Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-10-06
KINGS. MOUNTAIN.
Decisive Battle of American
Revolution.
Continued from First Page.

, and Hampton, were sent as commits
sioners to Governor Rutledge; and
Lacy and Hill, in the hope of forming
junction with General William Da-
wilson, led the army up the Catawba,
and crossed at TuckaSeege ford. Gov
ernor Nash, of North Carolina, had in
structed Colonel Williams (then Gene
raD to proceed in any direction and
operate against the enemy. His in
structions were very general, leaving
the whole matter to the discretion of
Williams himself. While the army,
consisting of about four hundred and
fifty men, then under the command of
Hill, Lacy and Williams, were on the
east side of the Catawba River, In the
neighborhood of Tuckaseege Ford, Will
liams' scouts brought the information
that a body Of back-mountain men
were already on the east side Of the
mountain, on their way to fight Fergu-
son. They Immediately crossed the
Catawba, at Beattie's Ford, with the
intention of going in pursuit Of Fer
guson. Here they were joined by Ma
jors Graham and Hambright, with
about seventy-five men, and not long
afterwards by Colonels Hammond and
Roebuck, and Majors Chronicle and
Hawthorne with about sixty men.
Williams had his scouts out watching
Ferguson. He was the more prompt
in doing this from the fact that his
home was on Little River, in what is
now Laurens county. This territory
was embraced in Ferguson's field of
operations. A consultation was held by
Williams, Hill, Lacy, Roebuck, Gra-
ham, Hammond, Hambright, Bran
non, Hawthorne, and Chronicle, as to
what should be done. 1t was at once
determined that messenger Should be
sent to communicate with the back
mountain men, to inform them with re-
gard to Ferguson's movements and his
place of encampment, and to make ar
rangements for the cooperation Of the
two forces. Colonel Edward Lacy,
whose home was a few miles north
west of the present town of Chester,
and who owned a large amount OF the
lands on which the town Of Chester Is
built, was chosen as the messenger. 1t
was good choice. Lacy was reckless
~ brave, and although rough man,
still, a man of good address. He was
Ia sterling Whig. 1t turned out that
the two camps were, at that time, six
ty miles apart; but Lacy never stop
ped a moment until, late at night, he
reached the camp of Campbell. This
was on the night of the 4th Of October.
Lacy was seized by the patroling par
ty, and, without ceremony, blindfolded.
He asked to be taken, without delay,
to the commanders quarters. lie was
at first regarded by all as a spy, and
had he not been true WhiS, and
shown it by every word and action he
would have paid the penalty in few
minutes.
That day, Campbell and his mountain
men had reached Gilbert Town, and
finding Ferguson had decamped, and
learning that he was gone to Ninety
Six, which had recently been repair
ed and reinforced, a council of war had
been held short time before Lacy ar
rived and it was concluded to abandon
the chase. Lacy then informed them
that Ferguson was in the neighborhood
of Cherokee Ford-that he was not
aiming to reach Ninety-Six; but his
point of destination was Charlotte,
North Carolina. They were urged to
annul the previous resolution of the
night, and meet the troops under Will
liams, Hill and other leaders, at place
called Cowpens, on the 9Th. This was
done, and after Lacy had fed his horse,
eaten a supper of what the partisan
camp could afford, and enjoyed a few
hours sleep on the ground, he was up
and away to join his command which
was now on it's way to Cowpens.
Let us leave the two armies and trace
On the 4th of October-the day that
Campbell and his men arrived at Gill
bert Town-Ferguson had broken up
his camp The deserters from Camp
bells command had informed him Of
what was going on. He knew the
men he had to deal with. He had met
some of them before. Wisely he con-
cluded that his safety depended on his
getting out of their way. 1t would not
be true to say that Ferguson was
frightened, for no Drawer man ever
lived or fought or died on battle
field; but he most aSSuredly felt that
he was in a critical situation. Corn
wallis had already perceived the dan
ger with which Ferguson was sur
rounded, and had ordered him to join
him at Charlotte. Ferguson now saw
that it would require all his skill to
reach that point. On breaking up his
camp at Gilbert Town, he sent two
tories-Abe Collins and Peter Quinn
to CORVALLIS at Charlotte, to inform
to request aid. The messengers were
hindered on the way by the presence Of
Wings in the neighborhood, and did not
reach Charlotte until the 7th; conse-
quently, the aid was not received.
Ferguson, on leaving Gilbert Town,
made the impression that he was go
ing to Ninety-Six, and when Campbell
and his party arrived at Gilbert
Town. they were told that Ferguson
was distant fifty or sixty miles. This
was a feint. On the fourth of Octo-
ber, Ferguson camped at the Cowpens,
about twenty miles from Gilbert Town.
~. \
Tate's Ferry, near where the Air Line
railroad now crosses Broad river, and
spent the night about mile above
the ferry. On the 9Th, he pushed on up
the ridge road, between Kings creek
and Buffalo creek, until he came to the
fork near Whitaker station on the Air
Line railroad. There he took the right
prong, leading across Kings creek,
through a pass in the mountain, and
on in the direction of Yorkville. Here,
a short distance after crossing Kings
creek. on the right of the road, about
two hundred and fifty yards from the
pass in the mountain, on an eminence
which he claimed, in honor of his maj
esty, to have called Kings Mountain,'
and which still retains the name, he
encamped. determined to remain until
his reinforcements from CORVALLIS
would arrive.
From Gilbert Town to Kings Noun
tain, he evidently was retreating. He
felt that he had terrible foe to deal
with. He begged. he entreated the
tories and loyalists to turn out and
render him assistance. Finding that
gentle measures accomplished nothing,
he threatened to hang them if they did
not shoulder their muskets and march
against the rebels. His threats were as
L. n
irving at Kings Mountain, he granted
some of the tories and royalists per-
mission to go into the surrounding
country for the purpose of beating up
recruits.
The inha bitants of the region sur
rounding Kings Mountain, were, with
few exceptions, tories. These recruit