USA > North Carolina > Rowan County > A history of Rowan County, North Carolina > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
207
GENERAL GREENE IN SALISBURY
bury, on the Yadkin Road. No doubt the prospect of a good night's rest, and a bountiful repast, developed in the bosoms of those veterans the exuberance of spirit that suggested the mischief. The encampment must have been in the grove where the residence of John S. Henderson, Esq., now is. There they would have the advantage of two or three excellent springs of water, abundance of fuel, while at the same time they would be near enough to the town for convenience of supplies, and directly on the line of march for an early start in the morning.
It appears that Dr. Read, the surgeon of Morgan's army, with the hospital stores, and some wounded and disabled British officers, who were prisoners, had reached Salisbury some time in advance of the troops. He was stopping at the tavern of Mrs. Elizabeth Steele. This tavern was on the northwest side of Main Street, between the old courthouse and the cor- ner where the present courthouse now stands, proba- bly at the corner of Main and Liberty Streets, ad- jacent to the present courthouse corner. Dr. Read was sitting in the apartment overlooking Main Street, engaged in writing paroles for such British officers as were unable from sickness or debility to proceed fur- ther, when he saw riding up to the door General Greene, unaccompanied by his aides or by any person whatsoever, and looking quite forlorn.
"How do you find yourself, my good General?" eagerly inquired Dr. Read.
"Wretched beyond measure-without a friend- without money-and destitute even of a companion,"
208
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
"replied Greene, as he slowly dismounted from his jaded horse. The General had dispatched his aides to different parts of his retreating army and had ridden through the rain and mud of Rowan winter roads, over thirty miles in a direct line, not allowing for excursions to the right and left, during this exciting day. Be- sides this, he had for themes of sad meditation the two disastrous skirmishes of the day, and apprehensions of the near approach of Colonel Tarleton and his light dragoons. This condition was truly a discouraging one. But help was nearer than he imagined. Mrs. Steele, the patriotic and kind - hearted hostess, had overheard his desponding remarks upon alighting, and determined that he should obtain such relief as she was able to afford.
In due time a bountiful repast was spread before her distinguished guest, while a cheerful fire crackled on the hearth and shed its genial warmth throughout the room. While General Greene was sitting at the table, and the discouragement engendered by hunger, fatigue, and cold was disappearing before the comfort- ing influences of his environment, Mrs. Steele ap- proached him, and reminding him of the desponding words he had uttered upon his arrival, assured him of her sympathy and friendship. Then drawing two small bags of specie from under her apron she pre- sented them to him, saying gracefully: "Take these, for you will want them, and I can do without them." Mrs. Steele was not poor, as the remarks of some writers upon this subject would lead us to infer, and perhaps could have filled his pockets with "proclama-
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF ELIZABETH MAXWELL STEELE PATRIOT BY THE ELIZABETH MAXWELL STEELE CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
209
GENERAL GREENE IN SALISBURY
tion money," worth less than Confederate notes were in the beginning of 1865. But silver and gold were scarce in those days, and no American officer or gentle- man would have complained of the burden of carrying it along with him. The General accepted this timely gift with gratitude, and doubtless it was all the more welcome because accompanied by graceful words of kindness and encouragement. The hero's heart was lightened by this opportune kindness, and after a few hours of rest he went forth to superintend and direct the retreat of his little army, and provide for their transportation across the Yadkin.
Just before the departure from Salisbury, General Greene left a memorial of his visit of a peculiar kind. His eye caught sight of a portrait of George III. hang- ing on the walls of the room. This portrait had been presented to a connection of Mrs. Steele by a friend in the Court of England, some years before. The sight of this picture recalled to the mind of the General the sufferings which at that moment his countrymen were enduring, and the blood that had been shed in the struggle to throw off the shackles of slavery which the English king and Parliament were trying to fasten upon the American people. In a moment he took down the picture, and with a piece of chalk wrote on the back of it; "O George ! hide thy face and mourne." He then replaced it, with the face to the wall, and mounting his horse rode away. The picture, with the writing still visible, is the property of the family of the late Archibald Henderson, Esq., of Salisbury, a descendant of Mrs. Steele; but it has not been in pos-
210
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
session of the family for many years. When Dr. Foote wrote his Sketches of North Carolina, in 1846, it was in the postoffice at Charlotte. When Colonel Wheeler published his History of North Carolina, in 1851, it was in the possession of Governor Swain, the president of the University, at Chapel Hill. It is thought to be now in the hands of the widow of Gov- ernor Swain, in Raleigh.
