USA > Virginia > Washington County > Washington County > History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 > Part 27
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By far the most important order entered by the court on this day was the following :
"Ordered that it be recommended to the county lieutenant of this county not to call a general muster the ensuing month, on account of the apparent danger from the enemy and other dis- tressing circumstances of the county."
The army of Cornwallis was fast approaching the southern bor-
Aaron Lewis,
James Fulkerson,
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
der of North Carolina, and every friend of the British government was stimulated into life and became a source of uneasiness and trouble to the back settlements. At this time General Rutherford, of North Carolina, made a requisition upon Sullivan and Washing- ton counties in North Carolina for the aid of their militia in the defence of the State. Cornwallis was meeting with but little obstruction in his march and contemplated nothing less than the overrunning of North Carolina and the invasion of Virginia. It was this state of affairs that produced the alarm among the set- tlers in Washington county.
At the April court, 1780, William Campbell was recommended by the court and commissioned by the Governor, as colonel of the county militia, in the place of Evan Shelby, who had become a citizen of the State of North Carolina. Daniel Smith was com- missioned lieutenant-colonel, and William Edmiston major. At the same time the following militia officers were recommended and commissioned :
Captains of Militia :
James Crabtree,
William Edmiston, Jr.,
William Edmiston,
Alexander Barnett,
David Beatie, Jr., David Beatie, Charles Cocke,
and previously to this time and during the years 1778 and 1779, the following captains of militia were commissioned : George Maxwell, William Neil,
Thomas Caldwell, James Fulkerson,
Lieutenants of Militia :
Robert Edmiston, Jr., Humberson Lyon,
William Bartlett, William Davison,
William Edmiston, Joshua Buckner,
Joseph Scott,
and in the year 1778-1779, the following :
William Blackburn,
John Davis,
Levi Bishop,
Moses Loony,
Hugh Crawford, James Leeper,
Solomon Litton, Roger Topp,
William Rosebrough, Samuel Newell,
William Pitman, John Lowry,
George Finley.
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
Ensigns of Militia :
Robert Campbell,
John McFerrin,
James Houston,
Nathaniel Dryden,
Andrew Goff,
Daniel Davison,
Hugh Campbell,
William Blackmore,
and in 1778-1779 :
John Sawyers,
Thomas Sharp,
Rees Bowen,
George Teeter,
Patrick Campbell,
Samuel Vanhook,
John Steele,
William Crockett.
I give the names of the officers of the county militia from the formation of the county to this time with considerable particularity, as we know that every officer at the Battle of King's Mountain, from Washington county, was made up from this list. And it is more than probable that all the officers whose names (with very few exceptions) have been given were present on that occasion.
At the county court held on the last Tuesday in April of this year John Yancy and Christopher Acklin were licensed by the court to keep ordinaries in the town of Abingdon, being among the first ordinary keepers in the town of Abingdon.
At the June term of this court there seemed to have been a little trouble among the gentry, which is evidenced by the following orders entered by the court on that day :
"Ordered that James Kerr be fined two hundred pounds for in- sulting Joseph Scott in open court.
"Ordered that William Robinson be fined two hundred pounds for insulting Joseph Scott.
"Ordered that Joseph Scott be fined two hundred pounds for flashing a pistol at James Kerr in the court yard.
"Ordered that James Kerr be fined twenty pounds for insulting James Montgomery."
At the same term of the court Robert Irvin qualified as deputy for Arthur Campbell. sheriff of Washington county.
The following order entered by the court on August 12th is given. because it designates the first settler at the head of Little Moccasin creek.
"Ordered that John Snoddy, gent, give Alexander Barnett a list of tithables to work on the road from the mouth of Harrold's creek
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
to Alexander Montgomery's old cabin, at the head of Little Mocca- sin."
During the summer of this year the militia of this county was kept on the move in consequence of the threatened invasion of the British forces from the South. In the months of August and Sep- tember one hundred and fifty men from Washington county saw active service on New river, about the Lead Mines, and over the mountains in North Carolina, under Colonel William Campbell, to prevent and suppress any attempted insurrection among the Tories in those quarters.
