The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-06-21
OF British and tories were stationed,
and they turned their faces in that di.
roctiou ".
BArrLE,oF KINGS MOUNTAIN.

and they turned their faces in that di.
rection.
BATTLE,oF KINGS MOUNTAIN.
Ferguson heard Of their approach,
and climbed small mountain which
he called Kings mountain, in honor of
the British king, and thence sent q DIS
patch to Lord CORVALLIS that he was
intrenched on Kings mountain, and
that "all the rebels out Of hell
could not drive him from it."
The Americans captured the
dispatch, and hurried on. Soon Kings
mountain was in sight, and the. red flag
of England floating above it. The
Americans surrounded the mountain,
and the battle at once began, Then
our East Tennesseans raised that ter
rible yell which the Confederates used
during the rebellion. The woods and
the valleys seemed filed with men, and
our rifemen kept up an incessant and
deadly fire, fighting behind trees,
stumps and rocks, Indian fashion.
When the British would charge down
one side OF the mountain, the Ameri-
cans would charge up on the other
side. Shelby and Sewer ordered their
men to retreat and scatter when
charged, but to return to the attack as
soon as the charge was spent. This
they did, yelling wildly and necessarily
all the time, until the British believed
they were ten times more numerous
than they were. As one of the British
officers afterward said: ut seemed as
if all the devils out Of hell we're there"
The British were at length worn out
with vain charging first down one side
of the mountain then down the other
side, the mountain men keeping out Of
reach of their bayonets, but shooting
them down all the time. Twice the
white flag OF surrender was raised, but
Major Ferguson, who was as brave as Q
lion, cut IL down with his sword. AL
that one man could, he did, riding from
one end Of his line to the other, blow.
ing silver whistle to let his men know
he was there. At last the fatal bullet
from an East Tennessee rife struck him,
and he fell dead from his horse. Then
Du Puyster. took command and at once
run up the white flag, and the battle
was over. The whole British army sur.
rendered. And thus was won not only
q most decisive victory but thesdefeat
at the Alamance was revenged; fol
many of the men who fought at Ala
nance were soldiers in our victorious
army at Kings mountain.
RRsULE OF OUR VICTORY.
Tremendous was the effect Of this vic
tory. CORVALLIS, who commanded the
main British army, at once began . re-
treat. The Americans in South Caro-
lima and in North Carolina were filled
with new hope. Greene collected 9
large army. Several other victories
were gained. CORVALLIS retreated te
Yorktown, in Virginia, and there in {
few days he was hemmed in by French
fleet on the sea side and by Genera
Washington's army on the land side
and soon surrendered his whole force
And thus, in the space of one shor
A year, the victory at Kings mountain
lifted the cause of our country from thu
lowest depths Of dependency and de
feat to the very summit of success. Tn,
eurrender of CORVALLIS at yorktown
ended the war, and England acknowl
edged our independence.
ALI historians are agreed that the vic
tory OF our East Tennessee mountain
men at Kings mountain was the turn
ing point in the war of the Revolution
and as appropriate evidence that Eas
Tennessee is entitled to the credit Q
that momentous victory, the sword sui
rendered by Du Puyster at Kings noun
tain is in our state library, in the capi
toll at Nashville.
THE WAR OF 1912.
In 1912, we had another war wit
England, and this was a war no Amer
can can remember with pride. ltlbt
gan on the north by the .cowardly sui
,, render of our largest army, the surrer
der of Detroit by Hull. The BIRTHS
actually captured the city of Washing
ton. and burnt the very capitol of tn
nation, and scattered and destroyed tn
official records OF our country. Gu
, President, the President of the Unite
!, States, was fugitive from the seat (
government.
So bold and confident did the BIRTHS
,, become that they actually determine
to capture portion of our territory
!, That great region west Of the Missil
: sippi river we had then recently q,
: quired from France. France sold II I
! US to prevent England from capturin
. it. England, you know, took Csnad
. from the French; and che wanted
take Louisiana, also, but We got
!, ahead OF her. And now she saw hi
opportunity for both conquest end I,
venge. The British army in Europ
under Lord Wellington, had Just d
9 feated one Of the best armies Of Nap
' leon Bonaparte, and England was no
!. the conqueror Of conquerors. Believir
J. that the men who defeated the soldie
9 Of Napoleon could defeat anybody, ,st
I sent an army of them, in q great fee
4 to conquer Louisiana and cut our coul
Q try in two, on the line of the Mississippi
|. river, and thus put q Canada on OF
]. west as well as on our north.
EAST TENNESSEE AGAIN TO THE REscu
i, What did our country do in tn,
+ tremendous emergency? She called Q
l. the people Of East Tennessee to raj
9 to her rescue-and rally they did. @
d to New Orleans they hurried, some Q
d foot, some on horseback, some on q,
l. boats, all ready to risk their lives
q driving back the invaders. The bait
It of New Orleans was fought, fought 9
n most alone by Tennesseans and we VIC
'e the victory. The men OF these noun
s. aims met and conquered the brave
n and best soldiers of Europe
g that great battle, and thereby BEGAN
le entitled to the record in history as Il
n champion heroes OF the world.
10 That battle would never have be,