USA > Tennessee > The civil and political history of the state of Tennessee from its earliest settlement up to the year 1796 : including the boundaries of the state > Part 8
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In the year 1779 two traders, Thomas and Harlin, came from the Indian towns, and informed the people on the Nolichucky (which was then a frontier) that the Cherokees had resolved to go to war, and were preparing to march upon the inhabitants. Col. Sevier gave immediate notice to Col. Arthur Campbell, of Virginia, and obtained from him a promise of assistance. Col. Sevier ordered the militia of his county forthwith to assemble on Lick Creek, of Nolichucky River. Two hundred men assembled in a few days at the place. They thence marched to Big Creek, which discharges itself into Broad River. The spies were sent up Long Creek, of the Nolichucky, to the head, and thence down a creek which empties into the French Broad. In going down the latter creek they met a party of Indians, who fired upon them. The spies returned to the army on Long Creek. The next morning at break of day they went up Long Creek, and crossed the French Broad at Sevier's Island and encamped on Boyd's Creek. The next day, early in. the morning, the advance- guard, under the command of Capt. Stinson, marched up Boyd's Creek; and, at the distance of three miles, found the encamp- ment of the Indians, and their fires burning. A re-enforcement was immediately ordered to the front, and the guard was direct- ed, if it came up with the Indians, to fire upon them and retreat, and draw them on. Three-quarters of a mile from their camp the enemy fired upon the advance from an ambuscade. It re- turned the fire and retreated, and, as had been anticipated, was pursued by the enemy till it joined the main body. This was formed into three divisions-the center commanded by Col. John Sevier, the right wing by Maj. Jesse Walton, and the left by Maj. Jonathan Tipton-and it was ordered that so soou as the enemy should approach the front the right wing should
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wheel to the left and the left wing to the right, and thus inclose them. In this order was the army arranged when they met the Indians at Cedar Spring, who rushed forward after the guard with great rapidity till checked by the opposition of the main body. Maj. Walton, with the right wing, wheeled briskly to the left, and performed the order which he was to execute with pre- cise accuracy; but the left wing moved to the right with less celerity, and when the center fired upon the Indians, doing im- mense execution, the latter retreated through the unoccupied space which was left open between the extremities of the right and left wing; and, running into a swamp, escaped the destruc- tion which otherwise seemed ready to involve them. The loss of the enemy amounted to twenty-eight killed on the ground and very many wounded, who got off without being taken. On the side of Sevier's troops not a man was even wounded. The troops under his command then returned to Great Island, in the French Broad River (otherwise called Sevier's Island ), and wait- ed there for the arrival of the troops from Virginia and the county of Sullivan.
Col. Arthur Campbell, with his regiment from Virginia, and Col. Isaac Shelby, with his troops from Sullivan, joined Sevier in a few days in the month of September. The whole army then consisted of five or six hundred men, and, on the fifth day after the skirmish up Boyd's Creek, marched to the battle- ground; thence to Little River, Town Creek, Piston Creek, Nine Mile Creek, and the Tennessee River, which they crossed at the Virginia Ford, and into the town of Tamotlee; thence to the Tellico; thence to the waters of the Hiwassee; and thence to the river, which they crossed at the town of Hiwassee. The town was evacuated, and the troops saw but one Indian, who was placed on the summit of a ridge there to beat a drum, and give signals to the other Indians. The spies of the whites stole on him, and shot him. The American army then marched south- wardly till they came near to the Chickamauga or Lookout towns, where they encamped; and the next day marched into the towns, where they took a Capt. Rogers, four negroes, and one squaw and children. They then marched to the waters of the Coosa, by Vann's Town; thence by Old Shoemack Town; and then returned home by the same route they had come. These operations checked the Cherokees for some time. The
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American troops killed all their stock of cattle and hogs which could be found, burned many of their towns and villages, and spread over the face of the country a general devastation, from which they could not recover for several years.
In the spring of the year 1780 the agents of the British Gov- ernment held conferences with the Indians at Augusta, the con- sequences of which was that war broke out generally with the Southern Indians in a subsequent part of the year. The In- dians attacked a house called Boilston's, killing two men, Will- iams and Hardin. Four Indians were killed and a number wounded. Doherty (now Gen. Doherty), Joseph Boyd, and others pursued, but did not overtake them.
