USA > Virginia > Washington County > Washington County > History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870 > Part 29
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Colonel Lacy, with the South Carolinians: Major Chronicle. with his North Carolina forces: Colonels Shelby and Sevier, with the Holston forces: Colonel Cleveland, with his boys from Surry. and the other officers in this little army, magnificently vindicated in this conflict their claim to the title of patriots. When the British forces would attack any one command they would in turn be assailed by the mountain men in their rear and be forced to turn upon their pursuers, but every charge and counter-charge saw Ferguson's ranks grow thinner and thinner, and the coil was drawn closer and closer around the top of the mountain. Ferguson and his forces were surrounded by the mountain men, whose fire was so constant and deadly that it was with difficulty that the British officers could rally their men. The British troops began to give way on the southeastern side of the mountain, where they were hard pressed by Campbell and Shelby, and assailed in the rear by Cleveland, and on their flanks by MeDowell and Winston. At
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this time two white flags were raised on the British line, but Ferguson immediately cut them down, swearing that he would never surrender to such banditti. Seeing, however, that he was whipped, with a few friends he made an attempt to break through the lines of the mountain men on the southeastern side of the mountain and make his escape, but in making the effort he was shot through with six or eight bullets. When Ferguson attempted to make his escape a mountaineer by the name of Gilliland, who had been several times wounded, seeing his advance, attempted to fire his gun at him, but it snapped, when he called upon Robert Young, a member of his company, saying to him: "There is Fer- guson ; shoot him," to which Young replied : "I'll try and see what Sweet Lips can do," whereupon he discharged his rifle and Ferguson fell from his horse dead, and his friends, were driven back within the lines. Among the wounds received by Colonel Ferguson was one through the head. He received the fatal shot near Colonel John Sevier's company, and not far from the position occupied by Ensign Robert Campbell, who had been directed by Colonel Shelby to dislodge the British stationed behind a ledge of rocks as before detailed.
The last conflict between Colonel Campbell's men, assisted by Colonel Shelby's men, and the British, lasted fully twenty minutes, the contestants being not more than forty yards apart. This is said to have been the most hotly-contested part of the action.
Colonel Campbell at this time was some distance in front of his company urging them on to victory, and while in this position he called to his men: "Boys, remember your liberty! Come on, come on ! my brave fellows ; another gun, another gun will do it! D-n them ; we must have them out of this."*
While the British made a noble stand, they were driven to the top of the mountain to their wagons, from which position they were driven immediately into a low place in the mountain, where they surrendered. Colonels Campbell and Shelby were ably assisted by the bravery of the men under Cleveland, Lacy and Williams, who kept up a vigorous attack from their position. Captain DePeyster, the next in command, upon the death of Colonel Ferguson, imme- diately hoisted the white flag and called for quarter, which flag was soon taken from his hand by one of his officers on horseback and held
*Draper's King's Mountains.
Washington County, 1771-1870.
so high that it could be seen all along the American line. This white flag was not the only one hoisted in the British army. At another point a British soldier was mounted on a horse and directed to hold up a white handkerchief. which he did, and was immediately shot down by Charles Bowen, a second soldier suffering the same fate: but upon a third attempt Major Evan Shelby received the flag and proclaimed the surrender, but the mountain men who had been scattered in the battle were continually coming up and continued to fire without comprehending in the heat of the moment what had happened."* and many others were ignorant of the meaning of a white flag under such circumstances, while others were angered at the loss of relatives and friends at and before this battle.
In the summer of this year Colonel Buford, in command of a body of Virginia troops, had been surprised and his command cut to pieces by Colonel Tarleton at the Waxhaws in North Carolina : Buford's men, when surrounded by Tarleton's forces. begged for quarter, which Tarleton declined to give, and they were cut to pieces without merey. The circumstances attending this slaughter were well known to all the mountain men engaged in the battle of King's Mountain, and the word "Buford" had been adopted as the pass-word by the mountain men before engaging in this action. and when the British were driven into the low ground hereto- fore described, and were offering to surrender, numbers of the mountain men were heard to cry out : "Give them Buford's play !" and after the surrender the Americans continued to slaughter the British for some time, notwithstanding the efforts of the Whig offi- cers to prevent the slaughter.
