USA > North Carolina > Historical sketches of North Carolina : from 1584 to 1851, Vol. I > Part 75
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The people living south of Tennessee and Holston, and west of Big Pigeon and French Broad, regarded Gen. Sevier as their father, friend, and protector ; and so in other settlements, and through all the years from '87 to '95, they were virtually left to his care; and for them, and with them, his word and will was "law and gospel."
He was engaged in almost every treaty or negotiation with the Cherokees, and they were many, as also in treaties with other tribes, insomuch that he acquired the honorable distinction of "the Treaty-Maker." His more familiar sobriquet "among the people" and with the Indians, was " Chucky Jack."+
1794. After Gen. Wayne's victory on the Miami River, the southern In- dians began to manifest a disposition less warlike; but they and their white neighbors did not all, and altogether, and all the time, "keep the peace."
Gov. Sevier's second term closed in September, 1801, when Archibald Roane was sworn into office. Roane was Governor for one term, and was succeeded by Sevier, who took the oath of office in September, 1803, and was succeeded by Willie Blount in the fall of 1809.
1811. He was elected a representative in Congress, together with Felix Grundy and John Rhea.
1813. He was re-elected to Congress.
During the war he served as a member of the Military Committee, to which was entrusted more business, and from which was required more labor, than any other in Congress. His opinions, especially in regard to western affairs, and relations with the southern Indians, were earnestly sought for, and were highly respected.
At the close of the session of Congress in 1815, he was persuaded by Presi- dent Madison (against the advice of friends who regarded his age and im- paired health) to accept an important mission to adjust difficulties with the Creek Indians. He engaged in the duties of a commissioner, was taken sick, and died at an encampment on the east side of the Tallapoosa River, near Fort Decatur, on the 24th of September, 1815, and was buried with the honors of war. Gen. Gaines was in command of regular troops near there, and, though himself quite sick, paid the last sad tribute of respect to a brave fellow soldier.
* In 1788, Sevier was arrested by a bench-warrant from North Carolina. He was taken to Morganton as a prisoner. Vol. i. 97.
t In 1790 he was a member of Congress from North Carolina (Vol. i. 111), from the portion now Tennessee, and this year Tennessee was admitted into the Union. Vol. i. 97.
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HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
During the time he was engaged in this service, at such a distance from his family and constituents, he was re-elected to Congress without opposition.
He had been elected Governor by a unanimous vote, and seldom had he to encounter any formidable opposition.
From President Washington he received the commission of Brigadier-Gene- ral of the territory south of the Ohio River, or rather, of one district, Briga- dier-General Robertson commanding the other, until he threw up the com- mission because censured for the Nickajack expedition.
In this hasty summary, no mention has been made of the battle of Heigh- tower, or of some of the military enterprises by Gen. Sevier, for which he and his troops were for a long time refused the approval of the General Govern- ment and any pay whatsoever. He was nearly ruined by his engagements and the supplies for some of the most useful tours he made into the Indian country.
His was a busy life; never at rest, never a retired man or private citizen. And, at last, with high commission from his Government, with purposes of peace, he goes down among the warlike nations, and there he dies, and is buried, and there his State and country let him lie, and no stone to tell his resting place ; and near his side is the grave of that good captain who fired the last sad volley over the sleeping dust of the patriot hero. And the gazing, thoughtful Indians question with themselves, "Is this the goal of ambition ? Such the climax of glory ! What now will his people do ?" Pass resolu- tions, wear crape on the arm a few days, talk much of his deeds and his sacrifices for the country, but leave him away, and "alone in his glory."
CHAPTER LXXIX.
1
WAYNE COUNTY.
WAYNE COUNTY was formed in 1779, from Dobbs County, (now divided into Greene and Lenoir.)
Wayne is bounded on the north by Edgecombe and Nash Coun- ties, on the east by Greene and Lenoir, on the south by Duplin and Sampson, on the west by Johnston County.
Its population in 1850, 7,802 whites ; 664 free negroes ; 5,020 slaves ; 11,478 representative population.
Products (1840), 461,165 bushels corn ; 12,744 bushels wheat ; 8,855 bushels oats ; 402,175 lbs. cotton ; 8,987 lbs. wool ; 3,499 barrels turpentine.
Its capital is Waynesboro', fifty-one miles south-east of Raleigh.
