Qass Book- BENJAMIN HAWKIN; 1754-1816. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS ON THE CONTINENTAL ESTABLISHMENT IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION, WITH A REGISTER OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME. BY ^ CHARLES L. DAVIS, CAPTAIN TENTH INFANTRY, BREVET MAJOR U. S. ARMY, Member of Pennsylvania Historical Society ; Professor of Military Science, Bingham School, Asheville, North Carolina. ALSO A SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY CINCINNATI FROM ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1783 TO ITS SO-CALLED DISSOLUTION AFTER 1790. BY ,■- / HENRY HOBART BELLAS, LL.B., CAPTAIN U. S. ARMY, Member of Pennsylvania Historical Society ; Honorary Member of Delaware and New Hampshire Historical Societies, etc. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1896. A. Hf^^s C^hS^ CONTENTS. PAGE History of the North Carolina Troops of the Con- tinental Army 3 Register of North Carolina Officers of the Conti- nental Army 34 Preface to Sketch of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati 77 Sketch of the North Carolina Society of the Cin- cinnati 79 A HISTORY OF THB North Carolina Troops of the Continental Army, WITH A REGISTER OF OFFICERS OF THE SAME. By CHARLES L. DAVIS, CAPTAIN TBNTH INFANTRY, BRBVET MAJOR U. S. ARMY. Remonstrances and petitions being of no avail with the British Crown, the people of North Carolina, in defence of their rights and liberties, in common with the other colo- nies, early in 1774, had taken measures to resist the oppres- sions of their mother-country. William Hooper, writing April 26, 1774, to James Iredell, says, "With you I antici- pate the important share which the colonies must soon have in regulating the political balance. They are fast striding to independence, and will ere long build an empire on the ruins of Britain." Safety committees were formed in most of the counties, and, notwithstanding the opposition of the Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, a Provincial Congress met at New Bern, August 25, 1774, of which Colonel John Harvey was elected Moderator, and among its members were the eloquent and polished William Hooper and fiery John Ashe, both from New Hanover, and the proud and wealthy Samuel Johnston, with Joseph Hewes and Thomas Jones, of Chowan, and Robert Howe, of Brunswick (who 3 4 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS was afterwards to acquire great military fame), together with many other honorable and patriotic men. This Con- gress at once appointed delegates (William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and Richard Caswell) to the Continental Congress, to meet at Philadelphia in the ensuing month of September, and, having passed resolutions expressive of the rights of the colonies, it adjourned November i, 1774. The first Continental Congress, meeting at Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, prepared an address to King George III., and passed a resolution to cease all commercial inter- course with Great Britain in case of his refusal to redress the grievances of the colonies. It adjourned October 26, 1774, to meet again May 10, 1775. Upon the call of Colonel John Harvey, and, notwithstand- ing the strong opposition of the Royal Governor Martin, another Provincial Congress met at New Bern, April 3, 1775, and, as an indication of the approaching struggle shown in the selection of delegates, they were, in almost every instance, those who were members of the House of Assembly under the Royal authority, and Colonel Harvey was elected the Moderator of one body and Speaker of the other ; both bodies sitting at the same time and place, at one time performing the functions of one and then of the other body. The House of Assembly was dissolved by Governor Martin on April 8, 1775, and stern John Harvey, as Speaker of that body, received the last address which the Royal Governor was to make to it, the last Royal Legislature that met in North Carolina. Without formal dissolution, it at once, with additional members, continued its functions as OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 5 the Provincial Congress, and returned the same delegates to the Continental Congress to meet in Philadelphia in May, 1775. Governor Martin called his Council together and denounced the acts of the Provincial Congress. For defence he caused a few guns to be placed before his palace at New Bern ; but, while he and his Council were in session, these guns were seized by a body of brave men, headed by Dr. Alexander Gaston and Richard Cogdell, on April 24, 1775, and carried away. The terrified Governor, with a few fol- lowers, fled at once to Wilmington, and thence, soon after- wards, to Fort Johnson, at the mouth of Cape Fear River, from which he was driven on July 15, 1775, by Colonels James Moore and John Ashe,* with a body of troops, to * Colonel John Ashe was born 1721. His father, John Baptista Ashe, the founder of the family, emigrated from England in the early part of 1727. He was a friend of Lord Craven, under whose patronage he came, with his family, to seek his fortune in the Western world. He was a gentleman of liberal education, accomplished manners, and superior intellect, and in 1730 was one of the Council of Governor George Burrington, of North Carolina. His two sons, John and Samuel, as well as their sons, were distinguished in the field of battle and councils of the State. Of this family there were in the Revolu- tionary War seven officers — Brigadier-General John Ashe, of the militia from the District of Wilmington, with his sons. Captains John and Samuel of the Continental Army (the latter of whom was a member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati) ; Paymaster Samuel Ashe, Sr., with his sons, Lieu- tenant-Colonel John Baptista Ashe and Lieutenant Samuel Ashe, Jr., of the Continentals and Captain Cincinnatus Ashe, of the Marines, the latter of whom was lost at sea. Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Ashe was a member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, a member of the Continental Con- gress in 1787-8, and from 1790 to 1793 a member of the Congress under the Constitution. In 1795 he represented Halifax in the House of Commons of North Carolina, and was afterwards elected Governor of the State, but died 6 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS take refuge on board the Royal warship Cruizer, whence he continued to fulminate proclamations forbidding the forming of a provincial council of delegates from the counties. In April, 1775, the British Parliament, in order to punish the colonies, had passed an act restraining the American colonies from trade and commerce with Great Britain and the West Indies, excepting in its provisions the colonies of New York, Georgia, and North Carolina. North Carolina, regarding this as an effort to seduce its people to desert the common cause, refused to accept this advantage, and con- tinued to adhere to the plans of the Continental Congress. The weight of this obnoxious law was falling only on the city of Boston, Massachusetts, which was held by General Gage in a state of siege. At length, on the 19th of April, 1775, came the affair of Lexington and Concord, Massa- chusetts. News travelled slowly in those days, and it was not until May 19 that the intelligence of this bloodshed was received at the village of Charlotte, in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. The patriot sons of Mecklenburg County, com- posed of two representatives from each militia company, as delegates to a county committee, in session at Charlotte, November 27, 1802, before inauguration. His grandson, John Jefferson Ashe, is now a distinguished citizen of Tipton County, Tennessee. Of the de- scendants of Lieutenant Samuel Ashe, Jr., who was the last surviving officer of the North Carolina Continentals, there are many distinguished persons throughout the country. His eldest son, John Baptista Ashe, was a member of Congress from Tennessee and has a son, Captain Samuel S. Ashe, a distin- guished citizen of Houston, Texas. A grandson of Lieutenant Samuel Ashe^ Captain Samuel A. Ashe, is now a prominent lawyer and journalist of Raleigh, North Carolina. Lieutenant Samuel Ashe died in the latter part of 1835. SAMUEL ASHE, jR. 1763-1835- OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. received the news of this act of violence with horror, and, though far from the scene of bloodshed, they felt that the cause of New England was theirs too. The famous Meck- lenburg Declaration zL / y ^iT) zO of Independence was | /)^%^ ^ '^a^^^'^i^^^^^w'^ resolved the next V^ __^^^ ^^ day, May 20, 1 77 5, to the maintenance of which they solemnly pledged their lives fortunes, and most sacred honor. These resolutions were drafted by Dr. Ephraim Brevard, and signed as follows : Abraham Alexander, Chairman. Ephraim Brevard. Hezekiah J. Balch. James Harris. Waightstill Avery. Richard Barry. Neil Morrison. William Graham. David Reese. Hezekiah Alexander. John Phifer. Zacheus Wilson, Sr. John Ford. John McKnitt Alexander, Secretary. Matthew McClure. Ezra Alexander. John Flennikin. Richard Harris, Sr. Thomas Polk. Adam Alexander. Charles Alexander. William Kennon. Benjamin Patton. Henry Downs. Robert Irwin. John Queary. Copies of these resolutions were sent to the Provincial Congress and to the Continental Congress, but it is believed were never presented to the latter body, as the act was re- garded as premature, for the colonies were not yet con- 8 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS vinced that reconciliation was impossible. The American colonies having been declared in Parliament