The Cherokee Indians, in September of this year, began to give evidence of an unfriendly disposition, and every indication pointed to an Indian war, when the Governor of Virginia directed Colonel William Campbell to take command of an expedition against the Cherokee Indians, and it was left to his choice whether to take the troops down the Tennessee by water or on horseback. If the men went on horseback they were to be paid for such pack horses as might be lost without fault of the owner.
BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN.
While preparations were being made for this expedition and men were being mustered into service Colonel William Campbell was directed by the Governor to take command of the militia ordered to suppress the Tories who were at that time rising in arms, and to apply to that purpose the same means and powers that he was in- vested with for carrying on the Cherokee expedition, and, while mak- ing every preparation to execute the orders of the Governor, let- ters were received by him from Colonels .Isaac Shelby and John Sevier requesting his assistance in a contemplated expedition against Colonel Ferguson, the British officer who was then stationed at Gilberttown, North Carolina. Acting under the orders of the Governor previously given, Colonel William Campbell joined in this expedition, and marched a number of mounted militia from this county to King's mountain, South Carolina.
Many writers, in speaking of the campaign against Ferguson and of the battle at King's mountain, make the statement that this expedition was without authority of government, but Colonel Wil- liam Campbell seemed to think differently, as is evidenced by a cer- tificate made by him in his own handwriting in the year 1781 and recently discovered among some old papers in the auditor's office
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
at Richmond. This certificate, with endorsements thereon, is here given in full :
"I hereby certify that when I was ordered by the Executive last summer to take command of an expedition against the Cherokee Indians, it was left to my own choice whether to take the troops down the Tennessee by water, or on horseback, they were to be paid for such pack horses as might be lost without default of the owners. That expedition not being carried on, I was directed by His Ex- celleney the Governor to take command of the militia ordered to suppress the Tories who were at that time rising in arms, and to apply to that purpose the same means and powers which I was in- vested with for carrying on the Cherokee expedition, under which direction I marched a number of mounted militia to King's moun- tain, S. C. WM. CAMPBELL (Col.)." June 16, 1781.
Endorsed on back.
1780 certificate of Colonel William Campbell respecting King's mountain expedition.
The situation to the south of Virginia at this time was truly alarming. The British had captured Charleston, with General Lincoln and his entire army, early in this year, and the war was transferred to the Carolinas and Georgia. General Gates, who had captured the British army at Saratoga and was in command of the Southern army during this year, was disastrously defeated at Camden, and Colonel Sumpter and his body of patriots had been cut to pieces by Colonel Tarleton at Fishing creek. Detach- ments from the British army were scattered throughout South Carolina and Georgia. Colonel Buford and his Virginia forces had been defeated and cut to pieces by Tarleton's cavalry at the Waxhaw's, and every preparation was being made by Lord Corn- wallis to overrun with his victorious army the States of North Carolina and Virginia in the order named. Lord Cornwallis had placed the command of the western borders of North Carolina and South Carolina under Colonel Patrick Ferguson, one of the ablest British commanders at that time in the field, and he had overrun and destroyed the Whig forces in his territory to such an extent that the officers and men of the Whig forces were driven across the mountains to the Holston settlements. A portion of the mili- tia of Sullivan and Washington counties, North Carolina, under
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
the command of Colonel Isaac Shelby, had been in the service of the State and had exhibited a great deal of ability and prowess at the battles of Musgrove's Mill and Cane Creek, after which they retired to their homes without suffering any inconvenience from Ferguson or his forces. Colonel Ferguson was greatly embittered toward the forces from the Holston or back waters (as it was then termed), and when he arrived at Gilberttown, he paroled a Whig prisoner by the name of Samuel Phillips, a relative of Colonel Isaac Shelby, and sent him to deliver a message to the officers of militia on the waters of the Holston, Watauga and Nolichucky, which message was as follows :
"If they did not desist from their opposition to the British arms he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword." There can be no question that Colonel Ferguson was well informed of the situa- tion of the western settlers and the route by which he could reach their country, for at that time there were in his army a number of Tories from the back waters.