The misfortune sustained by the American armies at Camden in August, 1780, created upon the Holston, as well as in other parts of the Southern States, a number of avowed enemies, who before had worn the mask of friendship. The tories upon the waters of the Holston were now as dangerous and as hurtful as the Indians. To watch their motions, as well as those of the Indians, it became necessary to keep up constantly scouting companies of armed men. One of these killed Bradley, a tory. He was a notorious offender, who had often been imprisoned for his misdeeds in the jail of the District of Halifax, in North Carolina; and had given himself the name of "Honest" Jim Bradley, by which also others, by way of derision, called him. In the same year one Dykes, a tory, was taken by the Light Horse Company, there being one in each county of the State of North Carolina to apprehend tories, and to take and bring to the army drafted militia-men who deserted. The company, ac- quainted with his desperate character, hanged him. He and others had agreed to come from the frontier to the house of Col. Sevier, and to put him to death. Of this agreement the wife of Dykes gave information to Sevier, who, in the time of her distress, had treated her with great humanity and friend- ship. Halley and others were confederates with Dykes. Rob- ert Sevier, who afterward fell at the battle of King's Mountain, collected his company of horsemen, caught Halley, and shot and killed both him and James Bradley at the same time.
The people of Washington and Sullivan Counties had not only to defend themselves from the Indians, but were called by the difficulties of the times and the dangers which threatened
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the western counties of North Carolina to carry on a more dis- tant warfare.
On the 16th of June, 1780, Col. Isaac Shelby, being in Ken- tucky, locating and surveying lands which he had marked out and chosen five years before, received information of the fate of Charleston and of the surrender of the main Southern army; and forthwith he returned home to aid his country in the great struggle she maintained for independence. Arriving in Sullivan County early in July, he received a dispatch from Col. Charles McDowell, giving information that the enemy had overrun the two Southern States and were approaching the limits of North Carolina; and Col. Shelby was requested to bring to his aid all the riflemen that he possibly could, and with as much dispatch as possible. In a few days Col. Shelby marched from Sullivan at the head of two hundred mounted riflemen, and joined Mc- Dowell's camp near the Cherokee Ford of Broad River, in South Carolina; Lieut .- Col. John Sevier, of whom a like requisition was made, having arrived there with his regiment a few days be- fore. Shortly after the arrival of Col. Shelby, Col. McDowell detached him and Col. Sevier and Col. Clarke, of Georgia, with about six hundred men, to surprise an enemy's post, twenty odd miles in his front on the waters of Paccolet River." They marched at sunset and surrounded the post at day-break the next morn- ing. This was a strong fort, built during the Cherokee War- about seven years before-and was surrounded by a strong aba- tis, and was commanded by Capt. Patrick Moore, a distinguished loyalist. Col. Shelby sent in William Cocke, Esq., to make a peremptory demand for the surrender of the post, to which Moore replied that he would defend the post to the last extremity. Shelby then drew in his lines to within musket-shot of the en- emy all around, determined to make an assault upon the post. But before proceeding to extremities, he sent in a second mes- sage; to which Moore replied that he would surrender upon condition that the garrison be paroled, not to serve again during the war, unless exchanged. This proposal was acceded to. In the garrison were found 93 loyalists, 1 British Sergeant-major -- stationed there to discipline them-and 250 stands of arms, all loaded with ball and buckshot, and so disposed at the port-holes that they could have kept off double the number of the assail- ants.
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Shortly after this affair McDowell detached Shelby and Col. Clarke, with six hundred mounted men, to watch the movements of the enemy, and if possible to cut off his foraging parties. Ferguson, who commanded the enemy-then about two thousand strong-composed of British regulars and loyalists, with a small squadron of horse, was an officer of great enterprise; and, though only a major in the British line, was a brigadier-general in the royal militia establishment made by the enemy after he overran North and South Carolina, and was esteemed the most distin- guished partisan officer belonging to the British army. He made several attempts to surprise Shelby, but without success. On the 1st of August, however, the advance of Ferguson-about six or seven hundred strong-came up with Shelby at a place which he had chosen to fight them, called Cedar Spring, where a sharp conflict ensued, lasting half an hour. Ferguson coming up with all his force, Shelby retreated, carrying from the field of battle twenty prisoners, with two British officers. The Ameri- cans lost on their side ten or twelve in killed and wounded. Among the latter was Col. Clarke, wounded slightly in the neck by a saber.
