Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-08-14
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How the Spirit of Liberty Was Kept Alive BY an
UncOnquerable People.
BY REV. ROBERT LATHAM. ID. ID.
From the Yorkville Enquirer of 1876
INSTALLMENT XIII.
The Retreat From Charlotte.

| INSTALLMENT XIII
The Retreat From Charlotte.
The battle of Kings Mountain was
the turning point in the Revolutionary
war. We do not mean that up to that
time the British had always been sue
cessful and after that the Americans
were victorious in every engagement.
Before the battle of Kings Mountain,
the British had been steadily gaining
ground; not so much by gaining signal
victories as by wearing out the Amer
leans and exhausting their resources.
The American army, ever In a crippled
condition, was gradually but surely,
becoming weaker with each successive
year. The people generally had be-
come depressed in spirit. The treas
ury of the country, never full, was
now empty; the credit of the country,
never great was almost worthless.
Congress was expected to do much
for the relief of the suffering army,
but 1t could do absolutely nothing.
Georgia and South Carolina were to
all human appearances, hopelessly con-
auered. Gates was ruined and Corn
wallis was on his way to flank WASH
ington.
Because no titled officer led-veteran
hosts against Ferguson at Kings
Mountain, the affair has been treated
| by American historians as a mere
/ r,1o
saved Washington and 1t saved Amer
lea from British tyranny. Had the
heroes Of Kings Mountain failed, as
did Gates at Camden and Cornwallis
been permitted to pass Charlotte, the
American rebellion would have re-
suited as have most Of the Irish rebel
lions 1t would have riveted the chains
of British domination upon the Wings
of America and the Stars and Stripes
would today have only legendary ex-
istence Whether South Carolina and
North Carolina enjoy the blessings of
America liberty or not, they did more
to secure 1t than any two states in the
Union. This is said dispassionately,
with the full conviction of its abso-
lutte truth. The history Of other Sec
tions of the Union has been written and
re- written. The lives Of those who
acted nobly on other battle fields con-
stitute the nursery tales of the region
in which they were born, whilst the
names of Campbell, Shelby, Chronicle,
Sewer, Williams, Lacey Hill, Roebuck
and Hambright are scarcely known in
American history. The place that
marks the resting place of Williams Is
unknown, and miserable undressed
stone, marks the place where sleeps
the dust of William Chronicle, John
Mattocks, William Robb and John
Boyd. Multitudes of those who fell
at Kings Mountain are unknown to
history. Their very names are forgot
ten. Their noble deeds still remain.
Cornwallis had actually commenced
his march from Charlotte towards
Virginia When the news, vague and
unsatisfactory as it was, reached Char
lotte, that the Wings were preparing
to attack Ferguson, CORVALLIS delay
ed his onward movement until he
would received satisfactory intelli-
gence from Ferguson. The unwel-
come news was brought that Ferguson
had been actually attacked and COM
pletely defeated. To learn the true
state of the case, Tarleton with a
very considerable force was sent out
on the 10th of October. On the same
day at Smiths Ford, on the Catawba,
Tarleton received certain intelligence
of Ferguson's fate. Not long after, the
facts were communicated to Cornwall
lis.
II was a sad blow to the British
and CORVALLIS felt it. He saw at once
that it was impossible to advance.
Rumor declared that the same undisci-
plined yeomanry who had out-gener-
aled and out fought the brave Fergu-
son, were Fastening to make an attack
upon Cornwallis at Charlotte. Fear
invaded the British camp, and on the
night of the 14th of October, Cornwall
lis began to retreat Instead OF con-
quering North Carolina, he now be-
gan to fear lest North Carolina would
capture him. The country was full of
Wings. The fighting men Of Fairfield,
Lancaster, Chester and York, except
those in camp with Hill and Lacey on
Bullock's creek, York county, were
scattered over Mecklenburg and Row
an counties, North Carolina. These
men were ready to join any expedition
under any chieftain, who would lead
them against the enemy.
When CORVALLIS set out from Char
lotte he had no particular point In
view. The place where he would be
safe from the attacks Of the invincible
Scotch-Irish was the best spot on
earth He was forced to direct his
movements in conformity with the cir
cumstances by which he was sur
rounded. No doubt, Camden was the
point of destination in his mind when
he quilted Charlotte, but he found the
way thither blocked by the Wings who
had collected in considerable force at
New Providence and Waxhaw.
The night on which CORVALLIS left
Charlotte he met with many inconven-
fences and considerable loss. For more
than ten days, 1t had been wet and
was still raining. The roads were bad
and the creeks and rivers were swol-
len. CORVALLIS employed a wealthy
Scotchman by the name Of William
McCafferty to act as a guide to the
retreating army. The Scotchman was
not we'll informed with respect to the
roads and made great blunders,
The Wings followed in the wake OF
the retreating foe, and before the
morning of the 18th relieved the Brit
ish of much of their baggage. Twenty
wagons loaded with army supplies and
printing press, fell into the hands Of
the Wings. All the baggage belonging
to Tarleton's troops fell into the hands
of the Americans. This was bad
enough, but it was not the worse thing
connected with that nights retreat.
Many a Briton and Tory was made
to bite the ground. No straggler from
the main body was safe