A crisis had been reached in the struggle for liberty, and now at the darkest hour in the struggle of the patriots, the opportunity and the men have met, when a band of western frontiersmen were to strike a telling blow for the cause of liberty and all America. Phillips immediately crossed the mountains and delivered the mes- sage to Colonel Shelby as directed, and gave him such information, in addition thereto, as he had in regard to the strength and posi- tion of Ferguson and his men. Colonel Shelby immediately ad- dressed a letter to Colonel William Campbell, of Washington county, Virginia, and sent it by express by his brother, Moses Shelby, while Colonel Shelby went to the home of Colonel John Sevier and informed him of Ferguson's threats, and suggested means by which they might embody a force sufficient to surprise and attack Ferguson in his camp and prevent the impending stroke. To the propositions of Colonel Shelby, Colonel Sevier readily agreed. On the 18th day of September, 1780, Colonel Charles Mc- Dowell, of "Quaker Meadows," North Carolina, and Colonel An- drew Hampton, of South Carolina, patriot leaders, with about one hundred and sixty men, arrived at Colonel John Carter's in Carter's Valley, fleeing from Ferguson and his forces. These men were consulted by Colonel Shelby, and a time and place appointed for
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Washington County, 1777-1570.
the assembling of all the forces that could be enlisted for this expe- dition, at the Sycamore shoals or flats, on the Watauga river, about three miles below the present town of Elizabethton, Tennes- see. It is stated by many writers on the subject that Colonel Wil- liam Campbell refused to join Shelby in this expedition when first approached upon the subject, and that he consented only upon the receipt of a second and more urgent request, but I do not know upon what authority this statement is made, for on the 6th day of September of this year Colonel Campbell was at Bethabara, Surry county, North Carolina, with the Washington county mili- tia, suppressing and preventing insurrection among the Tories in that section, and it is evident to any one acquainted with the coun- try that he must have marched his men immediately from that point to Washington courthouse, and from there to the Sycamore Shoals, to have reached that point on the 25th of September. I do not think there can be any doubt that Colonel Campbell joined in this expedition very heartily, upon the receipt of information from Shelby, and that he, with the Washington county forces, en- tered upon this expedition with the greatest of enthusiasm, as is evidenced by the large numbers of volunteers collected and the rapidity of their movements.
It is reasonable to suppose that Colonel AArthur Campbell was busy enlisting the militia of this county and equipping them for this expedition while Colonel William Campbell and his men were returning from North Carolina. Colonel Arthur Campbell, in speaking of the situation of the Southern Colonies, said: "The tale of MeDowell's men was a doleful one, and tended to excite the resentment of the people, who, of late, had become inured to danger by fighting the Indian, and who had an utter detestation of the tyranny of the British Government.
Upon the arrival of Colonel William Campbell, in Abingdon, on the 22d day of September, 1280, it was decided that two hundred of the militia of this county should accompany him upon this expe- dition. The men seemed animated with a spirit of patriotism and assembled at Wolf creek, near the Bradley farm west of Abingdon, from which point they marched immediately for the Sycamore Shoals, arriving at that point on the 25th day of September, accord- ing to appointment. Colonel William Campbell did not accompany the men to Sycamore shoals, he going by Colonel Shelby's at Sap-
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
ling grove (now Bristol), while his men followed the Watauga road. Colónel Arthur Campbell, who had been left at Abingdon with a portion of the militia to defend the inhabitants of the county against any Indian invasion, at the earnest solicitation of the militia under his command, and wishing to give all possible strength to the expedition against Colonel Ferguson, on the 24th day of September left Abingdon with an additional two hundred men for the Sycamore shoals, and arrived on the 26th, just as the little army of mountaineers were preparing to march for the Carolinas. The approach of Colonel Arthur Campbell with the reinforcements and the effect that it had upon the army are best described in the words of a North Carolina historian :
"When nearly ready to begin the march, the sound of approach- ing voices was heard once more. The camp was astir; unexpected visitors were discovered in the distance ; nearer they came, and recog- nition was announced by a wild shout of joy, and Colonel Arthur Campbell led two hundred men into the camp. One thousand and fifty voices now made the welkin ring with their glad acclaim. Col- onel Campbell, fearing that there might not be men enough to secure certain victory, determined, after Colonel William Campbell had left, to reinforce his strength. This being now done, he bade his men 'Godspeed' and a hearty 'goodbye,' and returned to his home again."*
Thus it will be seen that the militia of Washington county were not only willing to go when required to do so, but were anxious to strike a blow for their altars and their homes, and it is reasonable to suppose that, if the country had been free from the fear of an Indian war, twice four hundred men would have voluntarily accom- panied Colonel Campbell upon this expedition.