to be in a state of actual rebellion, it was conceived, in connection with the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, that all laws and commissions from Royal authority, so far as Mecklenburg County was concerned, were annulled by these resolutions, and the county committee in session at Charlotte provided for the exigency by a series of twenty resolutions, dated May 31, 1775, providing for the government and protection of their county. Thus the county of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, by these bold acts, was the first region to abso- lutely dissolve the bonds of allegiance which had so long connected them with the British Crown. The Continental Congress met, according to adjournment, in Philadelphia, May 10, 1775, and June 15, 1775, saw Washington appointed Commander-in-Chief of the American forces. A Provincial Congress was called to meet at Hills- boro, North Carolina, against the meeting of which Gov- ernor Martin, from the deck of the British war-vessel Cruizer, issued proclamations. They met, nevertheless, at Hillsboro, August 21, 1775, and elected Samuel Johnston, of Chowan, as President. The die was cast, and North Carolina was at last a self-governing commonwealth, with the people united in opposition to Great Britain, and they proceeded to arm for battle. Militia companies had been organized in some of the counties as early as 1774. Before March 10, 177S, a regi- ment had been organized in Brunswick and Hanover Counties under Colonel Robert Howe. Colonel John Ashe had given up a commission under the Royal Governor OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. g Martin and appeared in Wilmington early in 1775 with four or five hundred armed men. In Mecklenburg County the militia had been organized under authority of the resolutions of the County Committee of May 31, 1775. The regiment under Colonel Howe will hereafter appear as part of the troops organized for Continental service. The Congress at Hillsboro declared that North Carolina was bound by the acts of the Continental Congress, and would support its decrees to the extent of all its power, and it was resolved that North Carolina would pay a proper proportion of the burden incurred in support of a Continen- tal army. A Provincial Council, composed of twelve men, was created by this Congress, which was to execute the power of the colony, at the head of which was placed Cornelius Harnett, of New Hanover. Six battaHons of minute-men were authorized, the county militia were en- rolled and drilled, to be under the control of the Provincial Council, and, in addition to these, two regiments of Conti- nental troops were enlisted for the war, — the first under Colo- nel James Moore, and the second under Colonel Robert Howe. The Congress at Hillsboro adjourned September 10, 1775, and in less than sixty days thereafter Colonel Howe, with his regiment of Continentals and a battalion of militia under Colonel Benjamin Wynns, was near Norfolk, Virginia, defending that State against Lord Dunmore. The appreciation of his services in Virginia is shown by the following resolution of the Virginia Convention in session at WilUamsburg, December 22, 1775 : " Resolved unanimously, That the thanks of this Convention are justly due to the brave officers, gentlemen volunteers and soldiers of North Carolina, as lO HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS •well as our brethren of that province in general, for their prompt and generous aid in defence of our common rights against the enemies of America and of the British Constitution ; and that the President be desired to transmit a copy of this resolution to Colonel Howe." It will be seen from this that North Carolina was prob- ably the first to send troops beyond her borders for common defence against the oppressions of Great Britain. Nor was this all, for, about the same time that Colonel Howe moved towards Norfolk, an important expedition, composed of militia, was organized in Western North Carolina, under Colonels Griffith Rutherford, of Rowan, Thomas Polk, of Mecklenburg, and James Martin, of Guilford, to assist General Richardson and Colonel Thompson, commanding the South Carolina Whig forces, in suppression of a rising of certain royalists, called " Scovilites," at Ninety Six, in South Carolina. In the autumn of 1775, upon the suggestion of Governor Martin, a vigorous campaign against the colonies was at- tempted by Sir Henry Clinton. As to North Carolina, it was expected there would be a strong co-operation by the Scotch and " Regulators," royalists who were expected to assemble in the upper region of the Cape Fear Valley under a General Donald McDonald of His Majesty's forces. A short and brilliant campaign of a month, under Colonel James Moore, of the First North Carolina Continentals, assisted by the militia under Colonels Caswell and Lilling- ton and Captain J. B. Ashe, resulted in a battle at Moore's Creek, February 27, 1776, with a complete destruction of the forces under McDonald, and prevented the junction of Clinton with the Scotch and Regulators. The Provincial ^^t^y^^^tTTTuu OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. II Council, then in session at New Bern, in recognition of the services of Colonel Moore in this short campaign, and of Colonel Howe in the colony of Virginia, passed the follow- ing resolutions, March 4, 1776: " Resolved, That the thanks of this Council be given to Colonel James Moore * and all the brave officers and soldiers of every denomination for their late very important services ren- dered their country in effect- ually suppressing the late daring and dangerous insur- rection of the Highlanders and Regulators, and that this Resolve be published in the North Carolina Gazette. " Resolved, That Colonel Robert Howe is justly entitled to the most honor- able testimony of the approbation of this Council for his important services while in the Colony of Virginia, rendered in the common cause of American liberty, and that the President transmit the warmest thanks of this Board, in the fullest and most honorable terms, to Colonel Howe and all the brave officers and soldiers imder his command for their spirited conduct, having acquitted themselves greatly to their honor and the good of their country." Colonels Robert Howe and James Moore were appointed Brigadier-Generals in the Continental Army, March i, 1776. Howe became a Major-General, October 20, 1777 ; served to * General James Moore was born in New Hanover, North Carolina, in 1737, and died in Wilmington, North Carolina, January 15, 1777. He was the son of Captain Maurice Moore, of Charleston, South Carolina, and grand- son of Governor James Moore, of the latter colony, who subsequently became attorney-general, judge of the admiralty court, and Speaker of the South Carolina Assembly. Governor Moore was himself the son of Colonel James Moore, also Governor of South Carolina, 1719, and brother of Honorable John Moore, Esquire, one of the most prominent and aristocratic men of the province of Pennsylvania, and the head of the Moore family of that State, as well as of New York and Virginia. 12 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS the close of the war ; was a member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, and died November 12, 1785. General Moore died January 15, 1777. On the 4th of April, 1776, the Provincial Congress again met at Halifax, and on April 12, 1776, unanimously passed a resolution empowering the North Carolina delegates in the Continental Congress to concur with the delegates of the other colonies in declaring independence ; and thus, with Sir Henry Clinton and his forces still floating in the waters on her coast, North Carolina was in advance of all the colonies in proclaiming to the world her determination to be free and independent of the British Crown. North Carolina, with just pride, bears this date, as well as that of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (May 20, 1775), upon her State flag. On April 13, 1776, this Congress ordered four additional Continental regiments to be raised, the officers of which were appointed on the 15th and i6th, and "arranged to regiments" on the 17th. Three troops of Light Horse had also been ordered by the same Congress on April 9. By a letter from Joseph Hewes, delegate to the Continen- tal Congress, dated Philadelphia, May 16, 1776, to Samuel Johnston, President of the Provincial Congress, it appears that the six regiments were accepted by the Continental Congress, and the appointment of Colonel Nicholas Long to be Deputy Quartermaster-General was confirmed, but that the troops of Light Horse were not then accepted, though they appear to have been at a later period, for some of the officers deranged by the rearrangement of June i, 1778, were transferred to the Light Horse. OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 13 General Charles Lee, of Virginia, who had been appointed a Major-General as early as June 17, 1775, had been as- signed to the command of the Southern forces. On June I, 1776, the fleet of Sir Henry Clinton, to which there had been joined the command of Lord Cornwallis, left the mouth of Cape Fear River and sailed for Charleston, South Carolina. The first and second regiments, under command of General Moore, were hurried off to Charles- ton, where they arrived June 11. On June 28, the British fleet under Sir Peter Parker attacked Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island, the troops under Cornwallis attempting to land on the island. Colonel Thompson, with the South Carolina Rangers and a battalion of two hundred picked men of the First North Carolina Continentals, under