C&e Li&rarp 
 
 of t|)C 
 
 OnitJersitp of JSortft Carolina 
 
 The Sylvester Hassell Collection 
 
 FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 Sylvester Hassell, D. D. 
 
 CLASS OF '62 
 
 GIVEN BY HIS CHILDREN 
 
 C8 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
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 This book must not 
 be taken from the 
 Library building. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
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Vol. XVI JANUARY, 1917 No. 3 
 
 Tohe 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 'Carolina! Carolina ! Heaven's blessings attend her ! 
 While zve live zve will cherish, protect and defend her' 
 
 Published by 
 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY 
 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION 
 
 The object of The Booklet is to aid in developing and preserving 
 North Carolina History. The proceeds arising from its publication 
 will be devoted to patriotic purposes. Editor. 
 
 RALEIGH 
 
 commercial printing company 
 printers and binders 
 
ADVISORY BOARD OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Mrs. Hubert Haywood. Dr. Richard Dillard. 
 
 Mrs. E. E. Moffitt. Dr. Kemp P. Battle. 
 
 Mr. R. D. W. Connor. Mr. James Sprunt. 
 
 Dr. D. H. Hill. Mr. Marshall DeLancey Haywood 
 
 Dr. William K. Boyd. Chief Justice Walter Clark. 
 
 Capt. S. A. Ashe. Major W. A. Graham. 
 
 Miss Adelaide L. Fries. Dr. Charles Lee Smith. 
 
 Miss Martha Helen Haywood. 
 
 editor : 
 Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton. 
 
 biographical editor : 
 Mrs. E. E. Moffitt. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION 
 
 1914-1916 
 
 REGENT : 
 
 Miss MARY HILLIARD HINTON. 
 
 VICE-REGENT : 
 
 Mrs. MARSHALL WILLIAMS. 
 
 honorary regents : 
 Mrs. E. E. MOFFITT. 
 Mrs. T. K. BRUNER. 
 
 RECORDING SECRETARY : 
 
 Mrs. L. E. COVINGTON. 
 
 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY : 
 
 Mrs. PAUL H. LEE. 
 
 TREASURER : 
 
 Mrs. CHAS. LEE SMITH. 
 
 REGISTRAR : 
 
 Miss SARAH W. ASHE. 
 
 CUSTODIAN OF RELICS : 
 
 Mrs. JOHN E. RAY. 
 
 CHAPTER REGENTS 
 
 Bloomsbury Chapter Mrs. Hubert Haywood, Regent. 
 
 Penelope Barker Chapter Mrs. Patrick Matthew, Regent. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh Chapter Mrs. I. M. Meekins, Regent. 
 
 General Francis Nash Chapter Miss Rebecca Cameron, Regent. 
 
 Roanoke Chapter Mrs. F. M. Allen, Regent. 
 
 Mary Slocumb Chapter Miss Georgie Hicks, Regent. 
 
 Colonel Thomas Robeson Chapter Mrs. Annie Buie, Regent. 
 
 Founder of the North Carolina Society and Regent 1896-1902 
 
 Mrs. SPIER WHITAKER.* 
 
 Regent 1902: 
 
 Mrs. D. H. HILL, SR.f 
 
 Regent 1902-1906: 
 
 Mrs. THOMAS K. BRUNER. 
 
 Regent 1906-1910: 
 
 Mrs. E. E. MOFFITT. 
 
 •Died November 25, 1911. 
 t Died December 12, 1904. 
 
Isaac Shelby 
 
 MATTHEW HARRIS JOUETT 
 
 From his most famous portrait, never before reproduced, owned by 
 William R. Shelby, Esq., of Grand Rapids, Michigan 
 
The North Carolina Booklet 
 
 Vol. XVI JANUARY, 1917 No. 3 
 
 Isaac Shelby 
 Revolutionary Patriot and Border Hero 
 
 By Archibald Henderson. 
 
 Among that group of early pioneers whose intrepid daring 
 and superior sagacity, tested in the crucible of border warfare 
 and frontier conflict, were potent agencies in laying the foun- 
 dation stones of the republic, Isaac Shelby occupies a position 
 of conspicuous leadership in both martial and civil life. De- 
 ficient in the vision of a Richard Henderson or the craft of a 
 Daniel Boone, Shelby possessed much of the glorified common 
 sense which distinguished James Robertson. Temperamen- 
 tally more phlegmatic than his comrade in arms, the impetu- 
 ous John Sevier, he exhibited in the crucial moments of his 
 career a headlong bravery and an unwavering self-control 
 which marked him as a trustworthy leader of men. In per- 
 sonal bravery the match for his friend, George Rogers Clark, 
 Shelby was a born fighter ; and although not endowed with 
 the tactical brilliance of the conqueror of the Northwest, he 
 exhibited such unerring judgment in battle and such poise in 
 leadership as to inspire the confident faith which procures 
 ultimate victory. His contribution to the cause of American 
 independence is an integral part of the history of the Revolu- 
 tion. This chapter which to this very day, in any adequate 
 sense, remains unwritten, the present monograph purposes to 
 supply. 
 
 It was from a line of Welsh ancestors that Isaac Shelby 
 derived the phlegmatic temperament and cautious balance 
 which stood him in such good stead throughout his eventful 
 and turbulent career. His father, Evan Shelby, was born in 
 Wales in 1720 ; and with his father and mother, Evan and 
 Catherine Shelby, he emigrated to Maryland about 1735. The 
 
110 THE NORTH CAEOLINA BOOKLET 
 
 family settled in the neighborhood of Hagerstown, near the 
 North Mountain, then Frederick County. Strength of charac- 
 ter and an iron constitution, reinforced by the qualities of 
 tenacity and approved courage, express the dominant charac- 
 teristics of this famous border character, Evan Shelby, Isaac's 
 father. In the French and Indian wars which began in 1754, 
 he served with distinction, first it is presumed, as a private 
 soldier; but in 1756 his recognized skill as a hunter and 
 woodsman, acquired in patrolling the border and guarding 
 the frontier, as well as his bravery, led to his appointment as 
 Lieutenant of Maryland troops. It is related that on Forbes' 
 campaign, "he gave chase to an Indian spy, in view of many 
 of the troops, overtaking and tomahawking him." 1 The fol- 
 lowing letter is like a ray of light flashed into the dim ob- 
 scurity of the mid-period of the eighteenth century. It is a 
 letter of Governor Sharpe, of Maryland, to General Forbes : 2 
 
 1st of August, 1758. 
 To General Forbes: 
 
 Sir : — This serves to introduce to you Capt. Shelby, who waits on 
 your Excellency with his company of volunteers to receive your com- 
 mands. He has served as a Lieut, more than two years in the Mary- 
 land troops & has always behaved well, which encourages me to hope 
 that he and his company will be found useful on the present occasion. 
 The expense I have been at in furnishing his men with blankets, leg- 
 gins, moccasins & camp kettles is £82-3-2 pens currency, & as Capt. 
 Shelby & his lieut., who was likewise an officer in our Troops until 
 the end of May last, found themselves under some Difficulties by not 
 being paid the arrears that were due them, I have let each of them 
 have £15 out of the £510 currency, which, with Your Excellency's ap- 
 probation, Mr. Kilby is to advance towards paying the Maryland 
 Forces. I most sincei'ely wish Your Excellency the perfect Recovery 
 of Your Health & a successful Campaign, & I am &c. 
 
 Serving as Captain of Maryland troops, in the provincial 
 army destined for the reduction of Fort Duquesne, Evan 
 Shelby was engaged in a number of severe battles in the 
 course of Braddock's war. In 1758, in pursuance of Governor 
 Sharpe's orders, he reconnoitred and marked out the route 
 
 iDraper's King's Mountain and Its Heroes, 411. 
 SMaryland Calendar State Papers, ii, 1757-61, 237. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 111 
 
 of a road to Fort Cumberland; and following his report to 
 the Governor that "three hundred and fifty men might open 
 such a road as he proposed in three weeks," as it was not 
 more than sixty miles in length, the road was laid out by him 
 with the assistance of the desired quota of men, by order of 
 Governor Sharpe. 3 As a soldier he was conspicuous for gal- 
 lantry in the battle fought at Loyal Hanning (now Bedford), 
 Pennsylvania; and he led the advance guard of General 
 Forbes, when he took possession of Fort DuQuesne in 1758. 
 Early in the 'sixties, it is reasonable to suppose, he removed 
 with his family to Pennsylvania — perhaps as the result of un- 
 certainty in land titles in consequence of the dispute over 
 territory between Maryland and Pennsylvania. For some 
 years thereafter he engaged in trade with the Indians of the 
 Northwest. During the conferences with the Indians, held in 
 connection with the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, lasting from 
 October 24 until November 6, 1768, an extensive grant of 
 land was made by the Six Nations of Indians to twenty-three 
 Indian traders, most of them from Pennsylvania, to recom- 
 pense them for very large losses incurred during the war of 
 1763. In the list of the twenty-three names is found that of 
 Evan Shelby, along with such other well known names as 
 William Trent, David Franks, John Baynton, Samuel Whar- 
 ton, and George Morgan. This grant included all that part 
 of the present state of West Virginia lying between the Ohio, 
 the Little Kanawha, and the Monongahela rivers, the Laurel 
 Ridge, and the South line of Pennsylvania extended to the 
 Ohio. Trent and Wharton, two of the traders, went to Eng- 
 land, to endeavor to obtain a confirmation of the grant, which 
 was named Indiana by those who wished to erect it into a 
 colony; but while there they were induced to throw in their 
 interests with Thomas Walpole, Benjamin Franklin, and 
 others, in securing the grant of Vandalia, which included the 
 
 3Cf . Sharpe to Capt. Evan Shelby, June 15, 1758 ; Maryland Calen- 
 dar State Papers. Letter Book III, 206; Sharpe to Calvert, Letter 
 Book I, 358-9. For Capt. Evan Shelby's report from Frederick, June 
 25, 1758, cf. also Maryland Calendar State Papers, Letter Book III, 
 212. 
 
112 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 grants to the Ohio Company and to William Trent and his 
 associates, and extended to the mouth of Scioto. Although 
 the draft of the royal grant had actually been prepared in 
 the spring of 1775, it ultimately failed of confirmation by 
 the Crown. 4 
 \i During the third quarter of the eighteenth century, ranches, 
 or "cow-pens" were established at many places in the Pied- 
 mont region of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Caro- 
 lina. The more adventurous farmers, taking advantage of 
 the fertile pastures of the uplands, pressed far beyond the 
 ordinary farmer's frontier, and herded in large flocks of cat- 
 tle and stock. Many of these were wandering wild upon the 
 country; as a contemporary observer says, "notwithstanding 
 every precaution, very great numbers of black cattle, horses 
 and hogs — run at large, entirely wild, without any other pro- 
 prietors than those of the ground they happened to be found 
 upon." 5 In 1771, according to the best authorities, Isaac 
 Shelby, the son of Evan Shelby, was residing in Western Vir- 
 ginia, living the life of the rancher, and engaged in the bus- 
 iness of feeding and attending to the herds of cattle over the 
 extensive ranges of the uplands. 6 And in this same year, as 
 Draper states, the Shelby connection removed to the Holston 
 country, in that twilight zone of the debatable ground between 
 North Carolina and Virginia. 7 Evan Shelby settled on the 
 site of the present Bristol, Tennessee ; and in conjunction 
 with his friend, Isaac Baker, purchased the Sapling Grove 
 tract, of 1946 acres, Robert Preston dividing it equally be- 
 tween them. 
 
 ±Plain Facts, Philadelphia, 1781. New Governments West of the 
 Alleghanies Before 1780, by G. H. Alden, Madison, Wis., 1897. Ci. 
 also, Hanna's The Wilderness Trail, ii, 59-60. 
 
 5 J. F. D. Smyth: A Tour in the United States of America, ii. 143-4. 
 
 6L. C. Draper : Kings Mountain and Its Heroes, 411. 
 
 7 Summers, in his Southwest Virginia, 1903, 671-2, states that "in 
 the year 1765 or shortly thereafter, Evan Shelby and Isaac Baker left 
 their homes in Maryland and came to the Holston country." The 
 facts, as stated above, would indicate that the date, 1765, is incorrect, 
 with reference to the migration to the Holston country of Evan 
 Shelby, at least. It may be that Isaac Baker preceded Evan Shelby 
 to the Holston country, and induced him to remove thither. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 113 
 
 \ 
 
 Isaac Shelby was born near the North Mountain, in the 
 vicinity of Hagerstown, Maryland, on December 11, 1750, 
 being the eldest son of Evan Shelby and his first wife, Letitia 
 Scott, of Frederickstown, Maryland. The intimacy between 
 Evan Shelby and his friend Isaac Baker is shown by the fact 
 that Shelby named one of his sons Isaac and Baker named 
 one of his sons Evan. Endowed, like his father, with an iron 
 constitution, and reared in a martial atmosphere, Isaac early 
 adapted himself to the strenuous life of the pioneer and be- 
 came expert in the arts of hunting and woodcraft. Even be- 
 fore he reached man's estate he served as Deputy Sheriff of 
 Frederick County, Maryland — a tribute to his self-control 
 and personal prowess. 8 
 
 Despite the fact that the country was continually harrassed 
 with a succession of Indian wars, young Isaac nevertheless 
 succeeded in obtaining the rudiments of a plain English edu- 
 cation. After the removal of the Shelbys to Kings Meadows 
 (near Bristol), Evan Shelby and his four sons, Isaac, Evan, 
 Moses, and James, continued to herd and graze cattle on an 
 extensive scale along the Virginia border, about forty miles 
 north of Watauga. 9 
 
 An authentic account of the career of Evan Shelby and his 
 services to the cause of American independence would con- 
 stitute an extended chapter in the history of Indian battles 
 and border warfare. As indicative of the high estimation in 
 which he was held in his former home, one may cite the fol- 
 lowing fragment of a letter to Captain Evan Shelby from 
 General William Thompson, bearing the address, "Carlyle, 
 6th July, 1775." 
 
 "Had General Washington been sure you could have joined 
 the army at Boston without first seeing your family (you) 
 would have been appointed Lieut. Colo, (of the) Rifle Battal- 
 ion and an express sent by you being so the 
 
 8This statement is made on the authority of Cecil B. Hartley, in 
 his sketch of Isaac Shelby, published in 1860, along with The Life and 
 Adventures of Louis Wetzel. 
 
 9James R. Gilmore : The Rear Guard of the Revolution, 1903, 64. 
 
114 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 general concluded it (would not be — ) for you to take the 
 field before seeing your family. I leave for Boston on Mon- 
 day night." 
 
 Upon his Sapling Grove plantation Evan Shelby built a 
 fort named Shelby's Station, where hundreds were sometimes 
 forted during the Revolution. At this fort the Shelbys 
 kept a store, which supplied the pioneers with ammunition, 
 dress stuffs, articles of food and drink. Daniel Boone pur- 
 chased supplies here in preparation for his ill-timed and ill- 
 fated expedition in 1773. The stout old Welshman, stern 
 though he may have been, was evidently not averse to con- 
 viviality; on an old ledger, dated Staunton, Va., Nov. 22, 
 1773, conspicuous in the account against Evan Shelby are 
 such entries as: "1 Bowl tody," "1 Mug cider," "1 Bowl 
 Bumbo," "To Club in Wine." His first wife, Letitia Cox, 
 died in 1777, and is buried at Charlottesville, Va. Late in 
 life he was married to Isabella Elliott; and the records show 
 that this prudent lady required one-third of his estate to be 
 deeded to her before marriage. In 1794 Evan Shelby died, 
 at the age of 74, and his widow afterwards was married again 
 to one Dromgoole. His remains now repose in Bristol, Tenn.,' 
 on the lot now occupied by the Lutheran Church, on the corner 
 of Fifth and Shelby streets. 11 
 
 It was not long after the settlement of the Shelbys at Sap- 
 ling Grove that they formed the acquaintance of such leading 
 men of the border as James Robertson, John Sevier, Daniel 
 Boone, and William Russell. A little incident indicative of 
 the experience of even the most expert pioneers of the day at 
 the hands of the treacherous and furtive red men is recorded 
 in that valuable repository of historical lore, Bradford's Notes 
 on, Kentucky. "In 1772," records Isaac Shelby in one of 
 these notes, although we know from other sources that he 
 should have said 1771, "I met Daniel Boone below the Hol- 
 stein settlement, alone ; he informed me that he had spent 
 the two years preceding that time in a hunt on Louisa river 
 
 iiCf. Oliver Taylor : Historic Sullivan, 1909. Also L. P. Summers : 
 Southwest Virginia, 1903. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 115 
 
 (now Kentucky), so called by all the Long Hunters; that he 
 had been robbed the day before, by the Cherokee Indians, of 
 all the proceeds of his hunt." 
 
 It was at the instance of the Shelbys that Sevier moved to 
 the Holston settlements. In 1772 John Sevier attended a 
 horse race at the Watauga Old Field, and witnessed the theft 
 of a horse by a burly fellow named Shoate. Sevier was about 
 to leave, disgusted by the incident — for the thief pretended 
 that he had won the stolen horse as the result of a wager — 
 when Evan Shelby remarked to him : "Never mind the rascals ; 
 they'll soon poplar" — by which he meant, take a canoe and 
 get out of the country. One of the first measures taken by the 
 Watauga settlements was the passage of laws to protect them 
 from horse thieves. The following year the Seviers removed 
 to Keywood, about six miles from the Shelbys, later settling 
 in Washington County. 12 
 
 It was not long before Isaac Shelby, young though he was, 
 came to be regarded as a man of promise in the frontier set- 
 tlement. In 1771 he was appointed Lieutenant in the militia 
 by Colonel William Preston, the County Lieutenant of Fin- 
 castle County. The anecdote is related that, when Isaac 
 thoughtlessly sat down instead of remaining at attention 
 while his commission was being written out by Col. Preston, 
 his father, with characteristically imperious manner, sternly 
 admonished him : 
 
 "Get up, you young dog, and make your obeisance to the 
 Colonel!" 
 
 Whereupon the young officer, considerably abashed, arose 
 and made the amende honorable to his superior officer. In 
 time to come the graceless "young dog" was to prove himself, 
 as soldier and statesman, the superior of his bull-dog father, 
 the grizzled veteran and Indian fighter. 
 
 Endowed, like his father, with an herculean frame, though 
 built on a somewhat larger scale, he presents a formidable 
 and impressive appearance in the portraits that have come 
 
 i 2 Draper Mss. ; also cf. F. M. Turner : Life of General John Sevier, 
 1910. 
 
116 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 down to us — with firm, compressed lips, heavy chin, massive 
 features, beetling brows over fixed, deep-set eyes — a man of 
 "uncommon intelligence and stern, unbending integrity." 
 
 II. 
 
 Daniel Boone's attempt, without shadow of title, to make a 
 settlement in Kentucky, in September, 1773, had met with a 
 bloody repulse on the part of the Indians. In a letter to 
 Dartmouth, Dunmore said in regard to the "Americans," the 
 pioneer settlers: "They acquire no attachment to place: But 
 wandering about Seems engrafted in their Nature ; and it is 
 a weakness incident to it that they Should for ever Imagine 
 the Lands further off, are Still better than those upon which 
 they are already Settled." 13 The continued encroachments of 
 the white settlers upon the Indian hunting grounds fanned to 
 flame the smouldering animosity of the red man. The Six 
 Nations, at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, had sold to 
 the Crown, through Sir William Johnson, their unwarranted 
 claim to a vast stretch of territory extending as far to the 
 southward as the Kentucky River. The Southern Indians, 
 the aboriginal occupants of the soil, indignantly denied the 
 right of the Six Nations to this Territory. The Indians along 
 the border were aroused to a pitch of excessive hostility by the 
 continued incursions of the whites. A succession of attacks 
 by the Indians upon outlying and scattered settlements soon 
 led to bloody reprisals on the part of the whites. The open 
 letter of Conolly, Governor Dunmore's agent, calling upon 
 the backwoodsmen to prepare to defend themselves from the 
 attacks of the Shawnees, was issued on April 21, 1771, and 
 the barbarous murder of Logan's family at the mouth of Yel- 
 low Creek on April 30, by one Greathouse and a score of 
 carousing white companions, rendered the conflict inevitable. 
 Yet actual hostilities were slow to commence, and it was not 
 until the summer of 1771 that Daniel Boone and Michael 
 Stoner were dispatched by Dunmore to Kentucky, to conduct 
 
 i3Draper Mss., 15J4-4S. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 117 
 
 into the settlements the various parties of surveyors scattered 
 about through the Kentucky area. The war was now begun, 
 and Lord Dunmore, hoping to reconcile the differences be- 
 tween the colonists and England by a successful campaign 
 against the Indians, proceeded vigorously to carry the war 
 into the enemy's country. 
 
 There were two divisions in Lord Dunmore' s army, one of 
 fully twelve hundred men under the command of the earl in 
 person, the other of about eleven hundred strong, under the 
 command of General Andrew Lewis, a stalwart backwoods 
 fighter. For some inexplicable motive, which has been sus- 
 pected, no doubt, erroneously, as an attempt at treachery to 
 the Americans, Dunmore decided not to unite his force with 
 that of Lewis ; and after a long march he took up his position 
 at the mouth of the Hockhocking, erected a stockade styled 
 Fort Gower, and awaited news of Lewis's brigade. The divis- 
 ion of Lewis reached the mouth of the Great Kanawha River 
 on October 6 and encamped at Point Pleasant. On the ninth 
 the order came to Lewis from Dunmore to join him at the 
 , Indian towns near the Pickaway Plains. The sagacious 
 Cornstalk, the Indian leader, divining the plan of the whites, 
 resolved to hurl his entire force of one thousand warriors upon 
 the sleeping army at Point Pleasant. 
 
 Of the several commands under Lewis one was composed of 
 the Fincastle men, from the Holston, Clinch, Watauga, and 
 New River settlements, under Col. William Christian. The 
 Holston men were the advance guard of civilization at this 
 period, the most daring settlers who had pushed farthest out 
 into the western wilderness. In Col. Christian's command 
 were five captains, Evan Shelby, Russell, Herbert, Draper, 
 and Buford ; and under Evan Shelby were his sons, Isaac, a 
 lieutenant, and James ; and James Robertson and Valentine 
 Sevier, orderly sergeants. 
 
 The battle which ensued has been described in such accurate 
 and graphic terms in a letter to John Shelby, by Isaac Shelby, 
 
118 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 who played an important part in the fierce engagement, that 
 his letter is given here in full : 14 
 
 Camp Opposite to the Mouth of Great Canaway, 
 
 October 16th, 1774. 
 
 Dr. Uncle : — I Gladly imbrace this opportunity to Acquaint You 
 that we are all threeis yet alive th(r)o Gods Mercies & I Sinceerly 
 wish that this may find you & your Family in the Station of Health 
 that we left you. I never had anything Worth Notice to quaint you 
 with since I left you till now, the Express seems to be Hurrying 
 that I Cant write you with the same Coolness & Deliberation as I 
 would; we arrived at the mouth (of) Canaway Thursday 6th. Octr. 
 and incampd on a fine piece of Ground with an intent to wait for the 
 Governor & his party but hearing that he was going another way we 
 Contented our selves to stay there a few days to rest the troops &c, 
 when we looked upon our selves to be in safety till Monday morning 
 the 10th Instant when two of our Compys. went out before day to 
 hunt. To wit Val. Sevier & Jas Robison & Discovered a party of 
 Indians ; as I expect you will hear something of our Battle before 
 you get this I have here stated this affair nearly to you. 
 
 For the Satisfaction of the people in your parts in this they have a 
 true state of the Memorable Battle faught at the mouth of the Great 
 Canaway on the 10th. Instant ; Monday morning about half an Hour 
 before Sunrise two of Capt. Russells Compy. Discovered a large party 
 of Indians about a mile from Camp one of which men was killed the 
 Other made his Escape & brought in his intelligence ;16 in two or three 
 minutes affter two of Capt Shelbys Compy. Came in and Confirmed 
 the Account. Colo. Andrew Lewis being Informed thereof Immediately 
 ordered Colo. Charles Lewis to take the Command of 150 men from 
 Augusta and with him went Capt. Dickison. Capt. Harrison. Capt. 
 Willson. Capt. Jno. Lewis from Augusta and Capt. Lockridge which 
 made the first division. Colo. Fleming was also ordered to take the 
 Command of one hundred & fifty more Consisting of Botetourt Fin- 
 castle and Bedford Troops Viz. Capt. Buford of Bedford Capt. Love 
 of Botetourt Capt. Shelby & Capt. Russell of Fincastle which made 
 the second Division. Colo. Lewis marched with his Division to the 
 
 i4The copy here used is made directly from the original in the 
 Draper Mss., 7 ZZ 2. The text used by Roosevelt (Winning of the 
 West) is drawn from a manuscript copy of Shelby's letter, in the 
 Campbell Mss. 
 
 i5Captain Evan Shelby and his two sons, Isaac and James. 
 
 i6These were Joseph Hugbey, of Shelby's company, and James 
 Mooney, of Russell's. The former was killed by a white renegade, 
 Tavenor Ross, while the latter brought the news to camp. Mooney 
 was a former neighbor of Daniel Boone, upon the Yadkin in North 
 Carolina, and had accompanied him upon the disastrous Kentucky 
 hunting expedition of 1769. He was killed at Point Pleasant. Cf. 
 Dunmore's War, edited by Thwaites and Kellogg. 271-2. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 119 
 
 Right some Distance up from the Ohio. Colo. Fleming with his 
 Division up the banck of the Ohio to the left : Colo. Lewiss Division 
 had not marchd. little more than a quarter of a mile from Camp ; 
 when about sunrise, an Attact was made on the front of his Division 
 in a most Vigorous manner by the Uni*. xl tribes of Indians — Shaw- 
 nees ; Delewares ; Mingoes ; Taways.i? and of several Other Nations 
 in Number not less than Eight Hundred and by many thaught to be a 
 thousand ; in this Heavy Attact Colonel Charles Lewis received a 
 wound which soon after Caused his Death and several of his men 
 fell in the Spott in fact the Augusta Division was forced to give way 
 to the heavy fire of the Enemy. In about a second of a minute after 
 the Attact on Colo. Lewiss Division the Enemy Engaged the Front of 
 Colo. Flemings Division on the Ohio ; and in a short time Colo. Flem- 
 ing reed, two balls thro his left Arm and one thro his breast ; and 
 after annimating the Captains and soldiers in a Calm manner to the 
 pursuit of Victory returned to Camp, the loss of the Brave Colonels 
 was Sensibly felt by the Officers in particular, But the Augusta 
 troops being shortly Reinforced from Camp by Colonel Field with his 
 Company together with Capt. M'Dowel, Capt. Mathews & Capt. 
 Stuart from Augusta, Capt. John Lewis, Capt. Paulin Capt. Arbuckle 
 & Capt. M'Clanahan from Botetourt, the Enemy no longer able to 
 Maintain their Ground was forced to give way till they were in a 
 Line with the troops left in action on Bancks of Ohio, by Colo Flem- 
 ing in this precipitate retreat Colo. Field was killed, after which 
 Capt, Shelby was ordered to take the Commd. During this time 
 which was till after twelve of the Clock, the Action continued Ex- 
 treemly Hott, the Close underwood many steep bancks & Loggs 
 favoured their retreat, and the Bravest of their men made the use 
 of themselves, whilst others were throwing their dead into the Ohio, 
 and Carrying of(f) their wounded, after twelve the Action in a 
 small degree abated but Continued sharp Enough till after one 
 oClock Their Long retreat gave them a most advantages spot of 
 ground ; from whence it Appeared to the Officers so difficult to dis- 
 lodge them ; that it was thought most adviseable to stand as the line 
 then was formed which was about a mile and a quarter in length, and 
 had till then sustained a Constant and Equal weight of fire from wing 
 to wing, it was till half an Hour of Sun sett they Continued firing on 
 us which we returned to their Disadvantage at length Night Coming 
 on they found a safe retreat. They had not the satisfaction of scalp- 
 ing any of our men save One or two straglers whom they Killed be- 
 fore the ingagement many of their dead they scalped rather than 
 we should have them but our troops scalped upwards of twenty of 
 those who were first killed ; Its Beyond a Doubt their Loss in 
 Number farr Exceeds ours, which is Considirable. 
 
 Field Officers killed Colo. Charles Lewis, and Colo. Jno. Fields, 
 Field Officers wounded Colo. Willin. Fleming ; Capts. killed John 
 
 i7The Ottawas, a Northwestern tribe. 
 
120 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Murray Capt. Saml. Willson Capt. Robt. McClanahan, Capt. Jas. 
 Ward, Captains wounded Thos Buford John Dickison & John Scid- 
 more, Subbalterns Killed Lieutenant Hugh Allen, Ensign Mathew 
 Brakin Ensign Cundiff, Subbalterns wounded, Lieut. Lard ; Lieut. 
 Yance Lieut. Goldman Lieut. Jas. Robison about 46 killed & 
 
 about 80 wounded from this Sir you may Judge that we had a 
 Very hard day its really Impossible for me to Express or you to 
 Concieve Acclamations that we were under, sometimes, the Hidious 
 Cries of the Enemy and the groans of our wound (ed) men lying 
 around was Enough to shuder the stoutest hart its the general Opin- 
 ion of the Officers that we shall soon have another Ingagement as we 
 have now got Over into the Enemys Country ; we Expect to meet the 
 Governor about forty or fifty miles from here nothing will save us 
 from another Battle Unless they Attact the Governors Party, five 
 men that Came in Dadys (daddy's) Company were killed, I dont 
 know that you were Acquainted with any of them Except Marck Wil- 
 liams who lived with Roger Top. Acquaint Mr. Carmack that his son 
 was slightly wounded thro the shoulder and arm & that he is in a 
 likely way of Recovery we leave him at mouth of Canaway & one 
 Very Carefull hand to take Care of him ; there is a garrison & three 
 Hundred men left at that place with a surgeon to Heal the wounded 
 we Expect to Return to the Garrison in about 16 days from the 
 Shawny Towns. 
 
 I have nothing more Perticular to Acquaint you with Concerning 
 the Battle, as to the Country I cant now say much in praise of any 
 that I have yet seen. Dady intended writing to you but did not know 
 of the Express till the time was too short I have wrote to Mam(m)y 
 tho not so fully as to you as I then expected the Express was Just 
 going, we seem to be all in a Moving Posture Just going from this 
 place so that I must Conclude wishing you health and prosperity till 
 I see you and Your Family in the meantime I am yr truly Effectionate 
 Friend & Humble Servt Isaac Shelby. 
 
 To Mr. John Shelby Holstons River Fincastle County favr. by Mr. 
 Benja. Gray. 
 