Let us take a look at the little army of patriots assembled at the Sycamore shoals. This army was made up and commanded as follows :
Colonel William Campbell, 400 men
Colonel Isaac Shelby, 240 men
Colonel John Sevier, 240 men
Colonel Charles McDowell and Andrew Hampton, 160 men
The money to equip the North Carolina militia was obtained by
"Schenk, N. C., 1780-1781.
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
Colonels Sevier and Shelby from John Adair, the North Carolina entrytaker, in Washington county, North Carolina; but the Vir- ginia militia under Campbell were equipped by the Washington county authorities and paid by the State of Virginia. Every mem- ber of this little army, with but few exceptions, was dressed in the woolen clothes manufactured by his wife and daughters, and wore a fur-skin cap.
A distinguished historian describes in such an interesting way the appearance of these mountaineers as they began their march. that I give his statements in regard thereto :
"Their fringed and tasseled hunting-shirts were girded in by bead-worked belts, and the trappings of their horses were stained red and yellow. On their heads they wore caps of coon-skin or mink-skin, with the tails hanging down, or else felt hats, in each of which was thrust a buck's tail or a sprig of evergreen. Every man carried a small bore rifle, a tomahawk and a scalping knife. A very few of the officers had swords, and there was not a bayonet nor a tent in the army."*
It would seem from the descriptions given by historians in speak- ing of this expedition, that the men were very poorly equipped. but, from an inspection of the records of this county, it will be found that the estates of the men killed at the battle of King's Mountain were valued very high, and that no part of their property was more valuable than their equipments at the time they were killed, a sam- ple of which is as follows ; appraised value :+
"One blue broadcloth and linen jacket, £150
"One pair of leather breeches, 75
"One great coat, 150
"One horse, 600
"Every member of this little army was equipped with a Deckard rifle. and they were not only splendid horsemen but excellent marksmen ; and by the warfare that they had been carrying on with the Indians they were accustomed to every kind of danger and hardship. They had oftentimes heard of the wrongs of their Whig kinsmen to the South; not only from Colonels McDowell and Hampton and their men, but from General Clarke, of Georgia, and his men, and they were determined, if possible, to prevent the
*Winning of the West.
+Captain Wm. Edmiston estate.
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Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786.
advance of Colonel Ferguson to this side of the mountain, and to rescue their brethren to the South from their sad plight.
"On the 26th day of the month when they were ready to march, the men assembled in a grove, and there the Rev. Samuel Doak, a Presbyterian preacher, the pioneer clergyman of the frontiers, made a few remarks befitting the occasion, closing the same with the Bible quotation: 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.' And while these stern hardy men bowed their heads in reverence, this good man invoked on the expedition the blessings of the Lord. He recounted the dangers that surrounded his congregation from the savages in their rear and the British in their front; and reciting the promises of mercy contained in the word of their God, he earnestly prayed for protection to their families and success to those who were marching to defend their homes and liberty; and so effective were his prayers that tears stole down the cheeks of many of the rough and hardy mountaineers. After this the army mounted their horses and commenced their march for South Caro- lina. The route pursued by these men upon this march is a matter of considerable interest to their descendants, and I give the route as described by Draper in his history of the 'Battle of King's Moun- tain.'
"Leaving the Sycamore shoals, they probably ate their dinner at Clark's mill on Gap creek, three miles from the shoals; they thencc passed up Gap creek to its head, where they bore to the left, cross- ing Little Doe river, passing on to the 'resting place' at the She?v- ing Rock, about a mile beyond Crab Orchard and about twenty miles from the shoals, where they encamped for the night. At this place a number of their horses were shod by a man by the name of Miller.