Its name is derived from Anthony Wayne, of Pennsylvania, distinguished in the Revolutionary War.
From his daring spirit, and fearless temper, he received the sobriquet of "Mad Anthony."
GENERAL WAYNE was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1745. His family had been distinguished. His grandfather had borne a commission of Captain, and fought in the battle of Boyne; which elevated the House of Orange to the English Throne. His father was a respectable farmer, and had represented Chester County in the Assembly before the Revolution.
In 1773 he succeeded his father as representative from the county of Ches-
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ter, and from his first appearance in public life, was distinguished for his firm and patriotic conduct.
In 1775 he was appointed to command a regiment. In; the same year he marched with General Thompson into Canada. In the defeat which followed, General Thompson was taken prisoner; Wayne behaved with great gallantry and was severely wounded.
In 1776 he served under General Gates, at Ticonderoga, and was highly esteemed by that officer as a skillful engineer.
At the close of the campaign he was promoted to be a Brigadier-General.
At the battle of Brandywine, in 1777, he behaved with lion courage, and for a long time kept at bay the superior force of the enemy at Chad's Ford. After this battle he was detached by General Washington to harass the enemy with his brigade by every means in his power. The British were en- camped at Tredyffrin, and General Wayne about three miles off, near Paoli . Tavern. On the night of the 20th September, 1777, the enemy, under Major- General Gray, having driven in Wayne's pickets, suddenly attacked him with fixed bayonets. The superior force of the British compelled Wayne to re- treat, but he formed again at a small distance, having lost about one hundred and fifty men killed and wounded.
.Some blame having been attached to him by certain officers for this affair, Wayne demanded a court-martial. . After examining the evidence, the Court declared that General Wayne had done everything that could be expected from an active, brave, and vigilant officer, and acquitted him with honor.
A marble monument has been erected over the remains of the brave men who fell at Paoli, not far from Philadelphia.
At the battle of Germantown, fought a few days after, he greatly distin- guished himself. He had one horse shot under him, another killed as he was about to mount, and he received several wounds on his own person. It was at this battle that North Carolina lost her brave General Nash, of Orange County, and the heroic Col. Henry Irwin, of Edgecombe County. He and General Cadwallader, in the Council of war, were the only two officers that favored the attack. The American officers were influenced by the opinions of the Europeans. Baron Steuben, Generals Lee and Du Portail warmly op- posed the engagement as too hazardous. But Washington had determined to attack the enemy, and Wayne was conspicuous in the attack. In his let- ter to Congress, reporting this battle, General Washington says :-
" The catalogue of the officers who distinguished themselves is too long to admit of particularizing individuals. They seem to vie with each other in manifesting their zeal and bravery. "I cannot," adds he, " however, for- bear mentioning Brigadier-General Wayne, whose conduct and bravery throughout the whole action deserves particular commendation."
In July, 1779, the commander-in-chief conceived the design of attacking Stony Point.
Stony Point is a considerable height, the base of which is washed on one side by the Hudson River, and on the other by a deep morass, over which there was but one crossing place. On the' top of the height was the fort, with batteries of heavy artillery ; in front were advanced breastworks, and half way down was a double row of abattis. The cannon commanded the beach and the crossing place. It was strongly garrisoned by six hundred Highlanders, commanded by Colonel Johnson. Several British ships of war lay in the river, whose guns commanded the hill.
To approach this fort was dangerous, to attack it hazardous, and to take it seemed impracticable.
General Washington communicated his design to General Wayne, and his heroic spirit gloried in the attempt. He was detached for this purpose.
On the 15th July, 1779, Wayne left the main body of the army, and with his command, arrived at eight o'clock at night within a mile and a half of the fort, where he halted his troops. He reconnoitered the situation of the enemy, and then made the necessary disposition for the assault. At half past eleven at night, with unloaded guns and fixed bayonets, he made a silent 38
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but steady assault, took the fort without a gun being fired from one of his men, and made the garrison prisoners, amounting to five hundred and forty- three, (the rest being killed. ) While at the head of the regiment (Febiger) Wayne received in the head a musket ball and he fell. The enemy was giving way, and Wayne desired his aids to carry him into the fort to die. But the wound was not mortal, and he lived to receive the thanks of his country, and the plaudits of the nation for this daring display of gallantry. He was awarded by Congress a gold medal for this brilliant battle.