 This recital, written by the young Isaac Shelby, modestly 
 omits any mention of the very important part which he him- 
 self played in the battle. Upon the death of Colonel John 
 Field, Captain Evan Shelby was ordered to the command, 
 and upon so doing he gave over the command of his own com- 
 pany to his son, Isaac, who, while only holding the rank of a 
 lieutenant, acted in the capacity of a captain during about 
 half the battle. Cornstalk, Logan, Red Eagle, and other 
 brave chieftains, fighting fiercely, led in the attack ; and above 
 the terrible din and clangor of the battle could be heard the 
 
, ISAAC SHELBY 121 
 
 deep, sonorous voice of Cornstalk encouraging bis warriors 
 with the injunction : "Be strong ! Be strong !" The Indians 
 led by Cornstalk adopted the tactics of making successive 
 rushes upon the whites by which they expected to drive the 
 frontiersmen into the two rivers, "like so many bullocks," as 
 the chief later explained. So terrific were the onslaughts of the 
 red men that the lines of the frontiersmen had frequently to 
 fall back ; but these withdrawals were only temporary, as they 
 were skillfully reinforced each time and again moved steadily 
 forward to the conflict. About half an hour before sunset 
 General Lewis adopted the dangerous expedient of a flank 
 movement. Captains Shelby, Matthews, Arbuckle, and Stuart 
 were sent with a detachment up Crooked Creek, which runs 
 into the Kanawha a little above Point Pleasant, with a view 
 to securing a ridge in the rear of the enemy, from which their 
 lines could be enfiladed. Concealed by the undergrowth along 
 the bank they endeavored to execute this hazardous move- 
 ment ; and John Sawyers, an orderly sergeant, was dispatched 
 by Isaac Shelby with a few men of the company to dislodge 
 the Indians from their protected position. This fierce attack 
 from an unsuspected quarter alarmed the Indians. Cornstalk 
 leaped to the conclusion that this was the advance guard of 
 Christian's party, and giving the alarm hurried his forces to 
 the other side of Old Town Creek. The battle continued in a 
 desultory way until sunset, and no decisive victory had been 
 achieved. But Cornstalk and his warriors had had enough, 
 and withdrew during the night. 1S 
 
 In this remarkable battle, the most stubborn and hotly con- 
 tested fight ever made by the Indians against the English, it 
 was the flanking movement of the detachment in which Isaac 
 Shelby took a leading part that turned the tide and decided 
 the victory for the whites. This battle, which brought about 
 
 i8Cornpare the account given by Withers in his Chronicles of Border 
 Warfare, edited and annotated by R. G. Thwaites ; Cincinnati, 1908. 
 See also Stuart's Narrative, in Virginia Historical Collections, vol. I. 
 The most exhaustive account of the entire campaign is embodied in 
 Dunmore's War, edited by Thwaites and Kellogg. Madison, 1905. An 
 excellent map is found in Avery's History of the United States, vol. 
 5, p. 183. 
 
122 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 an early conclusion of peace, was from this standpoint com- 
 pletely decisive in character ; and it should not be forgotten 
 that Isaac Shelby, the twenty-four year old captain, thus 
 played an important role in this thrilling scene of warfare 
 preliminary to the great drama of the Revolution. "This 
 action," comments Isaac Shelby in his Autobiography , "is 
 known to be the hardest ever fought with the Indians and in 
 its consequences was of the greatest importance as it was 
 fought while the first Congress was sitting at Philadelphia, 
 and so completely were the savages chastised, particularly the 
 Shawnees and Delawares (the two most formidable tribes) 
 that they could not be induced by British agents among them, 
 neither to the North nor South, to commence hostilities 
 against the United States before July, 1776, in which time the 
 frontiers had become considerably stronger and the settle- 
 ment of Kentucky had commenced." 
 
 Indeed it was this victory of the Great Kanawha, with its 
 temporary subjugation of the savages, which made possible 
 Colonel Richard Henderson's gallant advance into Kentucky 
 in March-April, 1775, ultimately eventuating in the acquisi- 
 tion of Kentucky and the vast trans- Alleghany region to the 
 territory of the United States. Shelby's comment is signifi- 
 cant in its emphasis, as he was present at the "Great Treaty" 
 at the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga in March, 1775, and 
 a little later was serving as surveyor in the employ of the 
 Transylvania Company. Without the impetus given to the 
 colonization of the trans-Alleghany region by Richard Hen- 
 derson and the Transylvania Company, there would have been 
 no bulwark on the west against the incursions of savages from 
 that quarter during the Revolution ; and at the conclusion of 
 peace in 1783, the western boundary of the Confederation of 
 States would doubtless have been the Alleghany Mountains 
 and not the Mississippi River. Isaac Shelby was a hero of the 
 first battle preluding the mighty conflict which was ultimately 
 to end victoriously at Yorktown. 19 
 
 i9Cf. Hale's Trans-Alleghany Pioneers, Cincinnati, 1886, ch. XXXII. 
 Also Todd's Life of Shelby, in National Portrait Gallery, I, 1835. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 123 
 
 At the close of the campaign, if not immediately following 
 the battle, a small palisaded rectangle, abont eighty yards 
 long, with block houses at two of its corners, was erected at 
 Point Pleasant by order of Lord Dunmore. This stockade, 
 entitled Fort Blair, was strongly garrisoned, and the chief 
 command was given to that splendid border fighter, Captain 
 William Russell. The young Isaac Shelby, in recognition of 
 his valued services in the recent bloody battle, was made 
 second in command. 20 It was here, says tradition, that the 
 Indian chief, Cornstalk, came to shake the hand of the young 
 paleface brave, Isaac Shelby, who had led the strategic flank 
 movement which stampeded his army. 21 
 
 The following interesting letter, addressed to "Mr. Isaac 
 Shelby, Holston," explains the state of affairs which then ex- 
 isted in that region, and the movements being set on foot. It 
 is a double letter, for at the end of Col. William Christian's 
 letter to Isaac Shelby, which Shelby had forwarded to Colo. 
 William Russell, the latter wrote a supplementary letter, and 
 returned the whole to Isaac Shelby. 
 
 Dunkaed Bottom, February 18, 1775. 
 Dear Sir : — I have lately been at Williamsburg, and applied to his 
 Excellency the Governor to know what was to be done with the garri- 
 son at point pleasant. His Lordship has been disappointed in getting 
 the consent of the Assembly for the continuance of the Company, but 
 he desired me to acquaint Captain Russell that he was to return to 
 his post and remain there until the treaty with the Indians, which is 
 to be at Fort Dunmore in may, or until further orders. I think it 
 will be in June before that treaty is finished & also that his Lordship 
 wishes that the garrison could be kept(?) up from a desire he has to 
 serve the Frontiers. I have wrote to Captain Russell to come down in 
 order to take the charge of one of the Shawnese Hostages who was 
 sent up with me. The design of sending him is to satisfy the Indians 
 
 20isaac Shelby's Autobiography. Cf. also Dunmore' s War, p. 310 n; 
 Chas. S. Todd's Life of Shelby, National Portrait Gallery, vol. I. 
 Thwaites says that General Lewis, who reached Point Pleasant on 
 October 28, left there a garrison of fifty men under Captain Russell. 
 Cf. Withers's Chronicles of Border Warfare, 1908, p. 176n. 
 
 ^Southern Heroism in Decisive Battles for American Independ- 
 ence, by Charles Henry Todd, in Journal of American History, vol. II, 
 No. 2. 
 
124 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 of our friendly intentions, in contradiction to several reports spread 
 among them by pensilvania Traders intimating that we designed fall- 
 ing on them next spring. The reports it was feared might set on foot 
 a general confederacy among the Shawnese & their neighbors. 
 
 I expect Captain Russell will contrive to be as far as McGavocks 
 the 7th. of March on his way to the post and I now write to you 
 thinking it may reach you much sooner than Captain Russell could 
 send to you, thereby to give you more time to prepare for joining 
 him. 
 
 I saw Jno. Douglass this evening & he thinks that near 50 men of 
 those now on duty will agree to continue & perhaps that will be 
 enough. If you get this letter quickly would it not be well for you 
 to ride over and consult with the Captain what is to be done. It is 
 certain that you or him must set of (off) soon with the Indian, or I 
 think it may (mutilated) to come the time I have mentioned. 
 
 A convention of delegates is to be held at Richmond the 20 of 
 March to consist of two members from each county & corporation, 
 what is to be the consequence of the present disputes is yet uncer- 
 tain, but nothing paciflck is expected. The lowland people are gen- 
 erally arming and preparing themselves. 
 
 Please to give my compliments to your Father & tell him that it is 
 most probable that the Committee will meet the day of our Election 
 •yhich is to be the 7 of March & that if he can make it convenient he 
 may as well come up. 
 
 I am Sir Your friend & servant, 
 
 Wm Christian 
 
 On the next sheet occurs the following, in the handwriting 
 
 of William Russell : 
 
 My Dear Sir: 
 
 I just Reed, this letter of yours and one of my own. It seems 
 Captain Morgan of the Shawanees is sent up for us, to guard out to 
 the Shawanees Towns upon Business of Importance, therefore re- 
 quest your goodness to meet me on Sunday next at Mr. Souths about 
 Night in order to go together to McGavocks against Tuesday next to a 
 meeting of the Committee either to Proceed from there or to return 
 by my House, if so, you can return Home (mutilated) I start, I am 
 Dear Sir. 
 
 Your most obedt Humble 
 
 Servt W. Russell 
 
 Tuesday the 27th, 1775. 
 To Mr. Isaac Shelbey Holston. 
 
 When Daniel Boone and his friend, Captain William Rus- 
 sell, the leading pioneer in the Clinch Valley, at the head of a 
 party of emigrants, attempted their settlement of Kentucky in 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 125 
 
 1773, they were driven back by the Indians on September 25, 
 and abandoned the enterprise. For years, in fact since 1764, 
 Daniel Boone had been making exploring expeditions to the 
 westward in the interest of the land company known as Rich- 
 ard Henderson and Company. 22 Another explorer for Rich- 
 ard Henderson, who later made hunting tours and explora- 
 tions in Kentucky, was Henry Skaggs, who as early as 1765 
 examined the lower Cumberland region as the representative 
 of Richard Henderson and Company and established his sta- 
 tion near the present site of Goodletsville, in Davidson 
 County, Tennessee. 23 With the Western country thoroughly 
 disturbed and infested with bands of hostile red men, during 
 1773 and 1774, Col. Henderson recognized the signal unwis- 
 dom of attempting a western settlement on an extended scale. 
 It was Daniel Boone's impatience to reach the West and his 
 determination to settle there, regardless of legal right and 
 without securing the title by purchase from the Cherokees, 
 which led to his disastrous setback at Walden's Ridge in 
 1773. This entire episode exposes Boone's inefficiency as an 
 executive and his inability to carry through plans made on a 
 large scale. It was not until the remarkable legal mind of 
 Judge Henderson and his rare executive ability were applied 
 to the vast and complex project of western colonization that 
 it was carried through to a successful termination. 
 
 Two momentous circumstances now intervened to make 
 possible the great western venture, upon which Judge Hen- 
 derson, during a decade and more, had staked all his hopes. 
 Correspondence with the highest legal authorities in England 
 assured Judge Henderson that despite the Royal Proclama- 
 tion in 1763 he would be entirely within his rights, as a Brit- 
 ish subject, to purchase the western lands from the Cherokees 
 and secure authentic title thereto. The victory of the back- 
 woodsmen over the red men at the Battle of the Great Kana- 
 
 22Compare the author's The Creative Forces in Westward Expan- 
 sion: Henderson and Boone, in the American Historical Review, 
 October, 1914. 
 
 23Albright's Early History of Middle Tennessee, Nashville, 1909, 
 p. 23. 
 
126 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 wha greatly reduced the dangers incident to a visit to the 
 Kentucky wilderness, and in 1775 warranted the bold venture 
 which, in 1773, Boone, upon his own responsibility alone, had 
 found so disastrous. Following the Battle of the Great Ka- 
 nawha, Judge Henderson, accompanied by his friend and 
 neighbor, Colonel Nathaniel Hart, visited the Indians at their 
 towns and, upon inquiry, learned that the Cherokees were 
 disposed to sell their claims to the Kentucky territory. The 
 agreement was made to meet the entire tribe of the Cherokees 
 in Treaty Council at the Sycamore Shoals, on Watauga River, 
 early in the next year. On their return to the settlements 
 Judge Henderson and Colonel Hart were accompanied by the 
 Little Carpenter, a wise old Indian Chief, and a young buck 
 and his squaw, as delegates to see that proper goods were pur- 
 chased for the proposed barter. These goods were purchased 
 in December, 1774, at Cross Creek, near Fayetteville, North 
 Carolina, and forwarded by wagons to Watauga. 
 
 Since his repulse at Walden's Ridge, in September, 1773, 
 when the sons of both Russell and himself had been slaugh- 
 tered by Indians, Boone, together with his family, had been 
 residing in a cabin upon the farm of Captain David Gass, 
 seven or eight miles from Russell's, upon Clinch River. He 
 was now summoned to Watauga, instructed to collect the en- 
 tire tribe of Cherokee Indians and bring them in to the treaty 
 ground. The news of the purposes of the Transylvania Com- 
 pany became public property when Judge Henderson and his 
 associates, in January, 1775, issued their "Proposals for the 
 Settlement of Western Lands," which, in the form of broad- 
 sides, were distributed widely along the fringe of settlements 
 upon the Indian border line. News of the proposed treaty 
 quickly reached young Isaac Shelby at Fort Blair; and his 
 pioneering instinct unerringly drew him to the focus of in- 
 terest, the treaty ground. We are fortunate in having handed 
 down to us, from that early time, a description of the treaty 
 on the part of the young Isaac Shelby, who was an eye-witness. 
 Following the confiscation of the Transylvania Company's 
 claims by the State of Virginia, a series of extended investiga- 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 127 
 
 tions in regard to the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals were made 
 by order of the Virginia Legislature. The points that were 
 in great need of being settled were: First, whether the de- 
 ponents were financially interested in lands under the Tran- 
 sylvania Company ; second, whether the treaty was conducted 
 with entire fairness ; and third, whether the deeds taken by 
 the Transylvania Company were identical, in regard to the 
 metes and bounds of the territory purchased, with the verbal 
 statement of the negotiators of the treaty, made to the Chero- 
 kees. As it was subsequently proven, as a result of the inves- 
 tigations of the Virginia Commissioners, that the treaty was 
 conducted with scrupulous fairness by Judge Henderson and 
 his partners, it is interesting to read the following extract 
 from the deposition sworn to on December 3, 1777, before 
 Edmund Randolph and Jo. Prentiss, by Isaac Shelby: 
 
 "That in March, 1775, this Deponent was present at a 
 Treaty held at Wattaugha between the said Henderson and 
 the Cherokee Indians : that the deponent then heard the said 
 Henderson call the Indians, when the deed by which the said 
 Henderson now claims was going to be signed, and declared 
 that they would attend to what was going to be done : that the 
 deponent believes the courses in the said Deed contained, to 
 be the very courses which the said Henderson read therefrom 
 to the Indians and were interpreted to them. That the said 
 Henderson took the said Deed from among several others lying 
 on a table, all of which appeared to the Deponent to be of the 
 same tenor with that which he read — That at the time of this 
 Treaty, one Read who was there and suspected that the 
 said Henderson intended to purchase some lands which he 
 himself had his Eyes on, desired the said Deed to be read 
 before it was signed, which was accordingly done, and the 
 said Read objected not thereto." 
 
 It was doubtless at some time during the course of the 
 treaty — a treaty universally conceded to have been unparal- 
 leled for honesty and fair dealing with the Indians on the 
 part of the whites — that Judge Henderson, attracted by the 
 sterling qualities of the young Shelby and by his manifest 
 
3 28 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 eagerness to connect himself with Henderson's plans of 
 colonization, secured the promise of his services in the future, 
 following the expiration of his term of enlistment, as surveyor 
 for the Transylvania Company. The garrison of Fort Blair 
 was not disbanded until July, 1775 ; and immediately Shelby 
 journeyed to Kentucky and engaged in the business of land 
 surveyor for the proprietors of the Transylvania Company, 
 who had established a regular land office as the result of their 
 purchase of the Kentucky area from the Cherokees. Here he 
 remained for nearly twelve months, surveying numerous 
 tracts of land for the Transylvania proprietors, and likewise 
 making a number of entries of land for himself in Judge Hen- 
 derson's land office. 24 His health finally became impaired, 
 owing to continued exposure to wet and cold, combined with 
 the frequent necessity for going without either bread or salt. 
 On this account he was compelled to return to the settlements 
 on Holston. 
 
 In July, 1776, during his absence in Kentucky, Shelby was 
 appointed Captain of a minute company by the Committee of 
 Safety in Virginia. As described by Shelby this was "a 
 species of troops organized for the first emergency of the War 
 of the Revolution, which, however, was not called into actual 
 service from the extreme frontier on which he (Shelby) 
 lived." On December 6th of this year, the General Assembly 
 of Virginia passed an act dividing the county of Fincastle into 
 three distinct counties, to-wit : Montgomery, Washington, and 
 Kentucky. In this act the bounds of Washington County 
 were defined as follows : 
 
 "That all that part of said county of Fincastle included in 
 the lines beginning at the Cumberland Mountains where the 
 line of Kentucky county intersects the North Carolina (now 
 Tennessee) line; thence to the east along the said Carolina 
 line to the top of Iron mountain ; thence along the same east- 
 
 24in his deposition, referred to above, Isaac Shelby stated : "This 
 Deponent has made several Entries for lands in Mr. Henderson's 
 Office, but does not conceive himself to be in any manner interested in 
 the Event of the dispute, between the Commonwealth of Virginia and 
 the said Henderson." Cal. Ya. State Papers, I, 296-7. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 129 
 
 erly to the source of the South Fork of the Holston river; 
 thence northwardly along the highest part of the highlands, 
 ridges, and mountains that divide the waters of the Tennessee 
 from those of the Great Kanawha to the most easterly source 
 of Clinch River; thence westwardly along the top of the 
 mountain that divides the waters of the Clinch river from 
 those of the Great Kanawha and Sandy Creek to the line of 
 Kentucky county and thence along the same to the beginning, 
 shall be one other distinct county and called and known by 
 the name of Washington." 
 
 The eastern boundary of Washington County as thus de- 
 fined was altered by Act of the General Assembly at its ses- 
 sion in the month of May, 1777, as follows : 
 
 "Beginning at a ford on Holston river, next above Captain 
 John Campbells, at the Royal Oak, and running from thence 
 a due south course to the dividing line between the States of 
 Virginia and Xorth Carolina ; and from the ford aforesaid 
 to the westerly end of Morris's Knob, about three miles above 
 Maiden Spring on Clinch, and from thence, by a line to be 
 drawn due north, until it shall intersect the waters of the 
 Great Sandy river." 20 
 
 The officers of the county commissioned by Governor Pat- 
 rick Henry on the 21st day of December, 1776, were as fol- 
 lows: James Dysart, sheriff; Arthur Campbell, county lieu- 
 tenant ; Evan Shelby, Colonel ; William Campbell, lieutenant- 
 colonel ; and Daniel Smith, Major. Among the names of 
 those on the same day commissioned justices of the peace was 
 that of Evan Shelby. The first court assembled at Black's 
 Fort (now Abingdon) on the last Tuesday in January, 1777. 
 On the second day of the court, being the 29th of January, 
 Isaac Shelby was recommended, with others, to be added to 
 the Commission of Peace for the county, and was accordingly 
 commissioned. It may be interesting to record that, when, on 
 February 26, 1777, the court recommended to the Governor 
 of Virginia the militia officers for Washington County, both 
 
 25Hening's Statutes. 1776. 
 
130 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 John Shelby, Sr., and James Shelby were duly commissioned 
 with the rank of Captain. During some portion of this time 
 Isaac Shelby was busily engaged in acting as commissary of 
 supplies, a post to which he was appointed by Governor Henry, 
 for a large body of militia posted at several garrisons for the 
 purpose of guarding the back settlements. Of his activity we 
 have evidence in the great distances which he travelled. For 
 instance, in September of this year, we find him at Harrods- 
 burgh, in Kentucky, swapping horses with the future brilliant 
 and meteoric figure, the conqueror of the Northwest. In 
 Clark's diary one finds the following terse entry : 
 
 "Harrodsburgh, September 29. — Bought a horse, price 
 £12 ; swapped with I. Shelby, boot £10." 
 
 I have often wondered who got the "boot" — the phlegmatic 
 Welshman or the mercurial Virginian ! 
 
 During this same year, Isaac Shelby was likewise in- 
 structed to lay in supplies for a grand treaty, to be held at 
 the Long Island of Holston River, in June and July, with the 
 tribe of Cherokee Indians. 
 
 "These supplies could not possibly be obtained nearer than 
 Staunton, a distance of near three hundred miles," says 
 Shelby, writing in the third person, "but by the most inde- 
 fatigable perseverance (one of the most prominent traits in 
 his character) he accomplished it to the satisfaction of his 
 country." 
 
 It is necessary for us to recall that in 1772 Colonel John 
 Donelson, of Pittsylvania County, acting as commissioner for 
 Virginia, had established with the Cherokees the western 
 boundary line of that colony, viz: a course running in a 
 direct line from a point six miles east of the Holston River 
 toward the mouth of the Great Kanawha River, until the line 
 struck the Kentucky River, and thence along that river to its 
 junction with the Ohio. 26 
 
 26A price was agreed upon and promised, but not then paid, for the 
 large section of Kentucky north and east of the Kentucky river thus 
 alienated to Virginia. Considerable doubt still prevails as to whether 
 the price promised by Donelson was ever paid over to the Cherokees. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 131 
 
 In 1777 Governor Henry, of Virginia, notified Governor 
 Caswell, of North Carolina, of a treaty to be had with the 
 Cherokees. The object of Virginia was to alter the boundary 
 line as run by Colonel Donelson, and to have the road to and 
 through the Cumberland Gap, the gateway to Kentucky, in- 
 cluded in the cession. The commissioners chosen to represent 
 Virginia were Col. William Preston, Col. Evan Shelby, and 
 Col. William Christian, or any two of them. The commis- 
 sioners chosen to represent North Carolina were Col. Waight- 
 still Avery, Col. William Sharpe, Col. Robert Lanier, and 
 Colonel Joseph Winston. The treaty lasted from the 26th of 
 June until the 20th of July, when it was concluded to the 
 satisfaction of both Virginia and North Carolina. The line 
 established by Donelson in 1772 was not materially altered ; 
 but the alteration involved the lands claimed by the Transyl- 
 vania Company under their purchase from the Cherokees in 
 March, 1775. For reasons of policy and because of lack of 
 instructions from their respective governments the commis- 
 sioners refused to take account of the memorial presented by 
 Judge Henderson and his associates. The treacherous and 
 wily Indian Chiefs characteristically sought to convince the 
 commissioners that Judge Henderson had treated them hardly 
 in maintaining the provisions of the "Great Treaty" of 1775 ; 
 but the deposition of Isaac Shelby (already quoted from in 
 part) is conclusive on the point : 
 
 "That being present at the late Treaty at Long Island, this 
 deponent remembers to have heard Occunostoto or the Tassel 
 (but which he does not recollect) say that ever since he had 
 signed the paper to Mr. Henderson, he was afraid to sign 
 one, and that Mr. Henderson ever since he had signed the 
 Paper, deprived him of the privilege of catching even Craw 
 fish on the land. That this deponent was present at the time 
 of signing the said Deed at Wattaugha, when everything was 
 conducted fairly on the part of the said Henderson, who after 
 signing, desired the Indians to go and take the goods which 
 he designed for them." 27 
 
 27(7aZ. Va, State Papers, I. 
 
132 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 This was a memorable gathering of the leading pioneer 
 figures of the day. Revolution was the burning topic of dis- 
 cussion, and the spirit of independence, so long held in leash, 
 found universal expression. In the characteristic phraseology 
 of the patriotic Putnam: 
 
 "Here were Robertson and Sevier, Boone and Bledsoe, 
 Shelby, Henderson, Hart and others — all men of worth, of 
 nerve, of enterprise — 'men who feared God, but obeyed no 
 earthly king.' 
 
 "They talked freely of the Declaration of Independence, as 
 it had been announced at Mecklenburg, in North Carolina, by 
 Patrick Henry and the Virginians, and by the Continental 
 Congress just twelve months before. They did not think of 
 giving notoriety out there to the Fourth of July ; but they all 
 heartily concurred in the renunciation of allegiance to the 
 King of Great Britain, and in the resolution to make 'these 
 States free and independent.' " 2S 
 
 In 1778, as we learn from Shelby's account, he was still 
 engaged in the commissary department to provide supplies 
 for the Continental Army, and also for a formidable expedi- 
 tion by the way of Pittsburg against the Northwestern In- 
 dians. This was the expedition of General Mcintosh against 
 the Ohio Indians. On Dec. 12, 1778, the Virginia Council 
 issued instructions to John Montgomery "to put on Foot the 
 recruiting of men to reinforce Colo. Clarke at the Illinois 
 and to push it on with all possible expedition." 29 
 
 George Rogers Clark was in desperate straits for men and 
 supplies in view of the fact that General Mcintosh's proposed 
 expedition from Fort Pitt against Detroit had to be aban- 
 doned. John Montgomery was given a very free hand in re- 
 cruiting for Clark ; and the following entry shows to what ex- 
 tent Isaac Shelby was relied upon to fit out with supplies 
 various expeditions along the frontier : 
 
 As soon as the state of Affairs in the recruiting business will per- 
 mit you are to go to the Ilinois Country and join Colo Clarke. I need 
 
 ^History of Middle Tennessee, 617. 
 29ClarJcs Mss., Va. State Archives. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 133 
 
 not tell you how necessary the greatest possible dispatch is to the 
 good of the service in which you are engaged Our party at Ilinois 
 may be lost together with the present favorable disposition of the 
 French & Indians there unless every moment is improved for their 
 preservation & no future oppertunity if the present is lost can ever be 
 expected so favorable to the interest of the Commonwealth. I there- 
 fore urge it on you to exert yourself to the utmost to lose not a 
 moment to forward the great work you have in hand & to conquer 
 every difficulty in your way arising from inclement season, great 
 distances, want of many necessaries, opposition from enemies & 
 others I cant enumerate but must confide in your virtue to guard 
 against and surmount. Capt Isaac Shelby it is desired may purchase 
 the boats but if he cant do it you must get some other person 
 
 You receive 10000 £ Cash for Col : Clarke's corps which you are to 
 deliver him except 200 £ for Capt Shelby to build the boats & what 
 other incidental expences happen necessarily on your way which are 
 to come out of that Sum. I am &c. 
 
 A. Blair C C30 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1779 Isaac Shelby was ap- 
 pointed by Governor Henry of Virginia to furnish supplies 
 for a strong campaign against the Chickamauga Indians. 
 Owing to the poverty of the treasury, not one cent could be 
 advanced by the government and the whole expense of the 
 supplies and the transportation was sustained by his own in- 
 dividual credit. In the spring of that year he was elected a 
 member of the Virginia Legislature from Washington 
 County, for at that time it was supposed his residence was 
 within the chartered limits of North Carolina. 
 
 Following the Treaty of Long Island in 1777, already 
 spoken of, it was apparent to the Commissioners from North 
 Carolina that the settlements, having projected so far west- 
 ward of the point to which the dividing line had been run, it 
 was highly desirable that the line be extended. In a letter 
 from Waightstill Avery and William Sharpe, to Governor 
 Caswell, August 7, 1777, they express the conviction that 
 "the extension of the line between the two States is now be- 
 come an object worthy the immediate attention of govern- 
 ment — it would be the means of preventing many great dis- 
 
 zociark Papers, 83. 
 
134 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 putes." 31 In 1778 the Assembly of Virginia and, a little 
 later, the Assembly of North Carolina, passed similar acts 
 for extending and marking the boundary. The acting Com- 
 missioners for North Carolina were Col. Richard Henderson, 
 his cousin, Col. John Williams, of Granville County, and 
 Captain William Bailey Smith. The Commissioners repre- 
 senting Virginia were Dr. Thomas Walker, who had made the 
 remarkable exploration of Kentucky in 1750, and Daniel 
 Smith, the map maker, who was afterwards promoted for 
 his services along the Cumberland. The task of running the 
 boundary line was regarded as a dangerous one, on account 
 of the hostile intentions of the Indians ; and each state com- 
 missioned a detachment to guard the Commissioners while 
 they were engaged in the arduous enterprise. The Virginia 
 Commission was provided with a military escort of twenty- 
 five men, under the command of Isaac Shelby, commissioned 
 a Major for that purpose by Governor Jefferson. 32 As the 
 result of the extension of the boundary line, the county of 
 Sullivan was erected, and Isaac Shelby, who had recently 
 served in the Virginia Legislature and received a military 
 commission from Governor Jefferson, was appointed Colonel 
 Commandant of this new county of Sullivan. 
 
 In 1779 a court of commissioners with plenary powers was 
 created by the commonwealth of Virginia to adjudicate with- 
 out appeal upon the incipient land titles of the country. Wil- 
 liam Fleming, Edmund Lyne, James Barbour, and Stephen 
 Trigg, citizens of Virginia but not of the county of Ken- 
 tucky, were appointed as commissioners. This court had 
 alternate sessions at St. Asaph, Harrodsburg, Boone sborough, 
 the Falls of the Ohio, and Bryan's Station. The court was 
 opened at St. Asaph on October 13, 1779 ; and at Harrods- 
 burg on February 26, 1780, the court announced that its 
 
 sistate Records of North Carolina, vol. II, pp. 567-S. Cf. also Sum- 
 mers S. W. Virginia, pp. 695-6. 
 
 32Cf. Journal of Daniel Smith, edited by St. George L. Sioussat, Ten- 
 nessee Historical Magazine, March, 1915 ; Kentucky-Tennessee Bound- 
 ary Line, by J. Stoddart Johnston, Register Ky. State Hist'l. Soc'y. 
 Sept., 190S. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 135 
 
 powers had elapsed and accordingly adjourned sine die. 
 Thousands of claims, of various kinds, were granted by the 
 court during its existence. It was quite fitting, and in itself 
 an event worthy of commemoration, that the first claim pre- 
 sented for adjudication was that of Isaac Shelby, among the 
 first on the ground as surveyor under Henderson and Com- 
 pany, and later to become the first governor of the Common- 
 wealth of Kentucky. The entry was as follows : 
 
 "Captain John Logan for and in behalf of Isaac Shelby 
 this day produced a claim, and making a Crop of Corn for 
 the same in the year 1778 Lying on a branch that heads at the 
 Knob Lick & about a mile and a half or two Miles from the 
 said Lick a southeasterly course, proof being made satisfac- 
 tory to the court they are of Opinion that the said Shelby has a 
 right to a settlement & Preemption according to law and that 
 certificates issue for the same." 33 
 
 The amount of land thus granted was fourteen hundred 
 acres ; prior to this time it would seem, Isaac Shelby had per- 
 fected no claims for western lands. It is worthy of note that 
 in his deposition before Edmund Randolph and Jo. Prentiss, 
 on December 3, 1777, regarding the Transylvania lands, 
 Isaac Shelby states he had "made several entries for lauds in 
 Mr. Henderson's office, but does not consider himself to be in 
 any manner interested in the Event of the dispute, between 
 the Commonwealth of Virginia and the said Henderson." 34 
 This place, Knob Lick, in what is now Lincoln County, Ken- 
 tucky, was settled in 1776 by Isaac Shelby while a surveyor 
 under Henderson and Company. In the early spring of 
 1783, it may be remarked in passing, Shelby built his house 
 upon the very spot where he had camped in 1776, on the tract 
 of land he had preempted, and upon which he planted a crop 
 of corn, which he left to be cultivated by a tenant, when he 
 himself went to Williamsburg, then the Capital of Virginia, 
 for his appointment by Governor Patrick Henry as a Captain 
 
 33For this copy I am indebted to Judge Samuel M. Wilson, of Lex- 
 ington, Ky. 
 