About this time Colonel Campbell came running up. and. see- ing Andrew Evans, a member of his command. about to fire on the British, knocked his gun up, exclaiming: "Evans, for God's sake. don't shoot ! It is murder to kill them now. for they have raised the flag." Campbell, as he rushed along, repeated the order : "Cease firing! For God's sake, cease firing!" Campbell there- upon ordered Captain DePerster, the British officer, to dismount. calling out to the British forces: "Officers. rank by yourselves. Pri- soners, take off your hats and sit down." The mountaincers were
*Draper's King's Mountains.
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directed to surround the prisoners in one continuous circle four deep.
Colonel Campbell then proposed to his troops "three huzzas for liberty." At this time a small squad of Tories, who had been sent by Colonel Ferguson on a foraging expedition, returned to the mountain, and, not knowing of the surrender, fired upon the mountain men, killing Colonel Williams, of South Carolina. Colonel Campbell, acting upon his belief that Colonel Tarleton had arrived with his detachment, ordered the men of Colonels Williams' and Brandon's commands to fire upon the enemy, which they did, killing about one hundred of them, when the mistake was discovered, and the firing ceased.
Colonel DePeyster delivered his sword to Colonel Campbell, while Captain Ryerson delivered his sword to Lieutenant Andrew Kincannon, of the Virginia forces. Colonel Campbell at this time was in his shirt sleeves, with his collar open, and when some of the Americans pointed him out as their commander the British officers at first, from his unmilitary plight, seemed to doubt it, but a number of officers now surrendered their swords to him, and he had several in his hands and under his arms.
The battle was now ended after fifty minutes of hard fighting. Colonel Ferguson, the British commander, was killed, and the losses in his army were as follows:
British Rangers.
Killed, 30
Wounded, 28
Prisoners, 57
Tories.
Killed, 127
Wounded, 125
Prisoners, 649
The killed and wounded in the army of the mountain men were thirty killed and sixty wounded. Colonel Campbell's regiment of Virginians from Washington county met with greater losses than any other regiment engaged in this battle, the killed being :
William Edmiston, captain. Rees Bowen, lieutenant.
William Blackburn, lieutenant.
Robert Edmiston, Sr., lieutenant.
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Andrew Edmiston, ensign.
Humberson Lyon, ensign.
James Laird, ensign. William Flower, private.
John Beattie, ensign. James Corry, ensigu.
Nathaniel Dryden, ensign. Nathaniel Gist, ensign. James Phillips, ensign. Thomas McCulloch, ensign.
Elisha Pepper, private. Henry Henniger, private.
And the wounded were as follows :
James Dysart, captain. Samuel Newell, lieutenant. Robert Edmiston, Jr., lieutenant. Frederick Fisher, private.
John Scaggs, private. Benoni Benning, private.
Charles Kilgore, private. William Bullen, private. Leonard Hyce, private. Israel Hayter, private, and William Moore, private .*
It is a fact worth remembering that in this contest thirteen offi- cers and three privates of the Virginia forces were killed, being more than one-half of all the killed in this battle, and that three officers and eighteen privates were wounded, a little more than one- third of the men wounded in this battle; they were members of the Virginia companies. Another remarkable fact connected with this battle is that of the eight members of Colonel Campbell's regiment by the name of Edmiston three were killed and one wounded.
Among the rocks where the Tories had posted themselves dur- ing this battle the bodies of eighteen Tories were found, all of whom had been shot directly through the head.
All the prisoners were placed under strong guard. The Whigs encamped for the night on the battleground with the dead and
*The names of ten privates wounded in this battle cannot be ascertained.
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wounded, and passed the night amid the groans and lamentations of the wounded Tories.
A great quantity of powder, lead, shot and provisions were captured and appropriated as a result of this battle, and Fer- guson's effects were divided among the officers, his sword being given to Colonel Sevier. Captain Joseph McDowell secured six of his china dinner plates and a small coffee cup and saucer; Colo- nel Shelby secured his large silver whistle, while a smaller whistle was obtained by Elias Powell, one of his soldiers ; Colonel Sevier, his silken sash and lieutenant-colonel's commission and DePey- ster's sword; Colonel Cleveland, his riding horse; Colonel Camp- bell, a portion of his correspondence; Samuel Talbot, of this county, removed his dead body from the place where it lay, and secured his pistol, which had dropped from his pocket.
