USA > Tennessee > The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century: Comprising Its Settlement, as the. > Part 23
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984
WILLIAMA HAMBNORT AND CHRONIOLE,
ingly, two nights before the action, the officers were engaged all night in selecting the best men, the best horses and the best rifles, and at the dawn of day took Ferguson's trail, and pursued him with nine hundred and ten* expert marks- men, while those on foot and with weak horses were ordered to follow on more leisurely.
On the pursuit, the Americans passed near where several large parties of tories were collecting. At the Cow Pens sixty men under Col. Hambright and Major Chronicle, of Tryon county, and Col. Williams, with the South-Carolina troops, joined them. Here they were informed that a body of six hundred tories were assembled at Major Gibbs's, four miles to their right, and would join Ferguson the next day. These they did not take time to molest. The riflemen from the mountains had turned out to catch . Ferguson. He was their object ; and for the last thirty-six hours of the pursuit, they never alighted from their horses but once to refresh for an hour at the Cow Pens, although, the day of the battle .was so extremely wet that the men could only keep their guns dry, by wrapping their. sacks, blankets and hunting shirts around the locks, thus exposing their bodies to a heavy and incessant rain. The trail every hour became more fresh, and the Americans hurried with eagerness after the prey, which they determined should not escape their grasp. The advance met some unarmed men, who were fresh from Ferguson's camp, a short halt was made, and these men were closely examined. From them it was ascer- tained that the enemy was encamped three miles before them, and were to march next morning to Lord Cornwallis's head-quarters; his position was accurately described, and the route to the camp minutely given. Col. Williams and some of his men were well acquainted with the shape of the ground and the approaches to it.
It was now after twelve o'clock; the rain had ceased, the clouds were passing off, the sun shone brightly, and nature seemed to smile apon the enterprise at hand. It was deter-
* I quote from the Shelby papers in my possession, and from which many of the details of this expedition have been derived. Haywood has extracted from them also.
JOIN THE ARMY, WHICH APPROACHES THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 235
mined to march at once upon the camp, and decide the con- flict without further rest or refreshment. Each man was ordered to " tie up his over-coat and blanket, throw the pri- ming out of his pan, pick his touch-hole, prime anew, ex- amine his bullets, and see that every thing was in readiness for battle." While this was being done the officers agreed upon the general plan of attack, which was to surround the eminence and make a simultaneous assault upon every part of the camp. The men were soon in their saddles and upon their march. When within a mile of the battle ground an express from Ferguson was arrested, on whom was found a despatch to Lord Cornwallis, urging him to send immediate reinforcements and stating the number under his command ; and that he was securely encamped upon a hill, which, in in honour of his majesty, he had named King's Mountain, and that if all the rebels out of h-Il should attack him, they would not drive him from it. The contents of the despatch were, with the exception of the number of the enemy, communi- cated to the riflemen, the march was resumed, their pace quickened and they rode in a gallop within view of the camp of Ferguson.
A closer examination of the ground and the position of the enemy, demonstrated the feasibility of the plan of attack already concerted by the officers. More minute arrange- ments were immediately made and carried into execution. It was decided that the troops commanded by Winston, McDowell, Sevier, Shelby and Campbell, being something more than half of the whole number of the assailants, after tying their horses should file to the right, and pass the moun- tain nearly out of reach of the enemy's guns, and continue around it till they should meet the rest of the troops encir- cling the mountain on its other side, and led by Hambright and Chronicle, and followed by Cleveland and Williams; after which each command was to face to the front, raise the Indian war whoop, and advance upon the enemy. Ac- cordingly the troops moved forward, and passing up a ravine between two rocky knolls, came in full view of the enemy's camp above them, and about one hundred poles in front. Here they dismounted, and having tied their horses, left a
236
RIFLENEN SURROUND THE MOUNTAIN
small guard with them. The right wing or column was led by Winston and Sevier, the left by Cleveland and Williams; the centre was composed of Campbell's men on the right, and Shelby's on the left. In this order each officer having formed his ranks, led off at the same time to the position as- signed him, under pilots selected from Col. Williams's men, who were familiar with the ground. On its march around the mountain, the right column discovered that there were two gaps in the ridge at the enemy's left flank-one about twenty poles from it, the other fifty. It was decided to pass through the latter. About the time they entered it, the enemy began to fire upon them. The fire at first did not attract attention, until some of Shelby's men being wounded, that officer and McDowell determined to return the fire, and be- fore they had crossed the ridge, broke off towards the enemy, through the gap nearest to his camp, and discharged their rifles with great effect. The rest of the column under Campbell ascended the mountain, and poured in a deadly fire upon the enemy posted upon its summit. The firing be- came so heavy as to attract the attention of Ferguson, who immediately brought up a part of his regulars from the other end of his line, and a brisk charge was made upon the Ame- rican right by the British regulars and some of the tories. This charge pushed McDowell, Shelby and Campbell, down the mountain. At this moment, the left column under Ham- bright, Chronicle, Cleveland and Williams, had driven in the enemy's picquets at the other extremity of the encampment, and advancing up the mountain, poured in a well directed fire on the enemy protected here by their wagons and some slight defences, and commanded by Ferguson himself. Du- poister, his second in command, was immediately recalled, ordered into line on the top of the ridge, and directed to make a charge with all the regulars upon the Americans at that end of the encampment. On his passage to the relief of Fer- guson, Dupoister received a galling fire from the South-Caro- linians under Williams. The regulars were soon rallied, made a desperate charge, and drove the riflemen to the foot of the hill. Here Major Chronicle fell.