Lieu- tenant-Colonel Thomas Clark, handsomely repulsed this attempt to land. The gallantry of the North Carohna troops is attested in General Lee's letter to Hon. Edmund Pendleton, of Virginia, under date of June 29, 1776, wherein he says, — " I know not whicli corps I have the greatest reason to be pleased with, Muhlenburgh's Virginians or the North Carolina troops. They are both equally alert, zealous, and spirited." From a letter of Colonel Jethro Sumner, of the Third Regiment, to Lieutenant-Colonel Alston, dated Savannah, Georgia, September 3, 1776, it would appear that his regi- ment had also been sent South, and that it was not assem- bled at Wilmington in July and August, as were the other regiments. The resolution of independence of the colonies was in- 14 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS troduced in the Continental Congress, June 7, 1776, and after debate it was passed on July 2, 1776. On July 4, 1776, the formal Declaration of Independence of the thir- teen colonies was unanimously adopted by that body, and on August I, 1776, it was joyously proclaimed at Halifax amid military displays and a vast assemblage of people. On November 12, 1776, a Congress met at Halifax to form a State Constitution. System was brought out of chaos, and the executive functions were vested in a Gov- ernor and an Assembly consisting of two houses. Richard Caswell was elected Governor, and he assumed his duties December 23, 1776, upon the adjournment of the Congress. Upon the defeat of Sir Peter Parker and Lord Cornwallis at Sullivan's Island, June 28 and 29, 1776, the North Caro- lina troops soon found no enemy in their presence. In July and August, 1776, the regiments of the North Carolina Line were concentrated at Wilmington, excepting the Third, which probably did not arrive until some weeks later. They were drilled and rigidly disciplined in this camp until about the middle of November, when they were ordered North to re-enforce General Washington's army. On reaching Halifax they were halted for three weeks, and then countermarched to the vicinity of Charleston to meet the British, who were near St. Augustine, Florida, threatening Georgia and South Carolina. At a pause on this journey near the boundary of South Carolina many of them claimed their discharge, and several men deserted, among these being three free colored men. At the urgent request of the au- thorities of Georgia and South Carolina, these troops were retained for the defence of those States until March 15, OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 1 5 1777, when they were again ordered to join General Wash- ington, who was retreating through New Jersey with great loss and in extreme danger. The route pursued by these troops was by Wilmington, Halifax, Richmond, Alexandria, and Georgetown, and, as the story of their victorious deeds in the South preceded them, their progress through Virginia and Maryland was an ovation. At Alexandria those who had not suffered with the small-pox were inoculated, with such success that not a man was lost from that disease thereafter. Some of these regiments reached Washington's camp at Middlebrook, New Jersey, about the last of June, 1777; the others joined near Philadelphia soon afterwards. All of them were placed in the command of Major-General William Alexander (Lord Stirling), and there appears to have been some cavalry and artillery from North Carolina with them. The cavalry, consisting of two troops of light horse, was returned to the service of the State, by an order of the Board of War, dated November 24, 1778. The Congress, assembled at Halifax, November 12, 1776, had, on November 26, 1776, ordered three additional regi- ments — Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth — to be raised for the Continental establishment; and, as other troops followed from North Carolina to re-enforce Washington's army dur- ing the remainder of the year 1777, all these regiments joined that army before the battle of Germantown, and accompa- nied Washington to his camp at Valley Forge. A tenth regiment was organized in April, 1777, and it appears to have joined Washington after his going into winter camp at Valley Forge. 1 6 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS The arrival of these re-enforcements from the South en- abled Washington to resume the aggressive against the British commander, Sir William Howe, who had transferred his troops by water to the Head of Elk, Maryland, with the design of moving on Philadelphia. General Washing- ton met the forces of Howe, September 1 1, 1777, at Chadd's Ford, on the Brandywine, where he was compelled to fight a battle ; and, although Howe won a victory and gained pos- session of Philadelphia, the success at Brandywine fell to ashes in his hands, for in less than a year his troops were withdrawn from Philadelphia, the possession of which had cost the British the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga. In the battle of Brandywine, the North Carolina troops found themselves under Stirling's command as part of the right wing and in the command of General Sullivan. It fell to their lot to oppose the flanking movement of Lord Corn- wallis, and that the retreat of Stirling's and Stephen's divisions was effected with steadiness and repeated returns to the offensive, notwithstanding the blunders of General Sullivan, is shown by the fact that they were able, in this disastrous affair, to bring off the field their artillery and baggage. It was, however, at Germantown, October 4, 1777, that the valor of the North Carolina troops was conspicuous. The enemy being weakened by detachments sent against the forts on the Delaware, General Washington seized the opportunity to fall upon him at that place, and was only prevented from complete success by a combination of un- fortunate circumstances. Colonel Francis Nash, of the First Regiment, had been promoted to Brigadier-General in 1759-1834- OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 1 7 the Continental Army, February 5, 1777, and he led the brigade of North Carolina troops in this battle. It formed part of the reserve under Major-General Stirling, and was thrown into the attack on the right, where its conduct gained the high encomiums of the Commander-in-Chief. Of this battle, which ended in a disastrous defeat of our forces. General Washington said, in a letter to the Conti- nental Congress, three days afterwards, as follows : " Our troops retreated when victory was declaring in our favor. The tumult, disorder, and even despair which, it is said, had taken place in the British army, were scarcely paralleled." And a British writer bestows the following compliment upon the American army in this affair : " In this action the Americans acted on the offensive, and, though repulsed with loss, showed themselves a formidable adversary, capable of charging with resolution and retreating with order. The hope, therefore, entertained from the effect of any fair action with them, as \sic\ decisive and likely to put a speedy termination to the war, was exceedingly abated." Of the North Carolina Continentals there fell on that day, killed on the field, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Irwin, of the Fifth, and Captain Jacob Turner, of the Third Regiments ; mortally wounded. Colonel Edward Buncombe, of the Fifth, who was taken prisoner, and died in captivity at Philadel- phia shortly afterwards, and Brigadier-General Francis Nash, who died three days after the battle. Major William Polk, of the Ninth, was also badly wounded. A rehable account of the wounding of General Nash is as follows : While riding down the main street of Germantown, leading the North Carolina brigade into action, a round shot, fired 1 8 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS by the British, struck and fractured his thigh, at the same time killing his horse. The fall of the animal threw its rider to the ground with considerable force. Retaining his presence of mind, General Nash, covering his shattered thigh with his hands, called to his men : " Never mind me. I have had a devil of a tumble ; rush on, my boys ; rush on the enemy; I'll be after you presently." Human nature could do no more. He was borne fainting from the field, faithfully cared for, and after three days of terrible suf- fering he died, and was buried with miHtary honors in the Mennonist graveyard at Kulpsville, Pennsylvania. Soon after the serious check at Germantown, General Washington took his army into winter quarters at Valley Forge (December 19, 1777), on the Schuylkill, about twenty miles above Philadelphia. At this distance of time, it is difficult to realize the privations and sufferings of Washing- ton's army in the hutted camp which he estabHshed at Val- ley Forge. They are dimly divulged in his order of March I, 1778, every line of which breathes patriotism: "Head-quarters, March i, 1778. "The Commander-in-Chief again takes occasion to return his wannest thanks to the virtuous officers and soldiers of the army for the fidelity mani- fested in all their conduct. Their fortitude, not only under the common hard- ships incidental to military life, but also under the additional sufferings to which the peculiar situation of these states has exposed them, clearly proves them worthy the invaluable privilege of contending for the rights of human nature, the freedom and independence of their country. The recent instance of uncomplaining patience, during the scarcity of provisions in camp, is a fresh proof that they possess the magnanimity of patriots. The few refractory indi- viduals who disgraced themselves by murmurs, it is to be hoped, have repented such unmanly