Dr. Draper has preserved several incidents relating to the sol- diers from this county and their conduct in this battle, which are here copied in full :
"During the battle Captain William Edmiston, of Campbell's regiment, remarked to John McCrosky, one of his men, that he was not satisfied with his position, and dashed forward into the hot- test part of the battle, and there received the charge of DePeys- ter's Rangers, discharged his gun, then clubbed it, and knocked the rifle out of the grasp of one of the Britons. Seizing him by the neck, he made him his prisoner and brought him to the foot of the hill. Returning again up the mountain, he bravely fell fighting in front of his company near his beloved colonel. His faithful soldier, McCroskey, when the contest was ended, went in search of his captain, found him and related the great victory gained, when the dying man nodded his satisfaction at the result. The stern Colonel Campbell was seen to brush away a tear, when he saw his good friend and heroic captain stretched upon the ground under a tree with one hand clutching his side as if to re- strain his life-blood from ebbing away until the battle was over. He heard the shout of victory as his commander and friend grasped his other hand. He was past speaking; but he kissed his colonel's hand, smiled, loosed his feeble hold on life, and the Christian pa- triot went to his reward.
"Lieutenant Rees Bowen, who commanded one of the companies of the Virginia regiment, was observed while marching forward
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to attack the enemy, to make a hazardous and unnecessary expos- ure of his person. Some friend kindly remonstrated with him : "Why, Bowen, do you not take a tree? why rashly present your- self to the deliberate aim of the Provincial and Tory riflemen concealed behind every rock and bush before you? Death will in- evitably result if you persist. Take to a tree.' He indignantly replied : 'No! Never shall it be said that I sought safety by hiding my person or dodging from a Briton or a Tory who opposed me in the field.' Well had it been for him and his country had he been more prudent, and, as his superiors had advised, taken shelter whenever it could be found. for he had scarcely concluded his brave utterance when a rifle ball struck him in the breast. He fell and expired.
"An incident of an exciting character occurred near. the close of the contest which very nearly cost the heroic Colonel Cleve- land his life. Charles Bowen. of Captain William Edmiston's company, of Campbell's regiment, vaguely heard that his brother Rees Bowen had been killed, and was much distressed and exas- perated in consequence. On the spur of the moment and without due consideration of the danger he incurred he commenced a wild and hurried search for his brother, hoping he might yet find him in a wounded condition only. He soon came across his own fallen Captain Edmiston shot in the head and dying. and, hurrying from one point to another, he at length found himself within fifteen or twenty paces of the enemy and near to Colonel Cleveland, when he slipped behind a tree.
"At this time the enemy began to waver and show signs of sur- rendering. Bowen promptly shot down the first man among them who hoisted a flag. and immediately. as the custom was, turned his back to the tree to reload, when Cleveland advanced on foot, sus- pecting from the wildness of his actions that he was a Tory, and demanded the countersign, which Bowen. in his half-bewildered state of mind had. for the time being, forgotten. Cleveland, now confirmed in his conjectures, immediately leveled his rifle at Bow- en's breast and attempted to shoot, but. fortunately, it missed fire. Bowen. enraged and perhaps hardly aware of his own act. jumped at and seized Cleveland by the collar, snatched his tomahawk from his belt, and would in another moment have buried it in the colo- nel's brains had not his arm been arrested by a soldier named
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Buchanan, who knew both parties. Bowen, now coming to himself, recollected the countersign and gave it "Buford," when Cleveland dropped his gun and clasped Bowen in his arms for joy that each had so narrowly and unwittingly been restrained from sacrificing the other. This same author, in speaking of Campbell's regiment, says :
"No regiment had their endurance and courage more severely tested than Campbell's. They were the first in the onset, the first to be charged down the declivity by Ferguson's Rangers, the first to rally and return to the contest. Everything depended upon suc- cessively rallying the men when first driven down the mountain. Had they become demoralized, as did the troops at Gates' defeat near Camden, and as did some of Greene's militia at Guilford, they would have brought disgrace and disaster upon the Whig cause. When repulsed at the point of the bayonet the well-known voice of their heroic commander bade them "halt!" Return, my brave fel- lows, and you will drive the enemy immediately !" He was promptly obeyed, for Campbell and his officers had the full con- fidence and control of their mountaineers. They bravely faced about and drove the enemy in turn up the mountain. In these desperate attacks many a hand-to-hand fight and many an act of heroism occurred, the wonder and admiration of all beholders; but there were so many heroic incidents where all were heroes, that only the particulars of here and there one have been handed down to us. Ensign Robert Campbell, at the head of a charging party, with singular boldness and address, killed Lieutenant Mc- Ginnis, a brave officer of Ferguson's Rangers."*
There is a tradition in the Bowen family that Lieutenant Rees Bowen, when he received orders to march to King's mountain, took with him John Bowen, his son, a mere boy, who participated in the battle and brought home to his mother his father's bloody shoes.