Here is his report of the battle.
." STONY POINT, July 16th, 1779, 2 o'clock in the morning.
DEAR GENERAL-The fort and garrison, with Colonel Johnson, are ours. - Our officers and men behaved like men determined to be free.
Yours most sincerely,
ANTHONY WAYNE."
To GENERAL WASHINGTON.
The effect of this victory, while it enlivened the friends of liberty, dis- heartened the British. They had been whipped with their own favorite weapon, the bayonet, which they alleged was invincible in their hands, and one that the Americans could never stand. The report of Wayne was as modest as it is laconic. Like the letter of Cæsar to the Roman Senate,* or in more recent times the gallant Perry from the Lakes, "We have met the enemy and they are ours.'
In the closing campaign of the Revolution in 1781, when Cornwallis had to surrender at Yorktown, Wayne bore a conspicuous part with Washington.
He was after this dispatched to Georgia to take command in that State, where the enemy had made some head, and after some sanguinary conflicts established peace, security, and order. For these services Georgia presented him with a valuable farm. The fatigues of war being over, he retired to his farm.
In 1789 he was a member of the Convention of Pennsylvania for consider- ing the Constitution of the United States.
In 1792 he was called again to the field of Mars. The Indians on our western frontier had become very dangerous, and had committed ravages and murders. They had defeated General St. Clair. At Miami, in August, he met the sa- vages in strong force, and after a sanguinary conflict routed them.
His work was now done. "He had finished his course ; he had fought the good fight." He had materially aided in establishing the liberties of his country ; he had shielded her from the savage foe ; he had seen her free, in- dependent, glorious ; and, like Simeon of old, he was ready to depart in peace. He died in December 1796, on Presque Isle, on Lake Erie.
A few years since, with filial affection, his son, Honorable Isaac Wayne. (who was in Congress in 1823 to 1825, from Pennsylvania), removed his bones to his native county, Chester; and, by direction of the Pennsylvania State Society of the Cincinnati, a monument of white marble has been erected unto his memory, in Saint David's Church, in that county, which bears the following inscription :
In honor of the distinguished military services of Major-General ANTHONY WAYNE ; And as an affectionate tribute of respect to his memory, this stone was erected by his companions in arms, The Pennsylvania State Society of The Cincinnati, July 4th, A. D. 1809,
* " Veni, vidi, vici." I came, saw, conquered.
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WAYNE COUNTY.
thirty-fourth anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America; an event which constitutes the most appropriate eulogium of an American Soldier and Patriot.
The north front exhibits the following inscription :
Major-General Anthony Wayne was born at Waynesborough, in Chester County, State of Pennsylvania, A. D. 1745. After a life of honor and usefulness, he died in December, 1796, at a military post on the shore of Lake Erie, Commander-in-chief of the army of .
the United States. His military achievements are consecrated . in the history of his country, and in the hearts of his countrymen. His remains are here deposited.
The revolutionary times in this section of our State have recently received notice from the graphic pen of Mrs. Elizabeth F. Ellet, in The Women of the Revolution.
EZEKIEL SLOCUMB Was a member of the House of Commons in 1812, '14, '15, '16, and 1818. His wife was Mary Hooks, and the sister of Hon. Charles Hooks, who was a member of Congress from the Wilmington District in 1816, and in 1819 to 1825, and who removed to Alabama and recently died there. She was born in Bertie County in 1760. When both were only eighteen years old, she and Ezekiel Slocumb were married, whose mother, a widow Slocumb, had married her father.
But their honeymoon was disturbed by the ravages of war, for their Revolu- tion had broken out, and North Carolina for a time was the theatre of hostile and sanguinary scenes. Her "boy-husband" joined a troop of light horse, and performed severe duty in keeping down the Royalists. During these absences, Mrs. Slocumb took entire charge of the farm, and she used to say that she did as much and all the work a man ever did, except " mauling rails," and to do that exception away, she went out "one day and split a few." She was skilled in all the female accomplishments of sewing, spinning, weav- ing, and washing, and perfect in horsemanship. The following circumstances will show her noble spirit, and her more than feminine courage. Just before the battle of Moore's Creek (1776), the men had all gone under Caswell to fight the Tories under MacDonald. Colonel Slocumb was in the battle which occurred on 27th February, 1776, and his recollection of the part he bore in that was too vivid ever to be forgotten. "And," he would say, " my wife was there !"*, She was, indeed ; but the story is best told in her own words :-
" The men all left on Sunday morning. More than eighty went from this house with my husband. I looked at them well, and I could see that every man had mischief in him. I knew a coward as soon as I set my eyes upon him. The Tories more than once tried to frighten me, but they always
* See Mrs. Ellett's. "Women of the Revolution."