 34Cal. Va. mate Papers, I, pp. 296-7. 
 
136 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 of the Provisional Army. 35 Upon this preemption in August, 
 1786, Governor Shelby built the first stone house ever erected 
 in Kentucky. This was the famous residence known as 
 "Traveler's Eest." It is recorded that the late Col. Nathaniel 
 Hart, of Woodford County, used to say that when it was re- 
 ported that Col. Shelby had found stone suitable for building 
 purposes, he received many letters from various portions of 
 the United States inquiring if it could possibly be there; as 
 well as many visits to verify the fact, some from as great a 
 distance as Mason County. The real scarcity of stone then 
 seems almost incredible now— in view of the unlimited supply 
 visible on all sides; but was doubtless due to the luxurious 
 growth of cane, and to the heavy foliage which so thoroughly 
 covered the ground when it fell. 36 
 
 During the summer of 1780, while he was locating and se- 
 curing his claims made under the Transylvania Company, 
 Shelby with his company spent some time among the North- 
 western Indians — Piankeshaws, Pottawattamies, and Miamis. 
 In his Memoir, George Rogers Clark makes the following 
 amusing entry : 
 
 "The ensuing summer (1780), Captain I. Shelby, with 
 his own company only, lay for a considerable time in the 
 heart of their (the Indians') country, and was treated in the 
 most friendly manner by all the natives that he saw, and was 
 frequently invited by them to join and plunder what was 
 called 'the King's Pasture at Detroit.' What they meant was 
 to go and steal horses from that settlement." 37 
 
 What a lark that would have been for the staid and phleg- 
 matic Shelby! 
 
 While still in Kentucky, in the summer of 1780, Shelby 
 received intelligence (June 16) of the surrender of Charles- 
 ton and the loss of the army. He made haste to return home 
 (the first part of July), as he himself says, "determined to 
 enter the service of his country, until her independence was 
 
 35Draper's Kings Mountain, 412 ; Shelby's Autobiography. 
 36Collins' History of Kentucky (1882), i, 514. 
 37Englisli's Conquest of the Northwest, I, 549. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 137 
 
 secured; for he could not remain a cool spectator of a con- 
 quest in which his dearest rights and interests were at stake." 
 The story of the events which immediately succeeded this de- 
 termination is best told in his own words : 
 
 "On his arrival in Sullivan he joined a requisition from 
 General Charles McDowell, ordering him to furnish all the 
 aid in his power, to assist in giving a check to the enemy, who 
 had overrun the two Southern States and were then on the 
 border of J^orth Carolina. Col. Shelby assembled the Militia 
 of his County, called upon them to volunteer their services 
 for a short period on that interesting occasion, and marched 
 in a very few days with near two hundred mounted riflemen 
 across the Alleghany Mountain. 
 
 "Shortly after his arrival at McDowell's camp the army 
 moved to near the Cherokee Ford of Broad River, from 
 whence Col. Shelby and Lieut. Col. Clark of Georgia were 
 detached with five hundred mounted men 38 to attack a British 
 Fort, about twenty miles to the South, which was garrisoned 
 principally by Loyalists. Col. Shelby left McDowell's camp 
 late in the evening and arrived at the enemies Post just after 
 daylight the next morning 39 which he found to be enclosed by 
 a strong Abbatus (abatis), and everything within, indicating 
 resistance. He however made a peremptory demand of a sur- 
 render, when Capt. Patrick Moor, who commanded returned 
 for answer that he would defend the Post to the last extrem- 
 ity. 40 Our lines were then drawn to within a distance of 
 about two hundred yards around the Garrison, with a determ- 
 ination to storm it. He however sent a messenger a second 
 time to demand a surrender before he would proceed to ex- 
 tremities. To this the enemy agreed to give up the Post, on 
 their being Paroled not to serve again during the war; or 
 until they were regularly exchanged. In it were found ninety- 
 
 38Shelby's figures are never conspicuous for accuracy. The detach- 
 ment in this instance consisted of some six hundred horsemen. 
 
 3»Sunday, July 30. Cf. Allaire's Diary. 
 
 40The person sent in to demand the surrender of the post was 
 Captain William Cocke, who made the daring ride for Col. Richard 
 Henderson in April, 1775. 
 
138 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 two Loyalists, with one British subbolten (subaltern) officer 
 left there to discipline them, also two hundred and fifty stand 
 of arms, well charged with ball and buckshot and well dis- 
 posed of at the different port holes. This was a strong post 
 built for defense in the Cherokee war of '76 and stood on a 
 branch of a small river called Pacolet. 
 
 a Shortly after this affair and his return to McDowell's 
 camp Shelby and Clark were again detached with six hun- 
 dred mounted men to watch the movements of the Enemy, 
 and if possible to cut up his foraging parties. Ferguson who 
 commanded the Enemy about two thousand five hundred 
 strong, 41 composed of British and Tories, with a small squad- 
 ron of British Horse, was an officer of great enterprise and 
 although only a Major in the British line, was a Brigadier 
 General in the royal militia establishment made by the enemy 
 after he had overrun South Carolina, and esteemed the most 
 distinguished partisan officer belonging to the British army. 
 He made several attempts to surprise Col. Shelby, but his de- 
 signs were always baffled. On the first 42 of August however, 
 his advance, about six or seven hundred strong, came up with 
 the American Commander at a place he had chosen to fight 
 him, called Cedar Spring; when a sharp conflict ensued 
 which lasted about half an hour ; when Ferguson came up 
 with his whole force. The Americans then retreated, carry- 
 ing off the field of battle about twenty prisoners and two 
 British Subalterns. 43 Their killed was not ascertained. The 
 Americans lost eight killed and upwards of thirty wounded, 
 mostly with the sabre officers. The Enemy made great efforts 
 for several miles to regain the prisoners, but by forming fre- 
 quently on advantageous ground apparently to give them 
 battle the enemy were retarded in their pursuit, so that the 
 prisoners were pushed out of their reach. General McDowell 
 
 41 Shelby's original statement in Haywood's Tennessee is that the 
 enemy numbered about two thousand ; it may have been as small a 
 number as eighteen hundred. 
 
 42The date is correctly given in Allaire's Diary as August eighth. 
 
 43in Todd's Memoir of Shelby the number of prisoners taken is 
 increased from twenty to fifty. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 139 
 
 having by some means got information that a party from four 
 to six hundred Loyalists were encamped near Musgrove's 
 Mill, on the South Side of the Enoree River, about forty 
 miles distant; he again detached Col. Shelby, Williams and 
 Clark with about seven hundred horsemen, 44 to surprise and 
 disperse them. Ferguson with his whole force was encamped 
 at that time on their most direct route. The American com- 
 manders took up their line of march from Smith's Ford on 
 Broad river (where McDowell's army was then encamped) 
 just at sundown on the evening of the 18th 45 August 1780 — 
 marched through the woods till after dark, and then took a 
 road leaving Ferguson's camp about three miles to the left. 
 They rode very hard all night, the greatest part of the way in 
 a fast travelling gait, and just at the dawn of day, about half 
 a mile from the Enemy's camp, met a strong patrol party, a 
 short skirmish ensued, and several of them were killed. At 
 that juncture a countryman living immediately at the spot, 
 came up and informed, that the enemy had been reinforced 
 the evening before, with six hundred regular troops (the 
 Queens American regiment from New York) under Col. 
 Ennes, destined to reinforce Ferguson's army; and the cir- 
 cumstances attending this information were so minute and 
 particular, that no doubt was entertained of its truth although 
 the man was a Tory. 46 To march on and attack the enemy 
 then seemed improper. To attempt an escape from the enemy 
 in the rear appeared improbable, broke down as were the 
 Americans and their horses; for it was well known to them 
 that the enemy could mount six or seven hundred infantry 
 with horses of the Loyalists. They instantly determined to 
 
 44R is probable that the American forces numbered only from two 
 hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty. Probably the British 
 originally numbered approximately six hundred. 
 
 45The weight of authority favors the seventeenth, the battle occurr- 
 ing on the eighteenth. 
 
 46it is probable that this statement with respect to the number of 
 British was a considerable exaggeration. Gov. Abner Nash, writing 
 Sept. 10, 17S0, gives Williams' force as two hundred and the British 
 as four hundred. The name of the commander of the British re- 
 inforcement, was Innes, not Ennes. 
 
 —3 
 
140 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 form a breastwork of old logs and brush near the spot, and 
 make the best defense in their power; for by this time the 
 drums and bugle horns of the enemy were distinctly heard in 
 their camp on the high ground across the river, and soon in- 
 dicated their movements. Captain Inman was sent with 
 twenty-five men, to meet the enemy and skirmish with them, 
 so soon as they crossed the Enoree River Capt. Inman was 
 ordered to fire on them, and retreat according to his own dis- 
 cretion. This strategem (which was the suggestion of the 
 Capt. himself) drew the enemy forward in disorder, believing 
 they had driven our whole party; and when they came up 
 within seventy yards a most destructive fire commenced from 
 our Riflemen who lay concealed behind their breastwork of 
 pine logs and brush, which was near half a mile long. 47 It 
 was one whole hour before the enemy could force our Rifle- 
 men from their slender breastwork. Just as they began to 
 give way in some parts, Col. Ennes was badly wounded ; and 
 all the other British officers except one being previously killed 
 or wounded ; and Capt. Hawsey a considerable leader among 
 the Loyalists being shot down; the whole of the enemy's line 
 began to give way, the Americans pursued them close, and 
 beat them across the river with slaughter. 48 In this pursuit 
 Capt. Inman was killed bravely fighting the enemy hand to 
 hand. In this action Col. Shelby commanded the right 
 wing, Clark the left and Williams the center. The Americans 
 returned to their horses and mounted with a determination to 
 be in ISTinety-Six (at that time a weak British Post) before 
 night ; it being less than thirty miles distant according to in- 
 formation then received. At that moment an express from 
 G-en'l McDowell (one Erancis Jones) came up in great haste 
 with a short letter in his hand from Governor Caswell, dated 
 on the battle ground near Camden apprising McDowell of 
 
 47The Americans had been cautioned to reserve their fire "till they 
 could see the buttons on the enemies' clothes." 
 
 48William Smith of Watauga, whose bullet had struck down Innes, 
 exultantly exclaimed : "I've killed their commander," whereupon 
 Shelby "rallied his men who raised a regular frontier Indian yell and 
 rushed furiously upon the enemy, who were gradually forced back 
 before the exasperated riflemen." Cf. Draper's Kings Mountain, 108. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 141 
 
 the defeat of the American grand army under Gen'l Gates, on 
 the 16th near that place, advising him to get out of the way, 
 for that army would no doubt endeavor to improve their vic- 
 tory to the greatest advantage by cutting up all the small corps 
 of the American armies within their reach. It was fortunate 
 that Col. Shelby had some knowledge of Governor Caswell's 
 handwriting and knew what reliance to place upon it ; but how 
 to avoid the enemy in his rear, broke down with fatigue as his 
 men and horses were, with upwards of two hundred prisoners 
 (mostly British) taken in the action — was a difficult task. 
 The loss in killed of the enemy was not ascertained owing to 
 the sudden manner in which the Americans were obliged to 
 leave the battle ground, but must have been very great, from 
 the incessant fire that was poured upon them by our Riflemen 
 for considerably more than an hour. Our loss did not exceed 
 nine or ten, as the enemy generally overshot the breast- 
 work. 49 The prisoners were distributed amongst the com- 
 panies, so as to make about one to every three men, who car- 
 ried them alternately on horseback directly towards the moun- 
 tains. We continued our march all that day, the night follow- 
 ing and the next day until late in the evening, without ever 
 stopping to refresh. 50 This long and rapid retreat saved the 
 Americans, for it is a fact that, De Peyster second in com- 
 mand of Ferguson's army, pursued them with seven hundred 
 mounted men to the place where they had foraged and re- 
 freshed themselves in the evening of the second day after the 
 action; and having arrived there half an hour after our de- 
 parture, at dusk, so broke down by excessive fatigue in hot 
 weather, he gave up the chase. 51 Having seen the party and 
 
 49Draper says : "four killed and eight or nine wounded." The 
 British loss, according to the same authority, was eighty-three killed, 
 about ninety wounded, and seventy prisoners — a total of two hundred 
 and twenty-three out of between four hundred to five hundred — an 
 unusually high percentage of loss. 
 
 50This is an admirable illustration of the indomitable persistence 
 and strenuous energy of Shelby. 
 
 siNote B at end of Shelby's Ms. is as follows : "This information 
 Col. Shelby received from De Peyster himself after he was captured 
 at Kings Mountain in October following." Draper pronounces this an 
 error on the authority of Fanning, the Tory annalist, who asserts that 
 on the night after the battle De Peyster accompanied him from Mus- 
 grove's Mill to Ninety Six. 
 
142 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 the prisoners out of all danger Col. Shelby retreated over the 
 Western waters with his followers, and left the prisoners with 
 Clark and Williams to carry them on to some place of safety 
 in Virginia. So great was the panic after Gen'l Gates' de- 
 feat, and Gen. Sumpter's disaster, that McDowell's whole 
 army broke. Some retreated west of the mountains, and others 
 went to the North. This action which lasted one hour and a 
 half and fought so shortly after the defeat of our grand army, 
 is scarcely known in the history of the Revolution. 52 Fergu- 
 son too, made a hard push with his main army to intercept 
 and retake the prisoners before they could reach the moun- 
 tains, but finding his efforts vain, he took post at a place called 
 Gilbert Town." 
 
 News of the disastrous reverse to General Gates and the 
 American army at Camden, on August 16, 1780, and of the 
 defeat of General Sumter which followed shortly afterwards, 
 produced the immediate effect of spreading universal conster- 
 nation and alarm. The various bodies of Whig Militia were 
 forced to scatter in all directions. From his post at Gilbert 
 Town, Ferguson paroled a prisoner, one Samuel Philips, a 
 distant relation of Isaac Shelby's, and "-Instructed him to in- 
 form the officers on the Western waters, that if they did not 
 desist from their opposition to the British arms, and take pro- 
 tection under his standard, he would march his army over the 
 mountains, and lay their army waste with fire and sword." 53 
 Immediately following the affair at Musgrove's Mill, Shelby, 
 with the approbation of Major Robertson, had proposed that 
 an army of volunteers be raised on both sides of the moun- 
 tains for the purpose of resisting Ferguson's advance. At 
 the time the concensus of opinion heartily favored Shelby's 
 proposal. As soon as Shelby received Ferguson's threatening 
 
 52Shelby elsewhere describes the battle as "the hardest and best 
 fought action he ever was in" — attributing this valor and persistency 
 to "the great number of officers who were with him as volunteers." 
 
 53General Joseph Graham's account in General Joseph Graham, and 
 His Revolutionary Papers, by W. A. Graham, 1904. This account 
 originally appeared in the Southern Literary Messenger, September, 
 1S45. Compare, also, Draper's Kings Mountain, p. 169. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 143 
 
 and insulting message, he set in train a course of events 
 which were the reverse of the result aimed at by Ferguson. 
 The letter instead of having a deterrent and intimidating 
 effect upon Shelby, only fired to immediate execution the de- 
 termination which he had already reached to arouse the fierce 
 mountain men to action. Without delay, Shelby rode off 
 about forty miles to see John Sevier, the efficient commander 
 of the militia of Washington County, at his home near Jones- 
 borough. Here, after his ride in feverish haste, he found Se- 
 vier in the midst of great festivities — a horse race was in 
 progress, and the people in crowds were in attendance at the 
 barbecue. Angered by the insolent taunt of Ferguson, Shelby 
 vehemently declared that this was a time, not for a frolic, but 
 for a fight. Sevier, the daring and adventurous, eagerly 
 seconded Shelby's proposal to arouse the mountain men, to 
 cooperate with other forces that might be raised, and to make 
 an effort to attack, by surprise, and to defeat Ferguson in his 
 camp ; if this were not practicable, to unite with any corps of 
 patriots with which they might meet and wage war against 
 the enemies of America ; and in the event of failure, with the 
 consequent desolation of their homes, to take water, float down 
 the Holston, Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers and find 
 a home with the Spaniards in Louisiana. 54 For two days 
 Shelby remained in consultation with Sevier; the Sycamore 
 Shoals of the Watauga was agreed upon as the rendezvous for 
 their forces, and the time of meeting the twenty-fifth of Sep- 
 tember. A small force of one hundred and sixty men, under 
 Colonel Charles McDowell and Colonel Andrew Hampton, 
 driven before the enemy, had encamped at Watauga on Sep- 
 tember 18th; and their "doleful tale," as Col. Arthur Camp- 
 bell expressed it, still further "tended to excite the resentment 
 of the western militia." Sevier undertook to bring this force 
 into the movement ; and Isaac Shelby sent his brother Moses, 
 who held the rank of Captain, with a message to Colonel Wil- 
 liam Campbell, of the neighboring county of Washington, 
 
 5*Life of General John Sevier, by F. M. Turner ; pp. 10S-9. Draper's 
 Kings Mountain, p. 170. 
 
144 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 urgently requesting his cooperation. Campbell had other 
 plans on foot; but upon the receipt of a second and more 
 urgent message from Shelby, he acquiesced in the latter's plan 
 for the attack on Ferguson. Shelby likewise despatched a 
 messenger, a Mr. Adair, to the County Lieutenant of Wash- 
 ington County, Colonel Arthur Campbell, the cousin and 
 brother-in-law of William Campbell, requesting his coopera- 
 tion. Arthur Campbell had just returned from a conference 
 with Governor Jefferson, and was in a mood to act, as the 
 Governor had pressed upon him the need for a more vigorous 
 resistance to the enemy. Campbell sent word back that "if 
 the western counties of North Carolina could raise a force to 
 join Col. McDowell's men, that the officers of Washington 
 County would cooperate." 55 
 
 ssKings Mountain — A Fragment, by Col. Arthur Campbell. 
 
145 
 
 The Old Cemetery, Charlotte, N. C. 
 
 Some Unusual Notations Concerning this Ancient 
 
 Burial Place, which Holds the Dust of Many 
 
 Patriots of Fame in North Carolina 
 
 By Violet G. Alexander. 
 
 A complete record of this ancient burial ground is not ex- 
 istant today, but it is known to be one of the oldest graveyards 
 in Xorth Carolina, guarding in its bosom the dust of many 
 patriots, men and women, with their little children, once 
 prominent in the life of the county and the State. 
 
 It has been called "the graveyard of the Presbyterian 
 church" (Hunter's Sketches of Western North Carolina, 
 pages 50-59) and there is probably a reason for this title, for 
 in the early days of this community, what is today the First 
 Presbyterian Church was the only church in Charlotte, and 
 was built for all denominations ; but at that date the Presby- 
 terian denomination was the only one in evidence, so after 
 some years of so-called "general use" the Presbyterians paid 
 a small debt of $1,500 and took over the church and beautiful 
 oak grove occupying a city square. As was the custom in those 
 early days, a graveyard was laid off adjacent to the church 
 and was used as a common burying ground. This one lies im- 
 mediately in the rear of the Presbyterian church occupying 
 almost a city square and as it was laid off in connection with 
 the church has frequently been called "the graveyard of the 
 Presbyterian church." 
 
 The "Old Cemetery," as it is now more generally called, 
 was the first graveyard in Charlotte, the "Spratt Burying 
 Ground" antedating it some years, was a private one outside 
 the town limits in early days. The "Old Cemetery" was used 
 as the "town" cemetery until a few years prior to the War 
 Between the States, about 1854, the date of the first inter- 
 ment in "Elm wood," the present large city cemetery, when, 
 
146 THE NOETH CAKOLHSTA BOOKLET 
 
 on account of its small size and crowded condition, it was 
 closed for burials, and "Elmwood" was opened. 
 
 Interments "by special permit" to allow members of fam- 
 ilies to be buried by those of their name, have taken place as 
 late as during the '70s. One of the last was that of Mrs. 
 Sophie Graham Witherspoon, widow of Dr. John Wither- 
 spoon and daughter of General Joseph Graham, a beautiful, 
 gifted, and beloved woman, worthy of her splendid ancestry, 
 who today has a host of relatives in Charlotte to "rise up 
 and call her blessed." 
 
 ]STo complete list of those who have been buried here is 
 available, as no record was kept, and the tombs of many have 
 disappeared from age or neglect, but a partial list has been 
 gleaned from the tombstones still standing, which contains the 
 names of the following well-known and honored families: 
 Alexander, Davidson, Graham, Witherspoon, Polk, Irwin, 
 Carson, Orr, Harty, Clayton, Houston, Berryhill, Blair, Cald- 
 well, Dunlap, Watson, Lowrie, Wilson, Gillespie, Elms, 
 Trotter, Ray, Woodruff, Britton, McLelland, Howell, Sloan, 
 Morrow, Cook, Lemmuel, Badger, Sterling, Jones, Owens, 
 Thomas, McRee, Tredinick, Kearney, Caruth, Asbury, Hos- 
 kins, Boyd, Springs, Laurey, Meacham, Dixon, McCombs, 
 Edwards, Howie, Wheeler, and Dinkins. 
 
 This incomplete list is one of the "honor-rolls" of Mecklen- 
 burg County, recording the fair names of some of her bravest 
 sons and loveliest daughters, who in their brief day acted well 
 their part and laid the safe foundation of Church and State 
 which is today the goodly heritage of Charlotte. Lack of 
 space prevents individual mention of many whose names and 
 lives are indelibly linked with North Carolina's history nor 
 are we permitted to quote the quaint epitaphs and inscrip- 
 tions found on many of the tombstones. 
 
 Three men of considerable fame and who stand large in 
 North Carolina history are buried in the "Old Cemetery" 
 and deserve a more extended notice: Governor Nathaniel 
 Alexander, Colonel Thomas Polk, and General George Gra- 
 ham. 
 
THE OLD CEMETERY, CHARLOTTE, N. C. 147 
 
 Governor Nathaniel Alexander is the only Governor Meck- 
 lenburg County has ever had and his last resting place should 
 be guarded with affection and pride, for he was honored and 
 beloved by his contemporaries as is attested by the many 
 positions of trust he filled. Foote, in his History of Western 
 North Carolina, page 267, has the following: 
 
 "Nathaniel Alexander, late Governor of North Carolina, 
 was a native of Mecklenburg. He was a physician by profes- 
 sion and was elected a member of the House of Commons 
 from Mecklenburg in 1797, a member of the Senate in 1801, 
 and reelected in 1802. In 1803-1805 he was a member of 
 Congress, and in 1805 elected Governor of the State. He 
 married a daughter of Colonel Thomas Polk. He left no 
 children. He was a man of much personal worth and re- 
 spectable talents. He died and lies buried in Charlotte." 
 
 Governor Alexander was a son of Colonel Moses Alexander, 
 a distinguished Revolutionary patriot, who also rendered 
 large services to his country. Governor Alexander's wife 
 (Margaret Polk), was also of patriotic blood, a woman of 
 many fine traits and splendid characteristics, as is evidenced 
 by the fact that she was one of that brilliant company of young 
 ladies of Mecklenburg County who drew up and signed the 
 famous patriotic Resolutions and sent them to Salisbury to 
 the Committee in session there representing Rowan and 
 Mecklenburg counties on May 8, 1776. For a full account of 
 this patriotic deed read Hunter's Sketches of Western North 
 Carolina, pages 144-145. It would appear from this action 
 of the women of Mecklenburg County in May, 1776 — still 
 some months prior to July 4, 1776 — that they were fired with 
 the same fearless patriotism which prompted the men of 
 Mecklenburg County to draw up and sign the Mecklenburg 
 Declaration of Independence on the previous May 20, 1775 ! ! 
 
 Governor Alexander and his wife are buried in the "Old 
 Cemetery" and we find the following inscriptions on their 
 tombs. 
 
148 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Sacred 
 
 To the Memory of 
 
 Doc'r Nathaniel Alexander 
 
 Late Governor of No. Carolina 
 
 who departed this life on the 
 
 7th day of March 1808 
 in the 52nd year of his age. 
 
 By his side lies buried his wife, with this inscription on 
 her tomb: 
 
 Sacred 
 
 To the Memory of 
 
 Margaret Alexander 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Doctor Alexander 
 
 and daughter of 
 
 Thomas and Susannah Polk 
 
 who departed this life on the 
 
 12th day of Sept. 1806 
 
 in the 42nd year of her age. 
 
 Turning now to Colonel Thomas Polk, we again quote from 
 the historian, Foote, pages 5-10, who says: "Col. Thomas 
 Polk and his wife Susanna Spratt Polk, lie buried in the 
 graveyard of the village (Charlotte)." Colonel Polk was one 
 of the ablest and most patriotic men Mecklenburg County — 
 famous for her patriots — has ever borne. He was a member 
 of the Colonial Assembly in 1771 and again in 1775. In 
 1775 he was Colonel of the Mecklenburg Militia and issued 
 orders to the Captains of the several "beats," or districts, to 
 send two (2) delegates each to the Convention held in Char- 
 lotte on its regular day of meeting, May 19, 1775. It was on 
 this day, while the Convention was in session, that the news of 
 the Battle of Lexington (Mass.) reached Charlotte, and the 
 citizens, already aggrieved and incensed, became so indignant 
 that Eesolutions were drawn up and signed on May 20, 1775, 
 declaring independence of Great Britain. Colonel Polk was 
 a delegate to the Convention and was one of the signers of the 
 Declaration of Independence and had the honor by right of 
 his official capacity as Colonel of the Militia, of reading the 
 famous document publicly from the courthouse steps to the 
 
THE OLD CEMETERY, CHARLOTTE, N. C. 149 
 
 assembled citizens. Colonel Polk was appointed Colonel of 
 the Fourth Regiment, Continental Troops by the Provincial 
 Congress at Halifax, N". C, April 4, 1776. After the death 
 of General William Lee Davidson at Cowan's Ford, he was 
 appointed Brigadier-General in his stead. Mrs. Polk was a 
 daughter of Thomas Spratt, one of the earliest settlers of 
 western North Carolina, who was the first man to "cross the 
 Yadkin River on wheels" — vehicles in those primitive days 
 being rare ; he was one of the wealthiest and most influential 
 citizens of Mecklenburg and it was at his home where the 
 first court was held prior to the building of the first court- 
 house. Mrs. Polk's sister, Ann Spratt, was the first white 
 child born in Western North Carolina, and her grave is in the 
 old "Spratt burying ground." Colonel and Mrs. Polk had an 
 interesting family, many of whose descendents are prominent 
 in the life of the community today. Hunter's Sketches of 
 Western North Carolina, page 55, tells us that "he (Colonel 
 Polk) died in 1793, full of years and full of honors, and his 
 mortal remains repose in the graveyard of the Presbyterian 
 Church, in Charlotte." 
 
 Their son, William Polk, also a distinguished patriot, 
 erected a memorial marble over the last resting place of his 
 parents as a tribute of filial love and esteem. On it we read 
 this beautiful testimony : 
 
 Here lies inter'd 
 
 The Earthly remains of 
 
 General Thomas Polk 
 
 and his wife 
 
 Susanna Polk 
 
 who lived many years together 
 
 justly beloved and respected 
 
 for their many virtues 
 
 And universally regretted by all 
 
 who had the pleasure of their 
 
 acquaintance. 
 
 Their Son 
 
 William Polk 
 
 As a token of his filial regard 
 
 hath caused this stone to be 
 
 Erected to their Memory. 
 
150 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Some years ago it was the custom on each 20th of May for 
 a "Special Committee" of citizens to visit the "Old Cemetery" 
 and decorate Colonel Polk's grave with flags and flowers in 
 loving memory of his patriotism as Signer and Public Reader 
 of Mecklenburg's Declaration. Today this loyal tribute has 
 fallen into disuse, but the writer hopes to see it revived and 
 again become an annual custom. 
 
 General George Graham is the third distinguished patriot 
 buried in the "Old Cemetery" of whom we shall write. He 
 was one of the most conspicuously brave and daring men 
 North Carolina has ever produced, a man with a notable 
 record for heroism as is strikingly recounted in the remarkable 
 inscription on his tombstone. He was the son of Scotch-Irish 
 parents, James and Mary Graham, and was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, December 5, 1752, moving to North Carolina with his 
 widowed mother when about ten years of age. His mother 
 was a woman of strong character and fine patriotism, aiding 
 her countrymen in their struggle for freedom and giving to 
 the cause two sons, General Joseph Graham and General 
 George Graham. She is buried in the "Old Cemetery," near 
 the grave of her son, George. He was one of the students of 
 "Queen's Museum" (afterwards Liberty Hall) and was in 
 Charlotte and present at the reading of the Mecklenburg 
 Declaration, on May 20, 1775, as is attested by his affidavit 
 given when he was 61 years of age. In May, 1775, when it 
 was rumored that Captain James Jack, bearer of the Meck- 
 lenburg Declaration to the Continental Congress in Philadel- 
 phia, was about to be detained in Salisbury by two Tory law- 
 yers, Dunn and Booties, young George Graham, then about 23 
 years of age, "was one of the brave spirits who rode all night 
 to Salisbury," seized the offenders and brought them both to 
 Mecklenburg for trial. George Graham took an active part 
 in the campaign against Cornwallis in 1780, and was one of 
 the twelve (12) brave men who dared attack a foraging party 
 of four hundred (400) British soldiers at Mclntire's Branch 
 on the Beattie's Ford road, seven miles from Charlotte, com- 
 pelling them to retreat with a considerable loss of dead and 
 
THE OLD CEMETEEY, CHABLOTTE, N. C. 151 
 
 wounded. Scarcely has a braver or more daring deed been 
 written in the annals of American history ! 
 
 After the war George Graham was elected Major-General 
 of the North Carolina Militia ; for many years he was Clerk 
 of the Court of Mecklenburg County and he was a member of 
 the House of Representatives during 1793-94-95, and was a 
 member of the State Senate during 1703-04-05-06-07-08-09- 
 10-11-12. Again we quote from Hunter's Sketches of West- 
 ern North Carolina, page 99 : 
 
 "He (George Graham) lived more than half a century on 
 his farm two miles from Charlotte. He died on the 29th of 
 March, 1826, in the 68th year of his age, and is buried in the 
 graveyard of the Presbyterian Church in Charlotte." 
 
 A more extended and interesting account of George Graham 
 may be found in that valuable contribution to history, the life 
 of his brother Joseph, entitled General Joseph Graham and 
 His Revolutionary Papers, written by General Joseph Gra- 
 ham's distinguished grandson, Hon. Win. A. Graham. 
 
 The inscription on George Graham's tombstone is a grate- 
 ful recognition by his fellow-countrymen of his splendid 
 bravery in times of war and of his sterling qualities in times 
 of peace, a most unusual and striking tribute ! 
 