Mrs. Steele's first husband was Robert Gillespie, who in partnership with Thomas Bashford purchased a large number of lots in Salisbury, about 1757, and among them the lot on which they carried on a village inn, the same that was afterwards owned and occupied by Mrs. Steele. Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie had two chil- dren. One of these was a daughter, named Margaret, who became the wife of the Rev. Samuel Eusebius McCorkle, D. D., so long the pastor of Thyatira Church, and principal of the "Zion Parnassus Academy," where he educated so many men during the closing years of the last century. The other child was a son, named Richard Gillespie, who was a captain in the Revolutionary War, and died unmarried. He was of a peculiarly bold and defiant spirit, and when the British entered Salisbury he rode in sight of them, waving his sword towards them in a menacing manner. As he had but one companion, "Blind Daniel," so called from having lost one eye, a kind of hanger - on in Salisbury, of course he did not remain to carry out his menaces. After the death of Mr. Gillespie, his widow married Mr. William Steele of Salisbury, by whom she had an only son, the distinguished General
2II
GENERAL GREENE IN SALISBURY
John Steele, who was an ornament to his native town, and to his whole country. His services were rendered at a later day.
During the day of the second of February, Generals Greene and Morgan proceeded to the river, at Trading Ford, and succeeded in crossing that stream, and securing all the flats and boats that had been used in carrying over the baggage and infantry on the other side. About midnight, as before related, General O'Hara, with the vanguard of the British army, reached the river, and had a slight skirmish with the detachment left behind to guard some refugees with their wagons and household stuff. But Morgan's cavalry had forded the stream long before, and his infantry had passed over in a batteau. Another copious rain in the mountains had swollen the Yadkin to a mighty river, and the British commander, like a lion robbed of its prey, stood chafing on the western bank of the stream. From the Heights of Gowerie -- generally known as the "Torrence Place"-the British, with their field glasses, could sweep their vision far over the famed "Jersey Settlement," with its rich lands and substantial farmhouses. The Torrences, the Macnamaras, the Smiths, the Pottses, and other prominent families dwelt in that region. General Greene himself seemed in no hurry to leave that re- gion. From this height the British opened a furious cannonade across the river. Dr. Read, the American surgeon, before mentioned, has left this record of the scene, as given in Colonel Wheeler's History. "At a little distance from the river was a small cabin in
212
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
which General Greene had taken up his quarters. At this the enemy directed their fire, and the balls re- bounded from the rocks in the rear of it. But little of the roof was visible to the enemy. The General was preparing his orders for the army and his dispatches to the Congress. In a short time the balls began to strike the roof, and the clapboards were flying in all directions. But the General's pen never stopped, only when a new visitor arrived, or some officer for orders ; and then the answer was given with calmness and precision, and Greene resumed his pen." This cabin stood about two hundred yards east of Holtsburg depot, and a rod or two to the north of the county road, at the foot of the hill.
The reader will recollect that it was a part of Greene's original plan that the larger part of his army, which he had stationed at Cheraw, should hasten to join Morgan's division at Charlotte or Salisbury. But the rapidity of their movements effectually prevented the accomplishment of this purpose. Instead of meet- ing Morgan's division, General Huger marched up on the eastern side of the Pee Dee, past the Grassy Is- lands, through Richmond, Montgomery, and Randolph Counties, to meet General Greene at Martinville, or Guilford Courthouse, where he arrived on the evening of the seventh of February.
