Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-01-24
Straps If gutal Aisturp.
"REMINISCENCES OF YORK.
BY DR.. MAURICE A. MOORE.
From the Yorkville Enquirer, 1870.
rOIONEI, WILLIAM HILL


| flour mills and a carding factory. They
were owned by William Hill. These works
were most important enterprise and an
| incalculable benefit to the whole vicinity.
The loss of them when burnt by the tories
of Ferguson's command, was felt by farm
ers and soldiers of the surrounding country,
| to be the bitterest blow the enemy could
have inflicted. The farmers knew not where
to obtain the implements necessary to till
the soil, and feared they might be forced to
return to the wooden plough. The latter
missed the ordnance obtained from the
forge to visit vengeance on the foe, who was
daily harrassing their friends and country:
So, more than one good Presbyterian echoed
"Amen" to Elder John Miller, who when
sometime after the event, being desired to
pray, with all solemn fervor said "Good
| Lord, our God who art in heaven, we have
reason to thank Thee for the many favors
received at Thy hands, the many battles
that has been won. There is one great and
glorious battle Of Kings Mountain, where
we kilt the great Ginerai Ferguson and took
Ramseur's and Williamson's, and the ever
memorable and glorious battle OF the Coo
pens, TCowpens] where we made the proud
| GinerN TarletOn run doom down the road
helter shelter; and Good Lord, if ye had na'
suffered the cruel tories to burn Belly Hett's
TBilly HIPS iron-works, we would ne
have asked ony MAR favors at thy hand.
Amen"
Hill was staunch Whig from the begin
ming of the contest. He and Neal were
elected the Colonels of a regiment from
York. ct was then required of each regi-
ment to have two officers of that grade).
He was throughout the war an active pat
riot. He fought at Williamson's, where
Houck was defeated and killed; bore most
conspicuous part in our effort at Rocky
Mount, and the gallant incident l now re-
late, had it been performed by Putnam or
some other Yankee hero, would have been
chrOnicled in every cOmmon-scho0l reader
in the United States.
Our men had, after three attempts, driven
the garrison of Col. TrumbulPs New York
tories into some log houses which served
them as fort, from which our men could
not dislodge them by assault for want of
artillery. Gen. Sumter conceived the plan
of "fighting the devil with fire." and called
for two men, as fororn hope, to execute it.
The volunteers for this desperate service
were Col. William Hill and Adjutant Jem-
nv Johnson. The duty was to run to large
rock which stood within the abatis, each
carrying an armful of light-WOod. When
they reached this rock, they could screen
themselves behind it safely, and from thence
throw the lighted wood on the roof of a
building adjoining the log fort. One hun
dred yards did these men run in the face of
the enemy, the guns of the latter bearing
directly on them the whole distance. They
gained the shelter unhurt. Hill watch led
the enemy while Johnson ignited the pine
and threw the burning brands on the top OF
the nearest house. The tories soon perceiv-
ing their design, detail sailed forth and
drove them from their position. They ran
back to our lines, not under the fire of the
portfolios only, but:that of the detachment
that had come out against them: A merci-
full Providence surely protected them; for
and even locks Of hair cut from their heads,
vet they were unscathed. A heavy rain
falling extinguished the flames thus hazard
Ousy kindled, and Sumter ordered the firing
to cease, gave up the attempt and fell back
to Landstord
At the hard fought battle of changing
Rock" Colonel Hill borea part and received
a wound in the wrist. In fact, he and his
regiment were under General Sumter to the
end of the Revolution, and shared in all his
stirring campaigns, always enjoying the en-
tire confidence and affection of the "Game
Cock"
History still owes to the memory of Col.
William Hill an important debt, for though
named in her records, his sacrifices and ef-
forts in the great cause Of freedom have
never yet received their due need of praise.
Well may the shades Of our partizan lead
ers cry
''IIe that doth public good to the multitude
Finds that few are truly grateful
hope biography of this valuable Revo-
lutionary hero may yet be written, for sure
ly the incident at Rocky Mount would con-
stitute him one, without the many other
deeds of valor which Wreathe the laurel for
his brow. am aple to give but meagre
outline. My materials are two imperfect
and faulty-my memory too treacherOus
to touch but lightly the theme. Neitehr
does it come within the scope of these
"Reminiscences" to undertake so arduOus Il
task. therefore leaveit to those who come
after me to do the noble Roman justice."'
After the Act of 1885, establishing the
County Courts, he was elected one OF the
seven Judges. BY the Act of 1871, when
the number of County Court Justices was
reduced to three, William Hill, Alexander
Moore and John McLanahan "Were elected
by joint nomination by the Senate and
House of Representatives" "and administer
ed the law for years, and l do not remem-
Der to have ever heard, in after days, COM
plaint of wrong received at their hands,
while occupying this position.
In 1899 the County Court system was
abolished and the people showed their af-
fection for and confidence in Colonel Hill,
by sending him as one of their representa-
tives to the General Assembly.
He was a man of strong native talent,
with few early advantages, ShreWd acute
ness and firm integrity of purpose: He
was a man Of wealth, amassed mostly by
his own energy The much lamented IRON
works were rebuilt by him after the war,
and were a source of considerable revenue
l remember him "in the sere and yellow
leaf"-when he was above seventy years,
but not showing any great intirmity from
age-a thin old man of medium height
He was then in Yorkville on visit of eth
er pleasure or business He left four sons
and two daughters. Gen. d. II. Hill is a
descendant, on whom the mantle OF his
grandsire has happily fallen.
In his old age Col. Hill wrote history or
Sumter's campaigns, but it was never pub
| liShed. l have seen the Ms. The events
are we'll told, and if prejudices ran too high
! toward some parties, in some pages, per-
haps he knew better than others of what ne
wrote. In consequence of some of the al
lusions contained in the manuscript, his
heirs considerably prevented its publlca-
ton. He died on his plantation at the iron
works and was buried in Bethel graveyard.
ALEXANDER MOORE.
Alexander Moore, of whom | have spo-
ken as one of the colleagues of Hill III 119l,
was the son of James Moore and Rachel
Black, his wife. They were among the
original ScOtch-Irish settlers of York. AL
eXander was born in Pennsylvania, being
child several years of age when isfather re-
moved to this State. He was the eldest OF a