In the meantime, the recall of Dupoister from the charge
237
AND ATTACK FERGUSON'S CAMP.
at the other extremity of the mountain, gave the appearance there of a retreat on the part of the enemy, and the men under Shelby, McDowell and Campbell, having recovered from the slight disorganization produced by the first charge, rallied to the pursuit. The cry was raised-" huzza, boys, they are retreating ; come on !" They advanced with great firmness up the hill, almost to the lines of the encampment, and for some time maintained a deadly conflict with the tory riflemen. Ferguson, as before, decided to resort again to the bayonet. But the marksmen had so thinned the ranks of the regulars, that the expedient was adopted of trimming the handles of the butcher knives, and adapting them to the muzzles of the tory rifles, and of thus using them in the charge. With the number of his bayonets thus enlarged, Dupoister returned to his first position, and made another charge. It was short and feebly executed, and the regulars returned within their lines.
About this time the front of the two American columns had met, and the army of Ferguson was surrounded by the riflemen. Their firing became incessant and general in all quarters, but especially at the two ends of the enemy's line. Sevier pressed against its centre, and was charged upon by the regulars. The conflict here became stubborn, and drew to it much of the enemy's force. This enabled Shelby and Campbell to reach and hold the crest of the mountain.
On all sides, now, the fire was brisk and deadly, and the charges with the bayonet, though less vigorous, were fre- quent. In all cases where the enemy charged the Ameri- cans on one side of the hill, those on the other thought he was retreating, and advanced near to the summit. But in all these movements, the left of Ferguson's line was gradu- ally receding, and the Americans were plying their rifles with terrible effect. Ferguson was still in the heat of battle ; with characteristic coolness and daring, he ordered Captain Dupoister to reinforce a position about one hundred yards distant, with his regulars ; but before they reached it, they were thinned too much by the American rifles, to ren- der any effectual support. He then ordered his cavalry to mount, with a view of making a desperate onset at their
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288
DESPERATE COURAGE AND DEATH. OF FERGUSON.
head. But these only presented a better mark for the rifle, and fell as fast as they could mount their horses. He rode from one end of his line to the other, encouraging his men to prolong the conflict. With desperate courage, he passed from one exposed point to another of equal danger. Ha carried in his wounded hand, a shrill sounding silver whistle, whose signal was universally known through the ranks, was of immense service throughout the battle, and gave a kind of ubiquity to his movements."
But the Americans having reached the top of the moun- tain, were gradually compressing the enemy, and the line of Ferguson's encampment was sensibly contracted. A flag was raised by the tories in token of surrender. Ferguson rode up to it, and pulled it down. A second flag was raised at the other end of the line. He rode there too, and cut it down with his sword. He was frequently admonished by Dupoister to surrender ; but his proud spirit could not deign to give up to raw and undisciplined militia. When the se- cond flag was cut down, Dupoister renewed his admonition. To this he replied by declaring, he would never surrender to such a damned set of banditti as the mountain men. These men, while they admired the unyielding spirit of Ferguson, had noticed, that whenever his voice or whistle was heard, the enemy were inspirited to another rally. They believed that while he survived, his desperate courage would not permit a surrender. He fell soon after, and immediately expired.
