Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-12-07
.listorp 1T s. Garpliua.
az q HISTORICAL SKETCHES aat s
sis.; Il. f3:. i ssia OF THE 4 8aJ8 .S 81.
arIy Settlement Of South Carolina.
By Rev. ROBERT LATHAH.

II
Suits, INCIDENTS, SO. aai
j It is natural for us to dwell with special
delight upon the worthy deeds Of our. ancea.
tors. By an instinct whichHcthing but death
can overcome, We cherish the gpot that gave
us birth. The.exile from bis native land re-
visits, in dreams, the Fairgrounds ofhis child
hood. In his lonely cell, thoughts fill bis
mind which may be expressed in this short
sentence stake me home to die" If we
may innocently love our native land with an
intensity which no oppression can destroy,
may we not also as intensely love those who
gave us existence and bequeathed to us that
native land? 5ss,Ei5; Az. Z. 4. -5s !,
The part which the South took in the Rev.
olutionary war is not understood by the
American people; at least, it has never re.
ceivsd that prominence which, it justly de.
serves The battles Of Lexington, saratoga
and Bensgton, together with an almost
countless number of skirmishes which took
place in the North, form the woof and warp
of Revolutionary history whilst the battles
of Kings Mountain and .CowPens pre- treated
with silent neglect. British officers did not
think these battles small affairs, which might
be forgotten in few days. LieutenantColo-
mel Tarleton, in speaking of the fall Of Fer.
guson, deliberately declares that the discom.
6ture Of the British, at Kings Mountain, put
a period to the first expedition Of the British
into North Carolina, and the affair Of the Cow
pens overshadowed the commencement Of the
second with gloom. tits easy to gee, according
to all human probabilities, what would have
been the result had Ferguson been victorious
at Kings Mountain. Cornwallis would have
formed junction with Gen Leslie, at Ports
mouth, and in that event it would have been
impossible for Gen. Washington to have con-
centrated troops to resist either CORVALLIS OF
Clinton. The British camp would have swarm.
ed with loyalists, whilst the American army
would have been annihilated BY desertions.
Had Tarleton been victorious at the Cowpens,
General Greene would have been ruined.
CORVALLIS could have either cut him of and
forced him to surrender, or run him into the
arms Of the traitor, Arnold. The loss Of ei.
ther Kings Mountain or Cowpens, would
have lost to the Americans Georgia, the two
Carolinas and Virginia, and ultimately all Of
the thirteen colonies. r. a..
It must be remembered that the victories
gained at Kings Mountain. and the Cowpens,
forever broke the spirits Of the tories and
loyalists from the Dan to the Savannah. AS
we will see in the sequel, this class Of citizens
lost all confidence in the Kings troops to pro.
tect them. These were no idle fears. 1t was
deliberate conclusion deduced from facts.
At Kings Mountain, the British lost abso-
lutely every thing, and the Americans com
paratively nothing. At the Cowpens, the
British lost in killed and prisoners near as
many men as the Americans had in the bat
tie. The news of these sad disasters spread
amongst the loyslists from Cross creek, North
Carolina, to Augusta, Georgia. Dreadful
was the CONSERVATION which it produced
among the friends Of King George. On 7 the
other hand, joy and gladness filled the hearts
of the friends of liberty. 5,js -@44 l.t.a
Perhaps most of those military chieftains
who have learned all their theories Of war
second handed, would be ready to censure beth
Campbell and Morgan. Ferguson was we'll
posted on craggy mountain. He was well
provided with men and the munitions of war.
The patriot band who attacked him, were
self:made soldiers. They knew little of the
science Of war as taught in the schools. The
same remark will apply to the heroes of the
Cowpens. Colonel Tarleton was certainly q
brave man and 9 skillfnl officer. His men
were we'll provided with every thing that such
a corps required. ~:
General Daniel Morgan, the principal in
command at the battle Of the Cowpens, was
one of those men whose real character is likely
to be misunderstood. There are multitudes
Of the human family who have learned the art
of selling themselves for more than they are
really worth. Ina social and moral point. Of
view, they appear to ebetter than they really
are. They put on airs and look wise and pre-
tend to be good and wise, and the multitude,
in process Of time, accord to them all that
greatness and goodness which they claim. To
this class Of men General Morgan did not be-
long,. He was better man in every respect
than be appeared to be. By birth he wss.a I
native Of New jersey. His ancestors came
from Wales. ID His veins, no doubt. there
was some blood which the Cmsars could moi
subdue. His parents were poor, and unable
to bequeath to their son anytbing bnta life o.
toll. His education was neglected as was tht
case With many others in those days.