behavior and resolved to emulate the noble example of their OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. I9 associates upon every trial which the customary casualties of war may here- after throw in their way. Occasionally distress for want of provisions and other necessaries is a spectacle that frequently occurs in every army. There never was one which has, in general, been so plentifully supplied, in respect to the former, as ours. Surely, we, who are free citizens in arms engaged in a strug- gle for everything valuable in society and partaking in the glorious task of laying the foundation of an empire, should seem effeminate to shrink, under those accidents and rigors of war which mercenary hirelings, fighting in the cause of lawless ambition, rapine, and devastation, encounter with cheerfulness and alacrity. We should not be nearly equal ; we should be superior to them in every qualification that dignifies the man or the soldier in proportion as the motives from which we act and the final hopes that our toils are superior to theirs. Thank heaven ! our country abounds with provisions, and, with prudent management, we need not apprehend want for any length of time. Defects in the commissary department, contingencies of weather, and other temporary impediments have subjected, and may again subject, us to a deficiency for a few days. But, soldiers ! American soldiers ! should be above the meanness of repining at such trifling strokes of adversity; trifling, indeed, are they when compared with the transcendent prize which will undoubtedly crovsTi your patience and perseverance, — glory and freedom, peace and plenty, the admiration of the world, the love of your fellow-countrymen, and the gratitude of posterity will be your reward. Your General incessantly employs his thoughts on the means of relieving your distresses, supplying your wants, and bringing your labors to a speedy and prosperous issue. Our parent country, he hopes, will second his endeavors by the most vigorous execution, and he is convinced the faithful officers and soldiers associated with him in the great work of rescuing our country from bondage and misery will continue in the display of that patriotic zeal which is capable of smoothing every difficulty and vanquishing every obstacle." The regiments composing the North Carolina brigade at Valley Forge, being greatly reduced by the casualties of war, were, on June i, 1778, under a resolution of Congress of May 29, 1778, consolidated into four. The Tenth Regi- ment, then in camp with General Washington, appears to 20 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS have retained its number, for a report of the camp equi- page of the Northern army, made by General Nathaniel Greene, Quartermaster-General, in June, 1778, gives the North Carolina brigade as composed of the First, Second, Third, and Tenth Regiments, under the command of Colo- nel Thomas Clark, the senior officer on duty with it, for Brigadier-General Lochlan Mcintosh, the former com- mander, had been ordered on other duty May 26, 1778. The subsequent history of the Tenth Regiment is obscure, for it will appear later on that it was not surrendered with the other North Carolina regiments at Charleston, May 12, 1780. It seems to have disappeared to history, excepting in the records of the State, where appointments to it are shown, in each successive year, as late as 1782. After spending the winter in Philadelphia in gayeties and riotous living. General Howe had been superseded by Lieu- tenant- General CHnton, and on the 18th of June, 1778, the city was evacuated by the British, who crossed the Dela- ware below the city, and, encumbered by a huge baggage train, they hoped to reach New York safely. General Washington crossed the Delaware above Phila- delphia and overtook the enemy at Monmouth, New Jersey, June 28, 1778, where, notwithstanding the ill-timed retreat, disobedience, and treachery of General Charles Lee in the early part of the action. General Washington discomfited the British, although he did not prevent their retreat, with all their baggage, to New York. My studies lead me to think that the North Carolina brigade was in General Stirling's division, forming the left of the second line, which General Washington placed under OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY. 21 General Lafayette, after the ignominious retreat of Lee ; but from a " Field Return of the Troops under the immediate command of His Excellency, Genl, Washington," dated June 28, 1778, it seems to appear that there were but two regiments in the North Carolina brigade on the day of that battle. These were, doubtless, the First and Second. Where were the Third and Tenth ? The North Carolina troops won high commendation for their conduct on this field of battle. The First and Second North Carolina Regi- ments took part in all the movements of Lafayette's division from Valley Forge to the Hudson River, and were located at Paramus, New Jersey, in March, 1779, the Third being then in Philadelphia undergoing inoculation. It appears that the First and Second were at West Point, New York, late in 1779, and were the last of the North Carolina Conti- nentals to join General Lincoln in Charleston in the winter of 1779-80. The sources of information in regard to the North Caro- lina Continentals during the period of which I write are very meagre, but it is hoped that the forthcoming State Records of North Carolina, compiled and edited by Hon. Walter Clark, in continuation of the series of Colonial Records, together with the publication of the records of the Revolutionary War, now in the War Department at Wash- ington, for which there is reason to believe that provision will soon be made, will tell the story of their sufferings, privations, and gallant conduct. The most brilliant feat of arms that occurred during the American Revolution was that performed at Stony Point, on the night of July 16, 1779, by a select body of troops under 22 HISTORY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS General Anthony Wayne, in which there were two com- panies of the Second North Carolina Continentals, led by the gallant Major Hardy Murfree.* Stony Point was a rocky promontory on the west bank of the Hudson, about one hundred and fifty feet high, the occupation of which by the enemy was a menace to West Point and Washington's communications with New England. The attack was made in two columns, the right under Colonel Christian Febiger, of Virginia, and the left under Colonel Richard Butler, of Pennsylvania, with which went Major Murfree's battalion of two companies. They were to advance with absolute silence and unloaded muskets, relying only on the bayonet. When the left column reached a certain point. Major Murfree's bat- talion was to open a furious fire on the front of the works, * Major Hardy Murfree was bom in Hartford County, North Carolina, June 5, 1752, and was the son of William Murfree, a member from that county in the North Carolina Congress that convened at Halifax, November, 1776, and framed the Constitution that, without amendment, continued to be the organic law of the State from 1776 to 1835. The son entered the army at the age of twenty-three and served throughout the war. His brilliant service at the cap- ture of Stony Point is well known. The sword he wore on this occasion is now in the possession of the Tennessee Historical Society, and his descendants retain the blood-stained sash he used in helping to bear General Nash from the battle-field of Germantown. After the war, Major Murfree resided on his plantation on the banks of the Meherrin River, near Murfreesboro', North Carolina, In 1807 he emigrated to Tennessee and settled on Murfree's Fork of West Harpeth, in Williamson County. He died in Williamson County, Tennessee, July 6, 1809. The town of Murfreesboro' was named in his honor. His letters show he was well educated and intelligent. His descendants still reside in the State, one — Mary Noailles Murfree, his great-granddaughter — being quite celebrated as an authoress to-day, under the pen-name of Charles Egbert Craddock. ^^^;^^^2y(^^ />>c Infantry, $50. Captains, Artillery and Cavalry, $50 ; Infantry, $40. Captain-Lieu- tenants and Lieutenants, Artillery, $33.30 ; Infantry, $26.60. Chaplains, $75. Surgeons, $59. Surgeons' Mates, $46. [With some variations.] Navy : Captains, $60. Lieutenants, $30. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 85 recognized by resolution of the General Society, in its first meeting, as also eligible to membership in the Society.* Such were the principal characteristics of the Society of the Cincinnati as originally organized. At this day and in this generation it is difficult, if not impossible, for us to realize the hostility it aroused in the minds of the hostile, the evil-disposed, and the ignorant. Forgetful altogether of the character and the services of the men composing the Order, — the very men who had saved the nation and created a new government, and who, of all others, should have been free from suspicion or criticism, — a bitter attack was made upon it in almost every State in the Union ; an attack led, as is always the case, by those who for personal motives or for political gain hoped to reap advantage thereby. " Few occurrences of so little comparative importance have ever given rise to so much excitement as the establish- ment of the Cincinnati," says Johnson in his life of pen- eral Greene.f ..." The hereditary principle and the badge, the alleged mimicry of royal orders, were the avowed object of the attack ; but there can be but little doubt that the excluding rule, which shut all the rest of the world out of the Society, except commissioned officers of the United States, was the real object of offence." ..." The exclusive principle was the great ground of complaint. That the hereditary principle or even the bauble at the button-hole were not the real cause of alarm, has since been satisfactorily * See Proceedings of General Society of the Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1784. I " Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Major-General Nathaniel Greene," by William Johnson, Charleston, S. C, 1822, vol. ii., pp. 409-11. 