From Trading Ford, General Greene moved on to Abbott's Creek meeting - house, still in Old Rowan, and halted for two or three days to rest his troops and await further developments. During his stay there he made his headquarters at the house of Colonel
213
GENERAL GREENE IN SALISBURY
Spurgen, a Tory, who of course was not at home to receive him. But his wife, Mary Spurgen, was as true a Whig as her husband was a Tory, and like Mrs. Steele in Salisbury she showed him all the kindness in her power. While staying there he was naturally anxious to know whether the British were still in Salis- bury, or whether they were moving up the river. In this state of perplexity, he inquired of Mrs. Spurgen whether she knew anyone whom he could trust to send back to the river for information. Mrs. Spurgen promptly recommended her son John, a mere youth, as perfectly trustworthy. After convincing himself that this was the best he could do, he mounted John on his own horse, directing him to go to Trading Ford, and if he could not hear of the British to go up the river until he could gain information. John went, and hearing nothing at the Ford went several miles up the river. Still hearing nothing he returned home and reported. Greene started him off again, and told him, that he must go as far up as Shallow Ford, if he could hear nothing before that time. John took the road again, and actually went as far as Shallow Ford, some thirty miles from home, where he saw the British crossing the river. Hastening home with all speed he reported his discovery to the General. Instantly Greene ordered his horse and was off for Martinville, where he met General Huger and the eastern division of his army, as mentioned above, on the evening of the seventh of February.
CHAPTER XVIII
-
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS
General Greene having escaped across the Yadkin, Lord Cornwallis with the main body of his troops re- turned to Salisbury and remained at that place two days. They reached the town on Saturday and con- tinued there until Monday night or Tuesday morning. Monday was the time for opening the sessions of the Quarterly Inferior Court, but as may well be supposed, the magistrates who presided, being ardent Whigs, had no disposition to place themselves in the hands of the British. Adlai Osborne, the clerk, was absent in the Patriot army, and had been for some time, Mr. Gif- ford acting as deputy clerk, and taking notes of pro- ceedings which were afterwards written up by Mr. Osborne.
There still remain among our people several tradi- tions of the period of British occupation, which though trivial in themselves, are yet of interest to the citizens of Salisbury and vicinity. Let it then be understood that the greater part of this chapter is founded upon local tradition; but so direct and constant is that tradition, that it is thought to be entirely trustworthy in its main features.
Upon entering the town Lord Cornwallis took up his headquarters at the house of Maxwell Chambers, a
216
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
prominent and wealthy Whig, a merchant of Salisbury, a former member of the Rowan Committee of Safety, and its treasurer. After the war, Maxwell Chambers moved to Spring Hill, about three miles east of Salis- bury. His eldest son was named Edward Chambers, who was the next owner of "Spring Hill." The late William Chambers, whose monument stands near the wall in the Lutheran graveyard, was the son and heir of Edward Chambers. During the Revolution, Max- well Chambers lived on the west corner of Church and Bank Streets-the corner now occupied by the stately and substantial mansion of S. H. Wiley, Esq. The house of Mr. Chambers used by the British Com- mander remained standing until about ten years ago, and its old-fashioned and quaint appearance is familiar to everyone whose recollection can run back ten or twelve years. It is surprising that none was found to show Mr. Lossing, in 1749, this relic of the Revolu- tion. During these two days of occupation the British buried some soldiers on the spot known as the "English Graveyard," and from this circumstance it is said to have derived its name. But it was a burying-place before that time. Near the center of it, leaning against a tree, there is an ancient headstone of some dark ma- terial, that says that Capt. Daniel Little, who died in 1775, lies buried there. It is more probable that it was called the "English" in distinction from the "Luth- eran" or "German" graveyard, on the eastern side of town. Colonel Tarleton stopped at John Louis Beard's, in the eastern part of town, the north corner of Main and Franklin Streets. Mr. Beard, being a well-known
217
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS
Whig, was absent in the army at the time, and so the entertaining devolved upon Mrs. Beard. But Colonel Tarleton, it seems, was perfectly able to take care of himself, and made himself quite at home. When he wanted milk he ordered old Dick-the negro servant- to fetch the cows and milk them. Mrs. Beard had a cross child at the time, whose crying was a great an- noyance to the dashing colonel. Upon one occasion his anger overleaped the bounds of gentlemanly courtesy, and he ordered the child to be choked to stop its crying. Mrs. Beard was very much afraid of him, and we may well suppose that she did all she could to please him.
