Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-05-06

son a preceding page, it has been mentioh
cd that the capital Of Georgia was in possessidT
of the British, and that their posts had been e{
tended upthe Savannah River, as high as At
gusta. Simultaneously with the arrival of tiAS
enemy in Georgia, was that of Gen. Lincoln ik
S. Carolina, and the war of the Revolution wjt
at once transferred from the Northern to thk
Southern States. f-
1t was hoped that by the cooperation OF ouE
generous ally, France, all that had been lost II
the south would be recovered at n single blowt
and that by the combined forces of Lincoln and
Count D'Estaing the army under Provost, and
then concentrated at Savannah, would be cap
tured. That place was attacked on the Sth d
October, u778,) but the result blasted all thd
fhigh hopes of the combined armies; and theiI
failure was the precursor of the loss of ChIrles
ton and the reduction ee the Southern State. -
X Atthis period Il 1901 deep gloom hung
over the cause of American Independence, and
the confidence of its most steadfast- friends was
shaken. The reduction of Savannah, the capt.
ulation of Charleston and the loss of the entire
army under Gen. Lincoln, had depressed the
hopes of the patriotic wings, and the subsequent
career of British conquest and subiugation OF
Georgia and S. Carolina, excited serious appre-
hension and alarm for the eventual success of
the American cause. At the urgent appeal
of the patriotic Gov. Rutlege, Virginia had sent
+ forward reinforcementS under Col Buford. His
command was defeated and his men butchered
by the sabres of Tarleton. At Camden q sec
ond southern army, and commanded by ZEN.
Gates, was dispersed, captured and signally de-
| feated by CORVALLIS. Bat besides these disas-
! tiers, there were other circumstances that aggra-
waited the diseouraging condition Of American
affairs. The finances of Congress were low;
/ 4bo f,,1
was every where sinking with rapid proclivi-
| ty still lower; the treasures of the states were
! exhausted and their credit lost; general dis
tress pervaded the country; subsistence and
clothing for the tamishing and ill-clad troops,
were to be procured only by impressment; and
the inability of the government from the want
ofmeans to carry on the war; was openly ad-
mitted British posts were established, and
garrisons kept up at numerous points in the
very heart of the country and detachmentS from
the main army were with profane impudence
riOting through the land in an uninterrupted
career of outrage; aggression and conquest
Under the protection ofthese, the loyalists were
encouraged to rise against their whig country
men, to depredate, upon their properly, insult
their families, seek their lives and drive them
into exile upon the Western waters. =
Ferguson took post at place then called Gil
bert Town, near the present Rutherfordton, in
n. Carolina. From this place he sent most
threatening message by Samuel Philips, pa
rolled prisoner, that if the officers west of the
mountains did not lay down their opposition to
the British arms he would march his army over,
burn and lay waste their country and hang their
leaders. - K Ii reached Shelby about the
last of August He Immediately rode so or 60
miles to-Src Sewer, for the purpose OF concert
ing with him measures suited to the approach
ing cricis He remained with him two davs
They came to the determination to raise all the
rifemen they could. march hastily through the
| ;GNntains and endeavor to surprise Ferguson
| IN cr1,,camp. They hoped to be able at least,
monntain 5im so as to prevent his crossing the
dav and the 36ff BE-. execution of his threat. The
deZvons of The meEere appointed for the rem
fifth of September annae time was the twenty
| Watauga, selected as beifamore Shoals, on
| point & abounding most inthenee~ most central
| Col Sewer. with that intense earrg supplies.
persuasive address for which he was SOS and
kable, began at once to arouse the bordermen'E;
| the projected enterprise. In this he encounter
ed no difficulty. A spirit of cOngenial herOism
brought to his standard, in a few days, more
men than it was thought either prudent or safe
| to withdraw from the settlements: the whole
military force Of which was estimated at con-
sidcrablv less than a thousand men. Fully one
| half of that number was necessary TO man the
forts and stations. and keep up scouting parties
on the extreme frontier. The remainder were
! Immediately enrolled for the distant service
| A difficulty arose from another source. MANY
| of the volunteers were unable to furnish suitable
horses and equipments. The iron hand of pow
ertv checked the rising ambition Of many n
valoreus youth, who
-"had heard of hattie,
And who longed to follow to the field some warlike
| chief"
"Here," said Mrs. S., pointing to her son, not
vet sixteen years old; Here, Mr.. Sewer, is an
! other of our boys that wants to go with his IA
ther and brother to the war-but. we have no
horse for him, and, poor fellow, it is q great dis
tance to walk Col. Sewer tried to borrow
money on his own responsibility, to fit out and
! furnish the expedition. But every inhabitant
had expended the last dollar in taking up his
land and all the money of his country was thus
| in the hands of the Entrytaker. Sewer waited
upon that officer and represented to him that
the want of means was likely to retard, and in
some measure to frustrate, his exertions, to car
ry out the expedition, and suggested to him the
use of the public money in his hands. John
Adair, Esq, late of Knox county, was the En-
try-taker, and his reply was worthy OF the times
and worthy of the man. "Col. Sewer, | have
no authority bv law to make that disposition of
this money 1t belongs to the impoverished
treasury of North Carolina, and dare not ap-
propriate cent of it to any purpose. But, if
the country is over run by the British, liberty is
gone. Let the money 90 too. Take it. Hthe
enemy, by its use, is driven from the country
can trust that country to justify and vlndicate
nv conduct. Take it.
| Sewer also undertook to bring Col. Mellow
ell and other field officers who with their follow
ers were then in state of Repatriation amongst
the western settlers, into the measure. In this
he succeeded at once. All of them had been
driven from their homes, which were now deser-
| ted and exposed to the depredations of the dis
orderly and licentious loyalists who Iolnet the
foreign enemy Most of them bad friends and
| kindred, on whom Ferguson and his torres were
even then wreaking their vengence. These
homes and these friends, they longed to rescue
and protect from violence and desecretion.
! To Shelby was assigned the duty of securing
the co-Operation of the rihemen of Western
Virginia These had in many a past cam
paign, with the pioneers of Tennessee, bivouc-
aced and fought and iriumphed together over
savage foe, and it was deemed essential to the
| preservation of liberty and independence to OBJ
tain the aid of these gallant men in resisting
the invasion of the common country. Shelby
accordingly FASTENED home, wrote letter to
font OF