The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-06-21
gave up the battle and fled in -dismay
through the forest, AMI the victory was
RESULTS OF OUR VICTORY.


through the forest, AMI the victory was
ours.
RESULTS OF OUR VICTORY.
All the histories of this battle agree
hat If it had not been for Robertson
Ind Sewer the. American army would
nave been taken by surprise and shot
,r tomahawked in their tents; and
,hese histories, also, all agree that it was
he attack OF the East Tennesseeans on
he Indian rear, at nightfall, that ended
he battle in our favor.
Historians, also, believe that If the
American army had been massacred at
Point Pleasant it wonld have so embold-
sned the Indians that general upris
ing would have resulted, from Canada to
the Gulf of Mexico, and that so ter.
rible would have been the war that the
breaking out of the American Revolution
would have been indefinitely postponed |;
and that postponement might have
been accompanied by discords and
jealousies and rivalries that would have
forever prevented the union of the col.
onies. Indeed, it is charged, with good
that the British had melted the
Indians to begin this war in order to
show the Americans that they needed
British help; and the Americans be,
lieved that the British governor had
ordered our army to Point Pleasant ex.
pressly to give the Indians chance to
surround and destroy it. So it was,
after the battle the Americans made
these charges against the British, and
pledged each other to 20 to their re-.
spective colonies, and urge the people
to strike for independence. This, re
member, was in October, 1774, and the
next spring the war of the American
began. Indeed, the his
torian Howe says that "this battle was
really the beginning of the Revolution.
airy war"
RESULTS OF DRYBAT.
Now, suppose the East Tennessee sol
diers had not been at Point Pleasant
our army there would have been mas
sacred. and as result of that massacre
and the resulting Indian war, the day
of our independence would have been
indefinitely postponed, and there ID
good reason to believe that such post
ponement would have resulted in such
disagreements, differences, contentious
rivalries, jealousies and other hin
ORANGES to organized unity, that when
we did strike for independence it would
have been not a. one nation and al
the same time. but as several nations
and at different times; not o. thu
United States Of America, but as the
dis-united states Of America; and II
that case the republic Of George Wash
ineton would never have been born
Truly has it been said that
"The massive 60 81 OF circumstance
returned upon the smallest hinge.
And thus some seem ng petty chance
Oft gives our LIE is alter tirgsp
1t is, indeed, hard to believe that tn,
destiny of our country turned upon 81
small a hinge as the presence Of fift,
men from East Tennessee, and vet tn
history OF nations lie 30 full of sucl
hinges that it has been said that Go,
governs nations, not with his hand, blu
with his little finger!
Look on your map, and see what a
awful journey it must have been il
those days to have marched so man
miles, over 30 many mountains, throug
so many forests, across 80 many creek
and rivers, amidst go many hostile In
dams, without roads, carrying their ow
provisions and their own ammunition
But those men were God-sent on a me
mentous mission, and gloriously the
did their duty. They saved our arm
at Point Pleasant, on that awful Octo
Der day, and there kindled the fire Q
American liberty whose flame ha
grown brighter and brighter until no,
it enlightens the whole world.
THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION.
The year after the battle at Poin
Pleasant, the war of the revolution
broke out. This war, however, was n
picnic 1t was battle, bloodshed, hare
Ship, death, defeat, starvation, diseas,
poverty, suffering Of a Thousand kind
England was q powerful enemy: he
fleets swept our sea-coast with fire an
sword; and her armies ravsged tow
and country. More than five years ha
the war lasted Georgia and South Care
lima had been subdued; the city q
New York was in posses iion Of tn
British troops; Lord CORVALLIS ha
defeated the American army in Mort
Carolina, and was blowing that stat
from east to west with the famin
plowshare of war. Benedict Arnol
had turned traitor; q dark cloud hun
over our country's sky; deep .ir WI
gnawing at the heart Of Washington
and the angel Of hope seemed to b
pluming her wings to fly away.
EAST TENNBssRANs TO THE RESCUE.
At this dark period, when defeat ",
staring as in the face, and no one kne
whittier to turn for help, Major Fergv
son, of the British army, annoyed b.
cause he found some East Tennessear
among the North Carolina troops, SCI
word over the mountains to US, that
we did not behave ourselves over bel
he would come over aud hang our lea,
ers on the nearest trees. Col. John 8
vier, who was the fret governor Of Tel
nessee, and Col. Isaac Shelby, who b.
came the first governor of Kentuck
were then neighbors in upper East Tel
nessee, and soon heard Of Major Ferg
sons insulting threat. They at on,
jumped into their saddles, and notifis
their countrymen of their danger, ar
ordered meeting at the Syc
more Shoals on the Watau,
river. Every messenger they sel
out was ordered to make a messeng
out Of every man he met, and the
men in their turn we're to appoint mt
sengers. As result in a few days m,
were riding in every direction, shoutil
to the people il the fields and to Il
people in the cabins, "Our country lie
dangerl The British are threatening