 As we stand by his grave we read : 
 
 Sacred 
 
 to the 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Major-General George Graham 
 
 who died 
 
 on the 29th of March, 1S26 
 
 in the 68th year of his age. 
 
 He lived more than half a century 
 
 in the vicinity of 
 
 This place and was a zealous and 
 
 active defender of his 
 
 Country's Rights 
 /r 1 ~* in the 
 Revolutionary War 
 and one of the Gallant Twelve who 
 
152 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 dared to attack and actually 
 
 drove 400 British troops 
 
 at Mclntire's 
 
 7 miles north of Charlotte 
 
 on the 3rd of October, 1780. 
 
 George Graham filled many high 
 
 and responsible Public Trusts 
 
 the duties of which he discharged 
 
 with fidelity. 
 
 He was the people's friend not their 
 
 flatterer 
 
 and uniformly engaged the 
 
 Unlimited Confidence 
 
 and respect of his 
 
 Fellow Citizens. 
 
 The site of the encounter with the British at Mclntire's has 
 been marked by a boulder and inscription as a memorial to 
 George Graham and the "Gallant Twelve." 
 
 In the north and east corner of the "Old Cemetery" a 
 space was set apart for the burial of the slaves who died in 
 the homes of their masters. Many faithful men and women, 
 with their little children, found sepulture here, near the last 
 resting place of those they had loved and faithfully served, 
 and who in return were held in affection and esteem. No 
 tombstones mark these graves and most of them have disap- 
 peared from sight, so today only a rolling greensward greets 
 the eye of the casual passerby, giving no intimation that be- 
 neath its turf lie the dust of many of an alien race who had 
 found home and friends in Charlotte. 
 
 Strangers and visitors to Charlotte often visit the "Old 
 Cemetery" to search for graves of relatives, or to copy inscrip- 
 tions, or, from a reverent love of studying at first-hand a 
 people's history, to stroll through its shady walks under its 
 ancient oak trees and read the quaint epitaphs. Unfortun- 
 ately this historic burial place has not been put in "Perpetual 
 Care," and the city gives only a small appropriation for its 
 upkeep. A fine hedge has been planted around it and a 
 splendid rock wall built on the front side. At its entrance 
 on West Fifth Street we find a beautiful old wrought-iron 
 
THE OLD CEMETERY, CHARLOTTE, N. C. 153 
 
 gate of historic interest. The iron was mined by John Gra- 
 ham, a son of General Joseph Graham, at one of the General's 
 iron furnaces, "Rehoboth Furnace," in Lincoln County, and 
 was made "by hand" by the slaves and is a beautiful specimen 
 of their work. The gate was owned by various members of 
 the family in succession and has been donated to the "Old 
 Cemetery." This sacred "God's Acre" now lies close to the 
 throbbing heart of the modern "Queen City," and is one of 
 her priceless heritages from her early patriots, who bestowed 
 on her her splendid history which is today her greatest 
 treasure. 
 
154 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 The North Carolina Medical Society 
 of 1799-1804 
 
 By Marshall DeLancey Haywood. 
 
 Author of "Governor William Tryon and His Administration in the 
 
 Province of North Carolina, 1765-1771," "Lives of 
 
 the Bishops of North Carolina," "Ballads 
 
 of Courageous Carolinians," etc. 
 
 The present splendid organization, known as The Medical 
 Society of the State of North Carolina, had its origin, as 
 many know, in the year 1849 ; but the fact is known to very 
 few that just half a century earlier a society of almost the 
 same name — The North Carolina Medical Society — 
 was projected in the city of Raleigh by leaders of the medical 
 profession then residing in the Old North State. 
 
 By perusing old files of the Raleigh Register, now pre- 
 served in the North Carolina State Library, we are able to 
 catch glimpses of the earlier organization and its promoters. 
 In the issue of that paper of November 12, 1799, it is stated 
 that "it is contemplated by several Gentlemen of the Faculty, 
 in the State, to form themselves into a Medical Society, and 
 that they intend to convene for that purpose in this city some 
 time in the month of December." The editor adds: "Such 
 an association of scientific men must be highly useful to them- 
 selves and to the community." Commenting still further it 
 is editorially stated that such a society could be made ex- 
 tremely useful "by the interchange of sentiments which it 
 would occasion; by the discussion of medical subjects, which 
 would awaken the spirit of inquiry; by directing the pur- 
 suits of the pupil ; by giving sanction to the medical skill and 
 ability of candidates for practice; by establishing among the 
 Faculty a friendly intercourse; by enabling the community 
 to distinguish the true Physician from the ignorant Pre- 
 tender; and by discountenancing, and possibly suppressing 
 the fatal and criminal practices of Quacks and Empyrics." 
 
THE N. C. MEDICAL SOCIETY 155 
 
 The term "Faculty," above mentioned, we may add in 
 passing, is not used in the same sense as we now generally 
 understand that word, but is an obsolete term to denote a 
 learned profession or occupation. 
 
 In the Raleigh Register of December 10, 1799, Dr. Calvin 
 Jones, "Secretary of Correspondence," published notice that 
 the Medical Society would hold its meeting in Raleigh on the 
 16th of the same month. It is briefly announced in the afore- 
 mentioned newspaper of December 17th that the "Medical 
 Society met this day [probably meaning the preceding day] 
 when Dr. Hand was appointed to the chair, and the Society 
 proceeded to business." 
 
 The State Legislature convened in Raleigh about this time, 
 and legally incorporated The North Carolina Medical So- 
 ciety by Chapter 38 of the Private Laws of 1799. 
 
 The list of officers was announced as follows in the Raleigh 
 Register of December 24th: Richard Fenner, President; 
 Nat Loomis and J. Clairborne, Vice-Presidents; Sterling 
 Wheaton, James Webb, John J. Pasteur, and Jason Hand, 
 Censors ; Calvin Jones, Corresponding Secretary ; William B. 
 Hill, Recording Secretary ; and Cargill Massenburg, Treas- 
 urer. This meeting adjourned, with a resolution that the 
 next annual convention should be held in Raleigh on Decem- 
 ber 1, 1800. It met at the appointed time, and elected as new 
 members Drs. John C Osborne, Thomas Mitchel, John Sib- 
 ley, Armistead, and French. A success- 
 ful examination before the Censors was passed by Charles 
 Smith. Quite a number of essays was read, and discussions 
 were participated in by many of those present. The State 
 was then divided by the Society into medical districts, and 
 the physicians residing in these districts were urged to hold 
 periodical meetings. Dr. James Webb, of Hillsborough, read 
 a paper on the causes and prevention of gout and rheumatism. 
 Prizes in money were offered by the Society for certain quan- 
 tities of plants and medicinal articles produced in North 
 Carolina, as follows: fox-glove, opium, rhubarb, castor oil, 
 —4 
 
156 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 and senna. Cholera infantum was fixed upon as the special 
 subject of study for the succeeding annual meeting, and 
 Drs. Pasteur, Wheaton, Loomis, and Hand were appointed 
 essayists for the said forthcoming meeting, to be held in the 
 year following, with liberty to choose the subjects of their 
 dissertations. Before this meeting of 1800 adjourned, officers 
 were elected as follows : John C. Osborne, President ; Thomas 
 Mitchel and Richard Fenner, Vice-Presidents; James Webb 
 and John Sibley, Censors ; Sterling Wheaton, Recording Sec- 
 retary; Calvin Jones, Corresponding Secretary; and Cargill 
 Massenburg, Treasurer. 
 
 The next annual meeting duly convened in the city of 
 Raleigh on Monday, December 1, 1801, and held a three-day 
 session. The newspaper account says that a a considerable 
 number of respectable Physicians from various parts of the 
 State were present." The president, Dr. Osborne, delivered 
 the opening address which was editorially described in the 
 Raleigh Register as "a cursory narrative of the progress of 
 the science of Medicine, from the earliest ages." An "in- 
 genious practical treatise on General Dropsy" was read by 
 Dr. Wheaton. A committee was appointed to take steps to- 
 wards establishing a botanical garden, for the cultivation of 
 medicinal plants, and it was also resolved to found a medical 
 library. The officers of the preceding year were reelected, 
 with the exception of the fact that Dr. Clairborne succeeded 
 Dr. Sibley as a Censor. The subject of infantile diseases 
 was designated as a special study for the next annual meeting. 
 
 In the newspapers of November, 1802, a call for the Society 
 to meet on December 1st, was issued by Dr. Calvin Jones, 
 Corresponding Secretary ; but, if the meeting took place, as it 
 probably did, the present writer can find no record of its pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 The annual meeting at Raleigh, on December 3, 1803, 
 brought a new accession of members in the persons of Drs. 
 Robert Williams (of Pitt), John McFarland, John McAden, 
 Elias Hawes, Hugh McCullough, and Thomas Henderson. 
 No change of officers was made except the election of Dr. 
 
THE 1S T . C. MEDICAL SOCIETY 157 
 
 Williams as a Censor, vice Dr. Clairborne. The details of this 
 meeting are not given in the newspaper report. 
 
 The Society met in Raleigh on December 10, 1801, re- 
 elected all officers of the preceding year, with the exception of 
 Treasurer — Dr. Hawes succeeding Dr. Massenburg — and re- 
 solved to hold its next meeting in the town of Chapel Hill, 
 the seat of the University of North Carolina, on the 5th of 
 July, 1805. Whether this meeting took place the present 
 writer is unable to say, nor can he find any further record of 
 proceedings of this Society in the old newspaper files or else- 
 where. 
 
 To illustrate how thoroughly abreast of their time these 
 physicians in the North Carolina Medical Society were, it 
 may be recalled that while Dr. Jenner's experiments, in Eng- 
 land, on the subject of vaccination against smallpox were still 
 in progress the North Carolina practitioners were making a 
 study of his dissertations and applying the process to their 
 patients. Jenner's first published treatise on the subject ap- 
 peared in England in 1798, and his experiments were not 
 completed till several years later. Yet as early as 1800 Dr. 
 Calvin Jones published in the Raleigh Register an announce- 
 ment that soon he hoped to begin the treatment in North 
 Carolina. A long treatise on this subject, from the pen of 
 Dr. Jones will be found in the Raleigh Register of April 14, 
 1801, in which he made reference to an announcement on the 
 subject, by him, in the preceding year, but stated that he had 
 decided to postpone the treatment until further experiments 
 had been perfected in Europe and America. He says : 
 
 "The public have been taught to expect, from my advertise- 
 ments of last year, that I shall, in the ensuing month, com- 
 mence inoculation for the Smallpox; but I am prevented 
 from doing this by the consideration of what is due from me 
 to those who would have been my patients, whose ease and 
 safety my own inclinations and the honor of my profession 
 bind me to consult." 
 
 Further on in this communication Dr. Jones refers to emi- 
 
158 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 nent practitioners in England, Scotland, Austria, and France, 
 who had successfully used the treatment, and adds : 
 
 "Dr. Mitchell, of New York, and Dr. Waterhouse, of New 
 Hampshire, have both received the matter of the disease from 
 England, and propose inoculating early in the present season, 
 so that we may expect it will soon become common in the 
 United States." 
 
 The practice of vaccination, we may add, came into use in 
 parts of North Carolina other than the vicinity of Raleigh 
 about the time the above experiments were being made by Dr. 
 Jones and his associates. The historical researches of Miss 
 Adelaide L. Fries have recently brought to light the fact that 
 in the old Moravian community of Salem, North Carolina, 
 eighty persons (mostly children) were successfully treated in 
 the Summer of 1802, by Dr. Samuel Vierling, the town phy- 
 sician, for whose use the parents in that place ("house-fathers" 
 and "house-mothers") had obtained, by a special messenger 
 whom they had sent to "a certain doctor in Raleigh," speci- 
 mens of the cow-pox virus, with instructions for its proper use. 
 When Dr. Vierling undertook this work at Salem he refused 
 to say what compensation he would demand, as he did not 
 know what trouble and expense the process would entail. He 
 did state, however, that he would do the work as cheaply as 
 possible ; and we must credit him with keeping this promise to 
 the letter, as the record concludes with the remark that Dr. 
 Vierling "declined to accept any pay for his services." 
 
 Returning to the subject of the North Carolina Medical 
 Society, little remains to be added. As already noted, we can 
 find no record of its meetings after 1804. We may state in 
 conclusion, however, that as the Society had made a collec- 
 tion of natural history specimens, etc., and as Dr. Calvin 
 Jones was its secretary ; and furthermore, as Dr. Jones turned 
 over a "museum of artificial and natural curiosities" to the 
 University of North Carolina, about twenty years later, on 
 the eve of his removal to Tennessee, this gift to the University 
 was in all probability the last remaining possession of the de- 
 funct North Carolina Medical Society. 
 
159 
 
 Proceedings of the North Carolina Society 
 Daughters of the Revolution 
 
 Held in Edenton, October 24-26, 1916 
 
 At the annual meeting of the State Society D. R., held in 
 Raleigh in 1915, on motion of the Vice-Regent, Mrs. Mar- 
 shall Williams, it was voted to hold the annual meeting of 
 191 G in some of our historic old towns where the Society has 
 a Chapter. So when Mrs. Patrick Matthew, Regent of the 
 Penelope Barker Chapter, extended an invitation to the 
 Daughters to visit Edenton, the invitation was accepted with 
 delightful anticipation and without deliberation, for Edenton 
 of all towns in the State is very near to the hearts of the 
 Daughters of the Revolution. It was in studying the history 
 of this Revolutionary hot-bed that they were inspired to 
 commemorate the Edenton Tea Party of 1774 with a hand- 
 some bronze tablet, which was placed in the rotunda of the 
 State Capitol at Raleigh in October, 1908. In order to raise 
 funds for that purpose the North Carolina Booklet was 
 launched in May, 1901, at the suggestion of Miss Martha 
 Helen Haywood, who, with Mrs. Hubert Haywood, was one 
 of the first editors ; and the Penelope Barker Chapter was the 
 first Chapter organized by the North Carolina Daughters. 
 
 The Twentieth Annual Meeting of the North Carolina So- 
 ciety Daughters of the Revolution was held in the form of a 
 pilgrimage to the historic "Borough Towne" of Edenton, 
 variously called "ye Towne in Queen Anne's Creek," "ye 
 Towne in Mattermacomock Creek," and "Port of Roanoke" in 
 the oldest records. The Penelope Barker Chapter filled the 
 role of hostess most charmingly October 24, 25 and 26. 
 
 The delegates arrived at noon Tuesday, October 24, and 
 were met at the station by members of the Chapter and Mr 
 Richard D. Dixon, representing his uncle, Dr. Richard Dil- 
 lard (who was unavoidably absent) and driven to their desti- 
 nations. That afternoon the gentlemen of the Historical 
 Society gave a sail in honor of the visiting Daughters. The 
 
160 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 weather was ideal and the famous Bay of Edenton, that has 
 been so often compared to the Bay of Naples, never looked 
 fairer than it did under the mellow rays of the radiant autumn 
 sun, while Mattermacomock Creek was a veritable reproduc- 
 tion of fairyland with the rich tints of the changing forests, 
 the waving Spanish moss and the vivid reflections borne on 
 the smooth surface of its limpid waters. The dying of a 
 perfect day and the brilliant afterglow amid such surround- 
 ings were watched intently by the guests, all of whom, save 
 two, were enjoying the attractions of Edenton for the first 
 time. 
 
 On landing, the party strolled to the home of Mr. Frank 
 Wood, where they were entertained at tea by Miss Caroline 
 W. Coke, Vice-Regent of the Penelope Barker Chapter. In 
 the grounds of Mr. Wood's home, facing the court house green, 
 stood the residence of Mrs. Elizabeth King, where the Eden- 
 ton Tea Party was held, October 25, 1774, the site of which 
 has been marked by Mr. Frank Wood with a pedestal mounted 
 with a bronze tea pot. China that was owned by the distin- 
 guished President of the Tea Party, the stately Penelope 
 Barker, was used, and delicious tea cakes, made from the 
 recipe she had so frequently found useful, were served. On 
 departing, each guest was presented with a typewritten recipe, 
 rolled and tied with buff and blue ribbon, the Society's colors. 
 
 The recipe is : 
 
 Penelope Barker Tea Cakes. — 1 quart flour, % cup but- 
 ter and lard, mixed ; 2 large cups brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 
 rounded teaspoonful soda. Beat eggs together well, adding 
 sugar; next, soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoonful warm water 
 (not hot) . Flavor with vanilla. Lastly add quickly the flour, 
 into which butter and lard have been well worked. Roll out 
 as soft as possible and cut. Bake in a hot oven. 
 
 The parlor was tastefully decorated with trailing vines and 
 pink roses. Miss Tillie Bond, the nearest living relative of 
 Penelope Barker, was a guest of honor. 
 
 On Tuesdav evening the Daughters met in the Colonial 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. R. 161 
 
 court house, which had been appropriately dressed with yellow 
 flowers and banners, carrying out the colors of the Daughters 
 of the Revolution, Dr. Dillard presiding. The address of 
 welcome, was delivered by the Regent of the Penelope Barker 
 Chapter : 
 
 Mme. Regent, Daughters of the Revolution,, Ladies and Gen- 
 tlemen: 
 
 The first page of American history was written when 
 Columbus appealed to the Court of Spain for a fleet with 
 which to set sail upon that long, perilous voyage which termi- 
 nated in his planting the Cross upon the Island of San Salva- 
 dor, 1492. 
 
 From that time to the establishment of the Sir Walter 
 Raleigh Colony on Roanoke Island to the settlement of the 
 Chowan Precinct was but a short chain of events, but perfect 
 in continuity. 
 
 Here, where the giants of the forest stood deep-rooted on 
 the shores of this grand body of water, which is now known as 
 the Albemarle Sound, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, con- 
 necting the Old World with the New, was "Ye Little Towne 
 on Queen Anne's Creek." With but a handful of people it 
 set up its own government with its laws, court, customs, 
 church, and thus early laid the foundation for an important 
 centre of trade. 
 
 Surrounded by the Red Men, who soon became friends, 
 they reduced to cultivation fertile fields which afforded the 
 barter for the vessels which sailed into the harbor. 
 
 Without recorded explanation the name was changed to 
 "Port of Roanoke," and here increased high life of Church 
 and State, industries grew, wise patriots became known 
 abroad, the capital of the State was here located, laws made, 
 and her fame spread like the branches of the grandeur of the 
 forest primeval. 
 
 Her commerce increased, ships multiplied in numbers, and 
 the Old World wondered at her great possession. 
 
 In 1722 Governor Charles Eden died, and from that date 
 
162 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 the name of the town has been Edenton, thus convincing us 
 that it was named in memory of that distinguished statesman. 
 
 After years of servitude and discontent, with no represen- 
 tation in parliament, the cries of resentment grew pitiful, but 
 the determination of resistance came from the women of 
 Edenton in that document, The Edenton Tea Party, which 
 shook the foundation of British rule in America, and sounded 
 the first alarm at the court of St. James. Women have 
 always been powerful, but the mighty stroke of independence 
 was wielded by the pens of the immortal fifty-one who signed 
 their names to that document, which was the key-note of the 
 War of the Revolution. 
 
 So, Mme. Regent and Daughters of the Revolution, we bid 
 you welcome to the home of our ancestors, the land of King 
 Hoyle, the last sovereign ruler of the Choanokes, a man whose 
 lovely character made the white people live in harmony with 
 his tribe, and who gave his two sons to be taught to receive 
 Christianity, for in his savage breast there beat a heart which 
 knew that a greater God than their Great Spirit was Lord 
 over the world and he wanted his sons to take up their cross 
 and follow Him. 
 
 With your advent in our midst you receive the freedom of 
 Edenton, and to one and all we bid you come to our houses, 
 partake of our bounty, welcome you to our firesides, make you 
 our friends, for be it ever so lowly "There's no place like 
 home." 
 
 The following response was made by Miss Mary Hilliard 
 Hinton, the State Regent : 
 
 Officers and Daughters of the Revolution: 
 
 It is a pleasure inexpressible for the North Carolina So- 
 ciety Daughters of the Revolution to assemble for the Twen- 
 tieth Annual Meeting in this historic "Borough Town," 
 variously referred to in the oldest records as the "Towne in 
 Queen Anne's Creek," the "Towne in Mattermacomock 
 Creek," "Port of Roanoke," and later permanently and so 
 appropriately named Edenton, though it must be admitted 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. R. 163 
 
 the serpent is conspicuous through absence. It is a joyous 
 privilege indeed to acknowledge the gracious words of this 
 very cordial welcome, and to you, Madam Regent, and the 
 Penelope Barker Chapter, we extend our warmest expres- 
 sions of appreciation and gratitude. 
 
 Particularly dear to the hearts of the Daughters of the 
 Revolution are Edenton and the Penelope Barker Chapter, 
 for it was the noble history of this fair town which first in- 
 spired this Society to commemorate the "Edenton Tea 
 Party" by placing a handsome bronze tablet in the State 
 Capitol at Raleigh, the first to adorn that stately edifice, and 
 as a way to raise the means necessary the North Carolina 
 Booklet was launched, May 10, 1901. In every important 
 event in our past since then Edenton has been prominently 
 represented, and some of the Booklet's most valuable con- 
 tributions have been from the pen of her versatile writers, 
 even to the youngest generation. The Penelope Barker Chap- 
 ter has been our heart's pride, because it was the first Chapter 
 organized, and its record can only arouse interest and stimu- 
 late ambition in historic research and patriotic achievements. 
 It is an honor to have such a band of members respond to its 
 roll call. 
 
 As we gather here today, some visitors for the first time to 
 this Revolutionary hot-bed and centre of culture and refine- 
 ment, naturally our thoughts revert to those stirring times 
 that shook a great kingdom and a vast continent to their very 
 foundations. We feel the sacred presence of the famous 
 statesmen and the brave, fascinating women who moved in 
 that long ago, for here they lived, labored and won laurels for 
 the Patriot Cause that can never fade. These beautiful, 
 historic buildings of the Colonial period have been rendered 
 more interesting from the fact that they have resounded with 
 the echoes of their voices and the fall of their footsteps. They 
 pass before us in mental review. Foremost in that distant 
 throng are Judge James Iredell, who, by his letters, has be- 
 queathed to posterity such vivid delineations of the social life, 
 Colonial and Revolutionary, of Edenton; Governor Samuel 
 
164 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Johnston, the builder of "Hayes," and his sisters, Hannah and 
 Isabella ; Joseph Hewes ; James Wilson, of Pennsylvania ; 
 Thomas Barker, and his fair spouse, the immortal Penelope, 
 and that beauty and belle, Betsy Barker, whose likeness 
 present-day iconoclasts wish to confound with that of her 
 noted step-mother, but whose separate portraits exist in 
 middle Carolina, one of the President of the Tea Party 
 loaned to the Hall of History at Raleigh and the other in 
 the home of a descendant at Ridgeway, painted, it seems, by 
 the same artist, but showing not one trace of resemblance. 
 Each of the fifty-one signers of the Tea Party stand forth as 
 clearly as though the mist of intervening years had vanished. 
 Many, many, many others pass in the distinguished assemb- 
 lage. We offer our homage to their hallowed memories and 
 imbibe inspiration to aspire to higher ideals and the perform- 
 ance of deeds worth while. 
 
 Of all the towns of North Carolina none have preserved 
 that ideal, restful Colonial atmosphere, all too rare in this age 
 of perpetual unrest and dangerous commercialism, as has this 
 sweet haven of rest, and nowhere else can be brewed as delic- 
 ious a cup of tea, which proves that the fifty-one ladies that 
 met at Mrs. King's house on the Court House Green one hun- 
 dred and forty-two years ago tomorrow, understood the full 
 meaning of self-denial ! To Edenton we come to receive fresh 
 impetus to proceed with extensive plans for a future of rose- 
 tinted promise. 
 
 Six and a half years have passed since you entrusted to 
 your Regent the highest office in the gift of the Society. It 
 has been a pleasure to serve the order that is closest to her 
 heart, even though in so doing she has been overworked with 
 the requirements of the office, in addition to the demands of 
 the Booklet, therefore she fully realizes her shortcomings 
 and at all times, in glancing over the past, she trusts you will 
 do so with kind indulgence. 
 
 During that space of time five Chapters, the Bloomsbury 
 at Raleigh, the Roanoke at Windsor, the General Francis 
 Nash at Hillsboro, the Mary Slocumb at Faison, and the 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. R. 165 
 
 Thomas Robeson at Red Springs, have been organized, and 
 two Junior Chapters, the Virginia Dare and Ensinore, at 
 Elizabeth City, have been formed. The set of one hundred 
 and nine lantern slides, most of which are colored, and the 
 lecture, "Stories from North Carolina History," have been 
 made and presented in Raleigh, Elizabeth City, Washington, 
 Edenton, Windsor, and Winston-Salem. Eight tablets have 
 been erected by the Chapters. A room has been furnished by 
 the Chapters in Elizabeth City, called the "Virginia Dare 
 Room." The chart and key of St. Paul's Churchyard has 
 been presented this historic church, the painstaking work of 
 the Penelope Barker Chapter. Twenty gold medals have been 
 presented in the public schools in towns in North Carolina. 
 Miss Catherine Albertson's book, "In Ancient Albemarle," 
 has been published by the Society. Every annual meeting of 
 the General Society, save that at Brooklyn in 1915, has been 
 attended by delegates from North Carolina. The Booklet 
 has been published and some brilliant social functions are 
 some of the matters that have engaged the hearts and hands 
 of the North Carolina Daughters. 
 
 Today the North Carolina Society is as loyal to the parent 
 Society as she was in the pioneer days — aye, more so. We 
 stand for the things she advocates and we are happy and con- 
 tent in being under her fold. Loyalty is one of the noblest 
 traits that has been implanted in the nature of man. Would 
 we be worthy of the great heroes whose deeds we commem- 
 orate were we untrue to the cause we have espoused \ Our 
 ranks are constantly being strengthened by the best, and we 
 rejoice that we can face the future with confidence and hope 
 of greater achievement. 
 
 To our beloved founder, Mrs. Fannie DeBerniere Hooper 
 Whitaker, we turn in loving remembrance, and we feel North 
 Carolina has been richer for the influence she wielded and 
 her memory continues to exert. 
 
 To the officers and members of the North Carolina Society 
 your Regent extends her sincerest thanks for this list of good 
 
166 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 works and for the whole-hearted support you have bestowed in 
 times of labor and toil, in times of clouds and sunshine. 
 Each of you has become dearer for the associations which 
 shall be cherished always. 
 
 An address, giving the historical facts of this building, 
 around which has centered so much of the past of Edenton, 
 from Dr. Dillard, was enjoyed by the audience. The interior 
 is modeled after the ancient basilica, and here the House of 
 Burgesses assembled and guided the affairs of the Colony of 
 North Carolina. Mrs. E. E. Moffitt, Honorary Regent of the 
 North Carolina Society D. R., also talked on subjects of vital 
 importance for the preservation of our State history. 
 
 October 25th — the anniversary of the Tea Party — dawned 
 bright and clear. In celebration of that event four tablets 
 were unveiled by the Penelope Barker Chapter. By 10 
 o'clock the citizens of Edenton had gathered in St. Paul's 
 Church, the school children had marched from the Academy, 
 bearing the banners of the Chapter, which on entering were 
 placed at the church door, and the Daughters of the Revolu- 
 tion had taken the seats reserved for them along the main 
 aisle, to take part in the impressive service that was con- 
 ducted in the absence of the beloved Rector, Reverend Robert 
 Brent Drane, D.D., by the Reverend B. F. Huske, Rector of 
 Christ Church, New Bern, North Carolina. Here was un- 
 veiled by Richard Norfleet Hines, Jr., the marble tablet in 
 the rear of the church to the signers of the "Test," who com- 
 posed the vestry of St. Paul's at that time, renouncing alle- 
 giance to the crown. The text of the document and the names 
 of the signers are engraved on the memorial in black letters. 
 Mr. Huske' s address was most interesting, and it is regretted 
 by the Daughters that it was almost entirely extemporaneous. 
 
 From the church the throng repaired to the home of Judge 
 James Iredell, where the marble tablet in the great outside 
 brick chimney, the gift through the Daughters of the Revolu- 
 tion of the present owners and occupants, Mr. and Mrs. Wil- 
 liam T. Gordon, was unveiled by William Elliott and Ethel 
 
PKOCEEDUSTGS N. C. SO. D. R. 167 
 
 McMullan. Colonel J. Bryan Grimes, President of the 
 North Carolina Society of the Sons of the Revolution, made 
 the speech of presentation. He spoke of the man, his life and 
 splendid services to the State and the Union, of his influence 
 on the Supreme Court of the United States and the Constitu- 
 tion. It was here that James Wilson, signer of the National 
 Declaration of Independence from Pennsylvania, visited, and 
 here he breathed his last. His remains were interred in the 
 burying-ground at "Hayes" and later — several years ago — 
 were removed to Philadelphia. Dr. Dillard accepted in his 
 happiest manner for the town of Edenton : 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen: 
 
 Prehistoric man built cairns or heaps of stone to commem- 
 orate important events ; the ancient Egyptians emblazoned in 
 hieroglyphics the deeds of their illustrious Pharoahs upon 
 the faces of the everlasting pyramids; the history of the 
 ancient Aztecs is written amid the picturesque mines of 
 Mitla and Cholula, and Joshua set up twelve stones at Jordan, 
 so that when the children should ask their fathers in times to 
 come, "What mean ye by these stones ? ye shall answer them 
 that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the 
 covenant of the Lord." And so on through all the ages, man- 
 kind has seen fit to mark in brass, or bronze, or graven stone, 
 whatever was valuable for posterity— they are the hall-marks 
 and symbols of immortality. We have had presented us today 
 a tablet in honor of Edenton's most illustrious son ; like Socra- 
 tes he was "the perfection of earth's mental beauty, and the 
 personification of all virtue" ; the fairest star that glitters in 
 the firmanent of our history ! And now, in behalf of the citi- 
 zens of Edenton, and the Sons and Daughters of the Revolu- 
 tion, this tablet is most graciously accepted. Here let it stand, 
 a perpetual inspiration to noble deeds, and virtuous actions ! 
 To the souls of fire let it give more fire, and to those who are 
 slothful, let it give a might more than is man's ! For who 
 shall say that fame is but an empty name ! 
 
168 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 "In thinking of the honored dead 
 The youth shall rise from slothful bed 
 And now, with uplifted hand and heart, 
 Like him to act a noble part." 
 
 At the Academy a bronze tablet to the Founders of the 
 original Academy, on the exterior, near the entrance of the 
 stately, pillared new structure, is placed, which was unveiled 
 by Caroline Privott, daughter of a trustee. Colonel J. Bryan 
 Grimes presenting, and Mr. J. Norfleet Pruden accepting on 
 behalf of the Board of Trustees. Colonel Olds also addressed 
 the throng, speaking of the duty that rested upon the children, 
 the future makers of Edenton and the keepers of her splendid 
 past. 
 
 To the court house the children marched, followed by the 
 audience, to witness the presentation by Colonel C. S. Vann, 
 who, in speaking, paid a high tribute to womanhood, and the 
 acceptance of Mr. F. W. Hobbs, Clerk of the Court, of the 
 bronze tablet, unveiled by daughters of county officers, Fran- 
 ces Brownley Evans, Elsie Goodwin, Cornelia Harrell, and 
 Sadie Hobbs, on the exterior of the edifice to the fifty-one 
 signers of the Edenton Tea Party. 
 
