Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-03-27
HAYWOOD'S
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
TcoNTINUED FROM LAST WEEK. |

TcoNTINUED FROM LAST wEEK.l
In this pursuit Capt. Inman was killed,
bra,ely fighting the enemy hand to
haud. Shelby commanded the right
wing in this action; Col. Clarke the
left, and Col Williams the centre. The
victorious troops mounted their horses,
determined to he in Ninety Six, at that
time weak British post, before night,
it being less than Thirty miles distant
At that moment an express from Col
NJ 'Dowel arrived in great haste, with
short letter in his hand from Gov. Cas-
well, dated on the battle ground, ap
pri-lng M'Dourl of the defeat of the
grand army under Gen. Gates, On the
10th. near Camden, advising him to get
out oI the way, for that the enemy
would, no doubt, endeavor to improve
their ictory to the grentest advantage
by cutting up all the small corps of the
American armies. Gov. Caswell 3 hand
was known to Sh lby, and he instantly
saw the difficulty of his situation. He
did not know how to avoid the enemy
in the rear, wearied out as his men and
horses were, epcumbered with more
than two hundred British prisoners
taken in the action. Owing to the in
formation contained in Gov. Caswell's
lett i, the loss of the enemy in killed and
wounded was not ascertained. but must
have been very great. The prisoners
were Immediately distributed among
the companies, so as to make one to
every three men, who carried them al
ternately on horse back, directly to
wards the mountains. Shelby marched
all that day and night, and the next
day untl late in the evening. without
ever stopping to refresh. This long and
rapid retreat, saved his troops, for they
were pursued until late in the evening
of the second day by Major Dupoister
and strong body of mounted men
from Ferguson 8 army, who being then
broken down by excessive fatigue in
hot weather, were obliged to give up
the chase. Col. Shelby, after seeing
the party and prisoners out of danger,
retreated across the mountains to the
western waters, leaving the prisoners
with Clarke and Williams. to convey
them to some place of safety in the
north; for it was not known to Shelby
or to them, that there was even the ap
pearance of an American corps embod
led anywhere south of the Potomac.
So great was the panic after Gates de-
feat, and Sumter's disaster, that
NJ Dowel's whole army broke up, and
himself, with few hundreds of his
followers, retreated west of the noun
tains. The action on the Enoree, at
Musgrove's Mill, last an hour and u
half, during which time Shelby s men
Icy SO Close behind their breastw ork
that the enemy entirely over shot them,
80 that he lost but six or seven men
killed. Ferguson, with the main body
of his army, performed a rapid march
to overtake the prisoners before they
should cross the mountain, but finding
his efforts vain, he took post at place
called Gilberttown, whence he sent a
most threatening message by paroled
prisoner, Samuel Phillips, if the officers
west of the mountains, should not bury
their opposition to the British Govern
ment, that he would march his army
over and burn and lay waste their
country. On the receipt of this mes
sage, Shelby rode fifty or sixty miles to
see Col. Sewer and to concert with him
measures to meet the approaching crisis.
They, at the end of two days, came to
the conclusion that each of them should
raise all the forces he could, march
hastily through the mountains, and en-.
deavor to surprise Ferguson in his
camp; they hoped to cripple him 80 at
to prevent his crossing the mountains
They appointed the day and place fol
their men to rendezvous near Watauga
Col. Sewer undertook to bring NJ Dowel
with him, as also sundry other field of
ficers who had retreated to the west oil
the mountains, and to induce them
with their followers, to cooperate in
the plan. To Col. Shelby, it was left
to obtain the assistance of Col. Camp
bell, of Washington County, in Vir
ginia, if he possibly could. Shelby
hurried home and wrote to Campbell
by his brother, Moses Shelby, stating
the plan which had been agreed on, so
Letting his aid; he did not at once ap
prove it, but thought it best for him tC
march with his troops by the way o.
Flower Gap, and to get in the southern
borders of Virginia, ready to Oppose
Lord CORVALLIS when he should ap
proach that State. But rejecting OF
the subject, and receiving seconC
message from Shelby, with additiona
reasons in support of the proposition
he thought proper to inform Shelb!
that he would join them with his Who'll,
force; that he would come to Colone
Shelby s house and go with him to tn,
rendezvous bile his men should marcl
down a nearer way, by the Wataug,
road.
1t was at this dark and gloomy perio,
of the revolutionary war, that man,
of the best friends of the American Gov
ernment submitted to the British au