A similar tradition in the Breckenridge family is to the effect that Alexander Breckenridge, a prosperous farmer living in the vicinity of Abingdon, was accompanied to this battle by his son, George Breckenridge, who was under fifteen years of age, and that he (George Breckenridge) took an active part in the battle.
On the morning of October 8th, being Sunday, Colonel Camp- bell's army drew the British baggage wagons, numbering seventeen,
*Draper's King's Mountain,
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Washington County, 1777-1870.
across their camp-fires, where they were burned, and, with all the provision that they could possibly carry, they began their return march for the mountains with all expedition possible, fearing the arrival of Colonel Tarleton, encumbered as they were with so many prisoners and such a quantity of captured stores. The prisoners were required to carry their own arms, as the Whigs had no other means of conveyance.
The report was current in the camp, upon the morning the army started on its return, that Colonel Tarleton would attempt a rescue of the prisoners, numbering more than six hundred, and it is stated by a distinguished Englishman, who was at that time a prisoner, that before the troops moved Colonel Campbell gave orders to his men that should they be attacked on the march they should fire on and destroy the prisoners; but it is exceedingly doubtful whether such orders were ever given.
Colonel Campbell, with a party of men, remained behind to bury their dead countrymen, and he directed the British prison- ers to bury their dead. The British dead were interred in two pits-one a very large one, in which the Tories were laid side by side; the other a smaller one, in which doubtless the men of Fer- guson's corps were buried."*
The army marched that day twelve miles and encamped on the eastern bank of Broad river. The next day they marched up Broad river and encamped on the northern bank of Boran's river, and on the succeeding Friday Colonel Campbell issued an order di- recting that all the wounded soldiers who were not able to march should be placed by the companies to which they belonged at the most suitable place they could find, which was done. The army thereafter moved much more rapidly, encamping the evening of that day at Bickerstaff's Old Fields, where on the 14th Colonel Campbell issued a general order deploring the many desertions from the army and the felonies committed, by those who had deserted, on the poverty-stricken people of the country, and appealed to the officers under his command to suppress the bad practice.
While in camp at this point the officers from North and South Carolina made complaints to Colonel Campbell that there were among the prisoners a number of men who were robbers and assassins ; whereupon, Colonel Campbell ordered the convening of
*Draper's King's Mountains,
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a court-martial to examine into the complaints. A copy of the law of North Carolina was obtained, which authorized a trial of persons charged with such offences by a jury summoned by two magistrates, and directed their execution if found guilty. The . court-martial composed of the field officers and captains, assembled and conducted their meeting in an orderly manner. Witnesses were examined in every case, and, during the day, thirty-six men were tried and found guilty of murder, robbery and other offences, and sentenced to be hanged, and on the evening of the same day, an oak tree which stood near the camp by the road side was selected as a proper place to execute the orders of the court. The prisoners were brought out, surrounded by the Whig troops four deep, after which the hanging began. Three were hanged at a time, until nine of the condemned men had been executed. Then a young man by the name of Baldwin, a brother of one of the criminals, approached, and, placing his arms around his brother, who was about to be hanged, wept as if his heart would break, and, while doing so, cut the cords that bound his brother, who darted through the body of men and escaped, every man being so much affected by the actions of young Baldwin that not one man attempted to recapture or take his brother. At this point Colonel Shelby interposed and proposed that the executions should cease, and the rest of the thirty-six condemned criminals escaped hang- ing, being pardoned by Campbell, the commanding officer.
The Tory leaders who were hanged at Bickerstaff were left swinging to the oak tree on which they were executed, but, on the following day, after the departure of Campbell's forces, an elderly lady living in the community, with the assistance of one man, cut the bodies down and had them buried.
