The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-10-26

Kings Mountain. indeed. was. with
the exception of the gallant repuise of
the fest Of Sir Peter Parker from
Charleston barbor. in June, l776, the
first victory Of irnportancs gaiue.i by
The Colonial forces ai the South during
. war which hsd been going on for Fl We
years and . half. In the winter Of
IT'S the British overrsn Georgis and
Plorids and captured Savannah, which
the, held till the closs Of hostili. les
The following spring. st Baker Greek.
on the Ssvsunah, the Southern troops
ueder Lincoln were beaten by the
British General Provost. and lost about
1000 n1n. Is June Pssyos, again de-
fessed them II Stone Ferry, near
Chaxisstea In Octot Or an attempt OF
the combined Frepch and American
fascss 10 capture Savannah Was Re
pulsed with . vigor that broke the
attacking army TO fragments. Pulaski
bsaog among the slain In Nay. 1850.
Sir Henry Clinton besieged spd cap
turssi Charintn. nsking prisoners its
0000 defsnders. and taking 900 cannon
and all its provisions and stores. Then
be overrsn South Carolina as he hal
0eoseia sad fiofids. The entire
Southsrn army having thus disappeared
except few partisan rAnge:s under
Marion and Sumte', ensconced In the
swsmps, Washington sent another army
to the rescue. composed of most OF his
MARYLAND. Delaware aud Virginia
troops. undcr Gates. who had the pres
sige Of Saratoga to help him. Corn
wallis. with an inferior force. met
Gates's army at Camden. in South Car
olina. and routed it. s
Such vas the prelude Of Kings
Mountain. During two years the patriot
forces st ths South h.d bseD defeated
whenever they appeared N the field.
except. perhaps. in minor skirmishes.
Two aruiies, The army OF LINCOLN and
the army Of Gates. had been destroyed,
all the chief cities we're in the hands of
ths British, aud IS much Of the interior
- they CHOSE 10 occupy. CORVALLIS
found nothing moro to do with his
troops except to invade Nnth Carolina
and deliver il into thu L..ds OF the To-
ries. While executing this purpose. he
detached Major Ferguson. with force
Of about les men. in advance on the
same err.nd. But in arousing the 10y.
alists Of the mountain region. Corn wall
lie more efIsctually aroused the pstritos.
The lsttsr collected from ell quarters to
the number Of about two thousaad, and
the best armed and best mounted half
Of these undertook to intercept Fergu-
con. Alarmed at the uprising. that
officer hsstened to rejoin Corn wallis.
who had occupied Charlotte. in North
Carolina
Ferguson was oveFtaken at Kings
Mountain. an eminence in south Caro-
lins Close To the northern border. He
had uow something over q thousand
men with him. mostly recruits from the
loyalist iuhabitants These latter seem
to have bsen Of little assistance n him
and in . few hours fighting on the af-
ternoon Of October Z. 1850. nearly the
whole body was surrounded aud cap
,ured. about 450of them being wounded
or killed. The American loss was %
killed and GO wounded.
The action at Kings Mountain. then.
was 90 engagement ofs secondary order.
the cutting of Of q detached body aud
not q pitched battle Of main armies
Nevertheless. it had vast effect on the
conduct of the Carolipas. It gave Q
check 10 that Tory enllstment which
Vas going ou with n pidity, end threat
sned to swamp the patriot cause 81 the
South, II caused the potpopement of
Corpwsilis's plans 10 North Carolina.
Il aroused the mountain regions 20 take
part in the conflict which he'd now been
brought to their nsighborhood. Above
oil. it Was the first success at the South
afser years Of uniform disaster.