It is said that Lord Rawdon put up at the residence of Thomas Frohock, at his place called "The Castle," about two miles northwest of Salisbury, on the hill just east of Frohock's (afterwards Macay's) pond; and that he had charge of Frohock's mill upon that occasion. The writer has looked in vain, in the his- tory of the campaign, for the name of Lord Rawdon. He was present in Charlotte the previous summer, and fell back with Cornwallis to Winnsboro in the fall. But neither the histories, nor the "General Order Book," mention his name in this pursuit of Greene. Still the grandmother of Miss Christine Beard, one of our oldest citizens, whose memory is stored with these ancient traditions, and is never at fault, was often heard to state that Rawdon was at Frohock's. Mrs. Eleanor Faust, the lady in question, was the daughter of John Dunn, Esq., and her memory was excellent. The same statement was also made by
218
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
Mrs. Giles, the sister of Mrs. Faust, who was a tem- porary inmate of Frohock's family at the time. On the other hand, we learn from Lossing and other his- torians that Lord Rawdon was left in command of the Southern Division of the Royal army, with head- quarters at Camden, when Cornwallis marched into North Carolina. And there General Greene found him when he marched into South Carolina after the battle of Guilford Courthouse, and engaged in the unfortunate battle of Hobkirk's Hill, on the twenty- fifth of April, 1781. The only solution of the apparent contradiction between tradition and history is that Lord Rawdon may have proceeded with Lord Corn- wallis as far as Salisbury, and then returned to his field of operations in the South after Greene had been extricated from their grasp by the rise of the Yadkin River.
Another distinguished personage was along with Lord Cornwallis in Salisbury, though we hear little of him. This was no less a personage than Josiah Mar- tin, the last Royal Governor of North Carolina. The day after the British crossed at Cowan's Ford, an elegant beaver hat, made after the fashion of the day, and marked in the inside, "The property of Josiah Martin, Governor," was found floating on the Catawba River about ten miles below Cowan's Ford. In his dispatches after the battle of Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis reports that Governor Martin had accom- panied him in his campaign through North Carolina, cheerfully bearing all the hardships of camp life, hoping by his presence to aid in the work of restoring
219
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS
the Royal authority in the State. Though he was along with the troops, he does not appear conspicuous. "Inter arma leges silent" is an old maxim, and the powerless governor was completely overshadowed by the plumed and epauletted chiefs of the march and of the battlefield. Had he not lost his hat in the Catawba, and had not Cornwallis kindly mentioned his name in his dispatches, we would have been entirely ignorant of his last visit to Salisbury. We do not know where he "put up" while in town. At the northeast corner of Innes and Church Streets, now the property of Mr. Philip P. Meroney, stood the law office of John Dunn, Esq., and in the same yard, a little back of it, was the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Eleanor Faust. These premises were occupied as the headquarters of the British commissary department. The encampment of the army was two or three hundred yards to the north of the courthouse, somewhere in the neighborhood of the English graveyard, perhaps on the line of Fulton Street, not far from the present residence of Dr. Whitehead and that of the Hon. F. E. Shober. The commissary headquarters would thus be between the camp and center of town. It is related that Mrs. Faust owned a favorite calf that grazed in the yard, which the commissary took a fancy to, and tried to purchase for Lord Cornwallis' own table. But Mrs. Faust refused to sell upon any terms. The commis- sary thereupon proceeded to "impress" the calf, and after killing it he laid down a piece of gold before Mrs. Faust as pay. Irritated and indignant, she pushed away the money, and left his presence.
220
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
During the stay of the British, Mrs. Faust lost a child, that died of smallpox. As all things were in confusion, and none could be hired to perform such services, her father, John Dunn, took the coffin upon his horse, and interred the body at the family burying- ground, three miles south of Salisbury.
Dr. Anthony Newnan, familiarly called Dr. Anthony, was then a citizen of Salisbury. He lived in the house that still stands on the southeast side of Main Street, next to "Cowan's brick row." The building is now occupied as a harness and boot and shoe shop, and is very old and dilapidated. It has undergone many changes, but is still substantially the same. Parts of the old heavy molding and the wainscot and paneling are still to be seen, as well as the hard oaken cornerposts and studding, and the weatherboarding fastened with home - wrought iron nails. It is reported that the builder of this house got drunk, and rolled from the roof of the piazza into the street and was thereby killed. At all events Dr. Newnan, a good Whig, lived in this house, and enter- tained some of the British officers. One day while Colonel Tarleton and some other British officers were enjoying the hospitality of Dr. Newnan, the Doctor's two little boys were engaged in playing a game with white and red grains of corn, perhaps after the style of "Fox and Geese," or "Cross the Crown." Having heard much talk in the past five days of the battle of Cowpens, the British, Colonel Tarleton, and Colonel Washington, it occurred to the boys to name their white and red grains of corn Americans and British,
¥
Navig
.. ... LY. . €.