The forward movement of all the American columns brought them to a level with the enemy's guns, which here- tofore, in most instances, had overshot their heads. . The horizontal fire of the regulars was now considerably fatal; but the rapid advance of the riflemen soon surrounded both them and the tories, who being crowded close together, and cooped up into a narrow space by the surrounding pressure of the American troops, and fatally galled by their incessant fire, lost all hope from further resistance. Dupoister, who succeeded Ferguson in command, perceiving that farther struggle was in. vain, raised the white flag, and exclaimed for quarters. A general cessation of the American fire fol- lowed ; but this cessation was not complete. Some of the
"Foster.
P-P-
.-
O
SURRENDER OF THE TROOPS Commanded by t'il Ferguson at KING 3 MOUNTAJN
----
EXPLANATION
13. riv linenstertip.
Irbring marvended.
K. Enens in confisirve.
LI. Length I'mrenes
bife Ferguson & Graw.
6. GA flerolan de. X Meunuient (f Celenel
1. 12 Williama
O. I'll Fragu.vn killed.
Heute of the different Corps gring wie the Battle
Engraved In W. Kervan CharlestonSC. Frequn Prawnie take thatthe spot in fundirshaver
1
Branch of Clarks Fork of Balloeks Creek.
Road
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289
COLONEL WILLIAMS'S HEROIC CHARGE.
young men did not understand the meaning of a white flag ; others who did, knew that other flags had been raised before, and were quickly taken down. Shelby halloed out to them :o throw down their guns, as all would understand that as a surrender. This was immediately done. The arms were low lying in front of the prisoners, without any orders how o dispose of them. Col. Shelby, seeing the facility with which the enemy could resume their guns, exclaimed : "Good God ! what can we do in this confusion ?" " We can order he prisoners from their arms," said Sawyers. "Yes," said Shelby, " that can be done." The prisoners were accord- y marched to another place, and there surrounded by a louble guard.
The battle of King's Mountain lasted about an hour. The oss of the enemy was two hundred and twenty-five killed, one hundred and eighty wounded, seven hundred prisoners, ifteen hundred stand of arms, and a great many horses and wagons loaded with supplies, and booty of every kind, taken ›y the plundering tories from the wealthy whigs.
General Bernard, an officer under Napoleon, and after- wards in the United States Engineer Service, on examining he battle ground of King's Mountain, said : "The Ameri- sans, by their victory in that engagement, erected a monu- cent to perpetuate the memory of the brave men who had allen there ; and the shape of the hill itself, would be an sternal monument of the military genius and skill of Col. Ferguson, in selecting a position so well adapted for de- ence ; and that no other plan of assault but that pursued by he mountain men, could have succeeded against him."*
The loss of the Americans was thirty killed, and about wice that number wounded. Of the former, was Col. Wil- iams of South-Carolina. He fell a victim to the true Pal- netto spirit, and intemperate eagerness for battle. Towards he close of the engagement, he espied Ferguson riding
"The account of the battle at King's Mountain, as given, has been taken from be Shelby papers, the written statements of Generals Graham and Lenoir, Mr. Foster's Emsay, and manuscript narratives of several of the riflemen, who partici- sted in it. The official report has been seen for the first time, by this writer, in .Wheeler's North-Carolina," just out of press. It is given at page 243.
240 .
MONUMENT AT KING'S MOUNTAIN.
near the line, and dashed towards him with the gallant de- termination of a personal encounter. "I will kill Fergu- son, or die in the attempt !" exclaimed Williams, and spur- ring his horse in the direction of the enemy, received a bullet as he crossed their line. He survived till he heard that his antagonist was killed, and his camp surrendered ; and amidst the shouts of victory by his triumphant countrymen, said : "I die contented," and with a smile upon his countenance, expired.
Major Chronicle, who, with Col. Hambright, led the left wing, was, in passing round the end of the mountain, much exposed to the fire of the enemy above them, and little more than one hundred yards distant. He fell early in the engage- ment, at the foot of the hill, near the junction of the two streams, while gallantly repulsing the British charge. A plain monument attests the grateful remembrance of his countrymen It bears this inscription :
SACRED To the memory of . MAJOR WILLIAM CHRONICLE, CAPT JOHN MATTOCKS, WILLIAM ROBB, AND JOHN BOYD, Who were killed at this place, on the seventh day of October, 1780, fighting in defence of America. On the other side of the monument, facing the battle ground, is in- scribed :
COL. FERGUSON, An officer of his Britannic Majesty, Was defeated and killed At this place, On the 7th day of October, 1780.
