Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-02-03

From the days of Elizabeth, the acts of the
sovereigns Of England tended to make America
free and independent. Walter Raleigh was
treated in such a manner as to stir up the
righteous indignation Of any people. Truth
fully was it said by Col. Barre, thas "the tyr
amy of England planted the American colo
nies, and they grew in spite Of Englands neg
lect."
The men who first came to North America
were, at least many Of them, men Of sound
judgments and extensive learning. The ear
ly State papers show this clearly. The early
enactments of the provincial legislature, or
parliament of South Carolina, as it was call
ed, would do honor to any people or any age.
The children of these first settlers we're edu-
Gated at vast expense. Some of the revo-
lutionary documents have never been sur
passed for beauty Of diction or vigor of
thought We are not to suppose because our
revolutionary fathers we're reared in forest,
surrouuded-by wild savsges, rhst 7thsy -wero
ignorant and illiterate. Such was not the
case. They we're able to see at aglance, the
injustice of English enactments.
Various circumstances led the colonies to
conclude that they could successfully resist
the arms of Great Britain. England had
advised the colonies to unite for the purposes
of common resistance. The skill of Ameri-
can officers, as compared with that Of Brit
ish, had been put to the test Washington
had saved the fragments Of fine army,
which had been led into slaughter pen bya
pompous British general. In 1755, twenty
years before the Revolution, Colonel Wash
ington was . more experienced officer than
General Braddock. Francis Marion and
Henry Middleton had fought on thetsame
field with Grant. Volunteer soldiers from
the several different colonies had fought side
by side with soldiers Of the standing army Of
England. They saw that they feared the foe
as little, could load and fire as often, and their
aim was as unerring as that Of Englands
boasted troops All these things tended to
inspire confidence in American officers and
American privates gi
The part which South Carolina took at the
commencement. Of the Revolutionary war, is
highly honorable. When vessel laden with
tea entered the harbor of Boston, a company
of men, disguised as Indians, boarded the
vessel and threw the tea overheard. The
British government treated this act as treas.
enable and blockaded the harbor. Boston
was, if left alone and unaided by the other
colonies, in a hopeless condition. No sooner
had South Carolina heard what was done
than she approved of the course Of her sister
colony and espoused her cause. This act ap-
pears the more striking, when we remember
that the relations between the South Carolina
colony and England were, perhaps, more init /.
mate than that Of any other colony. There
were many things to induce the people of
South Gsxolina. r. rapaain at kaaaa -
British government, and there we're: many
things to dissuade the colony from entering
into a war. In South Carolina, the negro
population was at least twice that of the white.
The institution Of slavery had been thrust
upon the people, contrary to their wish, BY
England and in spite Of all their remon-
strances the slave trade had, by the same au-
thority, been kept up. These slaves, it was
thought, would make an effort to secure their
freedom in the event war broke out between
the colonies and the mother country. The
Cherokee Indians. had been routed, but not
subdued. Besides all this, the colony was in
a very fourishing condition. Notwithstand-
ing all the disadvantages to be encountered,
the colony boldly determined to defend the
right, let the consequences be what they
might. -
During the revolutionary war, especially
during the latter part of it, the suferings Of
the people of South Carolina were, as we will
see, great but they bore it without mur.
mur. Their heroism was Of the highest order.
If the battle of Lexington was the beginning
of hostilities, and the surrender Of CORVALLIS
at Yorktown the end Of the war, the battle
of Kings Mountain was the turning point in
the contest. i. =. ,.s.;i:....