 Mr. Hobbs said : 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen: . 
 
 Although I am no speechmaker I wish to assure you that 
 it affords me a peculiar pleasure to accept the tablet commem- 
 orative of one of the most important historical events recorded 
 upon the annals, embracing the history of our grand old town, 
 county, and commonwealth. 
 
 The Daughters of the Revolution deserve the highest com- 
 mendation at our hands for the splendid work they have ac- 
 complished in placing tablets here and there in our town, 
 which Col. R. B. Creecy said was the most historical of all 
 the towns in the State. These matters of history will always 
 be recognized as most important, for frequently they are the 
 source of inspiration to succeeding generations, and I believe 
 to have them carved upon enduring metal, or other lasting 
 
PEOCEEDUSTGS N. C. SO. D. E. 169 
 
 material, and placed where they can, on all public occasions, 
 be seen, will have a tendency to elevate the ideals of our citi- 
 zenship, make them more patriotic, and lovers of our grand 
 old State and glorious Nation. 
 
 I thank these ladies for their manifested interest in these 
 matters, and again state with great pleasure I accept, on be- 
 half of the Board of Commissioners and the citizenship of the 
 County of Chowan, this splendid tablet which commemorates 
 such glorious courage and patriotism of our women of the 
 Revolutionary War. To read these resolutions is enough to 
 make us proud of our women of this stirring period of our 
 country's history, and to make us glad that we are to the man- 
 ner born. 
 
 We welcome to the county the North Carolina Society 
 Daughters of the Revolution, and have placed at their dis- 
 posal this court house, within whose walls have presided and 
 pleaded statesmen and men who were giants in their profes- 
 sion and times, honored and esteemed by their fellow country- 
 men. 
 
 The "Resolves" signed two hundred and forty-two years 
 ago and the names of the patriotic signers are given thereon. 
 
 On the conclusion of these instructive and enjoyable exer- 
 cises the Daughters of the Revolution were cordially invited 
 by Dr. Dillard to visit "Beverly Hall." Here amid the rare 
 plants, flowers and ornamentation of his Italian garden, and 
 in the library, where each recorded her name in the guest 
 book, time flew, and soon the Daughters were rushed off to 
 charming luncheons with Mrs. William D. Pruden and Miss 
 Sophie Martin Wood, at historic "Hayes," conceded by Vir- 
 ginia authorities to be the most interesting home in the South. 
 
 The afternoon was devoted to the transaction of business 
 in the court house, Miss Hinton presiding. Reports from the 
 State officers and Chapter Regents were read and plans dis- 
 cussed for entertaining the General Society in Raleigh in 
 April, 1917. Twenty-five dollars for the publication of the 
 minutes of this meeting in the Booklet were donated by the 
 
170 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 visiting delegates, and it was voted to have a handsome silk 
 banner made this winter, such as the other State Societies 
 possess. This will bear the State flag and will be adorned 
 with the hornet's nest, emblems of the Edenton Tea Party, etc. 
 Seventeen new members have joined during the year 1916, 
 and thirty-two more are filling out their papers. Two new 
 Chapters, the Mary Slocumb at Faison, of which Miss Geor- 
 gia Hicks is Regent, and the Colonel Thomas Robeson, at 
 Red Springs, have been organized, while another of young 
 girls is being formed. A motion was carried that the Society 
 request Colonel Charles Earle Johnson to reprint the "Life 
 and Letters of James Iredell," by McRee, now out of print. 
 This cast such light on the grave questions of the Colonial, 
 Revolutionary, and post-Revolutionary periods and on the 
 delightful social life of Edenton of Judge Iredell's day that 
 it is needed in our public and private libraries. 
 
 REPORT OF THE RECORDING SECRETARY— MRS. L. E. 
 COVINGTON. 
 
 The North Carolina Society Daughters of the Revolution 
 have, during the year 1915-1916, done substantial, good work. 
 The Society has maintained its high standard of patriotic zeal 
 and worth-while accomplishments. 
 
 Quite a number of energetic, ambitious members have been 
 added and they are already taking up the work of the Society 
 with vigor and zeal. It behooves those of us who have been 
 members for some years not to lag behind these new members 
 in zeal; and, in fact, we should endeavor to inspire and en- 
 courage them to the most energetic service. Social, domestic, 
 and often literary duties are pressing upon us and the tempta- 
 tion is to leave the hardest work to the most willing ones ; but, 
 remembering that we are descended from the men who took 
 upon themselves unselfish, faithful service to their country, 
 we cannot be faithless to the trust of ours, to keep their mem- 
 ory fresh and green, to erect from time to time tablets and 
 memorials so that heroes and heroic deeds may not be forgot- 
 
PROCEEDINGS X. C. SO. D. R. 171 
 
 ten ; and, above all, to inspire in the present generation a love 
 for their country and their country's heroes. 
 
 Perhaps the most important work that our North Carolina 
 Society has done and is doing is the publication of the North 
 Carolina Booklet, begun some years ago by Miss Martha 
 Haywood and Mrs. Hubert Haywood and now continued by 
 Miss Mary Hinton and Mrs. E. E. Moffitt. The most val- 
 uable historical papers are, in the Booklet, collected in 
 tangible, enduring form; well known authorities give accu- 
 rate, carefully written articles ; and, under Miss Hinton's 
 wise editorship, the North Carolina Booklet has become a 
 storehouse of information, and, to the Booklet, scholars, 
 teachers, and students are constantly referring for facts of 
 historical importance. The recent series of articles on the 
 North Carolina Secretaries of the Navy have received more 
 attention and have been most favorably reviewed by the press 
 in different sections of the State. 
 
 During the recent Convention of the General Society, held 
 last May in New York, the North Carolina Society was repre- 
 sented by Miss Hinton, Regent ; Mrs. Paul Lee, Correspond- 
 ing Secretary; Mrs. Marshall Williams, Vice-Regent, and 
 Mrs. C. C. Phillips of New York. The invitation was ex- 
 tended by the North Carolina Society through Miss Hinton 
 to have the General Society hold its meeting in Raleigh in 
 1917. The invitation was accepted and Raleigh will be 
 hostess some time next year, either in April or May, to a dis- 
 tinguished gathering of women. There has been appointed by 
 Miss Hinton a Ways and Means Committee to arrange for 
 expenses incident to this meeting, and plans are being formu- 
 lated as to the program of entertainment, etc. 
 
 Mrs. Coving-ton then quoted from The Patriot, a part of 
 Miss Hinton's report, read at the New York Convention in 
 April, 1916. 
 
 The report from Mrs. Chas. Lee Smith, Treasurer, was 
 read, showing receipts amounting to $164.33, and disburse- 
 —5 
 
172 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 ments amounting to $118.59, leaving a balance on hand of 
 $45.74. It was moved and carried that this report be ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 Miss Hinton, Regent, and editor of the Booklet, reported 
 for volumes XIII, XIV, XV, extending from July, 1913, to 
 July, 1916. Moved and carried that this report be approved. 
 
 The Registrar, Miss Sarah W. Ashe, reports these new 
 members : 
 
 Mrs. Fannie Yarborough Bickett, Louisburg, X. C. (wife 
 of Attorney-General [now Governor] Hon. Walter Bickett). 
 
 Mrs. Mary Davis Holt, Burlington, X. C. (wife of Mr. 
 Erwin Allen Holt). 
 
 Miss Elizabeth Ireland, Faison, X. C. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Lou Brown Hill, Warsaw, X. C. (wife of Mr. 
 William L.Hill). 
 
 Mrs. Annie H. Witherington, Faison, X. C. (wife of Mr. 
 
 B. B. Witherington). 
 
 Mrs. Xyda H. Weatherby, Faison, X. C. (wife of Mr. 
 Carleton E. Weatherby). 
 
 Miss Winifred Faison, Faison, X. C. 
 
 Miss Georgia Hicks, Faison, X. C. 
 
 Mrs. Janie Hicks Phillips, Xew York City (wife of Mr. 
 
 C. C. Phillips). 
 
 Miss Louise Phillips, Xew York City. 
 
 Mrs. Lila H. Hines, Faison, X. C. (wife of C. Shaw 
 Hines). 
 
 Mrs. Mary Franklin Pass Fearington, Winston-Salem, 
 X. C. (wife of Dr. J. P. Fearington). 
 
 Miss Faith Fearington, Winston-Salem, X. C. 
 
 Mrs. Elizabeth R. F. Croom, Wilmington, X. C. (wife of 
 Mr. Avery Burr Croom) . 
 
 Miss Mary Perrett, Faison, X. C. 
 
 Mrs. Ruth Huntington Moore, Raleigh, X. C. 
 
 Mrs. Annie Ramsey, Raleigh, X. C. (wife of Dr. George 
 J. Ramsey). 
 
 Report from Mrs. Matthew, Regent of the Penelope Bar- 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. K. 173 
 
 ker Chapter, which report, she said, was written on bronze 
 and marble, the four tablets unveiled today bespeaking the 
 work of this chapter. A fine work in necrology has also been 
 done. It was moved and carried that this report be accepted. 
 Report from Mrs. I. M. Meekins, Regent of the Sir Walter 
 Raleigh Chapter: 
 
 REPORT OF THE SIR WALTER RALEIGH CHAPTER, 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 Miss Catherine Albertson, former Regent of the Sir Walter 
 Raleigh Chapter D. R., resigned her office as Regent last 
 October, as her duties as Principal of the High School prevent 
 her from carrying on the work of the Chapter. 
 
 Mrs. I. M. Meekins, Vice-President, then became Regent. 
 
 The pupils of the High School manifested unusual interest 
 in the competition for the medal offered by the State Society 
 D. R. last spring. The subject chosen was "The Life of 
 John Harvey," and the medal was won by Miss Ida Owens, a 
 member of the Senior Class of '16. 
 
 Miss Albertson presented the medal to Miss Owens on 
 Thursday night, June 1st, during the graduating exercises of 
 the High School Senior Class, and took occasion to make a 
 short address to the audience, commemorating the services of 
 John Harvey to the State of North Carolina. 
 
 On June 11th, a meeting of the Sir Walter Raleigh, Ense- 
 nore, and Virginia Dare Chapters was held at the residence of 
 Mrs. I. M. Meekins, for the purpose of arranging for a D. R. 
 float to take part in a parade on July 4th, in which the various 
 civic and patriotic organizations of the town were asked to 
 join. 
 
 July Fourth a seven passenger automobile was decorated 
 with the D. R. colors and filled with members of the Junior 
 D. R., dressed in Colonial costumes. 
 
 The three D. R. Chapters still hope to erect the memorial 
 fountain to Virginia Dare, and as the Juniors grow to woman- 
 hood to erect in our county the memorial tablets to preserve 
 her history. 
 
174 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 REPORT FROM THE BLOOMSBURY CHAPTER. 
 
 The Bloomsbury Chapter D. R. was formed April 9, 1910. 
 Although young in age it has, under the leadership of Mrs. 
 Hubert Haywood, its Regent, marked several historical 
 places. 
 
 The first one being the site of the old town of Bloomsbury, 
 or Wake Court House. 
 
 The memorial was a bronze tablet placed on a natural 
 boulder of Wake County granite, and located at the corner of 
 Boylan Avenue and Morgan Street. 
 
 The second : The Chapter presented to the City of Raleigh 
 a beautiful bronze tablet to the memory of Col. Joel Lane. It 
 was placed on the left hand side of the entrance to the City 
 Municipal Building. 
 
 In the near future the Chapter expects to mark Try on' s 
 Road (Ramsgate Road). This road was used by Try on on 
 his march against the Regulators at Alamance. It is situated 
 south of Raleigh. 
 
 Nearly seventy dollars is in the treasury for this purpose. 
 Several of the members have contributed to this cause, and 
 forty-six dollars and thirty-five cents ($46.35) were made 
 from a moving picture benefit. 
 
 The Chapter decided that it would take the noted women 
 of North Carolina during the Revolutionary period as the 
 topic for this year. 
 
 In addition to the regular business meetings held during the 
 year there were two especially enjoyable occasions. 
 
 On New Year's day the Chapter met with Mrs. James E. 
 Shepherd. After the business of the Chapter was dispatched 
 several historical places and noted women of the Colonial 
 period were discussed. During the afternoon Mrs. Shepherd 
 served delightful refreshments typical of the New Year. 
 
 Washington's birthday was celebrated this year at the home 
 of Mrs. Geo. P. Pell. 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. K. 175 
 
 The decorations of the house, the papers read and the songs 
 sung were all suggestive of the occasion. 
 
 Then followed delightful refreshments which carried out 
 the patriotic idea. Grace H. Bates, 
 
 Secy Bloomsbury Chapter D. R. 
 
 Report from the Gen. Francis Nash Chapter, Miss Rebecca 
 Cameron, Regent, was read and approved. This Chapter has 
 done no active work in the past year, but has maintained or- 
 ganized membership. With infinite sorrow they report the 
 death of one of their beloved members, Mrs. Annie Ruffin 
 Collins (Mrs. George P. Collins). 
 
 Miss Georgia Hicks, Regent of the Mary Slocumb Chap- 
 ter, read the report from this Chapter : 
 
 REPORT OF THE MARY SLOCUMB CHAPTER DAUGHTERS 
 OF THE REVOLUTION, OCTOBER 25, 1916. 
 
 The Mary Slocumb Chapter was organized March 20, 
 1916, in the home of Mrs. Marshall Williams, State Vice- 
 Regent. Mrs. Williams presided and read the Constitution 
 and By-laws, and object of the Society. Officers elected were: 
 Regent, Miss Georgia Hicks; Vice-Regent, Mrs. W. L. Hill, 
 Warsaw; Secretary, Miss Elizabeth Newton Ireland. 
 
 The name of the Chapter, "Mary Slocumb," was selected by 
 a unanimous vote. Fifteen ladies now constitute the member- 
 ship and we will probably have more before very long. Mrs. 
 Williams and Miss Hicks entertained the Chapter at the 
 June meeting. Mrs. Williams gave a most interesting ac- 
 count of her visit to New York as delegate to the National 
 D. R. Convention. Miss Hicks read a sketch of Nathaniel 
 Macon, and Mrs. Withermgton an article on Colonial hospi- 
 tality. This winter we will probably study Revolutionary 
 history, beginning with sketches of the men and women of 
 those times. As our Chapter is probably one of the most re- 
 cently formed in the State it may not be amiss to give a little 
 sketch of the heroine for whom it is named, "Mary Slocumb." 
 Among the brave men who took part in the Battle of Moore's 
 
176 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Creek Bridge was Capt. Ezekiel Slocumb, of Wayne County, 
 whose home was near the Neuse River. He left his home on 
 Sunday, previous to the battle, in high spirits, with eighty 
 men to join the forces under Col. Richard Caswell, and to do 
 battle against the Tories. Mrs. Slocumb, the wife of the 
 Captain, said she kept thinking about her husband all day, 
 when he was going with his men, and the Tories they would 
 meet, and though she worked hard all day the situation of 
 Captain Slocumb and his men could not be banished from her 
 mind. That night she had a "dream that was not all a 
 dream." She saw distinctly a body wrapped in her husband's 
 guard cloak, bloody and dead, and others dead and wounded 
 on the ground. She felt she must go to her husband, and in a 
 few minutes after awakening she saddled her horse and rode 
 at full speed in the direction the men had taken. All night, 
 with scarcely a break in the pace, she rode through Duplin 
 and New Hanover counties, through the lone pine woods. 
 About sunrise she passed groups of women and children on 
 the road-side exhibiting equal anxiety to hear from the battle, 
 but she paused not until, after riding 65 miles, she came 
 into swampy ground and heard the thunder of the cannon. 
 To use her words, she said, "I stopped still, the battle was 
 fighting then. I could hear the muskets and the shouting. I 
 spoke to my mare and dashed on in the direction of the 
 firing." The shouts grew louder as she drew nearer, and she 
 said, "I saw, a few yards away from the road, under a cluster 
 of trees perhaps twenty men lying — they were wounded. I 
 knew the spot as if I had seen it a thousand times, and the 
 position of the men. I had seen it all night. In an instant 
 my whole soul was centered on one spot, for there, wrapped in 
 his bloody guard cloak, was my husband's body. How I 
 passed the few yards from my saddle to the place I never 
 knew. I remember uncovering his head and seeing a face 
 clotted with blood from a dreadful wound across the temples. 
 I put my hand on the bloody face, and an unknown voice 
 begged for water — it was Frank Cogdell. Just then, I looked 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. E. 177 
 
 up and my husband, bloody as a butcher, and muddy as a 
 ditcher, stood before me." Her husband was wounded, but 
 not seriously. She spent the day in tenderly nursing the 
 wounded and dying, then returned home. 
 
 Captain Slocumb survived the varying fortunes of the 
 Revolution, and he and his courageous and devoted wife lie 
 buried beneath modest slabs on their old plantation home. 
 Some of us have heard the story of this brave woman from 
 our earliest years, and to this day, though we frequently pass 
 the old burying ground, we always look for the white tomb- 
 stones, and think of the heroism of Mary Slocumb. 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 Georgia Hicks. 
 
 The Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Paul H. Lee, of 
 Raleigh, gave an interesting report of the annual meeting of 
 the General Society, held in New York last April : 
 
 According to a pleasant custom the New York State So- 
 ciety was hostess to the National Society Daughters of the 
 Revolution for the Convention of 1916, at the Waldorf- 
 Astoria, the Convention of this year commemorating the 
 twenty-fifth anniversary of the Society. The Silver Jubilee 
 being an occasion of great significance brought together rep- 
 resentatives from all parts of the country. 
 
 The formal opening of the Convention was on Tuesday 
 morning, May 2d, at 11:30. A procession, led by juniors, 
 with past and present officers and especially invited speakers, 
 marched to the rostrum and took their places. Rev. Dr. 
 Robert Clark, Chaplain of the New York Society, offered an 
 invocation, then the salute and pledge to the flag was given by 
 the gathering. The regular program was an address of wel- 
 come by Miss Carville, Regent of the New York State Society, 
 and was brim-full of hearty expressions of welcome, and was 
 received with much applause. Mayor Mitchell was to have 
 spoken the words of greeting from the city, but was unable 
 to attend at the last moment, and was represented by Hon. 
 Cabot Ward, Park Commissioner. Mr. Ward bade the dele- 
 
178 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 gates a hearty welcome in the name of the Mayor and the 
 City of New York. The President-General's address spoke 
 for itself, ringing clear the keynote of patriotism. This was 
 followed by the annual reports of the different officers. 
 
 The afternoon session was given over to the report of the 
 standing committees and reports of the State Regents. Break- 
 ing the regular routine of the program for the afternoon the 
 Convention was entertained by Madam Archtowska, an Amer- 
 ican, whose husband, a native of Poland, made an address in 
 behalf of the sufferers of Poland, and spoke of the appropri- 
 ateness of an organization like the Daughters of the Revolu- 
 tion, whose forefathers had fought beside Kosciusko and 
 Pulaski, repaying the debt of gratitude by material help to 
 the country from which these two men came to aid the Colon- 
 ies in their time of need. "The Star Spangled Banner" was 
 then sung with enthusiasm. 
 
 The morning session of the second day of the Convention 
 opened with the recital of the Lord's Prayer in unison. The 
 minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. 
 The Nominating Committee having been chosen on the prev- 
 ious day the election of officers for the next two years was in 
 order. There were two candidates for President-General: 
 Mrs. Keay, from Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Raynor, of New 
 York. A number of speeches were made setting forth the 
 qualifications of each candidate. When the ballots were 
 counted the Nominating Committee reported that Mrs. Ray- 
 nor had received the majority vote and was therefore de- 
 clared the President-General for the next two years. While 
 the ballots were being counted reports were still being read 
 from the State Chapters. Miss Hinton, Regent of the North 
 Carolina Society, gave a very complete and gratifying report 
 of the work done by the State Society. It was very pleasing 
 that there was a good representation from the "Old North 
 State." 
 
 The opening feature of the afternoon session of May 3d 
 was a telegram from West Virginia announcing a gift of $25 
 
PROCEEDINGS 1ST. C. SO. D. K. 179 
 
 as a silver jubilee present. Two vocal solos were rendered; 
 then several announcements were made, the most important 
 being an invitation extended to the General Society by Miss 
 Hinton, reading: "The North Carolina Society cordially in- 
 vites the General Society Daughters of the Revolution to hold 
 the annual meeting of 1917 in Raleigh, North Carolina." On 
 motion of Miss Carville, of New York, seconded by Mrs. 
 Berry, of Long Island, the invitation was accepted. The 
 yearly volume of the North Carolina Booklet was pre- 
 sented most graciously by the Vice-Regent, Mrs. Marshall 
 Williams. The gift was acknowledged by the President- 
 General. 
 
 A very pleasant departure from business was a visit from 
 Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., a member of the Woman's Sec- 
 tion Committee of the Preparedness Parade, who came to 
 extend an invitation to the Daughters to take part in the Pre- 
 paredness Divisions of the patriotic Societies. 
 
 Now we will turn to the numerous entertainments planned 
 for the pleasure of the delegates. There was a reminder of 
 New Amsterdam in the selection of the Holland House for 
 the reception of welcome given by the New York State Society 
 to officers, delegates, and visitors, from four to six o'clock on 
 Monday afternoon, May 1st. A continuous procession passed 
 down the line, headed by Miss Carville, Regent of New York, 
 and the general officers. The Hospitality Committee looked 
 after the serving of refreshments and making every one feel 
 welcome. When the last strains of the orchestra died away 
 one could feel "The End of a Perfect Day." 
 
 On the following afternoon the Board of Managers of the 
 General Society gave a tea in the East Room of the Waldorf 
 in honor of those on roll of the first two hundred and fifty 
 members of the Society. An invitation was extended to all 
 delegates and visitors to pay their respects to these pioneer 
 members. Conspicuous among the pioneer members present 
 was Mrs. Joseph J. Casey, one of the incorporators and for 
 nineteen years Registrar-General. 
 
180 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 The principal social function this year was a luncheon, 
 which was a reversion from the regular custom of a banquet. 
 The business being over, every one was ready for the function, 
 which meant a good time. The luncheon was served in the 
 Astor gallery, the hall being resplendent with decorations of 
 flags and flowers, amid its gorgeous hangings of gold. The 
 menu, lists of guests of honor, and program of toasts were 
 enclosed in a cover of buff, adorned with a water-color repro- 
 duction of an old print of the inauguration of George Wash- 
 ington, at Federal Hall, Wall Street, April 30, 1789. The 
 guests were entertained by an address on Preparedness, from 
 Major-General Leonard Wood, of U. S. A. Mrs. Chas. S. 
 Whitman, the wife of the Governor of New York, was also a 
 guest of honor. 
 
 After a group of German songs, Mrs. Kent, the toastmis- 
 tress, introduced the speakers, who were seated on a dias 
 banked with flowers. Each toast given was a retrospect of the 
 twenty-five full years of the Society. When Mrs. Bleakley, 
 the retiring President-General ; rose to give her parting word 
 she was visibly affected. She spoke briefly of the activities of 
 the past four years, and urged all to work for the Society 
 under the new leadership. 
 
 The three toasts that followed the President-General's were 
 given by ex-Presidents-General, the toasts being as follows: 
 "The Woman of the Past," by Mrs. D. Phoenix Ingraham; 
 "The Woman of the Present," by Mrs. Adeline P. Fitz, and 
 "The Woman of the Future," by Miss Adaline W. Sterling. 
 The final toast was given by Mrs. Nathaniel S. Keay, Vice- 
 President-General. 
 
 At the close of the feast gifts were bestowed on each past 
 and present President-General, in the order of her service, 
 a beautiful pin of platinum and gold in the form of a friend- 
 ship wreath, to which was attached the Society Ribbon, bear- 
 ing in silver letters, "1891-1916," as an expression of love 
 from the State Societies. This testimonial came as a com- 
 plete surprise, all recipients were present and much appre- 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. B. 181 
 
 ciation was shown by the past officers as evidence of the strong 
 tie that binds the Daughters together. 
 
 At the coffee stage of the luncheon two ushers passed from 
 table to table, placing beside each guest a box tied with buff 
 and blue ribbon, containing a souvenir in the form of a 
 dainty silver teaspoon of Revolutionary pattern, inscribed 
 "D. R, 1891-1916." 
 
 Friday, May 5th, was set to show the visitors New York's 
 wonderful park-way system. The weather did not smile upon 
 us; instead showers and clouds fell, but a few glimpses of 
 sunshine insured the excursion. Automobiles were found at 
 the 34th street entrance of the Waldorf, and when the tourists 
 had been placed the start began. The route led through Fifth 
 Avenue, thence by Pelham to Travers Island, where the party 
 was scheduled to lunch at the New York Athletic Club. The 
 luncheon was served on the enclosed balcony of the Club, and 
 was quite refreshing. After luncheon the Daughters re- 
 turned to their respective vehicles and started for Yonkers, 
 through parks along historic roads. Automobiles sped until 
 we reached the doorway of the hospitable home of Mrs. 
 Bleakley, who gave the delegates a cordial welcome; the re- 
 freshments were as bountiful as the greeting was hearty. 
 Reluctantly the visitors turned toward New York, carrying 
 with them the memory of a charming day. 
 
 On Saturday morning, May 6th, a pilgrimage was made 
 around historic lower New York, winding up at Frances Tav- 
 ern for refreshments and rest. 
 
 A glorious May afternoon formed the beautiful setting for 
 the last event of the Convention, when a large company as- 
 sembled to attend the opening of Fort Independence Park, 
 and to witness the unveiling of two bronze memorial tablets, 
 the gift of the General Society Daughters of the Revolution. 
 These tablets adorn the gate-posts that stand at the entrance 
 of Fort Independence Park, which includes the exterior de- 
 fences of the Revolutionary Fort. The erection of this splen- 
 did memorial is due to the untiring efforts of Mrs. Raynor, the 
 
182 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 newly-elected President-General. The retiring President- 
 General made a stirring address, taking as her theme the 
 dedication of the Park as an inspiration to the youth of our 
 nation. When the last strains of "The Star Spangled Ban- 
 ner" had died away, the last chapter of the Convention of 
 1916 had passed into history. 
 
 Miss Georgia Hicks, of Faison, was elected Historian. 
 There will be no change in the officers until the next annual 
 meeting, which will be held in Raleigh, after the meeting of 
 the General Society, the invitation extended by the Blooms- 
 bury Chapter being accepted. In the absence of Mrs. L. E. 
 Covington, Mrs. Charles P. Wales (Duncan Cameron Win- 
 ston), formerly a Vice-Regent of the Society, acted as Re- 
 cording Secretary. 
 
 The evening of the 25th a tea party was given by the Re- 
 gent of the Penelope Barker Chapter at her lovely Colonial 
 home that dates back to 1722, which was the scene of beauty, 
 wit, and chivalry. Flowers — golden blossoms predominat- 
 ing — were banked here and there. The hostess, assisted by 
 the Vice-Regent of the Chapter, Miss Caroline W. Coke, re- 
 ceived the guests in the front drawing-room with charming 
 grace. She wore a handsome creation of white chiffon, with 
 train of black velvet, and trimmed with rare lace, an heirloom 
 handed down in Mr. Matthew's family in Scotland for genera- 
 tions, that had been the bridal veil of a relative in the long- 
 ago — the Countess of Campbelldown. A feature of the even- 
 ing was the tea party tableau — a table and several chairs of 
 the Revolutionary period were arranged in the centre of the 
 front drawing-room, around which sat and stood the members 
 of the Penelope Barker Chapter, each in turn signing another 
 document expressing the friendship and good-will of this 
 province by the descendents of the Tea Party signers of the 
 distant past. Mrs. Selby Harney, a descendant of Winifred 
 Hoskins, acted as Secretary of the Tea Party of 1916. 
 
 Telegrams of greeting, congratulations, and good wishes 
 from Mrs. Cordelia Armstrong Raynor, President-General 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. R. 183 
 
 Daughters of the Revolution; Mrs. Alfred Moore Waddell, 
 President North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames ; the 
 North Carolina Society Sons of the Revolution, and Colonel 
 and Mrs. Charles Earle Johnson, were read by Miss Hinton, 
 
 as follows : 
 
 New York, October 24, 1916. 
 Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton: 
 
 The President-General sends greetings to the North Carolina 
 Society, its Regent and members. Would like to be with the Pene- 
 lope Barker Chapter. The report from North Carolina was inspiring 
 last Monday. We are working for a great ideal : Liberty, Home, and 
 Country. Cordelia A. Raynor. 
 
 Miss M. H. Hinton, Regent of the North Carolina Society Daughters 
 of the Revolution: 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, October 24, 1916. 
 The North Carolina Society Colonial Dames of America send greet- 
 ing. May continued success attend your efforts to keep in remem- 
 brance the glorious deeds of the past. G. Waddell. 
 
 President N. C. S. C. D. A. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, October 24, 1916. 
 Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton, State Regent of the Daughters of the Rev- 
 olution: 
 The Society of Sons of the Revolution extends congratulations to 
 the Daughters of the Revolution on this occasion of their annual 
 meeting in the historic borough of Edenton, and wishes your organi- 
 zation all the success which the patriotic labors of its members so 
 richly deserve. Marshall DeLancy Haywood, 
 
 Se&y. of the Sons of the Revolution. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, October 24, 1916. 
 Miss Hary Hilliard Hinton, State Regent D. R.: 
 
 Mrs. Johnson and I wish to express to you, and through you to the 
 Daughters of the Revolution, our appreciation of the noble work being 
 done by your patriotic Society, and to voice our regret that we cannot 
 be present with you today in person, as we are in spirit and in 
 thought. Chas. E. Johnson. 
 
 The State Vice-Regent, Mrs. Marshall Williams, offered a 
 resolution of thanks most gracefully expressed for the many 
 courtesies extended by the local Chapter Daughters of the 
 Revolution and citizens of Edenton : 
 
184 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 "Scarcely had we arrived in historical Edenton before we 
 realized that coupled with patriotism was unbounded hospi- 
 tality. 
 
 To the gentlemen of the Historical Society for the inter- 
 esting and delightful boat ride, the joy experienced as we 
 glided along that 'river of dreams,' reflecting and mirroring 
 the beauties of lavish nature, is inexpressible. 
 
 Then the cup of refreshing tea and delicious cakes served 
 at the home of Mr. Frank Wood, Miss Carrie Coke, the Vice- 
 Regent of the local Chapter being hostess, and allow us to re- 
 peat our thanks for the recipe of the famous Penelope Barker 
 tea cakes, useful souvenirs indeed. 
 
 Welcome evening made us feel very much at home through 
 the courtesy of your Regent, Mrs. Patrick Matthew, who 
 greeted us in her own charming way and then a welcome from 
 that prince of gentlemen, Dr. Dillard. Indeed we were en- 
 tranced to feel ourselves seated in the House of Burgesses 
 and hear the history of the famous judges who sojourned 
 here. 
 