86 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA established, for the one was never relinquished (as sug- gested), and the other has been silently resumed without giving any alarm or doing the least sensible injury." . . . " The people have since had the good sense to find out that they have the same right to form Societies and exclude, if they will, the Cincinnati from them ; aye, and to wear badges and assert the honors of hereditary perpetuation, and they now bestow an unfeigned tribute of respect on the hoary heads of the few venerable survivors of the Revolu- tionary officers. When they shall have passed away, it is easy to foresee what will be the fate of the Society." (?)... The writer himself believed " it was an injudicious and injurious measure calculated to offend the popular side !" * And Moore, in his " History of North Carolina," states that " in the grave and important issues before the people of the State, there was unfortunately a struggle evolved between the lawyers and those who had filled important military commands in the army. There were, as a general rule, strenuous efforts made against the return of the Tories, and that popular prejudice was used as a lever to oust the influ- ence of some who had largely directed public opinion during the war.f The organization of the Society of the * " Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Major-General Nathaniel Greene," by William Johnson, S. C, 1822, vol. ii., p. 411. f Surgeon James Tilton, President of the Delaware State Society of the Cin- cinnati, had stated in the General Meeting of the Society in 1784, in response to the request of Washington, the President-General, to declare the ideas prevalent in the respective States regarding the " Institution," " that the prin- cipal and indeed the only enemies of the Cincinnati in his State (Delaware) ■were among the class of people denominated Tories." See Proceedings GRIFFITH JOHN McREE. 1758-1801. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 8/ Cincinnati by the late officers was viewed by many with distrust as to its aims.". . . " The Federal distresses were incessant and increasing. To the wise and good men of that day, the future was full of painful uncertainty. The grand opportunities of America, seemed to be fading from the possibility of achievement by reason of divided councils, ignoble jealousies, and the insane selfishness of the in- dividual States. Suspicion and detraction poisoned the public mind with unceasing calumnies. The Order of the Cincinnati was at best only a social brotherhood, but was denounced as a conspiracy against the people's liberties, and the very authors of American liberty were held up to scorn, as conspirators against the best interests of the nation. " The ' Patriotic Society'* was a rival organization which sprung up in that day and became in effect greatly similar to the movement under Governor Tryon, known as the Regulation. " In North Carolina but httle permanent interest was taken in either of these organizations, which were soon to sink from public observation." f Washington, in order to placate the democratic opposi- tion then prevalent, suggested at the first General Meeting of the Society in 1784 that the original "Institution" "be of General Society in Winthrop Sargent's " Journal of Cincinnati General Meeting, 1784." " Penna. Hist. Soc. Pub.," vol. vi., p. 80. * For account of the " Patriotic Society" Constitution, see " History Dela- ware State Society of Cincinnati," by Captain H. H. Bellas, Wilmington, Delaware, 1895 (" Delaware Historical Society's Publications," No. xiii., pp. 34, 35)- t See Moore's " History North Carolina," pp. 357-369. 88 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA amended by abolishing the principle of hereditary succes- sion ; that all interference with political subjects should be done away, and that the funds should be placed under the immediate cognizance of the several State legislatures, who should also be requested to grant charters for more effect- ually carrying our humane designs into execution." * Happily, these proposed amendments to the " Institution" as originally adopted, were never fully carried out by all the States, and the principle of hereditary succession still remains in full force to-day.f In an official letter to General Knox, the Secretary- General, from the Rev. Adam Boyd, Secretary of the North Carolina Society, and dated Wilmington, North Carolina, December 29, 1783, announcement is made of the formation of the North Carolina State organization. A similar letter by General Jethro Sumner (the President) to Major-General Baron de Steuben, dated Halifax, North Carolina, October 28, 1783, together with one of the same date by the Secre- tary, is also on file with the former letter in the archives of the General Society.^ As these are the earliest appearing evidences of the existence of this honored Society in the " old North State," it may be of interest as well as value to give their contents entire. General Sumner's letter, being of the earlier date of the two, is first given, and is as follows : * See Circular Letter of General Society in Proceedings of General Meeting of the Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1784. f See Report of Committee on " Institution," Proceedings of General So- ciety of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1800. \ See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1784. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 89 " Halifax, N. Carolina, 28th. October, 1783. " Sir : — At the request of the officers of the Line of this State, I do myself the honour to return you their thanks & my own for your favour, covering a letter from his Excellency the Chevalier De la Luzerne, and other papers. The officers being highly pleased with the Institution, will most chearfuUy concur in any measures that shall be adopted for promoting its benevolent designs. Not to support such an Institution betrays, in their opinion, a want of public virtue. " It appears to be the sense of the Societies to the Southward, that the first general meeting should be held at Fredericksburg, in Virginia.* That place, * The suggestion in both this and the following letter of the Secretary of the Society that the first general meeting should be held in Fredericksburg, Vir- ginia, did not evidently meet the approval of the President-General, as appears from a letter from him to General Sumner in the beginning of the following year. This letter, the original of which has been presented by the Honorable David Schenck to the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association of North Carolina, reads as follows : " Mount Vernon, Jany 5th, 1784. " Sir : — After taking all the various circumstances into mature consideration, I have thought proper to appoint the City of Philadelphia to be the place for the general meeting of the Society of the Cincinnati on the first Monday in May next, agreeably to the original Institution. The object of this letter is to communicate timely information thereof, that proper notice may be given to the Delegates of your State Society, whose punctual attendance will be expected at the time and place before mentioned. " Having made this communication, I have only to suggest that it may perhaps be preferable to give the necessary notice to your Delegates by letter rather than by a public notification; I would, however wish that whatever mode is adopted, measures may be taken to prevent a possibility of failure in the communication. .. j ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ "Sir « Your Ob't Hum. Serv't, Go. Washington. " P. S. Be pleased to acknowledge the receipt of this letter. " Brigadier General Simmer, " North Carolina." 