"The next morning they were delayed for some time in butchering several of their cattle, after which they passed on about four miles. Reaching the base of the Yellow and Roan Mountains, they ascended the mountain, following Bright's trace, through a gap between Yellow mountain on the north and Roan mountain on the south. When they had reached the table-land on top of the moun- tain, they found it covered with snow shoe-mouth deep, on the sum- mit of which there were about one hundred acres of beautiful table- land and a fine spring that ran over into the Watauga. In this field the soldiers were paraded under their respective officers and were
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
ordered to discharge their rifles, and such was the rareness of the atmosphere that there was little or no report. This body of table- land is known as the 'Bald Place,' or 'the Bald of the Yellow.'
"At this point two men from Colonel John Sevier's company deserted. Their names were James Crawford and Samuel Cham- bers. It was suspected that they would make their way to Colonel Ferguson and inform him of the coming of the backwoodsmen, and this suspicion was correct. Upon the discovery of this fact, it was decided by the commanders that they would not pursue the route previously proposed, but would pass by a more northerly route, so as to confuse Ferguson should he send spies to make discoveries. After they had refreshments they passed on down the mountain a few miles into Elk Hollow, a low place between the Yellow and Roan mountains, where, at a fine spring, they encamped for the night. On the 28th they descended Roaring creek to the North Toe river, and thence down the Toe to a noted spring on the Daven- port place, since Tate's, and now known as Child's Place, where they probably rested, and thence down to the mouth of Grassy creek, where they encamped and rested for the night. On the 29th they passed up Grassy creek to its head, and over Blue Ridge at Gilles- pie's gap to Cathey's mill, where they camped. The country that they had passed through to this point cannot be excelled in roman- tic grandeur anywhere on earth. It was excellently watered, broken by high mountains and interspersed with beautiful valleys. A North Carolina historian, in speaking of this country, says: "If we were to meet an army with music and banners we would hardly notice it. Man and all his works and all his devices are sinking into insignificance. We feel that we are approaching nearer and nearer to the Almighty Architect. We feel in all things about us the presence of the great Creator. A sense of awe and reverence comes over us, and we expect to find in this stupendous temple we are approaching none but men of pure hearts and benignant minds. But, by degrees, as we clamber up the winding hill, the sensation of awe gives way, new scenes of beauty and grandeur open upon our ravished visions, and a multitude of emotions swell within our hearts. We are dazzled, bewildered and excited, we know not how nor why; our souls expand and swim through the immensity before and around us, and our beings seem merged into the infinite and glorious works of God. This is the country of the fairies ; and here
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Southwest Virginia,-1746-1786.
they have their shaded dells, their mock mountains and their green valleys, thrown into ten thousand shapes of beauty. But higher up are the Titian hills ; and when we get among them we will find the difference between abodes of the giants and their elfin neigh- bors."
At Cathey's mill the troops were divided, Campbell, with his men, following a trail six miles south to Wofford Fort, the others going to Honey Cut creek, at which point Colonel Charles McDow- ell, who had left the Sycamore shoals in advance of the troops to notify the Carolina Whigs of the coming of the mountain men, rejoined the army. And, on Saturday morning, the 30th day of September, the mountain men passed over Silver and Linville mountains in an easterly course, and down Paddie's creek to "Quaker Meadows," where the fatted calf was killed and the moun- tain men regaled themselves in the beautiful valley. Soon thereafter, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and Major Winston joined the moun- tain men with three hundred and fifty North Carolinians from the counties of Surry and Wilkes.
It may be interesting to our readers to know that Surry county, North Carolina, joined Virginia on the south, and embraced that portion of North Carolina now included in the present counties of Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga and Mitchell, our nearest neighbors to the south.
On Sunday morning, October 1st, the Whigs left "Quaker Meadows" with light hearts and eager footsteps, believing that they would soon be upon Ferguson and his corps. They rapidly advanced, passing Pilot mountain, and in the evening encamped in a gap of the South mountain, near where the heads of Cane and Silver creeks interlock each other, and on Monday they remained in camp for the day because of the rain that was constantly falling. On this day it was decided that it was necessary to have a military head to their organization, and Colonel McDowell was dispatched to General Gates, requesting him to send forward a general officer to take the command. The letter addressed by the officers to General Gates and forwarded by Colonel McDowell was as follows:
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