Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-06-19

the enemy from all sides at the same time.
Kings Mountain, upon which Col. Fergu-
son was gencamped, is spur OF the Blue
Ridge. It is narrow, oval shaped knoll,
having the general direction of the Blue
Ridge, and terminates abruptly at its northern
extremity. It is covered with a kind of slate
stone. The ridge, which is about one hum
dred and twenty feet above the ravines by
which it is surrounded, and about mile long,
is not more than thirty yards wide, and the
sides, especially on the north, are precipitous.
It is situated in York county, South Carolina,
about mile and balf from the North Car
olina line. Many Of the men in Col. VIII
liams' command were Wings from the sur
rounding country. They had left their hiding
places when, in the language Of an old Revo-
lutionary war song, "Old Williams came from
Hillsborough, they focked to him amain." !"
These men understood the nature Of the
ground accurately They had hunted deer
on the same place frequently. In view of
this fact, the guides for the other troops were
chosen from Williams, men,
When theexact location of Ferguson's camp
was learned, the army of pursuers marched in
four columns. Col. Campbell's regiment, with
part of Cleveland's regiment, commanded by
Major Winston, formed the right centre; Col.
Shelby's regiment, the left centre. Col. Sewers
regiment composed the right wing and the
troops under Col Williams and the remainder
of Col. Cleveland's g regiment, commanded by
himself, formed the left wing. b
| On arriving in full view of the enemy, and
having tied their horses and leaving small
guard to watch them, the troops, commanded
by Shelby, Sewer, Mcdowell, Campbell and
| Winston, were ordered to file to the right and
pass round the enemy IS camp on the mountain.
Those under Cleveland, Chronicle, Hambr1ght
and Williams, were to file to the left and pass
round. Both parties were to continue their
march, without firing, until they met. Then
the enemy's camp would be completely sur
rounded. The order was then to face toward
the enemy, raise the Indian War-whoop, and
rush forward upon the foe.
It was near three o'clock on the 7th OF Octo-
ber. The destiny Of American liberty was in
the hands Of few undisciplined militia. 1t
never was in better hands than when It was
entrusted to those brave men who fought and
bled and died and won the victory over Col.
Ferguson on Kings Mountain The order is
given to march. On they 60, with the steadi-'
ness Of veterans. Every order is executed
with as much promptness as If they had been
trained regulars. ~ ~
The British commenced to fire upon Shelby's
men as the right wing passed round the noun
tain Mcdowell returned the fire, and the ac-
tion became general The keen crack OF the
deadly Deckhard rifle, and the Indian war
whoop; heard all round the enemy's camp, an
nounced that every man was In his place. FER
guson ordered his regulars to charge upon the
right wing Of the Wings This drove McDow-
eli, Shelby and Campbell back; bat at this very
moment Chronicle, Hambright, Cleveland and
Williams had assembled the opposite extremity
of the mountain and driven the British and
tories behind their wagons. Ferguson was
here himself. His men were falling on all sides,
He Immediately sent for DePeyster, who had
led the charge against Mcdowell, Shelby and
Campbell. As DePeyster passed back along
the ridge, the South Carolinians, under VIII
liams, poured in deadly fire upon him. His
ranks were soon thinned, and the regulars
thrown into confusion. They, however, soon
rallied and made dreadful push against Chron-
icle and Cleveland, driving them down the
mountain. Here Chronicle was killed. The
charge Of the British upon the left Of the Wings
was mistaken by the right under Shelby, Nc
Dowen and Campbell, for a retreat, and the
shout was raised, 'Huzza, boys, they are re-
| treating Come on" On. on, the left wing
Of the Wings, in solid phalanx, rushed upon
the enemy. Ferguson was now forced TO meet
the right wing. The left wing, as the right
wing before had done, mistook the charge OF
the British for retreat, faced about and
rushed upon, as they thought, the retreating
foe. Thus each charge Of the enemy was mis-
| taken by the Wings on the opposite side for a
retreat ferguson galloped back and forth
along his lines, encouraging his men with en-
treaties and with curses. In spite OF All ms
skill and the desperate courage OF his men, his
ground was taken from him and he was forced
| to occupy a small portion Of the ridgenear the
northern extremity. He ordered his cavalry
| to mount; but this move proved unayailing
| The men were shot down as soon as they
mounted He prepared for last and desper-
ate charge. The tories were ordered to sharp
| en- the handles of their butcher knives and
| fasten them in the muzzles Of their guns, and,
with the British regulars, charge upon the reb-
els This also was of no avail. The Whigs
were all around them, and confusion was in
flag. Ferguson pulled it down. DePeyster
raised it at the other extremity of the British
camp. Ferguson saw it and darted, at the
| full gallop, and with his sword, cut it down,
| swearing that he would never surrender to
militia. He had been wounded in the hand,
but in this wounded hand he bore q silver
whistle, whose shrill sound inspired courage in
the already vanquished. A ball from some un-
| known rife, threw the hero from his charger,
and DePeyster again hoisted a white nag;
The tories and British ceased firing, but the
| Wings either not understanding the import OF
white flag, or knowing that it had been
hoisted twice before and was pulled down, con-
tinued to fire. The officers ordered their men
| to cease firing but the blood OF the wings
was warm and fire they would. Col. Shelby
then ordered the British to lay down their
arms. and the men would understand this as
a sign that they surrendered. This was done,
and the British were ordered to leave their
guns, most of which were loaded, and march
| to another place. The Wings then marched
up and took possession OF the enemy's camp.
] The victory was complete. Neither horse
nor man escaped. The whole force OF the
British amounted to eleven hundred and tWen-
ty-fve men, Of which number eleven hundred
and five fell into the hands OF the Wings.
Twenty were out on plundering expedition.
OF the eleven hundred and five taken by the.
Whigs, five hundred and five were either dead
or so badly wounded as not to be able TO be
moved. The Whig loss was twenty eight kill
Ell and sixty wounded. Everything pertaining
to the camp Of Ferguson fell into the hands OF
the Wings. Besides his provisions and camp
euuipage, the, Wings got a number OF splendid
horses and fifteen hundred stand Of arms, and
a supply Of powder and bullets: When the
patriots saw what they had achieved, they
raised shout which was heard for "seven
miles on the plain"
The Wings slept on the battlefield the night
after the fight. The next morning the dead
were hurriedly buried, the wounded Wings
cared for, the enemy's wagons burned, and the
patriots departed. Lacy and Hill marched
down into York county and encamped on
Bullock's Creek Campbell and the North
Carolinians took the prisoners and hastened TO
get beyond the mountains. AS they had
more prisoners than men, and as 1t was I'M
portant to save the captured: guns, the fints
were all removed and the prisoners made 10