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the commandant of Charleston, but experienced only the insolence of authority from that officer.

While Cornwallis endeavored, by severe measures, to break the spirits of the people, and to establish the royal authority in South Carolina, he did not lose sight of his ulterior projects. He sent emissaries into North Carolina to excite the loyalists there, and to assure them of the speedy march of the British army into that province. On the 8th of September he left Camden, and toward the end of the month arrived at Charlotte town, in North Carolina; of which place he took possession after a slight resistance from some volunteer cavalry under Colonel Davie. Though symptoms of opposition manifested themselves at Charlotte, yet he advanced toward Salisbury, and ordered his militia to cross the Yadkin. But Cornwallis was suddenly arrested in his victorious career by an unexpected disaster. He made every exertion to imbody the well-affected inhabitants of the country, and to form them into a British militia. For that purpose he employed Major Ferguson, of the 71st regiment, an officer of much merit, with a small detachment, in the district of Ninety-Six, to train the loyalists, and to attach them to his own party. From the operations of that officer he expected the most important services.

Ferguson executed his commission with activity and zeal; collected a large number of loyalists, and committed great depredations on the friends of independence in the back settlements. When about to return to the main army in triumph, he was detained by one of those incidents which occasionally occur in war, and influence the course of events and the destiny of nations. A Colonel Clarke of Georgia, who had fled from that province on its reduction by Campbell in 1779, had retired to the northward; and, having collected a number of followers in the Carolinas, he returned to his native province, at the head of about 700 men; and, while Cornwallis was marching from Camden to Charlotte town, attacked the British post at Augusta. Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, who commanded at that place with a garrison of about 150 provincials, aided by some friendly Indians, finding the town untenable, retired toward an eminence on the banks of the Savannah, named Garden Hill. But the enemy occupied it before his arrival : by bringing his artillery, however, to bear upon them, after a desperate conflict, he succeeded in dislodging them and in gaining possession of the hill, but with the loss of his cannon. There Clarke besieged him, till informed of the near approach of a British detachment from Ninety-Six, under Colonel Cruger. He then retreated, abandoning the cannon which he had taken; and, though pursued, effected his escape. Notice was instantly sent to Ferguson of Clarke's retreat, and of his route; and high hopes of intercepting him were entertained. For that purpose Ferguson remained longer in those parts, and approached nearer the mountains, than he would otherwise have done. As he had collected about 1,500 men, he had no apprehension of any force assembling in that quarter able to embarrass him.

Meanwhile the depredations committed by Ferguson exasperated many of the inhabitants of the country, some of whom, fleeing across the Allegany mountains, gave their western brethren an alarming account of the evils with which they were threatened. Those men, living in the full enjoyment of that independence for which the Atlantic states were struggling, resolved to keep the war at a distance from their settlements. The hardy mountaineers of the western parts of Virginia and North Carolina assembled under Colonels Campbell, Shelby, Cleveland, and Sevier. Other parties, under their several leaders, hastened to join them. They were all mounted, and unencumbered with baggage. Each man had his blanket, knapsack, and rifle; and set out in quest of Ferguson, equipped in the same manner as when they hunted the wild beasts of the forest. At night the earth afforded them a bed, and the heavens a covering; the flowing

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FIG. 148.-Flying from Persecution.

stream quenched their thirst; their guns, their knapsacks, or a few cattle driven in their rear, supplied them with food. Their numbers made them formidable, and the rapidity of their movements rendered it difficult to escape them. They aniounted to nearly 3,000 men.

On hearing of their approach, Ferguson began to retreat toward Charlotte, and sent messengers to Cornwallis to apprize him of his danger. But the messengers were intercepted; and the earl remained ignorant of the perilous situation of his detachment. In the vicinity of Gilbert town, the Americans, apprehensive of Ferguson's escape, selected 1,000 of their best riflemen, mounted them on their fleetest horses, and sent them in pursuit. Their rapid movements rendered his retreat impracticable; and Ferguson, sensible that he would inevitably be overtaken, chose his ground on King's mountain, on the confines of North and South Carolina, and waited the attack.

On the 7th of October the Americans came up with him. Campbell had the command; but his authority was merely nominal, for there was little military order or subordination in the attack. They agreed to divide their forces, in order to assail Ferguson from different quarters; and the divisions were led on by Colonels Cleveland, Shelby, Sevier, and Williams. Cleveland, who conducted the party which began the attack, addressed his men as follows:

"My brave fellows! we have beaten the tories, and we can beat them. When engaged, you are not to wait for the word of command from me. I will show you by my example how to fight; I can undertake no more. Every man must consider himself an officer, and act on his own judgment. Though repulsed, do not run off; return, and renew the combat. If any of you are afraid, you have not only leave to withdraw, but are requested to do so."

Cleveland instantly began the attack; but was soon compelled to retire before the bayonet. But Ferguson had no time to continue the pursuit: for Shelby came forward from an unexpected quarter, and poured in a destructive fire. Ferguson again resorted to the bayonet, and was again successful. But at that moment, Campbell's division advanced on another side, and a new battle began. Campbell, like his comrades, was obliged to retreat. But Cleveland had now rallied his division, and advanced anew to the combat. The royalists wheeled, and met this returning assailant. In this way there was an unremitting succession of attacks for about fifty minutes. Ferguson obstinately defended himself, and repulsed every assailant; but at last he fell mortally wounded; and the second in command, seeing the contest hopeless, surrendered. Ferguson and 150 of his men lay dead on the field; as many were wounded; nearly 700 laid down their arms; and upward of 400 escaped. Among the prisoners the number of regular British soldiers did not amount to 100. The Americans lost about twenty men, who were killed on the field, and they had many wounded. They took 1,500 stand of arms. Major Ferguson's position was good; but the hill abounded with wood, and afforded the Americans, who were all riflemen, an opportunity of fighting in their own way, and of firing from behind trees.

