Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-09-25
S0VfH CAROLINA IN
YttB R&pQhUft0N
How the Spirit Of Liberty Was Kept Alive BY an
UncOnquerable People.
From the Yorkville Enquirer of 1876
INSTALLMENT XXXIV.
The Retreat of General Greene-Con-
tinued.

tinued.
General Greene hoped that the North
Carolina militia would be able to de-
tain the British at the Catawba long
enough to allow Morgan to get his
forces out of their reach. In this he
was. disappointed All that the militia
stationed at the fords of the Catawba
could effect, was to retard the prog
ress of the British so that the main
forces might gain time. Under the
circumstances all was done that could
be. Still it amounted to nothing. The
British crossed the river not without
loss, but the American gain amounted
to nothing.
So soon as the Guards under O'Hara
effected a crossing, the militia dis
persed in every direction. The place
some ten miles distant called Ter
rants Tavern, had been appointed as
a place of rendezvous. This fact Corn
wallis learned and sent Colonel Tarle-
ton with the cavalry to attack them
guns of the militia could not be fired
Tarleton came upon the militia at Ter
rants Tavern in a defenceless condi-
tion, killed few and put the whole to
rout. The loss was not great but it
discouraged the militia. Had its pow
der not been wet, the result would
have been. in all probability, very diff
ferent.
The two divisions of the British
army-the one under Webster which
crossed the Catawba at Beattie's ford
and the other under Earl CORVALLIS
which crossed at McCowan's ford
were again united on the second of
February about five miles from the
river on the road to Salisbury. From
this time the race began. The freedom
of the American colonies depended up
on the skill, endurance and persever-
ance of the forces under General
Greene The destiny of the thirteen
colonies was in their hands. Greene
was ill-provided with means to do
what he felt must be done or the
cause of his country would be hope
lessly ruined. Provisions were scarce,
the men were ragged, many of them
nearly naked and barefooted and there
was not a dollar in the money chest.
The only thing which was favorable
to Greene and promised success to his
undertaking, was the fact that he was
now in a community in which the Brit
iSh had few friends and the Americans
many. In no place in America were
there truer Wings than in the region in
which Greene had now entered and
through which he proposed to lead his
united forces Colonel Tarleton called
region around Charlotte, North Carroll
ma. has ever claimed to be, in partic-
ular sense. the birthplace of Amer
lean liberty. In North Carolina the
first blood in defence of American lib
erty was shed; in Charleston, s. c.,
the proposition was first made TO sever,
absolutely the ties which bound the
colonies to the mother country; but in
Charlotte, North Carolina, the first De-
claration of independence was drawn
up and signed
II is interesting to inquire into the
origin of this love of liberty which
characterized the people of that re-
gion. Things insignificant in the eye
of human wisdom often are the base
upon which mighty events are build
ed. The storm cloud which sweeps
with fury over half continent, filling
the hearts of man and beast with ter
ror, has its origin in tiny vapors which
cannot be discerned by human eye.
The events which terminate in the de-
throning of kings and the elevating of
beggars from the dust and investing
them with the insignia of royalty. Of
ten escape the observation of the null
titude. The men who by their swords
win the victory rarely begin the strife.
The Trojan war had its origin in a
wedding feast. Years rolled away be-
fore the clash of arms began. The
prime actor and apparent cause Of that
dreadful conflict spent his youthful
davs as humble shepherd, with no
higher ambition than To disperse
prowling robbers who preyed upon the
flncks of Mt Ida. Admitting that the
fatal apple. Paris, Helen and the Tro-
ian war had no actual existence but
We're the creations of the fertile brain
of Homer. still the names changed, the
leading events narrated by Homer
have transpired in many lands. If
American liberty was born and Graded
in the New World, it was conceived in
the Old World. The first man in
South Carolina who talked about Sc
voring absolutely and forever. the ties
which bound the American colonies to
the British throne was an humble
blacksmith.
In England at the time of the Res
toration i'm 1860, there lived two broth
ers by the name of Johnson. These
brothers became dissatisfied with the
political condition of affairs in their
native land and went 10 Holland
This was in 1862 or '63 In process "f
time. they came to America and one
If them settled in the city of New
York on OF near the spot where Trim
ity church now stands. on going to
Holland they exchanged the English
name. Johnson. for the Dutch, Tansen
on coming To America, they retained
for time their Dutch name. All THEN
land deeds were granted to Yansen and
not to Johnson. As, however. they
were amongst an English speaking
people they very naturally concluded
L. surrender their Dutch name and as
sumo their original name. Johnson
There was nothing vallainuus in this
1t was only what any other man would
have done. but it vitiated their title I,
their property, and that property
which today is worth. perhaps mil
lions. was C"ntisCated.
After this, some of the descendants
of these brothers came to Charleston
South Carolina. enc of them william
Johnson. was i'm Charleston in l1I6