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showed coward at the bare insinuation that our troops were about. Well, they got off in high spirits, every man stepping high and light, and I slept soundly and quietly that night and worked hard all the next day; but I kept thinking where they had got to, how far, where and how many of the regulars and tories they would meet ; and I could not keep myself from that study. I went to bed at the usual time, but could not sleep. As I lay- whether waking or sleeping I know not-" I had a dream," yet it " was not all a dream." (She used the words unconsciously, of the poet, who was not then in being.) I saw distinctly a body wrapped in my husband's guard- cloak, bloody, dead, and others dead and wounded on the ground about him. I saw them plainly and distinctly. I uttered a cry and sprang to my feet on the floor ; and so strong was the impression on my mind, that I rushed in the direction the vision appeared, and came up against the side of the house. The fire in the room gave little light, and I gazed in every direction to catch another glimpse of the scene. I, raised the light; everything was still and quiet. My child was sleeping, but my woman was awakened by my crying out, or jumping on the floor. If ever I felt fear it was at that moment. Seated on the bed, I reflected a few moments and said aloud ; ' I must go to him.' I told the woman I could not sleep and would ride down the road. She appeared in great alarm ; but I merely told her to lock the door after me and look after the child. I went to the stable, saddled my mare, as fleet and easy a nag as ever traveled, and in one moment I was. tearing down the road at full speed. The cool night seemed, after a mile or two's gallop, to bring reflection with it; and I asked myself where I was going, and for what purpose. Again and again. I was tempted to turn back ; but I was soon ten miles from home. I knew the general route our little army expected to take, and at daybreak I was thirty miles from home, and had followed them with- out hesitation. About sunrise, I came upon a group of women and children, standing and sitting by the roadside, each one of them showing the same anxiety of mind I felt. Stopping a few minutes, I inquired if the battle had been fought. They knew nothing, but were assembled on the road to catch intelligence. They thought Caswell had taken the right of the Wilmington road and gone towards the north-west (Cape Fear). Again was I skim- ming over the ground, through a country thinly settled and very poor and swampy; but neither my own spirits nor my beautiful nag's failed in the least. We followed the well-marked trail of the troops. The sun must have been well up, say eight or nine o'clock, when I heard a, sound like thunder which I knew must be cannon. It was the first time I ever heard a cannon. I stopped still. Presently the cannon thundered again; the battle was then fighting. "What a fool !' thought I, 'my husband could not be dead last night, and the battle only fighting now ! Still, as I am so near, I will go on and see how they come on and see how they come. out.' So away we went, faster than ever, and soon I found by the noise of the guns that I was near the fight. Again I stopped ; I could hear muskets, I could hear rifles, and I could hear shouting. I spoke to my mare and dashed on in the direction of the firing and shouts, now, louder than ever. The blind path I had been following brought me into the Wilmington road leading to Moore's Creek Bridge, a few hundred yards below the bridge. A few yards from the road, under a cluster of trees, were lying, perhaps, twenty men. They were the wounded. I knew the spot; the very trees ; and the position of the men I knew, as if I had seen it a thousand times. I had seen it in my dream all night ! I saw all at once; but, in an instant, my whole soul was centered in one spot ; for there, wrapped in his bloody guard-cloak, was my husband's body ! How I passed the few yards from my saddle to this place I never knew. I remember uncovering his head and seeing a face clothed with gore from a dreadful wound across the temple. I put my hand on the bloody face ; 'twas warm, and an unknown voice begged for water. A small camp kettle was lying near, and a stream of water was close by. I brought it, poured some into his mouth, washed his face, and behold it was Frank Cogdell! He soon revived and could speak. I was washing the wound in his head. Said he, 'It is not that ; it is that hole in my
