due to his early death), Colonel Poor (one of the highest-ranking black soldiers under his command, if not the entirety of the Continental Army, the man was a fierce soldier and capable leader in charge of the 2nd Marine Regiment), Captain Hamilton (the future (?) statesman was a decent soldier, but showed flashes of brilliant leadership), Colonel Daniel White (who was unknown in the other history, but was one of the most efficient and unwavering Marine officer the general had), Private Jackson (at age nine, he already showed signs of his future self and was adapting nicely to the rather foreign presence of African Americans and Indians), Colonel Silliman (the man survived Marion's ambush and was placed as an officer of the newly formed 2nd Marine Regiment), and Colonel Hazen (the Canadians were a tough bunch, and Hazen was the perfect embodiment of the ideal Canadian soldier).

All in all, the Marines accounted for up to around 1,800 men and came from various backgrounds. However, they were united as one under General Kim's command, the man who had gone above and beyond during their war against Britain. Even with the mistakes that he made, the men trusted him and respected him to great heights, and General Kim wasn't planning on disappointing them.

"Marines of the Continental Army," General Kim shouted as the Marines stood at shoulder arms in front of him, "Many of you have come a long way to be here. Some of you have even been with me since the Battle of Bunker Hill, a battle that seems like it was decades ago."

Scattered laughter rang out amongst the original Marines, but the general continued, "And all of you, despite my race and alien tactics, have decided to stand behind me and fight the British with me to the very end. And for that, I thank you. I had the pleasure of serving with thousands of different men during my time as an officer. And during that time, I had never served with finer men, fighters, than the Marines."

"Oorah!"

"The war is coming to an end, gentlemen. Whether the British know it or not, we will bring this to an end. Many have died for our cause in order to give our nation a chance at victory, and we will not forget or waste their sacrifices," General Kim frowned for a moment, and all the Marines knew that he was thinking of one individual in particular. His death was something that the general blamed himself for even after all this time.

"We will not march onto Charleston, for the moment. Instead, we have another goal that will shatter the Loyalists and break the British resolve. As your commanding general, I will lead the Marines into Georgia and bring the traitorous slavers to their knees!"

"Oorah!" The marines cheered, all of them well aware of the atrocities and sins committed against slaves by the slaveowners. Many of them had personally liberated plantations and freed slaves, and was made aware of the fact that the institution of slavery was wrong. Even those that were actively supporting slavery before, could not justify some of the things they had seen during the plantation raids.

"To maintain security in South Carolina, most of the men under my command will remain in New Windsor and Orangeburg. But we, the Marines, will march onward! If the traitor Colonel Marion was the Swamp Devil, then we will be the Devil's Horde to sweep the colony of Georgia and rid it of the disease called slavery. And carve a path of liberation and destruction to Savannah! The time is now, Marines. For General Arnold, and the United States!"

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