The Americans hanged ten of their prisoners on the spot, pleading the guilt of the individuals who suffered, and the example of the British, who had executed a greater number of Americans. Those rude warriors, whose enterprise was the spontaneous impulse of their patriotism or revenge, who acknowledged no superior authority, and who were guided by no superior counsels, having achieved their victory and attained their object, dispersed and returned home Most of the prisoners were soon after released.

The ruin of Ferguson's detachment, from which so much had been expected, was a severe blow to Cornwallis: it disconcerted his plans, and prevented his progress northward. On the 14th of October, as soon after obtaining certain information of the fall of Major Ferguson as the army could be put in motion, he

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left Charlotte, where Ferguson was to have met him, and began his retreat toward South Carolina. In that retrograde movement the army suffered severely; for several days it rained incessantly; the roads were almost impassable; the soldiers had no tents, and at night encamped in the woods in an unhealthy climate. The army was ill supplied with provisions: sometimes the men had beef, but no bread; at other times bread, but no beef. Once they subsisted during five days on Indian corn collected as it stood in the fields. Five ears were the daily allowance of two men; and it seemed as if the hand of Providence was about to requite them for the murderous barbarities they had inflicted on inoffensive women and children.

In these trying circumstances, the American loyalists who had joined the royal standard were of great service; but their services were ill requited, and several of them, disgusted by the abusive language, and even blows, which they received from some of the officers, left the army for ever. At length the troops passed the Catawba, and on the 29th of October reached Wynnesborough, an intermediate station between Camden and Ninety Six.

During those movements of the British army, the Americans were not idle. Defeated, but not subdued, they were active in preparing to renew the struggle. After the defeat and dispersion of his army at Camden, General Gates fled to Charlotte, eighty miles from the field of battle. There he halted, to collect the straggling fugitives, and to endeavor, from the wreck of his discomfited army, to form a force with which he might check or impede the advancing foe. He was soon joined by Generals Smallwood and Gist, and about 150 dispirited officers and soldiers. Most of the militia who escaped returned home; and Genera Caswell was ordered to assemble those of the neighboring counties. Major Anderson, of the third Maryland regiment, who had collected a number of fugi. tives not far from the field of battle, proceeded toward Charlotte by easy marches in order to give stragglers time to join him. But as Charlotte was utterly inde

fensible, and as no barrier lay between it and the enemy, General Gates retreated to Salisbury, and sent Colonel Williams, accompanied by another officer, on the road leading to Camden, to gain information of the movements of Cornwallis, and to direct such stragglers as he met to hasten to Salisbury. From Salisbury General Gates proceeded to Hillsborough, where he intended to assemble an army with which he might contend for the southern provinces.

At Hillsborough every exertion was made to collect and organize a military force; and ere long General Gates was again at the head of 1,400 men. Even before the royal army entered North Carolina, that state had called out the second division of its militia, under Generals Davidson and Sumner; and they were joined by the volunteer cavalry under Colonel Davie.

When Cornwallis entered Charlotte, General Gates ordered General Smallwood to take post at the fords of the Yadkin, in order to dispute the passage of the river; and Morgan, who had often distinguished himself by his courage and activity, and who had joined the southern army with the rank of brigadiergeneral, was employed with a light corps to harass the enemy.

When Cornwallis retreated, General Gates advanced to Charlotte; he stationed General Smallwood farther down the Catawba on the road to Camden, and ordered General Morgan to some distance in his front. Such was the position of the troops when General Gates was superseded in the command of the southern army.

On the 5th of October, congress passed a resolution, requiring the commander-in-chief to order a court of inquiry into the conduct of Major-General Gates, as commander of the southern army; and to appoint another officer to that command till such inquiry should be made. The order of congress to inquire into the conduct of General Gates was dissatisfactory to the best American officers. it was afterward dispensed with, and Gates restored to a command in the army. Meanwhile, General Washington recommended Major-General Greene to congress, as a person qualified to command the southern army. Nathaniel Greene, a native of Rhode Island, was brought up among the quakers, but was cast out of their society when he joined the army. He was in camp when General Washington took the command before Boston; and, by his activity, intrepidity, and good conduct, gained the confidence of the commander-in-chief in a high degree, who recommended him as an officer in whose ability, fortitude, and integrity, he could trust. Writing on the subject to Mr. Matthews, a delegate of South Carolina, he said: "I think I am giving you a general; but what can a general do without men, without arms, without clothes, without stores, without provisions?" Greene did not discredit the recommendation of his superior, nor disappoint the hopes of his country. In his progress southward, he visited the governors and legislatures of the states through which he passed; but in some parts of the country found the people so hostile, that ne was not without apprehensions of personal danger.

On the 2d of December, General Greene arrived at Charlotte, and informed General Gates of his commission. That was the first official notice which General Gates received of his removal from the command of the southern army. Next day Gates resigned the command of the army with becoming dignity and patriotism, and Greene behaved toward him with the most polite attention.

In a few hours after General Greene entered on his command, he received the report of one of Morgan's foraging parties, not far from Camden. The party advanced to the vicinity of the British posts at Clermont, which was viewed by Colonel Washington, who saw that it was too strong to be taken by small arms and cavalry, the only weapons and force present; he therefore had recourse to stratagem. Having made an imposing show of part of his men, and having placed the trunk of a pine-tree in such a situation as, at a distance, to have the

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