Having obtained information that a party of four or five hun- dred tories were encamped at Musgrove's Mill, on the south side of Enoree River, about forty miles distant, Col. McDowell again detached Shelby and Cols. Williams and Clarke to sur- prise and disperse them. Maj. Ferguson lay with his whole force at that time exactly between. They marched from Smith's Ford, of the Broad River, where McDowell then lay, just be- fore sundown on the evening of the 18th of August, went through the woods until dark, and then took a road leaving Ferguson's camp some three or four miles to the left. They rode hard all night, and at the dawn of day-about half a mile from the enemy's camp-met a strong patrol party. A short skirmish ensued, and they retreated. At that juncture a coun- tryman living near at hand came up and informed Shelby that the enemy had been re-enforced the evening before with six hundred regular troops-the Queen's American regiment from New York -- under Col. Ennis, destined to join Ferguson's army. The circumstances of this information were so minute that no doubt was entertained of its truth. To march on and attack the enemy seemed then improper. Escape was impossible, so broken
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down were the men and horses. Shelby instantly determined to form a breastwork of brush and old logs, and to make the best defense he could. Capt. Inman, with about twenty-five men, was sent out to meet the enemy and skirmish with them as soon as they crossed the Enoree River. The sounds of their drums and bugles soon showed them to be in motion, and induced a be- lief that they had cavalry. Inman was ordered to fire on them and retreat, according to his own discretion. This stratagem, which was the suggestion of Capt. Inman himself, drew the en- emy forward in disorder, believing they had driven the whole party; and when they came within seventy yards a most destruct- ive fire from Shelby's riflemen, who lay concealed behind the . breastwork of logs, commenced. It was one whole hour before the enemy could force these riflemen from their slender breastworks; and just as they began to give way in some points Col. Ennis was wounded. All the British officers having been previously either killed or wounded, and Capt. Hawsey, a considerable leader among the loyalists in the left wing, shot down, the whole of the enemy's line began to give way. Shelby followed them closely and beat them across the river. In this pursuit Capt. In- man was killed, bravely fighting the enemy hand to hand. Shel- by commanded the 'right wing in this action; Col. Clarke, the left; and Col. Williams, the center. The victorious troops mounted their horses, determined to be in Ninety-six, at that time a weak British post, before night, it being less than thirty miles distant. At that moment an express from Col. McDowell arrived in great haste, with a short letter in his hand from Gov. Caswell, dated on the battle-ground, apprising McDowell of the defeat of the grand army under Gen. Gates on the 16th, near Camden, and advising him to get out of the way, as the enemy would no doubt endeavor to improve their victory to the great- est advantage by cutting up all the small corps of the American armies. Gov. Caswell's "hand" was known to Shelby, and he instantly saw the difficulty of his situation. He did not know how to avoid the enemy in the rear, wearied out as his men and horses were, and incumbered as he was with more than two hun- dred British prisoners taken in the action. Owing to the infor- mation contained in Gov. Caswell's letter, the loss of the enemy in killed and wounded was not ascertained, but must have been very great. The prisoners were immediately distributed among
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the companies so as to make one to every three men, who car- ried them, alternately, on horseback directly toward the mount- ains. Shelby marched all that day and night and the next day until late in the evening, without ever stopping to refresh. This long and rapid retreat saved bis troops, for they were pursued until late in the evening of the second day by Maj. Dupoister and a strong body of mounted men from Ferguson's army, who, being broken down by excessive fatigue and the hot weather, were obliged to give up the chase. Col. Shelby, after seeing the party and prisoners out of danger, retreated across the mount- ains to the Western waters, leaving the prisoners with Clarke and Williams, to convey them to some place of safety in the North; for it was not known to Shelby or to them that there was even the appearance of an American corps embodied any- where south of the Potomac.