90 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA it is tho't, is nearly centrical, and most convenient for the President-General. The compliance of the Northern Societies in this, will give us very great pleasure. " I shall always be extremely glad to hear from & to correspond with you, and have the honour to be, with great respect, " Your most obedient & very humble servant, J^i'/k^^f^iu/rhf 0^£/jh^ " Brig- Gen' I and President, " Hon. Major-General Baron De Steuben." The Secretary's letter, the first mentioned, is to the following effect : "Wilmington, Cape Fear, 29th. Dec'r., 1783. "Sir:— " In October a few officers of this State met at Hillsborough & laid the foundation of a society upon the plan of the Cincinnati. Among other things they resolved that the president should acquaint the Secretary-General with their desire, that the first general meeting should be held at Fredericksburg, in Virginia. That place is tho't to be nearly centrical and more convenient than any other for the President-General. This last was most decisive with them. " The president having been obliged to go home before any letters could have been written, I was desired to write to you on the subject. This I did upon the spot, & gave my letter to a gentleman coming directly here. Since my return to this place I find that letter was lost, and not knowing that Gen- eral Sumner has had an opportunity of conveying one to you, I again address you, lest the wishes of the N. Carolina Society should not reach you in proper time, and I should incur their censure, tho' very undeservedly. " A pamphlet said to be the production of a judge Burke in So. Carolina, has created opponents to the Cincinnati. It has been in this town, but I have not yet got a sight of it. His objections, I am told, are founded upon a sur- mise that the Cincinnati mean to establish a numerous peerage in direct con- SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 9 1 tradiction to the federal union of the States. This he has tortured out of the * hereditary succession.' The whole appears to me altogether chimerical : but there are swarms of Butterfly- statesmen & patriots, who flutter and strutt in the sunshine of safety & peace. These things affect to be lynx-eyed, and however groundless their cries may be, yet being generally of a popular tone, they are received ' as proofs from holy writ.' " Terrible things have been threatened against us, & I do expect our As- sembly, in their April sessions, will be moved to suppress the Society. At that time we have a meeting, and if you can furnish anything to strengthen our hands, you will render us a very acceptable service. " As our President lives near 200 miles from a sea- port town or post-office, letters for him had better be sent here. I am about to change my place of residence, but if I do leave this, our vice-president (General Clark) and sev- eral officers will be here & take care of such letters. " I have the honour to be, with much respect, " Your very humble and most obedient servant, Sec'y. " P. S. — I would most gladly correspond with the secretary of your State Society. If you will please tell him so, you will do me a favour. My address is Rev'd A. B., Wilmington, Cape Fear. This is the South part of No. Carolina, & vessels from Boston often come here. If I remove, my address will not be changed. "Honourable General Knox." No list of members is given, as transmitted with either of the foregoing letters, and the list furnished by the Secretary to the Maryland Society, over a year later, is, he states, still incomplete.* The complete roll, however, at this time, taken from the records in the possession of the General Society, and arranged according to rank, appears as follows : * See letter to General Otho H. Williams, of May 20, 1785, page 95. 92 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA Major-General Robert Howe. Brigadier-General Jethro Sumner. Colonel and Brevet Brigadier-General Thomas Clark. Colonel Archibald Lytle. Lieutenant-Colonel John Baptista Ashe. Lieutenant-Colonel Hardee Murfree. Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Hogg. MAJORS. Griffith John McRee. Reading Blount. George Doherty. William Polk. CAPTAIN AND BREVET MAJORS. Thomas Armstrong. Kedar Ballard. Benjamin Coleman. Robert Fenner. Clement Hall. Robert Raiford. James Read. Joseph T. Rhodes. Anthony Sharpe. Howell Tatum. CAPTAINS. Samuel Ashe, Jr. Peter Bacot. Gee Bradley. Alexander Brevard. Thomas Callender. v.— John Daves. Samuel Denny. Joshua Hadley. William Lytle. Joseph Montfort. John Slaughter. William Williams. Edward Yarborough. LIEUTENANT AND BREVET CAPTAIN. James Campen. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 93 LIEUTENANTS. William Alexander. Robert Bell. Joseph Brevard. William Bush. John Campbell. Thomas Clarke. Wynne Dixon. Richard Fenner. Thomas Finney. John Ford. Charles Gerard. Francis Graves. Robert Hayes. John Hill. Hardy Holmes. Curtis Ivey. Abner Lamb. James Moore. Thomas Pasteur. William Saunders. Jesse Steed. <■ - Cornet James McDougall. Deputy Paymaster-General Jacob Blount. Surgeon's Mate James Fergus. Surgeon's Mate William McLane. Brigade Chaplain Reverend Adam Boyd. But while the officers of the North Carolina regiments were, on the authority of General Sumner, " highly pleased with the Institution and most cheerfully concurred in any measures that should be adopted for promoting its benevo- lent designs," the Society met in this, as in other States, with decided opposition from the Legislature. At a meeting of the Society held in Fayetteville on July 4, 1784, the Secre- tary was ordered to address a circular letter to the other State societies. This communication shows the attitude of the State Assembly towards the organization, as well as re- porting the action of the Society on the amendments which had been proposed to the Institution to disarm hostility, at 94 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA the first General Meeting in Philadelphia, in May of that year, and already alluded to. The letter is on file in the archives of both the Maryland and Massachusetts Cincinnati Societies : " Cape Fear, No. Carolina, loth Jan'y, 1785. " Sir : " I am ordered by the Cincinnati of this State to acquaint you that, in con- sequence of a former adjournment, we had a meeting at Fayette Ville on the 4th of July (1784), when the circular letter, with the Institution as altered and amended, was read and highly approved. " The meeting then proceeded to frame their bye-Laws and to make such regulations as they tho't might promote the friendly and benevolent intentions of the Society. " We had hopes that the Assembly would take our funds under their direc- tion and aid the general design ; but tho' the ablest members of both Houses were on our side, yet the majority was against us. " Waiting the event of this application, I deferred writing and am truly sorry I cannot give a more agreeable account of it. Yet this disappointment will not affect the zeal of our members, and we flatter ourselves the opposition will soon die. " It is the earnest wish of this meeting to hold correspondence with the dif- ferent State meetings. This, it is tho't, might be of general advantage and contribute to that harmony which is the soul of the Society. " I am with much respect, " Yr. most obedient servant, " Adam Boyd, Sec. " Secretary to the Cincinnati in Maryland." These by-laws, together with an incomplete roll of the J names of the mem- CLif^ ^^^ bers of the Society, _ were inclosed in a "■'■~— ■ second letter a few months later (dated May 20, 1785), addressed to General Otho H. Williams, of the Maryland Cincinnati. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 95 The letter reads as follows : "New Berne, No. Carolina, 20th. May, 1785. " Sir : — In obedience to orders, you will herewith receive a copy of the bye- laws of this State meeting; and I was likewise ordered to send a copy of the Institution, with the names of our members, on parchment. But the gen- tleman appointed for that purpose has not sent me the parchment, neither is the roll of names by any means compleat. At our annual meeting I hope these and some other things will be better regulated. " I beg, Sir, you will excuse the liberty I have taken in troubling you with the enclosed letters. My reason for taking it was, I knew not the name of an officer near a sea-port in your State or Virginia, whither I beg the sealed one may be sent. It is a transcript of that designed for the Secretary of the Maryland meeting. " I have the honor to be, with the utmost respect, " Your obedient and most humble servant, "Adam Boyd. " Honblb Genl. Williams, Maryland," The by-laws enclosed number seventeen articles and are of the usual nature of rules for the government of such an organization. One rule (the fourth) was particularly worthy of imitation, however, providing that copies of all letters and essays should be recorded by the Secretary, the originals of which must likewise be filed. All proceedings of the So- ciety were directed to be kept in duplicate^ one of the books of record being kept by the Secretary and the other lodged with the President, being carefully revised and compared with each other at every meeting, to prevent error,* But how fruitless even all these precautions were for the preservation of the history of this patriotic organization, we shall see later on. * See post, pages 97, 98. 96 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA The Society was represented, it would appear, at the meetings of the General Society but three times — in 1784, 1787, and 1790. The delegates to the first General Meeting were Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Lytle, Major Reading Blount, and Major Griffith John McRee. They were elected at a meeting of the State society held at Hills- borough in the month previous (April), and their certificate of appointment, which is still preserved, has been stated — erroneously, however — to be " the only known evidence in existence that there was a Society of the Cincinnati in North Carolina." The certificate is as follows : "North Carolina, Hillsborough, April 18, 1784. " Lieutenant-Colonel Com't. Lytle, Major Blount and Major McRee are delegated to represent the State Society of the Cincinnati in the general con- vention to be held in Philadelphia on the first Monday in May next. " Attested : Jethro Sumner, Pres't. " C. IvEY, Stc'y pro tem?^ Of the three above-named delegates. Majors Blount * and McRee attended the meeting of the General Society, the published proceedings of which show that the first-named officer was one of a committee appointed to amend and revise the " Institution" of the Society.f This proposed * Major Reading Blount was born circa l756-'8, and died October 13, 1807, He was a son of Jacob Blount, member of the provincial assemblies of 1 75 5-' 6, and descended from Thomas Blount, of Edgecombe County, N. C, and Elizabeth Reading, his wife. Major Blount had several brothers, "William, Thomas, and John Gray, all distinguished in political life after the Revolution in North Carolina and Tennessee. For history of the Blount family, see Wheeler's " Reminiscences and Memoirs," pp. i30-'i. -j- See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1 784. