Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1935-09-25
Diagram ofthe Bottle ofking5Mountatra

States. Five thousand acres Of this land will
comprise the national military park. The re-
mainder will be used as a recreational area for
the poor and underprivileged classes especially
those in the mill towns Of the northwestern part
of the states. Camps are to be organized where
they will be provided with facilities for all kinds
of outdoor sports at low cost. Thus Is the
patriotic impulse to honor the memory of the
past being put to an eminently practical and
humanitarian use for present and future genera
tions of Americans.
The Battle of Kings Mountain was one of the
most dramatic events of the Revolution, both as
to its actors and the circumstances under which
it was fought So far as the numbers engaged
were concerned it was minor affair. But it's re-
suits lifted it to a position of major Importance
in a campaign which eliminated in victorious
end to the fight for liberty.
'sBlack 1850" the patriots called it, as the
sixth year of their weary struggle opened. Down
in the south two states, South Carolina and
Georgia, lay PROSTATE before the enemy. Sir
Henry Clinton had captured Charleston with its
garrison of 5000 men. True, such noted partisan
leaders as Marion, the Swamp Fox" Sumter, the
Carolina Gamecock" and Pickens were still
harassing the enemy with their guerilla warfare
but nothing conclusive could be expected of them.
With only these scattered bands Of patriots to
oppose him, Lord CORVALLIS proceeded to COM
plete his conquest of the south by invading North
Carolina. AS a part of his plan Mai. Patrick
Ferguson of the Seventy-first regiment was sent
toward the back country Of the Carolinas to
crush any patriot opposition which might de-
velop, but primarily to rally the Tories and re
cruit them to the British standard.
Meanwhile the scattered patriots began making
desperate efforts to resist his advance. Col
Charles Mcdowell Of Burke county, N. C., was
on the Broad river just over the South Carolina
line when he heard of Ferguson's advance He
sent call for help across the mountains to
John Sewer and Isaac Shelby, leaders Of the
pioneers who had settled in what is now eastern
Tennessee.
Sewer had his hands full fighting the CherO-
KEGS, but he sent 200 men to McDowell's aid and
Shelby crossed over with a similar force from
Sullivan county. There was short period of
guerilla fighting in which Shelby won minor
success at MusgroVe's Mills. Then came the
news of the crushing defeat Of Gates American
army at Camden by Lord CORVALLIS and the
death of Baron De Kalb Two days later the |
Americans suffered another disaster. Tarleton,
one Of CORVALLIS most brilliant officers, had
surprised the willy Sumter at Fishing Creek and
cut his command to pieces.
North Carolina now lay wide open to Corn.
wallis invasion He advanced to Charlotte with |
little or no opposition and Ferguson marched
north through the back country.
In the meantime Shelby and Sewer had with
drawn across the mountains to make plans for /
resisting Ferguson or any other British force
which should operate along the eastern slopes of
the Blue Ridge They also sent word to the
leaders in Wilkes and Surrey counties to gather
their men and prepare for a cOunterstrOke
against the British.N
Ferguson learned that the mountain men were
rallying. At Gilbert Town he paroled one Of his
prisoners and sent him to Shelby with letter In Il
which he informed the Back Water Men," as he
called the mountaineers, that If they did not 4
"desist from their opposition to the British arms
he would march his army across the mountains
hang the leaders and lay the country waste with
fire and sword" ':- y
When Shelby received Ferguson's letter he rode
hastily to hold conference with Sewer. The
two leaders resolved to muster their forces and
strike Ferguson before he could secure enough
to carry out his threat to invade
their country or could fall back to position In Ii
closer touch with Corvallis larger force r
Immediately they sent out call to arms to
every settlement west of the mountains. Syca- +,
more Shoals on the Watauga river near the pres
emit town of Elizabethton, Tenn, was named as
the rendezvous and there on September Is gath.
cred more than 1000 frontiersmen, most of them
mounted and armed with long rifles Shelby was I
there with 240 North CarOlinians from Sullivan I
county and Sewer brought an equal number {
from Washington county. Col. Charles Mellow .
Ell came with 160 men from Burke and Ruther Ii