Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-10-08
xINc,s MOUNTAIN CELEBRATION.

School pitched their tents in true soldier fashion
on "Kerr's Old Field" about mile from Yorkville
On Monday and Tuesday evenings quite numbe
of ladies and gentlemen were in attendance t
witness their military skill and discipline. Th
exactness, the regularity and facility Of their ev
olutions, attested the care with which they hae
been trained to the performance of duty, while
their Soler-like bearing gave sufficient evidence
of that native prowess, which has hitherto PROVED
the surest bulwark Of freedom. Though many
Of the Cadets were apparently very young, ye
they bore muskets, nearly as heavy as themselves
with the sang froid of staunch veterans, thus pre-
senting an agreeable contrast to the somewhat eff
Terminate tendency of the present age. The olt
men of our country, whose ideas Of physical power
were formed from examples of the sturdy pioneers
tell us that there are no men in these degenerate
days. Could they witness the fair promise of the
hail and hearty Cadets, with erect forms and rud
dy cheeks-the lumen purpureum jurentus-they
! would conclude that the era of manhood was soor
| to be re.inaugurated. With those who prefer the
indolence-the otium cum dignitats-of merely
literary institutions we have no quarrel, but the
discipline and precise requirements Of the military
school appear to be the only refuge from disgrace
full insubordnaton left to the Southern parent. -
We are led into this train of reflections by the
! spectacle of order and iecorum presented by the
Cadets-young as they are-iu the performance
of their varied duties, literary and military.
But not the least Interesting portion of this
weeks pageant, is the Lectures and Address by
W. GILMORE SIMMs-the pride of Cnrolina's lite.
! nature. On Monday night he gave US long and
interesting lecture on the AntiColumban history
Of our country We have not time to give even at
outline of those novel speculatons, founded on ira
ditious, discovered ruins and pathological analo'
cent domain of America with the enterprise of ar
age long anterior to the time of COLUMBUS. Suf.
fee it to say that the lecture exhibited proofs Of
historical research which would do credit to the
industry and acumen of MAcAULAY, while the
eloquence and brilliance OF the language WAS un.
surpassed by the splendid dction Of the majestic
Southern feeling running through the entire speech
which evidenced the con cmore labor with which
the speaker had delved among the legends Of our
early romantic history.
On Wednesday morning, the Cadets were para
ded in front of the Court House, where they were
joined by the Masons, Cadets Of Temperance, a
bright array of ladies, and those citizens who
chose 10 join the procession. They were then
marched to the Garrison, Col. VI. B. WILSON act
ing rs Marshall of the Day, assisted by Mnj. JES.
KIXs, Capt. COWARD, Lieuts. SEApRooK, LAW and
ABBOTT. At the Garrison convenient seats had
bcen prepared and ros,rum erected. Around
this assembled large audience drawn from all
portions of the State, eager to hear the dstin-
guished orator and to feel their bosoms thrill with
the recital of the heroism of their ancestry
They were not kept long in suspense. Col. WILL
SON presented DR.. SIMMs to the audience, and ris-
ing, he delivered an oration rs splendid rs it was
erudite, as interesting as it waspatrotic. Begin
ing his exordum with reference to the celebra-
ted battle-felds which had been baptized in the
blood of heroes and consecrated by chvalrous de-
votion and sacrifice of life, he dwelt for moment
on the character of those feelings which cause us
to venerate the dust where rest the brave in dream
less sleep. From fields rendered iustrious by
Grecian and Roman valor, the transition was easy
to our Thermopyln-King's Mountain. Hero like
the gathering of Scotand's clanmen at the pi-
brochs sound or Of the brave Circassians from
their mountain homes, collected the undiscpined
yeomanly of the two Caronss to repol an inso-
lent and cruel though brave and skilful foe. A
simple stone records the result. Most of our
readers have read its inscription.
The unfortunate FERGUSON fell, after desperate
vaor had done it's utmost to sustain the Royal
cause. He fell to rise no more, and many brave
soldier fell by his side; but their blood was min
gled with that of hearts even more heroic. He
fell, after he had twice cut down the flag, which
nttested the hopelessnes Of his brr'cry; and his
shril whistle, above the tumult of battle, cheered
on his despairing comrades-but the heroic WILL
L1AMs who vowed that be "would silence that
whistle or be slenced forever in the achieve
mcnt of that resolve, fell mortaly wounded. But
this histcry is familiar to all, and the homage due
to such heroism, has long since marked COL WILL
L1AMs as "the hero of Kings Mountain"
The Grafton closed with patriotic advice to the
Cadets parallel between their opportunities and
those enjoyed by their revolutionary forefathers,
and the greater responsibility which would conse-
quently rest upon them. The address vas no less
characterized by historical accuracy, than by its
literary and oratorcal merits, which unfortunate
ly, cannot be said of most rhetorical productions.
We hope it will be published in order that our
people may read it, and that full justice may be
done to the heroes who fell.
Repeating
The song whose breath
Might lead to death,
But never to retreating."
-------<<S<>-----