 The exercises in St. Paul's Church were an inspiration, 
 and we rejoice with the Edenton people in having Mr. Huske 
 of New Berne to present the tablet. We were glad to see so 
 many school children present to witness this eventful cere- 
 mony. 
 
 We enjoyed the address of Colonel Grimes when the Iredell 
 tablet was unveiled and the acceptance by the silver tongued 
 orator, Dr. Dillard. Of especial interest was our visit to the 
 home of Mrs. Gordon. 
 
 It was pleasant to visit the artistic and beautiful new 
 Academy and again witness another tablet unveiled and ac- 
 cepted by Mr. Pruden, Chairman of Trustees. 
 
 Long to be remembered was the unveiling of the tablet at 
 the court house to the women of the Edenton Tea Party, and 
 Colonel Vann's tribute to womanhood and the acceptance by 
 Mr. F. W. Hobbs, Clerk of the Court. 
 
 The Society of the visiting Daughters is greatly indebted 
 
PROCEEDINGS N. C. SO. D. E. 185 
 
 to Mrs. Pruden and Mrs. John Wood for a real peep into the 
 fireside and social life of the charming and cultured homes of 
 Edenton — rich in rare and interesting relics. 
 
 Our Society was honored by the presence of Colonel Olds, 
 State Historian. 
 
 Last, but by no means least, were our delightful moments 
 spent in the Italian garden of the genial host, Dr. Dillard, 
 where we walked with Milton in a Paradise and dreamed with 
 Dante of Beatrice. 
 
 All good things must end save one. Among the choice 
 things of earth there is nothing so fair as memory ; without it 
 there would be no history, no friendship, no love of patriotic 
 tradition. 
 
 So we will take with us in memory's storehouse this de- 
 lightful occasion, showered with intellectual gifts and gracious 
 hospitality, and will count it another pearl in our rosary of 
 grateful thoughts." 
 
 Witty toasts by Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Matthew were 
 given. Delicious refreshments in two courses with the cup 
 of tea, brewed as nowhere else on this side of the Atlantic, 
 were served. Miss Hinton and Mrs. Williams presided at the 
 tea table. After reading a list of the achievements of the 
 North Carolina Society Daughters of the Revolution, the Re- 
 gent expressed, on behalf of the Society, appreciation of the 
 cordiality and delightful hospitality of the Edentonians and 
 good-nights were said. 
 
 WHAT THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF 
 
 THE REVOLUTION HAS ACCOMPLISHED SINCE 
 
 IT WAS FOUNDED, OCTOBER 19, 1896. 
 
 Raised funds through the publication of the North Caro- 
 lina Booklet to erect a bronze tablet, cast by Gorham and 
 Company, to the memory of the fifty-one signers of the Eden- 
 ton Tea Party, in the State Capitol at Raleigh, the first mem- 
 morial to adorn that building, in October, 1908. 
 
 Since May, 10, 1901, has published the North Carolina 
 Booklet, an historical magazine, devoted to North Carolina 
 
186 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 History — "Great Events in North Carolina History." It 
 has just entered upon the sixteenth volume. The editors 
 and contributors have always served without remuneration. 
 There is no capital stock, the periodical being run on faith, 
 as it were, but more than five thousand dollars have been 
 spent in publishing it and about a thousand dollars have been 
 cleared, all made from the subscriptions and advertisements. 
 More than three hundred articles have been contributed by 
 one hundred and five writers, thirty-two of these being women. 
 It goes to all the libraries of our greatest Universities and 
 the great libraries of the country, and to many colleges. It 
 has subscribers in twenty-eight States of the Union, Great 
 Britain, and India. 
 
 The site of the meeting of the Grand Albemarle Assembly, 
 February 6, 1665, was located and marked by a handsome 
 tablet, June 11, 1910, by the Sir Walter Ealeigh Chapter of 
 Elizabeth City. 
 
 A marble tablet has been placed in the High School of 
 Elizabeth City, containing a record of the great events in the 
 history of Pasquotank County, the work of the Sir Walter 
 Raleigh Chapter. 
 
 A room bearing the name "Virginia Dare Room," in the 
 hospital at Elizabeth City, has been furnished by the two 
 Junior Chapters of that town — the Virginia Dare and Ensi- 
 nore. 
 
 On April 26, 1911, the Bloomsbury Chapter erected a tab- 
 let and boulder to mark the location of the site of the old town 
 of Bloomsbury, where our capital city now stands. 
 
 On April 23, 1913, the Bloomsbury Chapter placed a 
 bronze tablet on the City Municipal Building, to the memory 
 of Colonel Joel Lane, who was instrumental in locating the 
 capital at Raleigh. 
 
 The set of one hundred and nine lantern slides, ninety-four 
 of which are colored, and the lecture that accompanies them, 
 "Stories From North Carolina History," is the work of the 
 entire State Society. 
 
PROCEEDINGS N". C. SO. D. R. 187 
 
 The Penelope Barker Chapter, at Edenton, has erected the 
 following tablets: 
 
 A tablet on the exterior of St. Paul's Church. 
 
 A tablet on the exterior of the court house. 
 
 A bronze tablet on the east side of the court house, contain- 
 ing the Tea Party Resolutions and the names of the fifty-one 
 signers. 
 
 A bronze tablet on the south side of the Edenton Academy, 
 dedicated to its founders. 
 
 A marble tablet in the interior of St. Paul's Church, dedi- 
 cated to its vestrymen who signed the "Test" for American 
 Independence. 
 
 A marble tablet in the great brick chimney of Judge James 
 Iredell's home. 
 
 A complete map and key of St. Paul's churchyard have been 
 made by the Penelope Barker Chapter, and presented to the 
 said Parish. 
 
 Twenty-five gold medals have been presented in the public 
 schools of North Carolina to pupils writing the best essays on 
 some given historical subject, North Carolina history being 
 selected. 
 
 The North Carolina Society assisted in collecting, install- 
 ing, taking care of, packing and recording the North Carolina 
 Historical Exhibit at Jamestown Exposition in 1907. 
 
 The Society has contributed liberally towards funds used 
 in erecting monuments by the General Society at Valley 
 Forge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, where General Washing- 
 ton took command of the American Army under the historic 
 elm on Cambridge Common, and the bronze tablet to the sea- 
 men of the American Navy during the Revolution that was 
 placed in Bancroft Hall, Annapolis, in May, 1910. 
 
 Marking the grave of Sergeant Koen, of the Revolution, 
 by the Sir Walter Raleigh Chapter. 
 
 Placing a tombstone over the grave of General Isaac Greg- 
 ory, in the Gregory burying ground at "Fairfax." 
 
 —6 
 
188 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Publishing the original historical papers of Miss Catherine 
 Albertson, in a book entitled, "In Ancient Albemarle." 
 
 The tablet erected by the Red Men, through the Penelope 
 Barker Chapter, on the exterior of the court house, Eden- 
 ton, K C. 
 
 Thursday morning was devoted to sight-seeing. The 
 Cupola House, where Miss Bond requested the Daughters to 
 register in the guest book that only contained the autographs 
 of the Society of the Cincinnati when they visited this Colo- 
 nial mansion, St. Paul's churchyard, and "Hayes" were 
 visited. The grave of Penelope Barker, in the burying- 
 ground at "Hayes," where she sleeps beside her husband, 
 Thomas Barker, was strewn with golden flowers by the 
 Daughters. 
 
 The delegates left at noon, carrying the happiest recollec- 
 tions of their Twentieth Annual Meeting, of the one-time cap- 
 ital of North Carolina and her hospitable inhabitants, worthy 
 inheritors of her glorious past and noble men and women. 
 
 The officers of the Society are : Regent, Miss Mary Hilliard 
 Hinton; Vice-Regent, Mrs. Marshall Williams; Honorary 
 Regents, Mrs. E. E. Moffitt and Mrs. T. K. Bruner ; Record- 
 ing Secretary, Mrs. L. E. Covington; Corresponding Secre- 
 tary, Mrs. Paul H. Lee ; Treasurer, Mrs. Charles Lee Smith ; 
 Registrar, Miss Sarah W. Ashe. 
 
Vol. XVIII JULY, 1918 No. 1 
 
 North Carolina Booklet 
 
 'Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her! 
 While we live zve will cherish, protect and defend her' 
 
 Published by 
 
 THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY 
 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION 
 
 The object of The Booklet is to aid in developing and preserving 
 North Carolina History. The proceeds arising from its publication 
 will be devoted to patriotic purposes. Editor. 
 
 RALEIGH 
 
 COMMERCIAL PRINTING COMPANY 
 
 PRINTERS AND BINDERS 
 
ADVISORY BOARD OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Mrs. Hubert Haywood. 
 Mrs. E. E. Moffitt. 
 Mr. R. D. W. Connor. 
 Dr. D. H. Hill. 
 Dr. William K. Boyd. 
 Capt. S. A. Ashe. 
 Miss Adelaide L. Fries. 
 
 Miss Martha Helen Haywood. 
 
 Dr. Richard Dillard. 
 
 Dr. Kemp P. Battle. 
 
 Mr. James Sprunt. 
 
 Mr. Marshall DeLancey Haywood. 
 
 Chief Justice Walter Clark. 
 
 Major W. A. Graham. 
 
 Dr. Charles Lee Smith. 
 
 editor : 
 
 Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL EDITOR : 
 
 Mrs. E. E. Moffitt. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY 
 DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION 
 
 1918-1919 
 
 Mrs. Marshall Williams, 
 Regent, Faison. 
 
 Mrs. E. E. Moffitt, Honorary 
 Regent, Richmond, Va. 
 
 Mrs. Thomas K. Bruner, 
 Honorary Regent, Raleigh. 
 
 Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton, 
 1st Vice-Regent, Raleigh. 
 
 Mrs. Paul H. Lee, 2d Vice- 
 Regent, Raleigh. 
 
 Mrs. George P. Pell, Recording 
 Secretary, Raleigh. 
 
 Miss Winifred Faison, Corre- 
 sponding Secretary, Faison. 
 
 Miss Georgia Hicks, Historian, 
 
 Faison. 
 Mrs. Charles Lee Smith, 
 
 Treasurer, Raleigh. 
 Mrs. George Ramsey, Registrar, 
 
 Raleigh. 
 Mrs. John E. Ray, Custodian of 
 
 Relics, Raleigh. 
 Mrs. Laurence Covington, 
 
 Executive Secretary, Raleigh. 
 Mrs Charles Wales, 
 
 Genealogist, Edenton. 
 Miss Catherine Albertson, 
 
 Junior Director, Elizabeth City. 
 
 CHAPTER REGENTS 
 
 Bloomsbury Chapter Mrs. Paul H. Lee, Regent. 
 
 Penelope Barker Chapter , Regent. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh Chapter Mrs. I. M. Meekins, Regent. 
 
 General Francis Nash Chapter Miss Rebecca Cameron, Regent. 
 
 Roanoke Chapter Mrs. F. M. Allen, Regent. 
 
 Mary Slocumb Chapter Miss Georgia Hicks, Regent. 
 
 Colonel Thomas Robeson Chapter Mrs. Annie Bute, Regent. 
 
 Tuscarora Chapter Mrs. C. H. Hunter, Regent. 
 
 Founder of the North Carolina Society and Regent 1896-1902 : 
 
 Mrs. SPIER WHITAKER.* 
 
 Regent 1902: 
 
 Mrs. D. H. HILL, SR.f 
 
 Regent 1902-1906: 
 
 Mrs. THOMAS K. BRUNER. 
 
 Regent 1906-1910: 
 
 Mrs. E. E. MOFFITT. 
 
 Regent 1910-1917: 
 
 Miss MARY HILLIARD HINTON. 
 
 *Died November 25, 1911. 
 tDied December 12. 1904. 
 
The North Carolina Booklet 
 
 Vol. XVIII JULY, 1918 No. 1 
 
 ISAAC SHELBY 
 
 Revolutionary Patriot and Border Hero 
 
 Part 11—1780-1783 
 By Archibald Henderson 
 
 III 
 
 At the appointed time, September 25, the several forces 
 united at the rendezvous, already rendered famous by the 
 great treaty held by Colonel Richard Henderson with the 
 Cherokees there in March 1775, the Sycamore Shoals of the 
 Watauga. Hither came Colonel William Campbell with two 
 hundred men, Colonel Arthur Campbell with two hundred 
 men, Colonel Isaac Shelby and Lieutenant-Colonel John Se- 
 vier with two hundred and forty- men each — uniting with the 
 force of one hundred and sixty men under Colonel Charles 
 McDowell and Major Joseph McDowell, who had been en- 
 camped there for some time. An "express" sent by Colonel 
 William Campbell from Washington County, Virginia, had 
 already notified Colonel Benjamin Cleveland of Wilkes 
 County, North Carolina, of the plan ; and 'Cleveland was also 
 urged by an "express" from Colonel McDowell to join the 
 "over-mountain men" on the east side of the mountains with 
 as large a force as he could raise. 
 
 The task of raising funds to equip the forces of Shelby and 
 Sevier, and to defray the expenses of the campaign was an 
 extremely difficult problem. The settlers generally had ex- 
 pended their available money for their lands ; and so the only 
 available funds were in the hands of the Entry-taker of Sulli- 
 van County, John Adair. When Sevier applied to him for 
 
4 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 the money needed to defray the expenses of the military expe- 
 dition, Adair replied : 
 
 Colonel Sevier, I have no authority by law to make that disposition 
 of this money. It belongs to the impoverished treasury of North 
 Carolina, and I dare not appropriate a cent of it to any purpose. 
 But, if the country is over-run by the British, liberty is gone. Let the 
 money go too. Take it. If the enemy, by its use, is driven from the 
 country, I can trust that country to justify and vindicate my conduct. 
 Take it. 
 
 For this indispensable sum, amounting to twelve thousand 
 seven hundred and thirty-five dollars, Shelby and Sevier 
 pledged themselves to see it refunded or its use legalized by 
 an act of the Legislature; and this recognizance was after- 
 wards scrupulously fulfilled. 1 
 
 It seemed to the enemy that the over-mountain men had 
 been assembled as if by magic. "The wild and fierce inhabi- 
 tants of . . . (the) settlements westward of the Alleghany 
 mountains," said Mackenzie in his Strictures, "assembled 
 suddenly and silently." In his letter of October 24, 1780, 
 Lord Rawdon significantly observed : "A numerous army now 
 appeared on the frontier, drawn from ISTolachucky, and other 
 settlements beyond the mountains, whose very names had been 
 unknown to us." On September 26, this force of one thou- 
 sand and forty frontiersmen set forth upon the march. Be- 
 fore leaving the camp at Watauga, a farewell sermon was 
 delivered by the Reverend Samuel Doak, who (according to 
 trustworthy tradition) urged them to do battle valiantly, clos- 
 ing with a stirring invocation to "the sword of the Lord and 
 of Gideon" — a sentiment greeted with a lusty shout of 
 acclaim from the hardy mountaineers. At Quaker Meadows 
 in Burke County, the famous home of the McDowells, which 
 they reached on September 30, there was encamped a force 
 of three hundred and fifty militia — the hardy followers of 
 that fierce and blood-thirsty fighter, Colonel Benjamin Cleve- 
 land, "Old Roundabout," who called themselves "Cleveland's 
 Bulldogs" ; the stalwart riflemen of Rutherford under Colonel 
 
 JRainsey : Annals of Tennessee, 226. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 
 
 Andrew Hampton, and the flower of the militant citizenship 
 of Surry led by a born leader of men, a cousin of Patrick 
 Henry, Colonel Joseph Winston. 2 
 
 Already on September 14 preceding, General William Lee 
 Davidson had ordered Cleveland to unite with other forces to 
 resist Ferguson's advance; and under the present plan the 
 prospects seemed to favor successful resistance. The com- 
 manders of the different divisions, all of whom had acted with 
 executive authority, controlled their troops only through vol- 
 untary agreement on the part of the privates. In view of 
 petty disorders and insubordination, the commanding officers 
 on the second day (October 2) after resuming the march, held 
 a conference to devise plans for quieting the disturbances, 
 and also for the purpose of choosing a leader. "It was 
 resolved," says Shelby in his Pamphlet (1823), "to send to 
 Head-Quarters for a general officer to command us ; and that, 
 in the mean time, we should meet in council every day to 
 determine on the measures to be pursued, and appoint any of 
 our own body to put them in execution. I was not satisfied 
 with this course, as I thought it calculated to produce delay, 
 when expedition and dispatch were all important to us. We 
 were then in sixteen or eighteen miles of Gilbert Town, where 
 we supposed Ferguson to be. I suggested these things to the 
 council, and then observed to the officers, that we were all 
 North Carolinians except Col. Campbell, who was from Vir- 
 ginia ; that I knew him to be a man of good sense, and warmly 
 attached to the cause of his country; that he commanded the 
 largest regiment; and that if they concurred with me, until 
 a general officer should arrive from Head-Quarters, appoint 
 him to command us, and march immediately against the 
 enemy. To this proposition some one or two said 'agreed.' 
 No written minute or record was made of it." 3 Shelby 
 acknowledges that that he did this to "silence the expectation 
 
 2 A. C. Avery: "Quaker Meadows," in North Carolina Booklet, IV, No. 3; 
 W. A. Graham : General Joseph Graham, 273-283 ; G. T. Winston : "The Life 
 and Times of Major Joseph Winston," 1895 ; J. Crouch : "The Life and Char- 
 acter of Col. Benjamin Cleveland," 1908. 
 
 3 Appendix to L. C Draper's King's Mountain and its Heroes, 564. 
 
6 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 of Col. McDowell" to command the expedition. This was 
 a legitimate expectation on the part of Col. McDowell, who 
 was the commanding officer of the district in which the force 
 was operating, and had, as Shelby further admits, "com- 
 manded the armies of militia in that quarter all the summer 
 before against the same enemy." The objections urged 
 against McDowell by Shelby were that he was "too far 
 advanced in life" and "too inactive" for the command of an 
 expedition which required extraordinary resources in strength 
 and endurance. The first objection, mentioned by Shelby at 
 the advanced age of seventy-three, is not founded on fact, and 
 was perhaps due to defective memory; for McDowell was 
 a vigorous young man of thirty-seven in 1780. In his 
 narrative, 4 Shelby states merely that McDowell "was too 
 slow an officer" for the enterprise. There was at no time any 
 question of the bravery or patriotism of McDowell. 5 
 
 During the progress of the conference, Campbell took 
 Shelby aside and requested that his name be withdrawn and 
 that Shelby himself take the command. To this, Shelby very 
 correctly replied that he was the youngest Colonel present; 
 and that McDowell under whom he had served, would resent 
 his elevation to the chief command. Shelby probably realized 
 that the over-mountain men, at all times unaccustomed to 
 strict military discipline and somewhat prone to insubordina- 
 tion, would not readily accept the leadership in this meteoric 
 campaign of a militia commander conspicuous neither for rare 
 discretion nor for exceptional efficiency. The selection of 
 Campbell was undoubtedly a temporary expedient, a tactful 
 mode of bridging an awkward situation; yet it is clear that 
 these border leaders would never have agreed to Shelby's sug- 
 gestion that the chief command be given, even temporarily, to 
 Campbell, had they not recognized in him an efficient leader 
 and known him to be a true soldier. One final conclusion is 
 
 i American Review, December, 1848. 
 
 B Other graver objections to the selection of McDowell as leader of the cam- 
 paign have been mentioned. In this connection see Draper's King's Moun- 
 tain and Its Heroes, 87-9, and A. C. Avery's "Burke County," 90, in Western 
 North Carolina (1890). 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 7 
 
 irresistible : that Shelby himself, as originator and prime 
 mover in the expedition, more than any other was entitled to 
 the chief command. 
 
 Colonel McDowell, who, as Shelby frankly says, "had the 
 good of his country more at heart than any title of command," 
 cheerfully acquiesced in the council's decision; but observed 
 that as he was not to have the chief command, he would volun- 
 teer to convey to headquarters at Hillsborough the request for 
 a general officer. On October 4, McDowell started on his 
 errand from the mouth of Cane Creek near Gilbert Town, 
 where the American force was encamped. 6 He bore with 
 him a significant letter, to which the chief historian of the 
 battle did not have access. 7 He left his men under the com- 
 mand of his brother, Major Joseph McDowell. Colonel 
 Campbell now assumed temporarily the chief command, but 
 he was to be regulated and directed by the determinations of 
 the Colonels, who were to meet in council every day. It is 
 noticeable that the list of signatures is not headed by that of 
 Campbell, and does not include that of Charles McDowell, 
 the bearer. 
 
 Rutherford County, Camp near Gilberttown 
 Oct 4, 1780. 
 
 Sir, We have now collected at this place about 1500 good men, 
 drawn from the Counties of Surry, Wilkes, Burke, Washington and 
 Sullivan Counties in this State, and Washington County in Virginia, 
 and expect to be joined in a few days by Col. Clarke of Georgia, and 
 Col. Williams of South Carolina, with about 1000 more — As we have 
 at this time called out our Militia without any orders from the 
 Executive of our different States, and with the view of Expelling the 
 Enemy out of this part of the Country, we think such a body of men 
 worthy of your attention, and would request you to send a General 
 Officer, immediately to take the command of such Troops as may 
 embody in this quarter — Our Troops being all Militia, and but little 
 
 6 It is worthy of note that, on his way to Hillsborough, McDowell called at 
 the camp of Lacy and Hill, with their South Carolinians, and at that of Yv 11- 
 liams with the Rowan Corps, at Flint Hill, a dozen miles or so to the eastward 
 of the head of Cane Creek. These forces, being thus notified of the march 
 against Ferguson, formed a junction with Campbell's forces on October 6. 
 
 7 Draper makes no mention of this letter, the original of which is in the 
 Gates Papers, Archives of the New York Historical Society. For a transcript 
 of this letter I am indebted to Mr. Wilberforce Eames, of the New York Public 
 Library, and to Mr. Robert H. Kelby, Librarian of the New York Historical 
 Society. 
 
8 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 acquainted with discipline, we could wish him to be a Gentleman of 
 address, and able to keep up a proper discipline, without disgusting 
 the Soldiery — Every assistance in our power, shall be given the Offi- 
 cer you may think proper to take the command of us. 
 
 It is the wish of such of us as are acquainted with General David- 
 son and Col. Morgan (if in service) that one of them Gentlemen may 
 be appointed to this command. 
 
 We are in great want of Ammunition, and hope you will endeavor 
 to have us properly furnished with that Article. 
 
 Col. McDowell will wait upon you with this, who can inform you 
 of the present situation of the Enemy, and such other particulars 
 respecting our Troops as you may think necessary. 
 We are Sir, Your most obdt. and very hble. Servts. 
 
 Benja. Cleveland, 
 Isaac Shelby. 
 John Sevier, 
 Andw. Hampton, 
 Wm. Campbell, 
 Jo. Winston. 
 (Endorsed) 
 (Public Service) 
 
 The Honorable Major General 
 Horatio Gates 
 
 Commander in Chief of 
 
 the Southern Army. 
 By Col. Charles McDowell Major General Smallwood 
 
 Letter from 
 
 Col. Cleveland &c 8 
 4th October 80. 
 
 A memorable incident, indicative of the indomitable de- 
 termination of the American forces, deserves record here. 
 Before resuming the march on October 3, the Colonels noti- 
 fied the assembled troops of the nature and hazard of the 
 enterprise before them ; and the offer was made that any one 
 who so desired, might withdraw then and there from the cam- 
 paign. Shelby thus laconically addressed the men : 
 
 You have all been informed of the offer. You who desire to 
 decline it, will, when the word is given, march three steps to the rear, 
 and stand, prior to which a few more minutes will be granted you 
 for consideration. 
 
 a Cf. N. C. State Records, xiv, 663-4. A photographic facsimile of the signa- 
 tures to this letter, made at my order from the original letter, shows that, 
 contrary to the testimony of Mr. Roosevelt, who spells it "Cleavland," the 
 correct spelling is "Cleveland." 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 9 
 
 After a pause the order was given that "those who desired 
 to hack out would step three paces to the rear," but not a man 
 withdrew. Shelby then addressed the men in words which 
 convey a vivid impression of the spirit of the movement and 
 the character of the campaign : 
 
 I am heartily glad to see you to a man resolve to meet and fight 
 your country's foes. When we encounter the enemy, don't wait for 
 the word of command. Let each one of you be your own officer, and 
 do the very best you can, taking every care you can of yourselves, 
 and availing yourselves of every advantage that chance may throw in 
 your way. If in the woods, shelter yourselves, and give them Indian 
 play ; advance from tree to tree, pressing the enemy and killing and 
 disabling all you can. Your officers will shrink from no danger — 
 they will be consistently with you, and the moment the enemy give 
 war, be on the alert and strictly obey orders. 9 
 
 The taunt of Ferguson, by which he had hoped to intimi- 
 date the men of the back-country, evoked a retort he little 
 expected. Ferguson's principal object at this time was to 
 strike a crushing blow at the small band of partisans under 
 Captain Elijah Clarke, who about the middle of September 
 was threatening Augusta, Georgia, and was still hovering 
 dangerously near the Carolina line. Ferguson was hoping 
 for and expecting the return of furloughed loyalists in large 
 numbers under Gibbes, the militia under Cruger at Ninety- 
 Six, or Tarleton's Legion ordered thither by Cornwallis. Two 
 deserters from the camp of the Americans came in on Septem- 
 ber 30 to warn Ferguson of the approach of the frontier army. 
 Had Ferguson struck straight for Charlotte and a junction 
 there with Cornwallis, he might have eluded Campbell's 
 force. But he was confronted with the danger of permitting 
 the union of the forces of Clarke and Campbell ; the necessity 
 of recalling numerous Tories, absent on furlough belonging 
 to his own force ; and the danger of disaffection to the loyalist 
 cause on the part of the people of that region. Perhaps Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Cruger had a deeper insight into the nature of 
 the situation than had Ferguson; for in his reply (October 3, 
 1780) to Ferguson's dispatch of September 30th, with its 
 
 testimony of John Spelts, called "Continental Jack," who was present. 
 
10 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 alarming news of "so considerable (a) force as you understand 
 is coming from the mountains," Cruger makes these eminently 
 sane observations: "I Don't see how you can possibly (de- 
 fend) the country and its neighborhood that you (are) now 
 in. ... I flattered myself they (the Tory militia) 
 would have been equal to the mountain lads, and that no 
 further call for the defensive would have been (made ?) on 
 this part of the Province. I begin to think our views for 
 the present rather large. We have been led to this, proba- 
 bly, in expecting too much from the militia." 10 
 
 Aware of some of the dangers incident to the situation, 
 Ferguson despatched messengers to Cornwallis, asking for 
 assistance ; but these, being pursued, were delayed by reason 
 of the circuitous route they were forced to take, and so did not 
 reach Charlotte until the day after the battle at King's Moun- 
 tain. Ferguson scorned to seek protection by making a 
 forced march in order to effect a junction with Cornwallis at 
 Charlotte. He preferred to make a stand, and, if possible, 
 to dispose once for all of this barbarian mountain horde. 
 From his camp Ferguson issued the following inflammatory 
 and obscene appeal to the people, well calculated to arouse 
 their bitter hostility to the approaching band, which he char- 
 acterized as murderers of men and ravishers of women. 
 
 Denard's Ford, Broad River, 
 Tryon County, October 1, 1780. 
 
 Gentlemen : — Unless you wish to be eat up by an inundation of bar- 
 barians, who have begun by murdering an unarmed son before his 
 aged father and afterward lopped off his arms, and who by their 
 shocking cruelties and irregularities, give the best proof of their 
 cowardice and want of discipline ; I say if you want to be pinioned, 
 robbed, and murdered, and see your wives and daughters, in four 
 days, abused by the dregs of mankind — in short, if you wish or 
 deserve to live, and bear the name of men grasp your arms in a mo- 
 ment and run to camp. 
 
 The Back Water men have crossed the mountains ; McDowell, 
 Hampton, Shelby, and Cleveland are at their head, so that you know 
 
 10 This letter was found on Ferguson's dead body, after the battle of King's 
 Mountain. See Ramsey : Annals of Tennessee, 241-2. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 11 
 
 what you have to depend upon. If you choose to be p — d upon by 
 a set of mongrels, say so at once, and let your women turn their 
 backs upon you and look out for real men to protect them. 
 
 Pat. Ferguson, 
 Major list Regiment? 1 
 
 Loitering on his march, presumably in the hope of striking- 
 Clarke, Ferguson did not reach King's Mountain until Octo- 
 ber 6. On reaching Gilbert Town (near Rutherfordton, 
 !N". C.) on October 4, the Americans discovered that Fergu- 
 son had retired. "Having gained a knowledge of his design," 
 related Shelby, "it was determined in a council of the princi- 
 pal officers to pursue him with all possible dispatch. Ac- 
 cordingly two nights before the action the officers were 
 engaged all night in selecting the best men, the best horses 
 and the best rifles, and at the dawn of day took Ferguson's 
 trail and pursued him. . . . The mountain men had 
 turned out to catch Ferguson. He was their object, and for 
 the last thirty-six hours they never alighted from their horses 
 but once to refresh at the Cowpens for an hour (where they 
 were joined by Col. Williams of South Carolina, on the even- 
 ing of the 6th with about 400 men), although the day of the 
 action was so extremely wet that the men could only keep their 
 guns dry by wrapping their bags, blankets and hunting shirts 
 around the locks, which exposed their bodies to a heavy and 
 incessant rain." 12 
 
 In this connection, there is need of further detail in regard 
 to the force under Williams. The account given by Draper 
 is at once imperfect and distorted ; and his estimate is griev- 
 ously warped by the prejudiced account written by South 
 Carolinians who held Williams in detestation. James D. 
 Williams was not a South Carolinian ; he was born in Han- 
 over County, Virginia, in November, 1740. Since childhood 
 he had lived in Granville County, N. C, whither the Williams 
 
 ^Virginia Gazette, November 11, 1780. The barbarous atrocity alluded to at 
 the beginning of this letter is unsupported by evidence of any kind. 
 
 ^Autobiography of Isaac Shelby, an exact transcription of which I procured 
 from the late Colonel R. T. Durrett, of Louisville, Kentucky. The valuable 
 Durrett Collection of Manuscripts on Western History is now owned by the 
 University of Chicago. 
 
12 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 family removed at an early date ; and here he remained until 
 1772, when he went to South Carolina and settled on Little 
 River in Laurens County. At the battle of Musgrove Mill, 
 as related by Shelby himself, Williams 13 commanded the 
 American center, while Shelby and Clarke commanded the 
 right and left wings, respectively. The most reliable authori- 
 ties state that Williams held the chief command in this bat- 
 tle. 14 On his arrival at Hillsborough whither he conducted 
 the prisoners taken at Musgrove Mill, Williams conveyed the 
 news of this victory to Governor Rutledge of South Carolina, 
 then a refugee from his own State. In recognition of the 
 victory at Musgrove Mill, achieved by the force commanded 
 by Williams, Governor Rut-ledge commissioned him as a 
 brigadier general in the South Carolina militia. 15 On Sep- 
 tember 8, Governor Abner Nash of North Carolina instructed 
 General Williams to go to Caswell and other counties and 
 recruit a. corps of volunteer horsemen, not to exceed one hun- 
 dred, for active service against the enemy. 16 This force, 
 about, seventy in number, Williams enlisted chiefly while 
 encamped at Higgins' plantation in Rowan County. These 
 recruits were brave and reliable soldiers ; and they came from 
 a county noted for its patriotism and its hostility to England. 
 "It was evident and it had frequently been mentioned to the 
 King's Officers," says Banastre Tarleton in his Campaigns 
 of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces, "that the coun- 
 ties of Mecklenburg and Rowan were more hostile to Eng- 
 land that any others in America." 17 
 
 B C/. "Isaac Shelby," I, p. 140, North Carolina Booklet, January, 1917. 
 