221
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS
with Washington and Tarleton as leaders, and "play" the battle of Cowpens. All at once, and forgetful of Tarleton's presence, one of the boys shouted out "Hurrah for Washington! Tarleton is running! Hur- rah for Washington!" The fiery Tarleton looked on awhile in silence, but his temper was too hot to restrain him from uttering a curse against the rebel boys.
Dr. Newnan married a daughter of Hugh Mont- gomery, a wealthy citizen, who owned much property in lands and cattle in Wilkes County. Montgomery lived in the old "Yarboro House," then standing upon the site of Meroney's Hall, but now rolled back and standing in the rear of it, and occupied as a hotel for colored people. Montgomery was the ancestor of the Stokeses and Welborns of Wilkes County. Dr. John Newnan was the son of Dr. Anthony Newnan, and lived on the lot now occupied as the residence of Dr. Julius A. Caldwell. The burying-ground of the New- nans may still be seen on the lot in the rear of Mr. Alexander Parker's residence, not far from the rail- road depot. Quite a number of old and prominent citizens of Salisbury lie buried just behind Meroney's Hall, under and around the colored hotel.
INCIDENTS AT THE STONE HOUSE
About three miles southeast of Salisbury, and near the supposed line of the old "Trading Path," stands a remarkable relic of the early settlement of Rowan. It is known far and wide as the "Old Stone House." A smooth stone tablet over the front door tells the visitor that Michael Braun (Brown), erected this
222
HISTORY OF ROWAN COUNTY
house in 1766. It is built of native, unhewn, but rather well-shaped blocks of granite, laid in cement so durable that it still stands in ridges between the stones. The lower story was pretty well finished with plaster, and contained five rooms. At one end of the house there is a double chimney, with fireplaces in corners of two rooms. At the other end there is a huge chim- ney facing outwards, and around which is built a wooden kitchen. This kitchen chimney is eight feet in the clear, and four feet deep. Michael Braun not only provided a solid house to live in, but he had en- larged ideas of cooking facilities, and no doubt many a big dinner was cooked there in the olden time. But the most curious part of the arrangements was a won- derful firebox or stove in the east room, that was fed through an opening in the back of the kitchen chim- ney. The plates of this ancient firebox or stove, are still lying there, massive and highly ornamented with curious figures, circular, oval, and diamond shaped, with flower vases filled with lillies and lanceolate leaves. On one plate is this inscription :
COM-BAN-NI 1766
Another plate contains the following :
GEORGE ROSS-ANN MARY ANN FURNACE
It appears that George Ross and Mary Ann's "Com- banni" (Company), wherever it was located, had
223
REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS
some original methods of spelling, and "Mary Ann" had practical ideas about woman's rights, and has suc- ceeded in transmitting her own name along with George's to posterity.
The north side of the building, it is said, is covered with the original cypress shingles put there in 1766. They are decayed in some places, but generally covered with lichen and moss, and have turned the rains and upheld the snows of one hundred and four- teen summers and winters.
It is conjectured that the main body of the British army passed by this stone house on the evening of the second of February, 1781, on their march to the Trad- ing Ford. It has been constantly reported that on that occasion, an American officer, who was probably on a reconnoitering expedition, was nearly overtaken by British dragoons near this house. He turned and fled for life. As the party came thundering down the hill the American rode full tilt into the front door of this house, leaped his horse from the back door, and so escaped down the branch bottom and through the thickets, towards Salisbury.
Another local tradition tells of a furious hand-to- hand encounter between an American and a British soldier in the front door of the stone house. The deep gashes of the swords are still shown in the old walnut doorposts. There can be little doubt that some such conflict took place there. It is true that the cuts and gashes might have been made with any other kind of instrument. But the descendants of Michael Braun still live there, and they, as well as the neighbors, still
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.