Of Col. Campbell's regiment, Lieutenant Edmondson, two others of the same name and family, and ten of their asso- ciates in arms, were killed. The names of the Virginia offi- cers are Captains Dysart, Colville, Edmonston, Beattie and Craig ; Lieutenants| Edmonston, Bowen ; Ensign Robert Campbell, who killed the British Adjutant McGinnis at the head of a charging party. Captain Robert Edmonston said to one of his men, John McCrosky, that he did not like his
241
MINOR DETAILS OF THE BATTLE.
place, and broke forward to the hottest part of the.battle, and there received the charge of Dupoister's regulars, dis- charged his rifle, clubbed his gun, knocked the musket out of the hands of one of the soldiers, and seizing him by the neck, made him his prisoner, and brought him to the foot of the hill. Returning again to the British line, he received a mortal wound in the breast. After the surrender, McCrosky went in search of his captain, and told him the battle was over, and the tories were defeated. Edmonston nodded satis- faction, and died.
Of the wounded in Col. Shelby's regiment, was his bro- ther, Moses Shelby, who, in a bold attempt to storm the ene- my's camp, leaped upon one of the wagons out of which the breast-work was formed, and was wounded. Fagan and some others, suffered in the same way. Col. Snodgrass, late of Sullivan county, belonged to Col. Shelby's regiment. His captains were Elliot, Maxwell and Webb ; Lieutenant Sawy
Of the regiment from Washington county, and commanded by Col. Sevier, the captains were his two brothers, Valen- tine Sevier, Robert Sevier, Joel Callahan, George Doherty and George Russell ; Lieutenant Isaac Lane. Capt. Robert Sevier was wounded in the abdomen, and died the second or third day after, and was buried at Bright's.
Among the privates, were four others of the Sevier family, viz : Abraham Sevier, Joseph Sevier, and two of Col. Se- vier's sons, Joseph and James ; the latter in his sixteenth year.
William Lenoir (since General Lenoir) was a captain un- der Winston. He was encouraging the men who had re- ceived Dupoister's second charge, to load well, and make a bold push against their assailants, when he received a slight wound in his left arm, and another in his side, while a bul- Iet passed through his hair, just below the tie, without touch- ing the skin.
In Ferguson's possession was found, after his defeat, the following letter to him from Lieut. Col. Cruger, commanding at Ninety-Six. The original is mutilated, and a few words or cyphers are illegible.
16
242
LETTER IN CYPHER FROM COLONEL CRUGER.
.
" 96, TUESDAY MORNING, OOT. 3.
" SIR-The night before last I returned from the Ceded Lands, having done that business pretty effectually. Your several letters I am now in possession of. This instant I received what you wrote the 30th Septem- ber. I shall repeat for the militia to turn out their six months' men ;- clear that if you get as many as will defend the from so considerable force
as you understand is coming from the mountains, is as many, in my opinion, as in reason we have a right to expect, Qr. will join you. Our force of soldiers here does not exceed in number what in your last letter is mentioned to march
I don't see how
you can possibly the country and its neighbour-
hood that you . now in. The game from the mountains is just what I expected. Am glad to find you so capitally supported by the friends to government in North-Carolina. I flattered myself they would have been equal to the mountain lads, and that no further call for the defensive would have been on this part of the Province. I begin to think our views for the present rather large. We have been led to this, pro- bably, in expecting too much from the militia-as, for instance, you call for regiments. They are but just + that number ;
.
.
" Farewell-believe me, very sincerely and with much regard, . Dr. Sir,
.
" Yr. Very humb'e Ser'rt., CRUGER, Lieut. Col. Com'g. 96. Addressed, "On his Majesty's Service, Colonel Ferguson, Commanding Detachment
Of his Majesty's Troop, drc."
The victory at King's Mountain was complete. Not one of the enemy escaped during the battle : from its commence- ment they were surrounded and could not escape. The army encamped upon the battle ground the night of the seventh. They had more prisoners than whigs with whom to guard them. They were in the neighbourhood of several parties of tories, and had reason to expect that Tarleton or some rein- forcements from Lord Cornwallis, would attempt either to pursue or intercept them. The next day was the Sabbath. Its dawn was solemnized by the burial of the dead. This mournful duty performed, the enemy's wagons were drawn by the men across their camp fires, and after they were con- sumed the return march was commenced.
As there was no other method of transporting the arms that had been captured, the strong and healthy prisoners were re- quired to carry them. The flints were taken from the locks,
243
RIFLEMEN RETURN WITH THE PRISONERS.
and the most vigilant espionage kept over the prisoners by the troops, who marched the whole day at a present. No escape or rescue was attempted. At sundown they met the men they had left on foot on their hurried march to the bat- tle. The march was continued pretty close to the mountain till the fourteenth, when a court-martial was held at Bicker- staff's Old Field, in Rutherford county, over some of the pri- soners. A few for desertion, others for greater crimes and enormities, were convicted and sentenced to be hung. The number brought under the gallows was thirty. Nine of these only were executed. Among these were Col. Mills, a tory leader, and Captain Grimes, a refugee tory from Watauga. The rest were respited.
