The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1853-02-09

ersi Greene, in regard % The rallied
roops Of the lately defeated srmys the
arriving from other
'tztes, and being lesied in their ewn;
he Board of War seems TO have el
.rfrd Its utmost faculties in the de-
,artment &c the csmmisssrist--in pro
riding food and clothing for the army.
And when il IL recellected that The
State had NO seaport Of much commerce.
her inhabitants. then as nov, obtaining
their chef supplies Of foreign goods
lhronxh he neighboring States-thst
NiIminkton, the PRINCIPAL 81 these
soon fell into the hands Of the enemy,
who also held South Carolina and
Georgia;s and almost simultaneously
with the march of CORVALLIS on
Charlotte, had landed large body OF
troops in Virginia. under Arnold. and
we're threatening an invasion from
lhence-that there was no internal
navigation, and that the best means of
transportation frnm the fertile valley OF
the Roanoke and from the seaboard to
the army. at Hillsborough. Salisbury or
Charlotte, was BY the ordinary wagon
of the planter. and that no inconsidera-
bic portion Of the supply al these had
been lost in the rout ensuing the defeat
of General Gates. the furnishing Of the
most indispensable necessaries OF lille
was a Herculean task. The ordinary
productions Of the earth had been yield
ed. though probably in diminished
quantities in many sections. By reason
Of the interruptions Of labor. from the
heavy drafts for military service, IN
South Carolina, as well as at home.
during the year; but in the circumstan.
ces Of siege, which environed the State.
the great privation was in the want OF
salt, without which animal food cannot
be preserved nor vegetable enjoyed "a
prisation which was alike felt by the
army and the people Of the country
and Il is quite apparent from the corr
respondence Of this board, that an army
essentially larger than that which was
brought into the field, could not have
been long maintained. In their COM
munications with General Greene, the
commissioners expressed their regret,
that in consequence Of the exhaustion
of the treasury, the legislature had a.
dopted the policy Of relying on the mi
litia for the public defence. This spe-
cics Of force was usually called TO tours
of duty of three months Duration; and
as they generally turned out ON horse.
back. occasiouing large consumption
of subsistence, il seems to have been
arranged that but limited number
should be ordered to his aid. except in
the immediate expectation Of general
engagement. Accordingly, large de-
tachments, numbering in all 1900 men
that had been called out by the Cover.
nor or Board Of War, and were on theil
march under Generals Allen Jones
Gregory, and others, TO unite with the
army &C defence, were halted and dis.
banded, lest, by joihing the camp, the,
should consume the scanty stores %
the continental soldier. AT the mex
+ session Of the Legislature, which com
menced on the 18th January, 1871, act,
were passed to discontinue the Boar,
of War, aud "establlsh Council Elk
traordinary," to consist Of " three per
sens of integrity and abilities, such a:
the General Assembly can have the
greatest confidence in" aud to inves
the actual Governor ;.Abner Nash) an,
tins council, with executive powers o
government, after the expiration Of hi:
official term, provided the invasion o
the enemy shnnld prevent the holding
of the elections, and the meeting o
of the ensuing Legislature at the usaa
time. But have seen no record of tn,
organization Of this council. or any pro
ceedings un,sSshese statutes. The re
sultof the CAM Nm probably rendere,
them unnecessarily
= 1t is to be regretted, that among thu
I documents of this period there has beer
but meagre preservation of the Cur
respondcnce of Governur Nash. III
the infancy of the government. no Law
required the executive correspondence
to be recorded, and, there being as We
no permanent seat Of government, sucl
papers had no other depository than il
the private mansion Of the incumbent
He died some four wears after the war
still, high in the public confidence, ant
at the time Of his demise a memhe
Of the Congress of the confederation
Having made this allusion to the mea
sures Of defence adopted by the State
government in this, to her, the darkes
hour Of the war, cannot withhold the
expression Of ny qualification, tina
through every line Of the public statutes
Of the Journals Of the General Assembly
and OF the Board of War, there breathe,
the loftiest spirit of defiance toward.
the enemy, and an unquailing deter
mination to call forth every energy o
the country to uphold its now doubtful
cause. 1T well consists with the patri
otto and daring resolutions of her pc
pular assemblies and provincial con
crosses of IVA, 5, and e.; and to tn,
end of the contest her authorities, annie
every trial and. disaster, kept the stan