The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-26

it now promises to stand many more
years as a warning TO any VINO mlsnt
invade our American Rights n deIy
the Stars and Stripes. for soon after
The battle OF Kings Mountain on Sep |
tember Z, 1880. where the Wilkes
patriots were the means OF turning
the fortunes Of the Revolution In ia
vor of the United States, traditloh
saws that Ben. Cleveland banged three
Tories that he had captured.
In the following address. MI. II. =
I.andon. general manager Of the new
Watauga & Yadkin River Railroad,
which might be we'll termed the pio-
neer railroad following near the
Boone Trail into Watauga, turned
over the Tory Oak to the wilkes
Valley Guards Of the Q. D. {. to De
their special care and under tneir
| protection in the future
Ben Cleveland.
I'VE are making trails of some klno
daily. and they should always be ones
we could point TO with pride,
This afternoon you unVelled a
marker of the Daniel Boone pathway
toward Kentucky. He was the great
est of our early pioneers who sought
| the freedom Of the forests. Now we
are in reality unwilling a marker or
another sort, but Of equal if not great
err importance. The preservation OF
this ancient oak links the past OF the
| DI0SoIiI, COII1ltSlS Tx NCiAoAS "
the heroes Of the war for liberty with
things Of today.
These ceremonies are in a mea-
sure educators, for these markers or
monuments excite an interest in the
history of our county that nothing
else a do.
81 had never heard of Ben Cleve-
land and his proves except possibly
IN an incidental way, yet he took a
very prominent part in the war for
liberty.
when my attention was called to
this tree l began to investigate.
"The deeds of Swamp COX Marion,
Light Horse Harry Lee n others
had fired our youthful inauguration,
but Ben Cleveland and his associ-
ates had played fully as important
part after the fall Of Charleston. The
British commander wrote to- his chle1
that he had practically pacified Geo
gia, Alabama n the Carolinas. i
was also about this time through the
, assistance of Cleveland and his hardy
; mountaineers that they began theil
campaign that finally ended with tn
3 defeat OF Ferguson at Kings Moun
tain and made Yorktown possible
Cleveland was responsible for tn
formation Of Wilkes county, and a
this tree marks the spot where tw'
;, Of his prominent actions took plac,
> his monument should forever max
CL1S an historical spot.
: 1T may seem foolish to come t
mark these historical places, but yo1
= will find that this old tree and tn
Boone r marks will give Wilkes
boro greater fame than anything els
2 you a do unless o discover NOR
interesting history.
"You are also teaching your boy
u and girls patriotism in reviewing th
' works Of their fighting ancestors an
e to be ready defenders Of their countr
y in times OF need.
8 at is not the desire to teach ths
war is proper. Every effort shout
be made to avoid it. In this preser
le age, as in the past; We must de
~ our citizens by other means II DO:
~ sible, but when everything else fai
- we should ave, and do have. til
- citizenship to defend our rights.
~ L teach patriotism is to inspil
ambition. The proper kind of amb
ton means success and after all tn;
is our aim.
OF Ben Cleveland was born May Got
We 1913, in Virginia. Cleveland, lii
e Boone whose friend he was early
life. became a mighty hunter, tt
school that makes the sturdy fghte
He married a Miss Mary Graves.
Orange county, but history recort
rs the fact that his hunting life hs
e. made him reckless and not only reel
less but rather dessolute. Maria.
u did not reform him. He still love
as gambling, horse racing and wild fro
licking common to the frontier.
n Fighting of The Tories.
He resolved, however, to refor
p and did the best thing in the wor
I'll in getting ava from his old ass
of ciates and in moving to North Car
Id lima, and not only to North Carolil
but to a place in the Yadkin Riv
Or, Valley and later in Wilkes count
a. This place is only about fifteen mil
3. below WilkesbOro and became the
nous Round About Plantation.
ass This was in 1869. His hunt,
en- prOclivities still kept alive, and
* followed Daniel Boone into kentucl
ne where game was reported to be pie
b. tiful. In February, 1916, the Hig
I'M land, or Scotch Tories of Cross Gre,
,as raised the British standard, but. 3
For Cleveland and his followers Quick
he put an end to this revolt. In I
al, autumn of 1876 Captain Cleveland 2