The march of the mountaineers began on the 15th of October. and, after a hard day's march, through a constant downpour of rain, they reached "Quaker Meadows," the home of Major McDow- ell, having traveled thirty-two miles: where the troops were tol- erably well provided for. At this point on the following day, it was agreed that Colonel Lacy with his men should return to South Carolina, while the regiments of Colonels Sevier and Shelby, with that portion of Colonel Campbell's regiment that were on foot, were directed to take the mountain trail and return to their homes. The greater portion of Campbell's regiment, with Cleveland. Winston
Washington County, LET1-1810.
and MeDowell and their North Carolina troops, decided to remain in the service and act as a guard to the prisoners. From "Quaker Meadows." Campbell's troops with their prisoners, marched several days in the direction of Hillsborough, arriving at Haygood's plan- tation on Briar creek, where Colonel Campbell discharged a portion of his men; from which point, on the 20th, he addressed a letter to his brother-in-law. Colonel Arthur Campbell, giving him an account of the battle, which letter is as follows :
Wilkes county, Camp on Briar Creek, October 20, 1280.
Dear Sir :- Ferguson and his party are no more in circumstances to injure the citizens of America.
We came up with him in Craven county, South Carolina, posted on a height called King's mountain, about twelve miles north of the Cherokee ford of Broad river, about two o'clock in the evening of the Cth instant, we having marched the whole night before.
Colonel Shelby's regiment and mine began the attack, and sus- tained the whole fire of the enemy for about ten minutes while the other troops were forming around the height upon which the enemy were posted. The firing then became general and as heavy as you can conceive for the number of men. The advantageous situation of the enemy -- being on top of a steep ridge-obliged us to expose ourselves exceedingly, and the dislodging of them was equal to driving them from strong breast-works: though. in the end, we gained the point of the ridge, where my regiment fought, and drove them along 'the summit, nearly to the other end, where Colonel Cleveland with his country men were. There they were drove into a huddle, and the greatest confusion. The flag for a surrender was immediately hoisted : and as soon as the troops could be noticed of it. the firing ceased, and the survivors surrendered themselves prisoners at discretion.
The victory was complete to a wish. "My regiment has suffered more than any other in the action. I must proceed with the pri- soners until I can some way dispose of them. Probably I may go to Richmond in Virginia. I am, &c.,
WM. CAMPBELL. COL. COM.
From Briar creek the army proceeded by slow marches, by Salem to Bethabara, a Moravian village. a large majority of the inhab- itants of which were Tories. While stationed at this point. Col-
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onels Campbell, Cleveland and Shelby made their official report of the battle of King's mountain, which report is as follows :
"A statement of the proceedings of the western army, from the 25th day of September, 1780, to the reduction of Major Ferguson and the army under his command. On receiving intelligence that Major Ferguson had advanced up as high as Gilberttown, in Ruth- erford county, and threatened to cross the mountains to the west- ern waters, Colonel Campbell, with 400 men from Washington county, Virginia, Colonel Isaac Shelby with 240 men from Sul- livan county, North Carolina, and Lieutenant-Colonel John Sevier with 240 men from Washington county, North Caro- lina, assembled at Watauga on the 25th day of September, where they were joined by Colonel Charles McDowell, with 160 men from the counties of Burke and Rutherford, who had fled before the enemy to the western waters. We be- gan our march on the 26th, and on the 30th we were joined by Colonel Cleveland on the Catawba river, with 350 men from the counties of Wilkes and Surry. No one officer having properly a right to command in chief, on the first day of October we dispatched 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 Colonel Campbell was chosen to act as commandant till such general officer should arrive. We marched to the Cowpens, on Broad river in South Carolina, where we were joined by Colonel James Williams, with 400 men, on the evening of the 6th of 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 900 of the best horsemen, and leave the weak horse and footmen to follow as fast as possible. We began our march with 900 of the best horsemen about eight ΓΈ'clock the same evening, and marching all night 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 confidence that they would not be forced from so advantageous a post. Previous to the attack, on the march, the following disposition was made: Colonel Shelby's regiment formed a column in the center on the left; Colonel Camp- bell's regiment another on the right; part of Colonel Cleveland's
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