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 97 amended constitution was, as is well known, never carried into effect, failing of ratification by a majority of the differ- ent State societies ; North Carolina, however, being one of the States which did so approve it. The place of meeting of the Society on July 4, 1785, appears to have been again at Fayetteville, at which meeting the rules and regulations for governing the State meeting were again reported, evidently revised and completed. As these by-laws may be of interest to members of the Cincinnati or their descendants to-day, not only in North Carolina, but elsewhere, we present them entire, at the risk of tediousness. Fayetteville, North Carolina, July nth, 1785. Rules and Regulations for Governing this State Meeting. I. The first business of the anniversary meeting shall be the election of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and a representation to the Society for the ensuing year. Three members shall be appointed Judges of the election, and any two of said Judges agreeing, shall declare those having a majority duly elected; and in case of an equality of ballots, the decision shall be by lot. II. All elections shall be by ballot. III. The President is, at all meetings, to regulate the decision of everything that may be proposed ; to state and put questions, agreeably to the sense and intention of the members. He is also empowered whenever he shall think it necessary, to call an extraordinary meeting, on giving sixty days' previous notice by circular letters to the members in each district, and in any occasional absence of the President and Vice-President, the members present shall appoint to the chair one of their number, who, whilst there, shall possess all the power of a President. IV. The Secretary shall take the minutes of the proceedings of each meet- ing and produce them, fairly transcribed in a book, to the next meeting. In this book shall also be entered all such letters and Essays addressed to them or the Society as they may think worth recording, the Originals of which 7 98 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA must likewise be filed : and the more effectually to guard against accidents, which may endanger the records, the proceedings shall be copied into two books; for one of which the Secretary shall be answerable, and the other shall be lodged with the President, and in Order to prevent errors, those books of record shall be carefully revised and compared at every meeting. V. The Treasurer shall receive the subscriptions and donations of members, and others, agreeably to the Institution and under the direction of the meet- ing, shall manage their fund, and transact all their monied matters. He shall also lay before every annual meeting, a true state of the stock, interest, and other monies belonging to them, and disbursements made by their Orders ; and he shall deliver to his successor the books and all papers belonging to his Office, together with all monies remaining in his hands. And for the faithful discharge of his trust, the said Treasurer, before he enters on the Duties of his Office, shall give bond and security to the President and Vice-President, on behalf of the meeting, in the sum of five thousand pounds. VI. At every annual meeting any number of members shall be competent to the business of the meeting, consistant with the rules of the Society. VII. The transactions of extraordinary meetings shall be binding, until the next annual meeting, which shall have the power to confirm or abolish their proceedings. VIII. In conducting the business of the meeting, no question shall be put on a motion, unless it be seconded. When any member speaks, he shall ad- dress himself to the Chair; and no member without permission shall speak more than twice on the same subject. IX. No part of the Interest arising from the principal fund, and other monies in the disposal of the meeting, shall be ordered in payment for chari- table or other purposes, without the consent of two-thirds of the members present. Each member shall report to the annual meeting such objects of charity as may come within his notice ; and agreeably to circumstances, the meeting shall grant orders for such sums of money as shall be judged neces- sary, and consistant with the state of finances. X. It shall be the duty of any member elected to an Office in the meeting or Society, to Officiate agreeably to the appointment. XI. All questions which are not determined by some express Rule, shall be decided by the Voice of a majority of the members present. XII. Any member who shall fail to attend the aimual meeting, shall pay SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 99 to the Treasurer the sum of five pounds currency, for the use of the meeting, unless his excuse be admitted by a majority of members present. XIII. The expence of deligation to the Society, and all other necessary expenditures, shall be an equal contribution of the members of the meeting. XIV. No member shall absent himself without permission from the Ser- vice of the meeting. XV. No member shall be expelled the Society, but by consent of two- thirds of the members present at the annual meeting. XVI. Should the meeting be reduced to the disagreeable necessity of ex- pelling a member, the motive shall be entered at large on the minutes ; and as soon as possible, notice shall be given to the Society by the President, who shall also by circular letter inform the different meetings thereof, specifying his name and situation, previous to his becoming a member. XVII. These rules and regulations to be subject to any alterations or amendments at an annual meeting, two-thirds of the members agreeing thereto. (Copy.) Adam Boyd, Secy. For the following year (1786), the annual stated meeting of the Society was held at Halifax " agreeable to their ad- journment from Fayetteville" the preceding year. This meeting is the only one in the brief history of the Society, of which any account exists, as far as known at present, in the newspapers of the day. A copy of the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser of August 12, 1786, preserved in the archives of the New Jersey State Society, contains a report of the meeting of the North Carolina Society on July 4th. Neither the names, however, of officers elected nor of any members of the Society are mentioned. The account reads as follows : " Halifax, N. Carolina, July 8th. (1786.) " The State Meeting of the Cincinnati was held here on the 4th, agreeable to their adjournment from Fayetteville ; the festivity of this auspicious day lOO SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA commenced by a suitable discharge of artillery about li o'clock. A large number of gentlemen from the town and different parts of the State met the Society at Mr. Barkdale's tavern, where an elegant dinner was prepared by the direction of their stewards. After dinner the following toasts were drunk, accompanied by separate discharges of cannon and animated with the most rational mirth and patriotic enthusiasm : 1. The Memorable 4th July, 1776, 2. The United States of America. 3. The late American Army and Navy. 4. The Fleet and Armies of France who have served in America, 5. His Most Christian Majesty. 6. His Excellency General Washington. 7. May America be grateful to her Patriotic Children ! 8. The Memory of the Brave Patriots who have fallen in defence of America. 9. May Virtue support what Courage has gained ! 10. The Vindicators of the Rights of Mankind in every quarter of the Globe. 1 1 . May America be an Asylum to the Persecuted of the Earth ! 12. May a close Union of the States guard the Temple they have erected to Liberty ! 13. May the Remembrance of this Day be a Lesson to Princes! The afternoon was spent in the utmost conviviality, enlivened with a num- ber of gay and political songs and toasts. In the evening the Society gave a ball, which was honoured with a numerous and splendid attendance of the ladies." On the decease of the President, General Sumner, in the month of March of the preceding year (1785), Lieutenant- Colonel John Baptista Ashe,* of New Hanover County, had * Lieutenant-Colonel John Baptista Ashe was the son of Samuel Ashe, Chief Justice and Governor of North Carolina, and the nephew of General John Ashe, distinguished in the Revolution. Colonel John Baptista Ashe was bom in Rocky Point, North Carolina, 1748, and served continuously through the war, especially distinguishing himself at the battle of Eutaw. He was afterwards a ^cr^Cr^. fjojctul CCiAx^ 1748-1S02. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. lOI been chosen to fill the vacancy. Major Howell Tatum was elected Secretary to succeed Rev. Adam Boyd a couple of years later (1787), and Major Robert Fenner as Treasurer. This last-named officer was the sole representative of the Society at the second triennial meeting of the General Society at Philadelphia in the latter year, the other two delegates, Colonel William Polk* and Major Reading Blount, failing to attend.f Again, at the third General Meeting of the Society in 1790, the only representative present from North Carolina was Colonel Benjamin Hawkins,J of Warren County. The records of that meeting report him as acting on a committee member of the House of Commons of North Carolina (1786), and also of the State Senate (1789 and 1795), a delegate to the last Continental Congress (1787-88), and member of the First and Second Congress (1789-93). In 1802 he was elected Governor of North Carolina, but died before his inauguration. See Memoir of Ashe family, note, page 5, of " History North Carolina Troops of the Continental Army," by Brevet Major Charles L. Davis, U.S.A. * Lieutenant-Colonel William Polk, who was Major of the Ninth Regiment of North Carolina Continental Infantry, was the son of Colonel Thomas Polk, of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, and was bom in the county of Mecklenburg, 1759. He was present at the celebrated Convention held there in May, 1775. Entering the army the following year, he served gallantly through the war, being wounded at both Germantown and Eutaw. At the close he returned to Charlotte, and in 1787 represented his county in the North Carolina Legislature. He afterwards removed to Raleigh, where he resided until his death, January 4, 1834. In 1812, President Madison offered him a brigadier-general's com- mission, which he declined. Colonel Polk was not only the last surviving member of the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, but was also the last surviving field-officer of the North Carolina line in the Revolution. f See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1787. \ Colonel Benjamin Hawkins was bom in Warren County, North Carolina, August 15, 1754, and was a student in Princeton College, New Jersey, when I02 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA appointed to prepare an address to General Washington, the President-General of the Society, congratulating him " on being unanimously elected the head of our rising re- public," as well as informing him of his re-election as Presi- dent of the Society for the ensuing three years. A circular- letter was prepared by the same committee and forwarded to the different State Societies " on the situation and prospect of the affairs of the United States." * After this last date no delegates from North Carolina were ever present at the General Meetings, nor, so far as is now known, were there any meetings of the State Society ; certainly there is no record of such, nor even of the exist- ence of the Society. No reference, with one exception, is ever made to it in the report of the successive committees appointed by the General Society to inquire into the " present situation of the different State Societies," and to urge those already dormant or dissolved to " a renewal of their intercourse" with the General Society. The exception alluded to was by the committee appointed to examine the Revolution began. His proficiency in French caused General Washington to appoint him interpreter between the American and French officers on his staff. In 1780 he was commissioned to procure ammunition and arms in the West Indies. He was elected to Congress by the North Carolina Legislature in 1782, and in 1785 was appointed to treat with the Cherokee and Creek Indians. He was re-elected to Congress in 1786, and in 1789 became one of the first two United States Senators from North Carolina. He was appointed in 1797 agent for " superintending all Indians south of the Ohio." He tendered his resignation to each successive President from Washington to Madison, but it was always refused. The city of Hawkinsville, Georgia, where he died June 6, 181 6, was named in his honor. * See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, 1790. SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. IO3 documents, etc., in the possession of officers of the Society, with a view to the publication of such facts as may be of interest, which, at the General Meeting in 1857, after report- ing that, " with few exceptions, even the rolls of the several State Societies have disappeared from the archives of the General Society, and such as remain are not wholly to be depended on as accurate," stated in regard to this particular Society under consideration as follows : " Very diligent inquiry has been made for the North Carolina records, but without avail and without encouragement to hope for final success." * The finding of the papers of Major Tatum,t the last- known secretary of the Society, might throw some light on this and kindred matters regarding the length of its exist- ence and its proceedings. When and under what circumstances did the Society become dormant? for it cannot justly, from the nature of its institution, be said to have ceased to exist,| * See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Boston, Massachusetts, 1857. f Major Howell Tatum subsequently removed to Tennessee ; was Treasurer of the Western District of that State, 1794-96; Attorney-General of same, 1796-97; Supreme Court Judge, May 12, 1797, to September 20, 1798, and was afterwards {circa 1807) one of the Commissioners to adjust the land claims between Tennessee and North Carolina. His descendants are residents of Tennessee to-day, families of the same name being found in Giles and other counties of the State. \ It is held by a reliable authority already cited — General John Cochrane, President of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati — that a State So- ciety of the Cincinnati cannot be dissolved. By the original *' Institution" it was " to endure as long as we shall endure" and " is to be perpetuated in our descendants." 104 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA What became of its original fund, which, as has been already shown, the State Legislature refused to take charge of on account of the jealousy of, and opposition to, the Society as a military Order with rules of primogeniture ? Had it formally terminated its organization — supposing such action practicable — there would certainly exist some report or record of its formal dissolution. The presumption is that its members succumbed for the time being to the in- evitable, from the fact of their scattered residences and diffi- culty of meeting, as well as to the public hostility alluded to. That the former reasons were not slight at any time is seen from the recorded fact by the Secretary that the Presi- dent of the Society resided " near two hundred miles from a sea-port town or post-office, so that letters for him had better be sent here.*" There is doubtless much of both interest and value re- garding the Society lying hidden in the archives of the other State Societies, and which it is hoped some diUgent seeker may yet enable to see the light of day in the early future. In the Washington correspondence in the State Depart- ment at Washington, and before alluded to, many valuable records regarding the North Carolina regiments exist, and it is possible some additional light might be gained from this source of events just subsequent to the Revolution, f * Letter of Rev. Adam Boyd, Secretary of the North Carolina Society, to General Knox, Secretary-General, dated Wilmington, December 29, 1783. See pages 90, 91. f List of officers of the First North Carolina Continental battalion from its first establishment, 1775-78; list of officers taken into the First battalion to SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. I05 A distinguished authority * has reported that all the rolls and records of the North Carolina regiments in the Revo- lution were hopelessly lost. Yet here we find some very valuable lists in the possession still of the National Govern- ment; copies of the rolls of officers of ten other of the State line regiments are in possession of the Missouri So- ciety of Sons of the Revolution,! and it is quite possible still others may yet with diligent research be discovered. It was stated in January, 1894, that "there were then living in the State Hneal descendants of the original sixty- one members and of other Continental officers who are en- titled to membership, and it is the patriotic duty of these men to assert their hereditary claims." % And in such case, why should not the North Carolina Cincinnati Society claim its legitimate heritage of restored membership in the General body, and with those other State Societies already there, revive and restore the prestige of the patriotic men of the Revolution in the " old North State" ? The descendants of those who fought and suffered in field or camp, during that eventful era in the history of our country, from Stony Point and Germantown to Eutaw complete it, 1777-78; list of officers of the Second North Carolina battalion since 1777 ; list of officers of the late war, who continued to the end thereof, or were deranged by act of Congress ; list of officers of Continental brigade of Brigadier-General Jethro Sumner, 1782, etc. See "Washington Correspond- ence," Book 115, pp. 142^-143. * Hon. Walter Clark, Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. f See also Appendix A, Schenck's "North Carolina, 1780-81," Raleigh, North Carolina, 1889. J " The North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati," by E. G. Daves, North Carolina University Magazine, January, 1894. I06 SKETCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY. and Augusta, should be and certainly are worthy of their descent. It needs but a determined energy, with a firm faith in their cause, as had their ancestors before them, and an earnest endeavor of compliance with the requirements of the General Society,* which should not be difficult of attain- ment on their part, to meet with that honorable recognition which is their just due. That such success may speedily be the reward of these efforts, is the earnest hope of the writer of these pages. *See Proceedings of General Society of Cincinnati, Boston, Massachu- setts, 1872, and Charleston, South Carolina, 1881, in case of application for readmission by Rhode Island State Society. READING BLOUNT. i756-'8-i8o7. "c JSJc-j, ^