 14 A Sketch of the Life and Career of Col. James D. Williams, by Rev. J. D. 
 Bailey (Cowpens, S. C, 1898). 
 
 15 The official report, which in itself constitutes proof that Williams was in 
 command at Musgrove Mill, was drawn up and signed by Williams ; and this is 
 the only contemporary report of the battle from the field. On September 5, 
 1780, Williams' official report was forwarded by General Gates to the Presi- 
 dent of Congress. The full report was published in the Pennsylvania Packet 
 on September 23, and doubtless earlier in North Carolina newspapers ; but the 
 substance of the report, doubtless communicated by Governor Rutledge, ap- 
 peared in the Virginia Gazette as early as September 13. Compare also North 
 Carolina University Magazine, March, 1S55. 
 
 16 For a copy of the original order, see Schenck, North Carolina, 1780-1781, 
 143n. 
 
 17 The slur cast upon these Rowan recruits by the venomous Colonel Hill in 
 his Manuscript Narrative only reflect upon their author. The Legislature of 
 North Carolina, in November, 1788, acting upon a report submitted by Mr. 
 Thomas Person, resolved : "That the estate of James Williams, deceased, late 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 13 
 
 The number chosen from the over-mountain men to go 
 forward from the ford of Green River on the night of Octo- 
 ber 5, was about seven hundred ; and at the Cowpens, as accu- 
 rately stated by Shelby, they were reinforced by four hundred 
 men under Williams. 18 Here a second selection of nine hun- 
 dred and ten horsemen was made ; and Colonel Campbell was 
 retained in the chief command — the urgency of the pursuit 
 making it inadvisable to await the coming of the general offi- 
 cer for whom Col. Charles McDowell had gone to Hillsbor- 
 ough. This force, closely followed by some eighty-odd foot- 
 men ("foot-cavalry") pushed forward from the Cowpens on 
 the night of October 6, in pursuit of the elusive Ferguson. 
 
 So heavy was the fall of rain during the forenoon and so 
 weary and jaded were the men, that Campbell, Sevier and 
 Cleveland urged a halt ; but to this proposal the iron Shelby, 
 intent upon the capture and destruction of the men who had 
 threatened to hang him, gruffly replied with an oath : "I will 
 not stop until night, if I follow Ferguson into Cornwallis' 
 lines." As they approached King's Mountain, they encoun- 
 tered three men who reported that they were just from the 
 British camp, which was posted upon the plateau, and that 
 there was a picket guard on the road not far ahead. "These 
 men," says Benjamin Sharp in his account, "were detained 
 lest they should find means to inform the enemy of our ap- 
 proach, and Col. Shelby, with a select party, undertook to sur- 
 prise and take the picket ; this he accomplished without firing 
 a gun or giving the least alarm ; and it was hailed by the army 
 as a good omen." 19 
 
 18 0n October 2, Brigadier General Williams reported to Major-General Gates 
 that the number then with him in Burke County was "about four hundred and 
 fifty horsemen." Cf. N. C. State Records, xv. 94. He was in error as to his 
 location, which was actually in Lincoln County. 
 
 ^American Pioneer, February, 1843. 
 
 of the State of S. C. be released and acquitted from the payment of $25,000 
 advanced to the said deceased in his lifetime (1780) by this state for the pur- 
 pose of raising men for the defense of this and the United States, it having 
 been manifested to this Assembly that he was in action at the Battle of King's 
 Mountain where he headed three or four hundred men and in which action he 
 gloriously fell, a sacrifice to liberty." See W. A. Graham: Gen. Joseph Gra- 
 ham and His Revolutionary Papers, 282-3. In speaking of "our march to the 
 Yadkin," Cornwallis calls the Rowan section "one of the most rebellious tracts 
 in America." 
 
14 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 IV 
 
 The remarkable battle which ensued presents an extraordi- 
 nary contrast in the character of the combatants and the 
 nature of the strategy and tactics employed. Each party ran 
 true to form — the heroic and brilliant Ferguson repeating 
 Braddock's suicidal tactics of opposing bayonet charges to 
 the deadly fusillade of riflemen, carefully posted, Indian 
 fashion, behind trees and every shelter afforded by the natural 
 inequalities of the ground. In the army of the Carolina and 
 Virginia frontiersmen, composed of independent commands 
 recruited from many sources and each solicitous for its own 
 credit, each command was directed in the battle by its own 
 leader. Campbell, like Cleveland, Shelby, McDowell, Sevier, 
 and Hambright, personally led his own division ; but the 
 nature of the fighting and the peculiarity of the terrain made 
 it impossible for him, though the chosen commander of the 
 expedition, in actuality to play such a role. The tactics 
 agreed upon in advance by the frontier commanders were 
 simple enough — to surround and capture Ferguson's camp 
 on the high plateau. The more experienced Indian fighters, 
 Sevier and Shelby, unquestionably suggested the general 
 tactics in accordance with their experience, which in any case 
 would doubtless have been employed by the frontiersmen : to 
 give the British "Indian-play," namely, to take cover any- 
 where and fire from natural shelter. Cleveland, a Hercules in 
 strength and courage, who had fought the Indians and recog- 
 nized the wisdom of Indian tactics, ordered his men, as did 
 some of the other leaders, to give way before a bayonet charge 
 — but to return to the attack after the charge had spent its 
 force. 
 
 My brave fellows, we have beaten the Tories and we can do it again. 
 . . . If they had the spirit of men, they would join with their 
 fellow-citizens in supporting the independence of their country. When 
 you are engaged, you are not to wait for the word of command from 
 me. I will show you, by my example, how to fight ; I can undertake 
 no more. Every man must consider himself an officer and act from 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 15 
 
 his own judgment. Fire as quick as you can, and stand your ground 
 as long as you can. When you can do no better, get behind trees 
 or retreat ; but I beg you not to run quite off. If we are repulsed, 
 let us make a point of returning and renewing the fight ; perhaps we 
 may have better luck in the second attempt than in the first. 
 
 The plateau upon which Ferguson was encamped was the 
 top of an eminence about six hundred yards long and about 
 two hundred and fifty from one base across to the other ; and 
 its shape was that of an Indian paddle, varying from one 
 hundred and twenty yards at the blade to sixty yards at the 
 handle in width. Outcropping boulders upon the outer edge 
 of the plateau • afforded some slight shelter for Ferguson's 
 force; but, unsuspicious of the coming attack, Ferguson had 
 made no abatis to protect his camp from the attack to 
 which it was so vulnerable from the cover of the timber sur- 
 rounding it on all sides. In taking their positions, the cen- 
 ter to the North-East was occupied by Cleveland with his 
 Bulldogs, Hambright with his South Fork Boys, from the 
 Catawba (now Lincoln County, North Carolina), and Win- 
 ston with his Surry Riflemen; to the South were the divi- 
 sions under Joseph McDowell (brother of Charles) who was 
 in touch with Winston, Sevier and Campbell ; while the South 
 Carolinians under Lacey, who was in touch with Cleveland, 
 the Rowan levies under Williams, and the Watauga borderers 
 under Shelby were stationed upon the North side. Fergu- 
 son's force consisted of Provincial Rangers, one hundred and 
 fifty strong, and of well drilled loyalists, between eight and 
 nine hundred, seriously weakened by the absence of a forag- 
 ing party of between one and two hundred who had gone off 
 on the morning the battle occurred. Shelby's men, before 
 getting into position, received a hot fire, the opening shots of 
 the engagement — which inspired Campbell, who now threw 
 off his coat, to shout encouraging orders to his men, posted on 
 the side of the mountain opposite to Shelby's force. When 
 Campbell's Virginians uttered a series of piercing shouts, De 
 
16 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Peyster, second in command, remarked to his chief: "These 
 things are ominous — these are the damned yelling boys." 
 
 The battle, which lasted some minutes short of an hour, 
 was waged with terrific ferocity. The loyalist militia, where- 
 ever possible, fired from the shelter of the rocks ; while the 
 Provincial Corps, with fixed bayonets, steadily charged the 
 frontiersmen, who fired at close range and rapidly withdrew 
 to the very base of the mountain. After each bayonet charge, 
 the Provincials coolly withdrew to the summit, under the ac- 
 cumulating fire of the returning mountaineers, who quickly 
 gathered in their rear. Owing to their elevation, the British, 
 although using the rapid-fire breech-loading rifle invented by 
 Ferguson himself, found their vision deflected, continually 
 firing high ; and thus suffered nature's handicap, refraction. 20 
 The militia, using sharpened butcher knives which Ferguson 
 taught them to utilize as bayonets, charged against the moun- 
 taineers ; but their fire, in answer to the deadly fusillade of 
 the expert squirrel shooters, was belated, owing to the fact 
 that they could not fire so long as the crudely improvised 
 bayonets remained in their pieces. The Americans, contin- 
 ually firing upward, found ready marks for their aim in the 
 clearly delineated outlines of their adversaries ; and felt the 
 exultation which animates the hunter who has tracked to his 
 lair and entrapped wild game at bay. 
 
 The leaders of the various divisions of the mountaineers 
 bore themselves with impetuous bravery, recklessly exposing 
 themselves between the lines of fire and with native eloquence, 
 interspersed with mild profanity, rallying their individual 
 commands, from end to end, once more to the attack. Camp- 
 bell scaled the rugged heights, encouraging his men to the 
 ascent. Cleveland resolutely facing the foe, rallied his bull- 
 dogs with the inspiriting words: "Come, boys, let's try 'em 
 again. We'll have better luck next time." The most deadly 
 charge, led by De Peyster himself, fell upon Hambright's 
 South Fork boys ; and Major Chronicle, waving his military 
 
 20 F. Brevard McDowell : The Battle of King's Mountain. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 
 
 17 
 
 hat, fell dead, the command, "Face to the hill !" dying upon 
 his lips. These veteran soldiers met the shock of the charge ; 
 a number of their men were shot down or transfixed, and 
 the remainder, reserving their fire until the charging column 
 was only a few feet away, poured in a deadly volley before 
 retiring. William Lenoir, independently fighting in Wins- 
 ton's column, was in the forefront of the hottest battle, his 
 reckless bravery making him a veritable target for the 
 enemy. He received several wounds and his hair and his 
 clothes were riddled with bullets. The ranking American 
 officer, Brigadier General James Williams, was mortally 
 wounded on the "very top of the mountain, in the thickest 
 of the fight" ; and as he revived for a moment, an eye-wit- 
 ness relates, his first words were: "For God's sake, boys, 
 don't give up the hill." Hambright, sorely wounded, his 
 boot overflowing with blood and his hat riddled with three 
 bullet holes, declined to dismount, but pressed gallantly for- 
 ward, exclaiming in his "Pennsylvania Dutch" : "Huzza, my 
 prave poys, fight on a few minutes more, and te pattle will 
 be over!" On the British side Ferguson was supremely 
 brave, rapidly dashing from one side to the other, oblivious 
 to all danger. Wherever the shrill note of his silver whistle 
 sounded, there the fighting was hottest and the British resist- 
 ance deadliest. His officers fought with the characteristic 
 steadiness of the British soldier, and again and again charged 
 headlong against the wavering circle of the frontiersmen. 21 
 
 Ferguson's authentic boast — that "he was on King's Moun- 
 tain, that he was king of the mountain and that God Almighty 
 could not drive him from it" — was doubtless prompted, less 
 by belief in the impregnability of his position, than by a 
 desire to inspire confidence in his men. His position was 
 admirably chosen for defense against attack by troops employ- 
 ing regulation tactics ; but never dreaming of the possibility 
 of sudden investment, Ferguson had erected no defenses for 
 
 21 Forerunners of the Republic : "Isaac Shelby," Neale's Monthly, March, 
 1913. 
 
18 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 his encampment. The disesteem in which he held the moun- 
 taineers found expression in the passionate declaration: "I 
 will never surrender to such damned banditti as the mountain 
 men." His frenzied efforts on the battle-field seem like a 
 mad rush against fate ; for his position was indefensible 
 against the peculiar tactics of the frontiersmen. While the 
 mountain flamed like a volcano and resounded with the thun- 
 der of the guns, a steady stricture was in progress ; the lines 
 were drawn tighter and tighter around the trapped and fran- 
 tically struggling army ; and at last the fall of their com- 
 mander, riddled with bullets, proved the mad futility of fur- 
 ther resistance. The game was caught and bagged to a man. 
 When Winston with his fox-hunters of Surry dashed reck- 
 lessly through the woods, says a chronicler of the battle, and 
 ''the last to come into' position: 
 
 then 
 
 'Flow'd iu, and settling, circled all the lists,' 
 
 'From all the circle of the hills 
 Death sleeted in upon the doomed.' "~ 
 
 V 
 
 In reviewing the details of the battle, especial interest 
 attaches here to everything which concerns Isaac Shelby. In 
 a contemporary letter to his father, he gives the following 
 terse account of the battle : 
 
 That Providence who always rules and governs all things for the 
 best, so ordered it that we were around them before we were discov- 
 ered, and formed in such position, so as to fire on them nearly 
 about (sic) the same time, though they heard us in time to form and 
 stood ready. The battle continued warm for an hour; the enemy 
 finding themselves so embarassed on all sides, surrendered them- 
 selves prisoners to us at discretion. 
 
 They had taken post at that place with the confidence that no force 
 could rout them ; the mountain was high, and exceedingly steep, so 
 
 22 J. W. de Peyster : "The Affair at King's Mountain." Reprinted from The 
 Magazine of American History, Dec, 1880. Cf. also the same writer's sketch : 
 "The Battle or Affair of King's Mountain," 1881. These give the extreme 
 British view. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 19 
 
 that their situation gave them greatly the advantage ; indeed it was 
 almost equal to storming a battery- In most cases we could not see 
 them until we were within twenty yards of them. They repelled us 
 three times with charged bayonets ; but being determined to conquer 
 or die, we came up a fourth time, and fairly got possession of the top 
 of the mountain. 23 
 
 The final general order to the mountain men, before the 
 engagement, was eloquent of the general determination: 
 "Fresh prime your guns, and every man go into battle firmly 
 resolved to fight till he dies!" 
 
 "The enemy," says Eobert Campbell, "annoyed our troops 
 very much from their advantageous position. Col. Shelby, 
 being previously ordered to reconnoitre their position, observ- 
 ing their situation, and what a destructive fire was kept up 
 from those rocks, ordered Robert Campbell, one of the offi- 
 cers of the Virginia Line, to move to the right with a small 
 company to endeavor to dislodge them, and lead them on 
 nearly to the ground which he had ordered therm under fire 
 of the enemy's lines and within forty steps of the same; but 
 discovering that our men were repulsed on the other side of 
 the mountain, he gave orders to advance, and post themselves 
 opposite to the rocks, and near to the enemy, and then re- 
 turned to assist in bringing up the men in order, who had 
 been charged with the bayonet. These orders were punc- 
 tually obeyed, and they kept up such a galling fire as to com- 
 pel Ferguson to order a company of regulars to face them, 
 with a view to cover his men that were posted behind the rocks. 
 At this time a considerable fire was drawn to this side of 
 the mountain by the repulse of those on the other, and the 
 Loyalists not being permitted to leave their posts. This 
 scene was not of long duration, for it was the brave Virginia 
 volunteers, and those under Col. Shelby, on their attempting 
 rapidly to ascend the mountain, that were charged with the 
 bayonet. They obstinately stood until some of them were 
 thrust through the body, and having nothing but their rifles 
 by which to defend themselves, they were forced to retreat. 
 
 '■"Virginia Gazette, Nov. 4, 17S0. 
 
20 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 They were soon rallied by their gallant commanders, Camp- 
 bell, Shelby, and other brave officers, and by a constant and 
 well-directed fire of their rifles, drove them back in their turn, 
 strewing the face of the mountain with their assailants, and 
 kept advancing until they drove them from some of their 
 posts." 24 Shelby's men, by his own statement, actually 
 reached the summit of the mountain which "was covered with 
 flame and smoke and seemed to thunder." 25 
 
 The regiments of Shelby and Campbell began the attack; 
 and the enemy first fired upon Shelby's men before they were 
 in position. This galling fire distressed the mountaineers, 
 who were heard to mutter that "it would never do to be shot 
 down without returning the fire." To which the intrepid 
 Shelby cooly replied : "Pass on to your places, and then your 
 fire will not be lost." 26 Bancroft says : "Shelby, a man of the 
 hardiest make, stiff as iron, among the dauntless singled out 
 for dauntlessness, went right onward and upward like a man 
 who had but one thing to do, and but one thought — to do it." 
 Brave as he and his men were, says Draper, they, too 1 , had to 
 retreat before the charging column, but firing as they retired. 
 When, at the bottom of the hill, Shelby wanted to bring his 
 men to order, he would cry out — "Now, boys, quickly reload 
 your rifles, and give them another hell of a fire." 27 
 
 Throughout the entire battle, Shelby's inspiriting battle- 
 3ry was : "Never shoot until you see an enemy, and never see 
 an enemy without bringing him down." 28 
 
 Shelby was in the very front line of the fight from the 
 outset of the engagement to its very close. "When the 
 British were loudly calling for quarters, but uncertain 
 whether they would be granted," says Benjamin Sharp, "I 
 saw the intrepid Shelby rush his horse within fifteen paces of 
 their lines, and commanded them to lay down their arms, and 
 they should have quarters. Some would call this an impru- 
 
 ' 2i Annals of the Army of Tennessee, Oct., 1878. 
 25 Haywood's Tennessee. 
 
 26 Foote's Sketches of North Carolina (Graham's Sketch), p. 268. 
 "MS. statement of Gen. Thomas Love, derived from Captain David Vance. 
 £8 Nile's National Register, iv. 403. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 21 
 
 dent act, but it shows the daring bravery of the man." 29 As 
 the demoralized Tories continued to cry "Quarters! Quar- 
 ters!," Shelby fiercely shouted: "Damn you! If you want 
 quarters, throw down your arms!" In a letter written by 
 John Sevier to Isaac Shelby (Aug. 27, 1812), we read: "You 
 were in the heat of the action. I frequently saw you ani- 
 mating your men to victory. At the surrender, you were the 
 first field officer I recollect to have seen. ... I per- 
 fectly recollect on seeing you at the close of the action, that 
 
 I swore by they had burnt off your hair, for it was much 
 
 burnt on one side." 
 
 Owing to the volley fired upon the victors by a returning 
 foraging party of the British, a fire which killed the daring- 
 General James Williams, the incensed Americans under 
 Campbell's orders returned the fire, though the British had 
 already surrendered. This created a very alarming situation, 
 and Shelby, who feared that the enemy might yet, perhaps, 
 snatch up their arms in self-defense and resume the battle, ex- 
 claimed : "Good God ! What can we do in the confusion ?" 
 "We can order the prisoners from their arms," said Captain 
 Sawyers. "Yes," responded Shelby, "that can be done" ; and 
 the prisoners were accordingly inarched off, and placed under 
 a strong guard. 
 
 Ferguson was mortally wounded near the close of the 
 action; and as he was being carried off, the exultant Shelby 
 rode up and with incredible callousness said to him, though 
 doubtless life was then totally extinct: "Colonel, the fatal 
 blow is struck — we've Burgoyned you." 30 In the division of* 
 Ferguson's effects, the foot-long silver whistle, the piercing 
 note of which had been heard again and again above the 
 clamor and din of the battle, fell to Shelby's lot. 
 
 According to expert military opinion, the plan of attack 
 employed by the Americans was probably the only method 
 of assault by which the British could have been defeated. 
 Impartial examination of all the evidence available, which 
 
 ^American Pioneer, Feb., 1843. 
 
 30 Related by Thos. H. Spelts and Thomas H. Shelby, a son of the Colonel. 
 
22 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 includes much material not accessible to Draper, leads to the 
 conclusion that the chief credit for inaugurating the entire 
 campaign belongs to Shelby. The nominal leadership was 
 conferred upon Campbell ; and among the reasons, not already 
 mentioned, assigned for giving him the chief command, were 
 that he commanded the largest division of the forces and had 
 come from the greatest distance. In the battle the conditions 
 of combat enabled him to do little more than lead the men of 
 his own division ; and this he did with conspicuous bravery 
 and gallantry. It is scarcely to be doubted that the very- 
 tactics pursued in the battle, the only tactics it would seem 
 which could have been successful, were outlined, not by 
 Campbell, but by Shelby himself. The following significant 
 lines, from a letter written to Shelby by Colonel John Sevier, 
 from Marble Springs, Tennessee, August 27, 1812, are elo- 
 quent on the point : — 
 
 As to the plan of attacking the enemy, yourself was the only person 
 that named the mode to me, and the same was acceded to unani- 
 mously. No doubt you recollect we argued on the manner of attack 
 immediately after Ferguson's spies were taken, while we were a little 
 in front of our army, and as we were returning back to Campbell and 
 the other officers. 31 
 
 VI 
 
 A digression from the continuity of the narrative is neces- 
 sary at this point, in order to bring to light valuable docu- 
 ments, hitherto unpublished, which throw into truer perspec- 
 tive the role played by Shelby in the King's Mountain cam- 
 paign. They tend to correct some of the false impressions 
 fostered by Roosevelt and, to a lesser degree, by Draper. 
 
 On February 11, 1781, the North Carolina State Senate, 
 in session at Halifax, placed the following on record : — 
 
 Resolved, That the Speaker of this House be requested, with the 
 Speaker of the Commons, to transmit to Colonel Campbell, of Vir- 
 
 31 "Hero of Three Wars," by C. H. Todd, in Journal of American History, 
 2nd number, 2nd volume, 1908. These lines from Sevier's letter have been 
 omitted generally by historians, even by Draper in King's Mountain and Its 
 Heroes (pp. 575-6). Such an omission is almost inexplicable. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 23 
 
 ginia, Colonel Cleveland, Colonel Shelby, and the brave Officers and 
 Soldiers under their command the following address, to wit : 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 The General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, impressed 
 with a deep sense of your eminent services during the last Summer's 
 Campaign have unanimously resolved that the Speakers of the two 
 Houses should transmit to you their warmest acknowledgments for 
 your spirited and vigorous Exertions against the formidable body of 
 British Forces under Major Ferguson at King's Mountain. The alac- 
 rity with which you stepped forth uncalled for by Authority, your 
 Vigilance in Marching to, and your conduct in, the attack of the 
 Enemy, deserve the highest Encomiums, and strongly mark Patriot- 
 ism and Heroism united in the same persons. To these Virtues, 
 which you, Gentlemen, so happily possess, your Country is indebted 
 for the important Victory which frustrated the schemes of the enemy, 
 awed many of the disaffected into submission, and rescued the west- 
 ern parts of this State from devastation and ruin and the horrors 
 attendant on a War directed by Tyranny and pursued with vindic- 
 tive Resentment. 
 
 We do therefore in obedience to the order of the two Houses and 
 with the highest satisfaction to ourselves transmit to you the thanks 
 of your country by its representatives in General Assembly. 
 
 Ordered that the foregoing Address with the following Message be 
 sent the Commons for concurrence. 
 
 Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen : 
 
 We send for your approbation an address proposed by this House 
 to be presented the officers who distinguished themselves in the cap- 
 ture of the British, commanded by Major Ferguson, at King's Moun- 
 tain. 
 
 Resolved, that an elegant mounted sword be presented to each of 
 the following officers, that is to say, Colo. Cleveland, of Wilkes 
 County, Colonel Campbell of Virginia, Colonel Shelby of Sullivan 
 County, Lieutenant Colonel Sevier of Washington County, Lieutenant 
 Colonel Hambright of Lincoln County, Major Winston of Surry 
 County and Major Shelby of Sullivan County for their voluntary and 
 distinguished services in the defeat of Major Ferguson at the battle 
 of King's Mountain. 
 
 An extraordinary series of blunders, which to this day have 
 remained unexplained, now took place in connection with 
 the "resolution" above-mentioned. The original journal of 
 the assembly, as well as the printed copy, contains a message 
 from the House to the Senate, approving of the "address" 
 
24 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 above-mentioned; but nowhere in the original journal is rec- 
 ord or even mention made of any action taken by the House 
 upon the Senate "resolution" concerning the swords. That 
 no steps were taken to procure and present the swords men- 
 tioned in the resolution was doubtless clue to the fact that the 
 journal contained no record of the joint concurrence of 
 House and Senate in this "resolution" ; and consequently no 
 committee was appointed to carry out the terms of the "reso- 
 lution." Shelby and Sevier both believed that the swords had 
 been voted them by the Assembly. 32 
 
 The question which remains unanswered until the present 
 day is : "Did the Legislature of North Carolina in February, 
 1781, vote the swords to Shelby, Sevier, Winston, and the 
 others mentioned in the 'resolution' ?" The original manu- 
 script of the "resolution" itself, still preserved, and now in 
 the Archives of the North Carolina Historical Commission, 
 conclusively shows that the swords were thus voted. Upon it 
 are inscribed the following: — 
 
 In the H Commons 11 Feby 1781 
 Concurred with 
 By order 
 
 Jno Hunt C H C 
 
 and the endorsement : 
 
 llth Feby laid over til Tomorrow morning. 
 
 The "resolution" was "laid over" until February 12, 
 awaiting action upon the "address" ; and the "address," bear- 
 ing the approval of the House, was received by the Sen- 
 ate on February 13. The explanation of the blunder is 
 probably due to the careless reading of the secretary who 
 compiled the journal in failing to note, and so, to record, that 
 the "address" and the "resolution" were two different things 
 and that both had been concurred with by the House. 
 
 S2 N. C. State Records, xvii, 696-7, 704, support the statements made above. 
 In his Annals of Tennessee, 248, Ramsey is in error in stating that the General 
 Assembly of North Carolina in 1781 "passed a resolution that a sword and 
 pistols should be presented to both Shelby and Sevier." As printed in the 
 N. C. State Records, xvii, 697, "Lewis" is a misprint for "Sevier." 
 
ISAAC SHELBY ZO 
 
 Shortly after the battle of King's Mountain, the General 
 Assembly of Virginia "ordered that a good horse, with ele- 
 gant furniture, and a sword" be presented to William Camp- 
 bell. 33 Singularly enough, Virginia like North Carolina 
 was inexplicably dilatory in carrying out the will of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly. At the instance of friends of the late Wil- 
 liam Campbell, the General Assembly of Virginia in 1809, it 
 appears, caused a handsome and costly sword, purchased in 
 France, to be presented to William Campbell Preston, Wil- 
 liam Campbell's grandson. 
 
 When this information reached Shelby in 1809, it pro- 
 duced, as he acknowledges, "some feelings of emulation and 
 solicitude, and a sense that equal justice had not been done 
 to all who participated in that memorable achievement." 
 Accordingly, he engaged in private correspondence with John 
 Sevier on the subject; and years afterwards frankly acknowl- 
 edged that the object of the letters was "to concert with him 
 (Sevier) the means of reminding North Carolina of her 
 ancient promise, and of obtaining those swords which thirty 
 years before had been voted to us, as the honorable memorials 
 of our good conduct, and our country's approbation." Shelby 
 confessed to his very natural sense of the injustice in the 
 recognition of Campbell, while Sevier and himself remained 
 unrecognized. 34 
 
 VII 
 
 During the political campaign of 1812, when Shelby was 
 making the race for the governorship of Kentucky, false- 
 hoods were freely circulated against him, minimizing the part 
 he played in the King's Mountain campaign. To meet these 
 charges, an article signed "Narrator" appeared in the Keiv- 
 tucky Reporter, July 25, 1812, giving undue credit to Shelby 
 as leader of the King's Mountain campaign and casting un- 
 worthy aspersions upon the bravery of Colonel Campbell. 
 The article was replied to in the same paper, of June 20, 
 
 ^Summers : Southwest Virginia, 337-9. 
 
 34 See Governor Shelby's pamphlet : "Battle of King's Mountain." 
 
26 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 1813, by William C. Preston, who made a spirited vindication 
 of the charge of cowardice preferred against his grandfather. 
 Nine years later, the controversy broke forth anew, when 
 Colonel George Washington Sevier caused to be published in 
 the Nashville Gazette four private letters written to his 
 father, John Sevier, by Isaac Shelby. In one of these let- 
 ters, (January 1, 1810), Shelby makes the damaging charge: 
 
 It is a fact well known, and for which he (Campbell) apologized 
 to me the day after the action, that he was not within less than one 
 quarter of a mile of the enemy at the time they surrendered to you 
 and myself. 
 
 This brought forth from William C. Preston another state- 
 ment in the newspapers of the day, entitled "Colonel Camp- 
 bell and Governor Shelby," claiming the chief honors of the 
 victory at King's Mountain for his grandfather, and vehe- 
 mently repelling the insinuation of cowardice contained in 
 Shelby's private letter to Sevier, lately given to the public by 
 G. W. Sevier. 
 
 An elaborate survey and investigation of the whole ques- 
 tion was then made by Shelby and published as a pamphlet 
 in 1823. 35 Extended replies to this pamphlet were made: 
 by William C. Preston in the Telescope of Columbia, S. C, 
 May 10, 1823, and by General John Campbell in the 
 Enquirer of Richmond, Va., June 24, 1823. This pro- 
 longed and regrettable controversy had certain important con- 
 sequences, and resulted in establishing certain cardinal facts 
 touching the conduct of Campbell, Shelby and Sevier. Camp- 
 bell's fame remained entirely undimmed by the charges of 
 Shelby, who, clearly, had misinterpreted a remark made by 
 Campbell on the battle-field ; and furthermore Shelby was 
 utterly misled, through the fact that Campbell's body servant 
 rode his horse during the battle, into the belief that Campbell 
 remained in the rear during the action. The credit for initi- 
 ating the campaign, it was clearly established, belonged to 
 Shelby, who acted in concert with Sevier. There is no reason 
 
 36 Appendix to Draper's King's Mountain and Its Heroes, 560-582. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 27 
 
 to doubt that Shelby was entirely honest in believing the 
 charges, however unworthy and untrue, which he preferred 
 against Campbell. 
 
 In his article in the Telescope, Wm. C. Preston published 
 an affidavit of Colonel Matthew Willoughby, in which he dis- 
 credited the testimony of Moses Shelby, brother of Isaac, who 
 had testified in the Shelby pamphlet (1823) that during the 
 latter half of the battle of King's Mountain, Campbell re- 
 mained stationary near the foot of the mountain, in plain 
 sight of him. Colonel Willoughby deputed that "the statement 
 of Moses Shelby would not, perhaps, be credited, from the 
 character he bore about the time and after the battle, as he, 
 with others, was engaged in plundering in the Carolinas, both 
 Whigs and Tories, and running the property so plundered to 
 this side of the mountains." 
 