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leg that is killing me.' A puddle of blood was standing on the ground about his feet. I took his knife, cut away his trousers and stocking, and found the blood came from a shot hole through and through the fleshy part of his leg. I looked about and could see nothing that looked as if it would do for dressing wounds but some heart leaves. I gathered a handful and bound them tight to the holes, and the bleeding stopped. I then went to the others, and, doctor! I dressed the wounds of many a brave fellow who did good fight- ing long after that day. I had not inquired for my husband ; but, while 1 was busy, Caswell came up. He appeared very much surprised to see me, and was, with his hat in hand, about to pay some compliment ; but I inter- rupted him by asking ' Where is my husband ?' 'Where he ought to be, madam ; in pursuit of the enemy. But pray,' said he, ' how came you here ?' ' Oh, I thought,' replied I, ' you would need 'nurses as well as soldiers. See ! I have dressed many of these good fellows ; and here is one' (going to Frank and lifting him up with my arm under his head so that he could drink some more water) ' would have died before any of you men could have helped him.' 'I believe you,' said Frank. Just then I looked up and my husband, as bloody as a butcher and as muddy as a ditcher,* stood before me. 'Why Mary !' he exclaimed, ' what are you doing there ? Hugging Frank Cogdell, the greatest reprobate in the army ?' 'I don't care,' I cried, 'Frank is a brave fellow, a good soldier, and a true friend to Congress.' 'True, true, every word of it,' said Caswell. 'You are right, madam;' with the lowest possible bow. I could not tell my husband what brought me there. I was so happy, and so were all. It was a glorious victory ; I came just at the height of the enjoyment. I knew my husband was surprised, but I could see he was not displeased with me. It was night again before our excite- ment had all subsided. Many prisoners were brought in, and among them, some very obnoxious ; but the worst of the Tories were not taken prisoners. They were, for the most part, left in the woods and swamps wherever they were overtaken. I begged for some of the poor prisoners, and Caswell readily told me none should be hurt but such as had been guilty of murder or house burning. In the middle of the night I again mounted my mare and started home. Caswell and my husband wanted me to stay till next morning and they would send a party with me ; but no! I wanted to see my child, and told them they could send no party who could keep up with me. What a happy ride I had back! and with what joy did I embrace my child as he ran to meet me!"
When the British marched from Wilmington to Virginia, under Lord Cornwallis, in 1781, Colonel Slocumb's farm was right in the rear of their march. One beautiful Spring morning, Colonel Tarleton, accompanied by two aides-de-camp and followed by a guard, dashed up to the piazza. Colonel Slocumb (then Lieutenant) was from home, and Mrs. Slocumb, with her little boy and a near female relative (afterwards wife of Major Williams), were sitting in the piazza. Colonel Tarleton informed her that he was under the necessity of taking quarters in her house, in a tone that admitted of no denial or controversy. His legion, consisting of nearly two hundred and fifty men, and many others, then filled the avenue. Their tents were pitched in the orchard, and Tarleton and his officers occupied the house.
Mrs. Slocumb with cheerfulness now performed the duties of hospitality so unceremoniously forced upon her. She prepared them an excellent din- ner and refreshments. While the British were there, the repeated and rapid report of fire-arms was heard in the distance. A contest was going on be- tween a party of the Americans and the Tories. This startled the British ; but in a few moments her husband, with Charles Hooks, her brother, then about thirteen, and others, returned home. They had been engaged in the skirmish with the Tories, and had nearly reached the house when a faithful slave (Big George), who had been posted by his mistress, warned them of their peril. Quick as thought they wheeled, at one bound cleared the garden
* It was his company that forded the creek and, penetrating the swamp, made the furi- ous charge on the British left and rear, which decided the fate of the day.
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fence, and leaped the next amid a shower of balls from the guards, and thus escaped.
" The Dead Men's Field," to this day, marks the spot where the skirmish took place.
The British returned to their dinner and peach brandy, while Slocumb and his companions passed around the plantation where the skirmish had occur- red with the Tories; and there he found the brother of the Tory Captain hanging by a bridle-rein from a sapling bent down, struggling in the agonies of death. Slocumb hastened to the spot, cut the rein with his sword, and with much difficulty restored him to life. . Many in this county recollect an old man who with protruded eyes and suffused countenance bore evidence of this fearful scene. He owed his life and liberty to his generous foe.
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