The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-11-02

the time say "with halters around theiI
necks." One of them, Col. Isaac Hayne,
was captured, and after a summary
court-martial was hanged at Charles
ton by the orders of Tarleton.
Major Ferguson was sent by Corn.
wallis to South Carolina with 1,200
men, of whom fve-sixths were native
Loyalists. His instructions were to
intimidate the rebels and to bring in
as many recruits as he possibly could.
Battle of Kings Mountain.
The news Of his approach reused the
American Spartans to do or die. They
left their farms and ranges, armed and
came out of the passes of the Appa'
lachians. Sure-footed, quick of eye,
deadly in their aim as marksmen and
accustomed to deal hand-to-hand with
the savages in fights with knife ana
tOmahaWk, they constituted one Of the
most effective fighting forces ever as
sembled on this continent. Their garb
was buckskin. They came like true
| frontiersmen in hunting shirts, and on
their caps were sprigs of hemlock, en-
blems of their rugged land.
They came 1900 strong, under the
urge of a mighty impulse, and 1t was
not until they were actually preparing
to engage the enemy at Kings Noun
tain, about forty miles from the pres
ent city of Spartanburg, that they
chose as their leader William Camp
| bell. He was one of those patriots
who had commanded troops of the ir-
regular light cavalry and, like Marion.
had suffered much for the cause OF
| liberty. The result of the battle of
Kings Mountain depended almost en-
tirely on the personal initiative of the
men of this Sparta of the western
world.
The American Spartans were accus-
toned to climbing mountains, and up
the steep sides of the heights they
went with incredible agility, firing
from under cover of shrubs and trees
when they could. The British charged
down the hillside with bayonets and
pressed back the American line. The
pioneers formed again and went to the
attack with renewed spirit.
The cry was raised that Tarleton
was coming in from the rear to the at
tack. Sewer rode like Sheridan among
the patriots, assured them that the re-
port was false and again got them into
line. The mountain was taken by the
Americans in their fourth assault.
The sharpshooting of the pioneers did
deadly execution.
Major Ferguson refused to surren-
der and although one of his men had
raised a flag of truce he struck it
down with his sword. He made an at
tempt to get through the American
lines and was shot five times and fell
dead upon the field. After his death
his command surrepdered. There were
456 British dead upon the field and
of the survivors nearly every man
was wounded. Only 2S of the Ameri-
can fighters were killed.
Back to Their Hills.
The battle over the men went back
into the strongholds in the hills from
which they had so suddenly come. In
the words of Elson: "At Kings Noun
| tam lfeN IuIIltu lIe lltlc VI tllc WdI
and insured the ultimate independence
of America"
After the war these pioneers turned
their attention to the development of
their fertile lands. The county of
.Spartanburgh'' was formed. The final
"h" was dropped early in the nine
teenth century and the present spell
ing was adopted.
The development of the city of
Spartanburg was not rapid and even
in 1900 there was only a small group
of settlers there. The city had only
1.O5O inhabitants in 1870, three times
as many in 1880 and $3.50 in 1890.
At present it has 10000 inhabitants.
It has only been within recent years
that the place has come into prom
fnence industrially. Now one of the
largest cotton mills of the South is
situated in the city, and there has been
great increase in its resources
within the last ten years.