Apprehending pursuit by Lord Cornwallis, whose head- quarters were close at hand across the Catawba, in Meck- lenburg county, and determined to escape with the eight hundred prisoners and fifteen hundred stand of arms taken at King's Mountain, the colonels led off their victorious troops, with their valuable spoils, to some place of safety in the direction of Virginia. Sevier and his comrades from the West recrossed the mountain, and remained in arms upon their own frontier. Campbell, Shelby and Cleveland, con- tinued the march, with the prisoners, in search of some posi- tion of greater security. Passing through Hillsboro', where General Gates then had his head-quarters, these officers made out to that unfortunate commander-
"A STATEMENT of the proceedings of the Western Army, from the 25th of September, 1780, to the reduction of Major Ferguson, and the army under his command.
·
"On receiving intelligence that Major Ferguson had advanced as high up as Gilbert Town, in Rutherford county, and threatened to cross the mountains to the Western waters, Col. William Campbell, with four hundred men from Washington county, of Virginia; Col. Isaac Shelby, with two hundred and forty men from Sullivan county, North-Carolina, and Lieutenant-Col. John Sevier, with two hundred and forty men from Washington county, North-Carolina, assembled at Watauga on the 25th of September, where they were joined by Col. Charles McDowell, with one hundred and sixty men from the counties of Burke and Ruther- ford, who had fled before the enemy to the Western waters.
"We began our march on the 26th, and on the 30th, we were joined by Col. Cleveland, on the Catawba River, with three hundred and fifty men from the counties of Wilkes and Surry. No one officer having
.
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244
OFFICIAL REPORT OF BATTLE;
properly a right to the command-in-chief, ou the 1st of October we despatched an express to Major General Gates, informing him of our situation, and requested him to send a general officer to take command of the whole. In the meantime Col. Campbell was chosen to act as commandant till such general officer should arrive.
"We reached the Cow Pens, on the Broad River, in South-Carolina, where we were joined by Col. James Williams, on the evening of the 6th October, who informed us that the enemy lay encamped somewhere near the Cherokee Ford of Broad River, about thirty miles distant from us. By a council of the principal officers, it was then thought advisable to pursue the enemy that night with nine hundred of the best horsemen, and leave the weak horses and footmen to follow as fast as possible. We began our march with nine hundred of the best men about eight o'clock the same evening, marched all night, and came up with the enemy about three o'clock, P. M. of the 7th, who lay encamped on the top of King's Mountain, twelve miles north of the Cherokee Ford, in the con- fidence they could not be forced from so advantageous a post. Previous to the attack, in our march the following disposition was made :
"Col. Shelby's regiment formed a column in the centre on the left ; Col. Campbell's another on the right; part of Col. Cleveland's regi- ment, headed by Major Winston and Col. Sevier's, formed a large column on the right wing ; the other part of Col. Cleveland's regiment composed the left wing. In this order we advanced, and got within a quarter of a mile of the enemy before we were discovered. Col. Shel- by's and Col. Campbell's regiments began the attack, and kept up a fire on the enemy while the right and left wings were advancing forward to surround them. The engagement lasted an hour and five minutes, the . greatest part of which time a heavy and incessant fire was kept up on both sides. Our men in some parts where the regulars fought, were obliged to give way a small distance two or three times, but rallied and returned with additional ardour to the attack. The troops upon the right having gained the summit of the eminence, obliged the enemy to retreat along the top of the ridge where Col. Cleveland commanded, and were there stopped by his brave men. A flag was immediately hoisted by Captain Dupoister, the commanding officer, (Major Ferguson having been killed a little before,) for a surrender. Our fire immediately ceased, and the enemy laid down their arms-the greater part of them loaded-and surrendered themselves to us prisoners at discretion. It appears from their own provision returns for that day, found in their camp, that their whole force consisted of eleven hundred and twenty- five men, out of which they sustained the following loss :- Of the regu- lars, one major, one captain, two lieutenants and fifteen privates killed, thirty-five privates wounded. Left on the ground, not able to march, two captains, four lieutenants, three ensigns, one surgeon, five sergeants ; three corporals, one drummer and fifty-nine privates taken prisoners.
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