Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-11-06
SOVFA eAR0ht&A M
YaE REVOLUTION
How the Spirit of Liberty Was Kept Alive By an
UncOnQuerable People.
From the Yorkville Enquirer Of 1875
INSTALLMENT XLvH.
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The village of Cambridge was sit
uated in the southeast corner OF the
present county OF Abbeville. In d.
rect line 1t was about twenty miles
nearly due east from the site Of Abbe-
Vile court house; six miles west of the
Saluda river. and about one half mile
north of the line which divides the
counties of Abbeville and Edgefeld. A
short time prior to the Revolutionary
war, the name Cambridge" had been
exchanged for that OF Ninety-Six.
Tradition has preserved two reasons
for this change OF name. The one Is
that Cambridge was ninety-six miles
distant from Fort Prince George. The
other Is that at one time after the
Indians had planned massacre Of the
frontier settlers, an Indian girl mount
ed a horse and rode, in one day and
part of a night, ninety-six miles TO
give the white settlers warning Of the
impending danger The point at
which she communicated to the whites
the contemplated outbreak Of the In
dians was Cambridge. From this
circumstance, says one tradition the
name OF Cambridge was exchanged for
that Of Ninety-Six.
At an early period in the settlement
OF the up-country. Cambridge or Nine
ty-Six became a place Of Importance
second to none other in the state OF
South Carolina. To protect the from
tier settlers against the attacks Of the
Indians the place was fortified. From
time to time as necessity demanded,
these fortifications were improved.
When the difficulties between the
colonies and mother country began to
assume a threatening aspect, Ninety
Six became the scene OF bloody con-
fiicts between Wings and loyalists.
The region around Ninety-Six was the
most populous and perhaps 1t maybe
said the most wealthy section in the
up-country previous to the Revolution.
1t had been the abode Of wild Indians,
who made anything else than agreea-
BILE neighbors to the Europeans resid-
ing In the interior OF the state.
A special effort was made to induce
white settlers to take possession OF
this region of country. Grants OF one
and two hundred acres Of land, on
terms the most favorable, were made
to any one who would occupy them.
The region was represented as one Of
fabulous fertility. The result was that
both the ambitious and the needy were
attracted to the new country. Popula-
ton of all kinds flowed In from various
quarters. Ruffians of the vilest sort
and bands of lazy free hooters, flocked
into the region. The frequent out
breaks of the Indians gave these out
laws the semblance of a pretext for
making attacks upon the property Of
their Industrious neighbors. House
breaking and horse and cattle stealing
became common occurrences. The law
was powerless and every one went to
bed at night with the dread on his mind
that before morning his property would
be raided upon by these desperadoes
To meet the exigencies Of the case, the
more respectable of the community or
ganized themselves for the purpose OF
mutual protection. Without the ordi-
nary forms of law. these organized
bands proceeded to inflict summary
punishment upon all offenders who
came into their hands. That which was
at first organized with the design Of
promoting only the public good was
soon abused. Individuals undertook
under the cloak Of correcting public
wrong, to punish private injuries. The
good of the whole was forgotten In
Furnishing individual wrongs. The re-
suit was that those who had no con-
nection with the lawless raiders who
infested the region, were often seized
and punished to appease the hatred OF
some private individual. Neighbors
soon began to cherish towards each
other bitter animosities and the whole
country was thrown into state Of
anarchy and confusion.
In 1866. Governor Montague and the
council sent man by the name Of SEQ
vile to adjust the difficulties which ex-
listed between the settlers. Scovil
proved to be an unprincipled villain
and instead of establishing peace,
came very near bringing on civil
war.
In 1869, a court Of justice was estab-
lished at Ninety-Six. The seeds Of
hatred and strife had however, been
sown broadcast, and had germinated
and were flourlshing with a growth
too vigorous to be checked by the
forms of law. Regulator and Scovilite
continued until 1775, when the former
was exchanged for that Of Whig and
the latter for that Of Tory or loyalist.
For a period Of twenty years, null
titudes on each side had been nursing
their wrath. Each party charged the
other with opprobious epithet Of cow
ard: but truth demands that we say
that neither deserved the title. They
were brave-in many instances cruelty
so. Every circumstance, both in the set
tlement of the region and on the inter
course of the settlers with each other,
conspired to make the war In that COM
munity fierce. The main object the
British had in garrisoning Ninety-SK
was to keep up their intercourse with
the Indians. The power OF the savages
had been broken. but their fierce spir-
its has not been subdued. The Brit
ish fed the flames Of revenge which
still blazed in the bOsoms OF these
grossly wronged. but desperately crue.
sons of the forest. The fortiflcations
Of Ninety-Six were erected in the forks
Of the two roads. One Of these roads
led from Charleston by the way OF
Saxegotha to Ninety-Six. The other
road led from Augusta, Ga, to Ninety
Six. A short distance north Of the
fortificatiOn was the town. On the
west of the fertilization was small
stream by which the garrison was fur
nished with water. On the west bank
Of this stream on a slight eminence was
a stockade, and on the east bank OF
this stream was the jail, which was
also fortified and garrisoned. On the
northeast of the village was erected
- .tor obapad redOuht This WAS the