LAURENS COUNTY. 365 



the poor man's fuel, and charcoal — a fire kindled in three mi- 

 nutes for warmth, cooking, and for every household purpose. 

 Should the time ever come when steam shall be found to be 

 cheaper for every mechanical operation, upon an extensive 

 scale, than water-power, the pine forests will be invaluable. 

 Every material for building, of excellent quality, and abundant, 

 is furnished by these forests. Tar and turpentine might now 

 be made to great advantage. Such a combination of advan- 

 tages makes this county, as well as others in the same parallel, 

 a garden spot to the poor man, and a wide field to the manu- 

 facturer of cotton and wool, whenever he shall find it his inte- 

 rest to prefer steam to water-power. 



Productions. — Cotton, corn, wheat, oats, sugar-cane, &c. 



Name. — Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, whose name 

 this county bears, was the son of the Honourable Henry Lau- 

 rens, President of Congress, and was born in 1755, in Charles- 

 ton, S. C. He received his early education in his native 

 city, and in 1773 accompanied his father to Europe, and 

 was placed at one of the best colleges at Geneva. In classical 

 learning, polite literature, mathematics, and philosophy, he be- 

 came a proficient. He was entered a student of law in 1774, 

 but finding that the claims of Great Britain were interfering 

 with the liberties of his country, he became anxious to place 

 himself in the American army ; but his father expressing a 

 wish that he should remain in England until his studies were 

 completed, he continued until he was of age. He returned to 

 Charleston in 1777, joined the army, and was immediately ap- 

 pointed by General Washington his aid-de-camp. He dis- 

 played great gallantry at Brandywine, Germantown, and Mon- 

 mouth. After the battle of Monmouth, he attached himself to 

 the army in Rhode Island, and greatly increased his reputation 

 as a military man. In the session of Congress, 1778, this body re- 

 solved, that " John Laurens, Esq., be presented with a continen- 

 tal commission of Lieutenant Colonel, in testimony of the 

 sense which Congress entertain of his patriotic and spirited 

 services as a volunteer in the American army, and of his brave 

 conduct in several actions, particularly in that of Rhode Island, 

 on the 29th of August last." Mr. Laurens, however, declined 

 this honour ; for however desirous of military fame, he was 

 24 