So great was the panic after Gates's defeat, that McDowell's whole army broke up, and himself, with a few hundred of his followers, retreated west of the mountains. The action on the Enoree, at Musgrove's Mill, lasted an hour and a half, during which time Shelby's men lay so close behind their breastworks that the enemy overshot them, so that he lost but six or seven men killed. Ferguson, with the main body of his army, performed a rapid march to overtake the prisoners before they should cross the mountains; but, finding his efforts vain, he took post at a place called Gilbert Town, whence he sent a most threatening message by a paroled prisoner-Samuel Phillips-stating that if the officers west of the mountains did not bury their opposi- tion to the British Government he would march his army over and burn and lay waste their country. On the receipt of this message, Shelby rode fifty or sixty miles to see Col. Sevier, and to concoct with him measures to meet the approaching crisis. They at the end of two days came to the conclusion that each of them should raise the greatest force that he could march hastily through the mountains, and endeavor to surprise Ferguson in his camp. They hoped to cripple him, so as to prevent his crossing the mountains. They appointed the day and place for their men to rendezvous, near Watauga. Col. Sevier undertook to bring McDowell with him, as also sundry other field officers who had retreated to the west of the mountains; and to induce them, with their followers, to co-operate in the plan. To Col.
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Shelby it was left to obtain the assistance of Col. Campbell, of Washington County, Va., if he possibly could. Shelby hurried home and wrote to Campbell, by his brother, Moses Shelby, stat- ing the plan which had been agreed on, and soliciting his aid. He did not at once approve of it, but thought it best for him to march with his troops by the way of Flower Gap, and to get in the southern borders of Virginia, ready to oppose Lord Corn- wallis when he should approach that State. But, reflecting on the subject and receiving a second message from Shelby, with additional reasons in support of the proposition, he thought proper to inform Shelby that he would join him with his whole force, and that he would come to Col. Shelby's house and go with him to the rendezvous, while his men should march down a nearer way by the Watauga road.
It was at this dark and gloomy period of the Revolutionary War that many of the best friends of the American Government submitted to the British authority, took protection under and joined the British standard, and gave up their freedom and in- dependence for lost. Lord Cornwallis, with the British Grand Army, had advanced into North Carolina, and lay at that time at Charlotte; and Ferguson was at Gilbert Town, in the County of Rutherford, in North Carolina, with an army of two thousand men, which he could readily augment to double that number.
At this critical juncture Campbell, Sevier, McDowell, and Shelby assembled on the Watauga on the 25th of September, 1780, with their followers, and began their march on the next day. Owing to the desertion of two of their men, who went over to the enemy, they turned to the left on the top of the Al- leghany Mountain, traveled a worse route than ever an army of horsemen did, and, on getting clear of the mountains, they fell in with Col. Cleveland, having with him three or four hundred men, who were creeping along through the woods to fall in with any parties who were going to oppose the enemy. This was about the 1st of October. The second day after was so wet that the army could not move; but the officers commanding, as by instinct, met in the evening and held a council, at which it was determined to send to head-quarters, wherever it might be, for a general officer to command them; that in the meantime they would meet in council every day to determine on the measures
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to be pursued, and would appoint one of their own body to put them in execution. But it was remarked to the Council by Col. Shelby that they were then in striking distance of the enemy- not more than sixteen or eighteen miles from Gilbert Town, where Ferguson then lay, who would certainly attack or avoid them until he collected a force which they dare not approach; that it behooved the American army to act with. promptitude and decision; and proposed to appoint one of their own body to the command, and to march the next day to Gilbert Town and attack the enemy. He remarked, too, that they were all North Carolinians except Col. Campbell, from Virginia, whom he knew to be a man of good sense and warmly attached to the cause of his country, and that he commanded a respectable regiment. He was therefore nominated, and appointed to the command.
Col. McDowell was the commanding officer of the district they were then in, and had commanded against the same enemy all the summer; and, although a brave man and a friend to his country, was supposed to be too far advanced in life and too in- active to command on such an enterprise as they were then about to embark on. Col. McDowell proposed, as he could not be permitted to command, that he would be the messenger to go for the general officer; and he set off immediately, leaving his men under the command of his brother, Joseph McDowell. On his route, about eight miles from camp, he fell in with Col. John Williams, of South Carolina, and a number of other field officers from that State, with nearly four hundred men, of which he in- formed those he had left by express, and stated that they would join the main army the next morning, but they did not join till the evening of the third day after.
