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Who was Emily Geiger?
At the period when General
Nathaniel Greene was retreating from Ninety-Six, South
Carolina during the Revolutionary War, he was anxious
to send an order to General Sumter, who was encamped on the Wateree. General Greene wanted Sumter
to join him and attack the British commander, Lord Rawdon, who had divided his forces.
But no one could be found
willing to run the risk of traveling a section of the
country controlled by vengeful Tories. At length a
young girl, Emily Geiger by name, offered her services,
greatly to the surprise of the American officer, who at
once accepted them. He accordingly wrote a letter, which
he gave to the girl, but at the same time informed her
of its contents, that she might be able to deliver the
message orally in case of accident.
Emily set
out on horseback, and met with no
adventures until the second day, when
she was intercepted by Lord Rawdon's
scouts. Not being skilled in telling
falsehoods, she was suspected and placed
in confinement, and an old Tory matron
was sent for, that she might be
searched. Emily passed the time by
eating the letter and, nothing
suspicious being afterward found on her,
she was allowed to proceed. She
succeeded in reaching her destination
and discharging her mission. In
consequence,
Sumter soon joined the main army
at
Orangeburg. To honor her and
commemorate her heroic ride, the woman
holding the
laurel branch on the
South Carolina State Seal is
designated as Emily Geiger.
E-mail us at
the
Emily Geiger Chapter for more
information about becoming a
member, or for an invitation to a
meeting.
Web hyperlinks to non-DAR sites are not
the responsibility of the NSDAR,
the
state organization,
or individual DAR chapters.
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