The next morning after McDowell's departure the army ad- vanced to Gilbert Town. But Ferguson had decamped, having permitted many of his tories to visit their families under en- gagement to join him on short notice. For that purpose he had out expresses in all directions, and published an animated ad- dress to the tories, informing them of the advance of the mountain men upon him, and exhorting all his Majesty's loyal subjects to repair to the standard, and to fight for their king and country. In the meantime he took a circuitous march through the country in which the tories resided to gain time
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and to avoid the Americans until his forces could join him. Having gained a knowledge of his designs, it was determined in council of the principal officers to pursue him with all possible dispatch. Accordingly, two nights before the action the officers were engaged all night long in selecting the best men, the best horses, and the best rifles, and at the dawn of day took Fergu- son's trail. They pursued him with nine hundred and ten ex- pert marksmen, while those on foot and with weak borses were ordered to follow. In the pursuit the American troops passed near where several large parties of tories were assem- bled; and at Cowpens, where General Morgan afterward de- feated Col. Tarleton, they were informed of six hundred tories at Maj. Gibbs's, four miles to the right, who were assembled to join Ferguson the next day. But the mountain men had no other object but Ferguson, and him they pursued with so much steadiness that for the last thirty-six hours of the pursuit they nev- er alighted from their horses but once, to refresh at Cowpens for an hour, although the day of the action was so extremely wet that the men could only keep their guns dry by wrapping their bags, blankets, and hunting shirts around the locks, thereby ex- posing their bodies to a heavy and incessant rain. About 3 o'clock of the same day, the 7th of October, the pursuers came in sight of the enemy encamped on King's Mountain, an emi- nence extending from east to west, which on its summit was five or six hundred yards in length, and sixty or seventy in width. The troops who had belonged to Col. McDowell's command, which had been considerably augmented during the march, formed a part of the right wing under Sevier. Col. Campbell's regiment and that of Col. Shelby composed the center, Camp- bell on the right, and Shelby on the left. The right wing or column was led by Col. Sevier and Maj. Winston, the left by Cols. Cleveland and Williams. The plan was to surround the mountain and attack the enemy on all sides. In this order the army marched to the assault. The attack was commenced by the two center columns, which attempted to ascend at the east- ern end of the mountain. Here the battle was furious and bloody, and many that belonged to Sevier's column were drawn into the action at this point to sustain their comrades.
In the course of the battle the American troops were re- peatedly repulsed by the enemy and driven down the mountain,
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but were as often rallied by their officers and returned to the charge. In this succession of repulses and attacks, and in giv- ing succor to the points hardest pressed, the men of Shelby's column, of Campbell's, and of Sevier's, were mingled together in the confusion of the battle. Toward the latter part of the action the enemy made a fierce and gallant charge upon the American troops from the eastern summit of the mountain, and drove them near to the foot of it. As before, they were again rallied, returned to the charge, and in a few minutes came into close action with the enemy, who in their turn began to give way. The Americans gained the eastern summit, and drove those who were opposed to them along the top of it, until they were forced down the western end about one hundred yards, in a crowd, to where the other part of their line had been contend- ing with Cleveland and Williams, of Burke, and in the counties adjacent thereto. Col. William Campbell had with him 400 men, raised in Washington County, Va .; Col. Shelby, 200, raised in Sullivan County, N. C .; and Col. Sevier, 240, raised in Wash- ington County, N. C. The rest of the troops were those under the command of Cleveland and Williams. Col. Campbell marched at their head to the foot of King's Mountain, and with his division ascended the hill, killing all that came in his way; till, coming near enough to the main body of the enemy, who were posted upon the summit, he poured upon them a most deadly fire. The enemy, with fixed bayonets, advanced upon his troops, who gave way and went down the hill, where they rallied and formed, and again advanced as before stated. The mountain was covered with flame and smoke, and seemed to thunder. The other division was closing them in and maintaining the action, with no less vigor and effect, on the other side of the hill. Fer- guson, the British commander, attempted to form his troops into column, with a view to break through the assailants, and was shot and fell dead from his horse, upon which event the command devolved on Dupoister. The fire from the Americans had now become so hot and fatal that it could no longer be sustained. The enemy laid down their arms, raised a white flag, and sub- mitted to become prisoners of war. Some of the young men from Virginia, not knowing the meaning of the flag, still kept up a fire until informed of their error, when the firing ceased.
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