 The following letter from Isaac Shelby to John J. Critten- 
 den, famous Kentuckian, who had been Shelby's Aide-de- 
 camp on the Canadian campaign in the War of 1812, is im- 
 portant as giving valuable evidence, not only concerning the 
 character of Moses Shelby, but also in regard to the battle of 
 King's Mountain. It was evidently not seen by Draper, or 
 by Roosevelt, who accepts, apparently without question, the 
 
 charges against Moses Shelby. 
 
 Danville, June 16th, 1823. 
 
 My Dear Sie, — You have no doubt before this seeu the replies of 
 both General Preston and his son to rny publication. Colonel Preston 
 proposes to establish for his own father the merit of planning the 
 expedition which led to Ferguson's defeat. 
 
 I have examined the subject in my own mind in every point of 
 view, and cannot in the remotest manner discover wherein General 
 Preston could have had any agency in this exploit. I lived nearly 
 one hundred and twenty miles from him, in a different State, and had 
 no kind of communication with him on the subject, and from every 
 recollection, I am convinced that the statement I gave you is indis- 
 putably true. I recollect, however, that Major Cloyd, with three hun- 
 dred men from the county of Montgomery, commanded by Colonel 
 Preston, fought an action with the Tories at the shallow ford of the 
 Yadkin River, nearly one hundred miles north of King's Mountain, 
 about two weeks after the defeat of Ferguson. It has always been 
 a mystery to me as to Cloyd's destination, or that of the enemy whom 
 
28 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 he encountered. I have only understood that they met accidentally 
 in the road, and that the enemy was composed of the enemies in 
 the neighborhood, and of the Bryants, of Kentucky, some of whom 
 were killed in the fight. 
 
 If Ferguson was Cloyd's object, he was too weak to effect anything, 
 and besides, Lord Cornwallis, with the British army, lay directly in 
 the route between them. My convictions are so clear on this point 
 I have no fear that General Preston can render my statement doubt- 
 ful. He proposes, too, to invalidate the testimony of Moses Shelby. 
 I will, for your own satisfaction, give you a short sketch of his his- 
 tory. Moses was in his nineteenth year when he left his father's 
 house to join the expedition against Ferguson and had never before, 
 to my knowledge, been more than forty miles from home. It is well 
 known that our march was too rapid for a youth of that age to tres- 
 pass in any manner, the army having marched two or three hundred 
 miles, and fought the battle in twelve days, three of which we were 
 detained on the road from different causes. Moses was severely 
 wounded at the Mountain, and the bone of one thigh being fractured, 
 he could be carried but a short distance from the battle-ground, where 
 he lay on his back nearly three months, and was only able to ride 
 out a few days before General Morgan came up into the district of 
 Ninety-Six. He joined Morgan but a day or two before the battle 
 of the Cowpens, on the 17th of January, 1781. Here he was wounded 
 more severely than at the Mountain, and lay, until March or April, 
 under the hands of a surgeon. When Colonel Clarke, of Georgia, 
 came on with his followers to commence the siege of Augusta, his 
 wounds were still sore and open, but at the warm solicitations of 
 Clarke, Moses joined the expedition, and was appointed Captain of 
 horse. It is well known that the siege lasted until May or June fol- 
 lowing, in which Moses was actively engaged, and Clarke asserted 
 to many that he made several charges on the enemy, who sallied dur- 
 ing the siege, which would have done honor to Count Pulaski. 
 Moses returned home shortly after the siege, and never crossed the 
 mountains again during the war. The next year, 1782, he, with other 
 adventurers, went to the new settlements, then forming where Nash- 
 ville now stands, where he continued off and on until he married, 
 two or three years afterwards. As the settlements progressed down 
 the Cumberland, he was always among the foremost of the pioneers. 
 He finally settled in what is now called Livingston County, Kentucky, 
 where at the unanimous solicitation of the inhabitants, he was 
 appointed colonel of the new county, about the year 1793. He had the 
 command for a number of years. And after the acquisition of Louisi- 
 ana, he removed to that territory, and now resides on the west side 
 of the Mississippi, two miles below New Madrid, covered with the 
 scars of thirteen deep wounds, received in defence of his country, for 
 which he is too proud to receive a pension, always disdaining to 
 apply for one. In his youth he was of a warm and ardent disposition, 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 29 
 
 always ready to risk his life for a friend, and profuse of his property 
 (of which he had a considerable inheritance), even to a fault. It 
 would exceed the bounds of a letter to give you a statement of the 
 many hair-breadth escapes and imminent dangers through which 
 he passed. Soon after his marriage, he became impressed with 
 religious sentiments, joined the Methodist Church, liberated his slaves, 
 and, so far as I know and believe, has always supported a good 
 character in that county. 
 
 It is possible, while at the South, in 17S0-81, from his ardent dis- 
 position and the prevailing excitement of the times, that he may in 
 some cases have acted imprudently. The war between the Whigs and 
 Tories was carried on with the utmost rancor and malice, each 
 endeavoring to do the greatest injury to the other. 
 
 Colonel Willoughby, whose affidavit has been published, swears to 
 no point. He lived three hundred miles from the scene of action, and 
 his information may have been very erroneous. 
 
 If, however, General Preston proves apparently anything more, he 
 shall be answered. 
 
 I have made this hasty sketch for your own satisfaction. 
 
 I remain, dear Sir, very respectfully, your friend, 
 
 Isaac Shelby. 
 
 John J. Crittenden. 38 
 
 VIII 
 
 After their exchanges of letters in 1810, Shelby and Sevier, 
 throwing conventional modesty to the winds, prepared a joint 
 memorial to the General Assembly of North Carolina. This 
 was presented by the Senator from Snrry, Joseph Winston, on 
 December 15, 1812, of which the following record is found: 
 
 Mr. Winston presented the memorial of Issac (sic) Shelby and 
 John Sevier, setting forth that in consideration of public services 
 rendered during our revolutionary war, and particularly for their 
 conduct at the battle of King's Mountain, the Legislature of the State 
 of North Carolina, in the year 1781, did vote each of the memorialists 
 an elegant sword and pair of pistols, which they have not heretofore 
 applied for or received ; and they pray that this testimonial of the 
 approbation of the state for their conduct be now complied with. 
 This memorial being read, was referred to the committee of Proposi- 
 tions and Grievances, and sent to the House of Commons. 37 
 
 The matter was later referred to a special committee con- 
 sisting of Messrs. Porter and W. W. Jones on the part of the 
 
 36 Mrs. C. Coleman : The Life of John J. Crittenden, v, 56-8 (1871). 
 ""Senate Journal, 1812. 
 
30 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 House, and Messrs. Atkinson and Gaston on the part of the 
 Senate. On December 22, 1812, Mr. Gaston submitted an 
 extended report after investigation, in which it is stated: 
 
 Your committee And, upon an examination of the journal of the 
 House of Commons, that the proposed address obtained the approba- 
 tion and concurrence of the house ; but they do not find any determi- 
 nation relative to the second resolution of the Senate, nor any minute 
 that such resolution had been received by them. Your committee, 
 however, have been informed, and so believe, that the House of Com- 
 mons did concur with the Senate in this latter resolution, as well as 
 in that for presenting to their patriots and heroes the thanks of the 
 Legislature. 38 
 
 In order to pay what Gaston describes as "the long pro- 
 crastinated debt of gratitude and honor," the House and Sen- 
 ate unanimously passed the following : — 
 
 Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested to procure 
 three elegant swords, such as in his estimation is (sic) not unworthy 
 of North Carolina to bestow, on those who have distinguished claims 
 on the gratitude of her citizens ; and that he cause them severally to 
 be presented, in the name of this State, to General Isaac Shelby, of 
 Kentucky, General John Sevier of Tennessee, and Colonel Joseph 
 Winston of this State, the three surviving chiefs of the gallant band 
 who fought and conquered at King's Mountain, on the memorable 7th 
 of October, 1780. 39 
 
 In carrying out the resolution, Governor William Haw- 
 kins enlisted the services of the Hon. James Turner, at that 
 time representing North Carolina in the United States Sen- 
 ate. At the instance of Mr. Turner, the swords were pur- 
 chased in New York by Mr. Robert Walker of Petersburg, 
 assisted by Colonel Swift. The swords thus procured, accord- 
 ing to instruction, were "in point of elegance inferior to none 
 that can be procured." The sword presented to Shelby, with 
 which the others were identical save for name, bore upon 
 
 38 Senate Journal. It seems extraordinary that a man of Gaston's legislative 
 experience should have omitted to examine the original manuscript of the Sen- 
 ate resolution of February 11, 1781, which would have resolved all his doubts. 
 
 39 It is a source of lasting regret that another regrettable oversight was made 
 at this time. A fourth leader in the King's Mountain campaign whose name 
 was included in the original resolution, was Lieutenant Colonel Hambright, of 
 Lincoln County, who survived until March, 1S17. Grave injustice was done, 
 in that no sword was presented to Lieutenant Colonel Hambright in 1813. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 31 
 
 one side of the hilt the inscription: "King's Mountain — Oc- 
 tober 7, 1780/' upon the other: "State of North Carolina to 
 Colonel Isaac Shelby." Writing to Governor Hawkins from 
 Warren County on September 19, 1813, the Hon. James Tur- 
 ner says concerning these swords: "The one for Col. Shelby 
 was forwarded through the politeness if Mr. Clay, the 
 Speaker of the House of Representatives. The one for Col. 
 Savier (sic) was delivered to him by myself (he being in 
 Washington). The one for Col. Winston was forwarded to 
 him by Mr. Yancey, one of the members of Congress from 
 this State. The letters of the Gentlemen was (sic) delivered 
 and forwarded by the same Gentlemen who took charge of 
 the swords." 40 
 
 The following letter, just referred to, was sent to Isaac 
 Shelby, then Governor of Kentucky, by Governor William 
 Hawkins of North Carolina. 41 
 
 Executive Office, N. C. 
 
 Raleigh 17th, July 1813. 
 
 Sib, In compliance with a resolution of the General Assembly of 
 this State passed at their last Session I have the honor of tendering 
 you the sword which this letter accompanies as a testimony of the 
 distinguished claim you have on the gratitude of the State for your 
 gallantry in achieving with your brothers in arms the glorious victory 
 over the British forces commanded by Colo. Ferguson at the battle of 
 King's Mountain on the memorable 7th of October 1780. This tribute 
 of respect though bestowed at a protracted period, will not be con- 
 sidered the less honorable on that account when you are informed 
 that it is in unison with a resolution of the General Assembly passed 
 in the year 1781, which from some cause not well ascertained, it is to 
 be regretted was not complied with. 
 
 Permit me Sir, to make you an expression of the high gratification 
 felt by me at being the favored instrument to present to you in the 
 name of the State of North Carolina, this testimonial of gratitude — 
 this meed of valour, and to remark, that contending as we are at the 
 present time with the same foe for our just rights the pleasing hope 
 may be entertained that the valorous deeds of the heroes of our 
 
 ^Governor Hawkins' Letter Book, 1812-3, 429. For assistance in making 
 these researches, I am indebted to Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary of the N. C. 
 Historical Commission. 
 
 "An exact transcript of the same letter was likewise transmitted to General 
 John Sevier, of Tennessee, and Colonel Joseph Winston, of North Carolina. 
 Cf. Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee, pp. 248-254, and "The Life and Times of 
 Major Joseph Winston," by G. T. Winston (Guilford Battleground Company, 
 1895). 
 
32 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Revolution will animate the Soldier of the existing War and nerve 
 his arm in laudable emulation to like achievements. 
 
 I beg you to accept an assurance of the great consideration and 
 respect with which, 
 
 I have the honor to be 
 Sir 
 
 Your obedient Servent 
 
 William Hawkins. 42 
 
 This recognition on the part of North Carolina, fitly 
 enough, came with dramatic emphasis at a moment of crisis 
 in the career of Governor Shelby and of the State of Ken- 
 tucky. In his memorable oration, delivered at Lexington, 
 Kentucky, on August 15, 1826, the Hon. William Taylor 
 Barry thus described the event : 
 
 Colonel Shelby was at his residence in Lincoln County, enjoying in 
 affluence, the sweets of domestic life, when he was again called upon 
 to assume the helm of State. At the advanced age of 63, had he 
 wanted an apology, this was an ample one ; but his mind was char- 
 acterized by constancy and invincible firmness. He saw his beloA r ed 
 country, for whose independence he had fought in his youth, again 
 in imminent danger, assailed by the same inveterate foe. The fire 
 of patriotism rekindled in his bosom, he did not hesitate, but aban- 
 doning the allurements of ease, and listening only to the voice of 
 honor, we see him again with youthful ardour, entering upon the 
 executive duties, boldly hazarding his reputation in the contingencies 
 of a war, the glorious results of which were yet in the womb of time. 
 The volunteers from Kentucky who had gone forth to battle, notwith- 
 standing the bravery and good conduct of their officers, had met with 
 sad reverses. The dreadful defeats at the River Raisin, and the 
 Rapids of the Miami, had deprived our State of many gallant and 
 patriotic citizens, and filled the country with mourning ; the cruelties 
 practised by the savage allies of England, and countenanced by the 
 British officers, was the cause of deep and powerful excitement ; the 
 public indignation was aroused and our militia, anxious to revenge 
 their slaughtered countrymen, were impatient to be led to battle. 
 Shelby thought the time had arrived to put an end to the contest in 
 that quarter, and resolved to take the field in person. As he was 
 preparing for the campaign, a happy incident occurred. The deliv- 
 ery of the sword voted him by the Legislature of North Carolina in 
 1781, had, from some cause, been delayed, and was handed to him 
 
 42 From the Letter Book of Governor William Hawkins, 1812-1813, pp. 291-2. 
 Collections of the North Carolina Historical Commission. For a copy of this 
 letter I am indebted to Mr. R. D. W. Connor, Secretary of the N. C Historical 
 Commission. The letter to General Sevier, the duplicate of the present letter, 
 is printed in Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee, 249. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 33 
 
 just in time to be used in acquiring fresh laurels. Proud emblem of 
 victory — glorious remembrancer of the gallantry and heroism of two 
 
 wars. 43 
 
 In the march to Lake Erie and Canada, the famous hero of 
 the Kevolution not without deep emotions of pride and reli- 
 gious fervor, "wore upon his thigh a sword just presented to 
 him by Henry Clay, in the name of the State of North Caro- 
 lina, in testimony of appreciation of his services in the old 
 war for independence." 44 
 
 With the sword was tendered the following letter to Shelby 
 
 from Henry Clay: 
 
 Lexington, 22d August, 1813. 
 My dear Sik, — I have seen by the public prints that you intend lead- 
 ing a detachment from this state. As you will want a sword, I have 
 the pleasure to inform you that I am charged by Governor Turner 
 and Mr. Macon with delivering to you that which the State of North 
 Carolina voted you in testimony of the sense it entertained of your 
 conduct at King's Mountain. I would take it with me to Frankfort, 
 in order that I might personally execute the commission and at the 
 same time have the gratification of seeing you, if I were not excess- 
 ively oppressed with fatigue. I shall not fail, however, to avail 
 myself of the first safe conveyance, and if any should offer to you, 
 I will thank you to inform me. May it acquire additional lustre in 
 the patriotic and hazardous enterprise in which you are embarking ! 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 H. Clay. 
 
 The bearer of the letter and the sword was a common friend, 
 William T. Barry, quoted above, who delivered them to Gov- 
 ernor Shelby at Frankfort. 
 
 The venerable soldier, with his characteristic energy once 
 again taking the field in defense of the liberties of his country, 
 in acknowledgment of the gift of North Carolina wrote the 
 following interesting letter, hitherto unpublished, to the Gov- 
 ernor of North Carolina. 
 
 43 "0n the Death of Adams, Jefferson and Sheluy," in Year Book, 1913, of 
 Kentucky Society Sons of the Revolution. Barry had been Secretary and Aide- 
 de-Canip to General Shelby on the expedition to Canada in 1813 ; and after- 
 wards became very distinguished in the public life of Kentucky. At one time 
 he was Postmaster General in President Jackson's cabinet. 
 
 44 B. J. Lossing : Field Book of the War of 1812, 544-5. 
 
 3 
 
34 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Government House Frankfort Kentucky. 
 August 26th, 1813. 
 Sir, On the 23d inst. I had the honor of receiving your letter of 
 the 17th ulto. tendering to me, a Sword which accompanied it, 
 bestowed by North Carolina as a testimony of the flattering senti- 
 ments which she entertained in relation to my conduct in the affair of 
 the 7th of October 1780 on King's Mountain. 
 
 Engaged as my beloved country then was in a struggle for every 
 thing dear to man, she had a right to expect the zealous exertions 
 of her citizens in her behalf. Devoted to the cause of my country, 
 impelled by a high sense of the obligations, I owed her, and by an 
 utter aversion to the tyranny which was endeavouring to oppress 
 her, I freely participated in those exertions which lead to, & that 
 conflict which terminated so favorable to our arms, & evidently gave 
 a favorable turn to the Revolutionary War, and in relation to which 
 the Legislature of North Carolina have been pleased to express them- 
 selves in a manner the most flattering to my feelings. 
 
 If the freeborn sons of America wanted any stimulus to draw them 
 forth in defence of her rights, other than a conviction that upon 
 their exertions depended the continuance of those rights — it might be 
 found in the heartfelt satisfaction derived from the consolation of 
 having meritted and received the applause of a grateful [country] for 
 the toils and dangers encountered in her behalf. 
 
 Having lived ten years of the happiest part of my life in North 
 Carolina and having received repeated marks of the partiality of my 
 fellow citizens in that Government during my residence amongst them, 
 I have ever entertained the warmest feelings of fraternal affection, 
 and good will for them. And I now accept with veneration & respect 
 this honorable pledge of a continuance of their affection. 
 With considerations of high respect and Esteem 
 I have the honor to be 
 Most respectfully 
 
 Your Ob Servant 
 
 Isaac Shelby. 
 His Excellency 
 
 William Hawkins 
 
 Governor of North Carolina. 45 
 
 15 From the Letter Book of Governor William Hawkins, 1812-3, pp. 414-5. 
 Collections of the North Carolina Historical Commission. For this copy I am 
 indebted to Mr. R. D. W. Connor. Secretary of the N. C. Historical Commission. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 35 
 
 IX 
 
 The battle of King's Mountain was decisive in its effect — 
 shattering the plans of Cornwallis which till then appeared 
 certain of success, and putting a full stop to the invasion of 
 North Carolina, then well under way. Cornwallis abandoned 
 his prepared campaign and left the State. The initiative of 
 the borderers, the loyalty of the militia, the energy of the 
 pursuit, the perfection of the surprise, all reinforced by 
 ideal tactics to meet the given situation, were the controlling 
 factors in this overwhelming victory, and pivotal contest of 
 the Revolution. The pioneers of the Old Southwest — the 
 independent and aggressive yeomanry of North Carolina, 
 Virginia, and South Carolina — had risen in their might; 
 and without the authority of blundering State governments, 
 had created an army of frontiersmen, Indian fighters, and 
 big game hunters which found no parallel or equal on the 
 continent since the battle of the Great Kanawha.* 
 
 The survey of the situation as given by Shelby is interest- 
 ing as coming from a participant in the events : 
 
 This battle happened at the most gloomy and critical period of 
 the Revolutionary War, and was the first link in the great chain of 
 events in the South that established the independence of the United 
 States. It was achieved by raw and undisciplined riflemen without 
 any authority from the Government under which they lived. It com- 
 pletely dispirited the Tories and so much alarmed Lord Cornwallis, 
 who then lay at Charlottstown with the British grand army that on 
 being informed of Ferguson's total defeat and overthrow by the 
 riflemen from the west, and that they were bearing down upon him, 
 three thousand strong, he ordered an immediate retreat, marched all 
 night in the utmost confusion and retrograded as far back as Winns- 
 borough seventy or eighty miles, from whence he did not attempt to 
 advance until reinforced by General Leslie from the Chesapeake with 
 2,000 men. three months afterward. In the meantime the militia of 
 North Carolina assembled in considerable force at New Providence 
 on the borders of South Carolina under General Davidson. General 
 Smallwood with General Morgan's light corps, and the Maryland line 
 
 ♦Narratives of the King's Mountain campaign, which have proved of value in 
 this research, are the accounts of General Joseph Graham (Southern Literary 
 Messenger, September 1845), Geneal William Lenoir (Wheeler's Sketches of 
 Noi-th Carolina, ii, 105-108) and Captain David Vance (Greensboro N C 
 edited by D. L. Schenck, 1891). 
 
36 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 advanced to the same point. General Gates with the shattered 
 remains of his army collected at Hillsborough also came up and the 
 new levies (?) from Virginia under General Stephens of 1,000 men 
 came forward. At the same time, (to wit) the second or third of 
 December, General Green came up and took the command, and thus 
 was dispelled the dismal gloom which had pervaded the Southern 
 States. 
 
 Following the battle of King's Mountain, the patriot force 
 hanged nine Tory prisoners. This act has been severely con- 
 demned ; but it is scarcely to be doubted that nothing short 
 of such drastic action would have had a decisively deterrent 
 effect upon future Tory murderings and depredations. Shel- 
 by's own account of this seemingly inexcusable and ruthless 
 act is quoted here, both as a picture of the times and as a 
 recital of Shelby's own part in the matter : 
 
 The prisoners were marched back on the trail that the army had 
 advanced upon, as well to join the men who were left behind with 
 weak horses and on foot, as to avoid Lord Cornwallis who they be- 
 lieved to be only thirty or forty miles to the North (incoherent) after 
 meeting the footmen and took a circuitous route towards the Moun- 
 tains by Gilbert town, where we met an American officer paroled 
 from Ninety six only the day before, who informed, that he had seen 
 eleven American citizens hung at that place within a few days past, 
 merely for their attachment to the cause of their country. This very 
 much exasperated the American officers, at the same time a Repre- 
 sentative from Assembly which just set at Hillsborough came into 
 camp and had with him the manuscript of a law, authorizing two jus- 
 tices within the State of North Carolina, to cause to be apprehended 
 any citizen or loyalist who might be found in arms against his 
 country, and if found guilty of treason to order him to immediate 
 execution without any pleading in the case. The army with the 
 prisoners were by this time in Rutherford County in North Carolina, 
 a Sheriff of which, as well as several Justices of the Peace of the 
 said County, were also in camp. Our Commander called a Council 
 of officers to deliberate on the subject, who determined unanimously to 
 try several of the prisoners under the aforesaid act of Assembly. 
 The 8th day after the action they commenced trying them early in 
 the morning beginning with the most atrocious offender first who had 
 committed murder deliberately in cold blood, and who had otherwise 
 murdered and destroyed the families of the Whigs, burned down 
 houses, etc., and committed the most atrocious crimes. They con- 
 tinued to try them until they had condemned 36 to be hung, and at 
 two o'clock in the night following commenced hanging them, after they 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 37 
 
 had hung nine of them, three at a time, and the fourth parcel of 
 them was just about to be turned off the scaffold it was agreed on 
 by Sevier, Cleveland and Shelby upon a motion of the latter, that they 
 would put a stop to any further execution, and addressed Campbell on 
 the subject, who readily came into their views, and released the 
 three men that were then under the gallows to be executed, one of 
 whom informed that Tarlton would be upon us next morning, that a 
 woman had come into camp in the evening, and gave the information 
 to the British officers, who communicated it to the Tories. The 
 Americans immediately all mounted their horses, and were ready to 
 march as soon as it was light enough to see for the night was 
 excessively dark ; as soon as they could see the way they started 
 directly toward the mountains, got into level valley that lead imme- 
 diately toward the North. We had not marched a mile before 
 DePeyster rode up to Col. Shelby and enquired "which way was that 
 they were going," to which the Col. replied, that they were going up 
 into their native element, the mountains. When DePeyster cried out, 
 "you smell a rat," Shelby replied that they knew all about it. It 
 commenced raining just after daylight, and was I believe, the wettest 
 day I have even seen since ; so heavy was the rain that many parts 
 of the valley became waist deep. The Americans continued their 
 march until two o'clock that night, although it was dark as pitch, and 
 the road could be seen by the continued flashes of lightning, when 
 they came to the Catawba River which they supposed to be rising 
 very fast from the quantity of rain that had fallen. The prisoners 
 were forced into the water in a column of six deep as they usually 
 marched, and ordered to hold fast to each other as the current was 
 very strong. Our march that day and night was 36 miles and the 
 river next morning had risen 10 feet. This escape excited feelings of 
 the deepest gratitude in the breasts of the Americans, after they had 
 reached a place of safety. It was a well known fact to all men who 
 lived in that day, that the execution of these nine prisoners, put a 
 stop to the hanging of any more American citizens at Camden and 
 Ninety-six, where several hundred persons had been previously 
 executed at those two places, purely for their attachment to the 
 American cause. The prisoners taken at King's Mountain were given 
 up by the Mountaineers to the militia assembled at Moravian Town 
 to receive them, and afterwards marched to Salisbury where they 
 were crowded into the jail and other houses prepared to receive 
 them. 
 
 No account with any pretensions, either to accuracy or 
 consecutiveness, has ever been given of the relation of Shelby, 
 Sevier and the western leaders, to the cause of the Revolu- 
 tion subsequent to the Battle of King's Mountain. The his- 
 tories teem with inaccuracies and inexplicable confusions of 
 
38 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 names and dates. The recent discovery of letters and docu- 
 ments, bearing on this period, make it possible for me to give 
 for the first time, I believe, a reliable and consistent account 
 of the role played by Shelby and some of the other frontier 
 leaders in the closing years of the Revolution. 
 
 There is an interesting revelation of vanity in Shelby's 
 Autobiography, in which he claims the credit, usually 
 ascribed to General Nathaniel Greene, for the plan of cam- 
 paign which eventuated in Morgan's defeat of Tarleton. 
 This passage gives us an account also of Shelby's movements, 
 following the delivery of the prisoners taken at King's Moun- 
 tain to the authorities at Salem: 
 
 When the British had gotten possession of the posts of Ninety Six 
 and Augusta, they had an open communication with the Southern 
 Indians, and furnished them with arms and ammunition by which 
 means the Cherokees were enabled to wage a constant war against 
 the new settlements forming on the western waters of North Caro- 
 lina. Col. Shelby had long viewed this evil without being able to 
 devise any means to prevent it. But after the prisoners taken at 
 King's Mountain were disposed of at Moravian town, he set out from 
 there to go to Headquarters, to solicit the Commander-in-Chief to 
 send Gen. Morgan with his light troops into the upper country, to 
 subdue those two posts. He knew from his own knowledge that 
 Morgan would be strongly reinforced by the mountain men, and 
 many others who had left their homes in the upper parts of Georgia 
 and South Carolina rather than submit to the enemy. He found 
 headquarters at a place called New Providence on the border of 
 South Carolina, and under the command of Maj. Gen. Smallwood. 
 He first communicated the object of his visit to camp to Gen. Morgan 
 who seemed highly pleased and gratified at the suggestions made to 
 him, readily entered into his views, saw at once the probable chance 
 of success and said it was just what he had wanted, a separate 
 command. He also made these suggestions to Gen. Smallwood, think- 
 ing he might possibly order Morgan on but although he highly ap- 
 proved the measure, he would not take upon himself the responsi- 
 bility, as Gen. Gates would be in himself in a few days, and advised 
 him to wait his arrival. He waited in camp upwards of a fortnight, 
 when it was announced that Gen. Gates was near at hand. He set 
 out next morning with six or eight officers to go to him and meet him 
 about seven miles from camp with the remains of his army col- 
 lected at Hillsborough. On Gates' arrival at camp he invited Shelby 
 to dine with him the next day. He was proud to have an oppor- 
 tunity to make his communications, and went before the usual hour. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 39 
 
 Gen. Gates gave him a cordial reception and invited him in. Col. 
 Shelby replied that he had some important communications to make 
 to him, that he had come early for that purpose, and would be glad 
 if he would afford him an opportunity to do so. Gates pointing to a 
 log a few rods from his door proposed to sit down on it. Before he 
 heard all that Shelby had to say, he saw the practicability and 
 importance of the measure proposed and observed, that if the board 
 of war of North Carolina then sitting at Charlottstown would aid 
 him with five hundred militia, he would send Morgan up with his 
 light corps immediately. Gen. Gates was accordingly on horseback 
 next morning before sunrise, and as he passed with his guards by 
 Davidson's marked where Shelby lodged ; he joined him, and they 
 arrived early at Charlotte. Gates opened the subject to the board 
 of war — which consisted of Alexander Martin alone (who was then 
 or shortly after Governor of the State) who very soon saw the 
 propriety of the measure and requested Shelby to stay until next 
 morning, and take some communications to the Northern counties of 
 the State, which was on his way home where the men must be raised, 
 which he did ; for the counties around Charlotte had been drained to 
 form the camp at New Providence which then opposed the enemy. 
 Col. Shelby set out the next morning, from Charlotte, which was 
 about the 2d or 3d of December, 1780, and met Gen. Green about 
 three miles from town, going forward to take command of the 
 Southern army. Shelby had no idea that Tarlton, or any force would 
 be sent up to oppose Morgan in that distant upper county, he only 
 contemplated the reduction of the two posts, Ninety Six and Augusta. 
 And if Gen. Green is entitled to any credit for the defeat of Tarlton 
 by Morgan, it is merely that he permitted the enterprise to go on 
 which led to that event, and which had been planned and ordered by 
 Gen. Gates (on the suggestion of Shelby before he was superseded, 
 and before Green took the command ) Col. Shelby was at a loss to 
 determine why so much time had elapsed from Green's taking the 
 command on the 17th of January unless it was owing to the tardi- 
 ness of the militia orders by the board of war as before stated, to 
 John Morgan, or to the scarcity of provisions. For he can say of his 
 own knowledge that there was never more than two days provisions 
 at any one time while he stayed in the camp near three weeks ; the 
 country at that time being drained of supplies. 
 
 X 
 
 The value which was universally set upon the services of 
 the over-mountain men and their leaders, Shelby and Sevier, 
 following the overwhelming victory of King's Mountain is 
 fully attested in documents of the period. The following 
 
40 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 letter, taken in conjunction with the above-quoted passage 
 from Shelby's Autobiography, is significant : 
 
 Camp New Providence, 23d November, 1780. 
 
 Sir : Colo. Shelby have been in camp for some time, waiting to lend 
 his Aid, should anything go on offensive, but apprehending not much 
 will be done this winter. And his domestick business call for him, 
 and he having no command, is now on his way home. I have been 
 speaking to him to raise about three hundred good rifle men this 
 winter for the campaign. & join me early in the spring. He says 
 he would willingly undertake it, provided he had a sanction for it. 
 How far the Assembly of North Carolina would be disposed to 
 countenance such a thing I don't know, but I assure you that a 
 Number of such men would be a valuable Corps when annex'd to the 
 Light Infantry, which must be made equal if not superior to Tarlton's 
 Legion before this country can be defended. If you think proper to 
 countenance a matter of this kind, you'll be kind enough to signify 
 your approbation to Colo. Shelby and point out the mode. 
 
 I have the Honor to be, with much 
 
 Esteem, your obedt. servt. 
 
 Danl. Morgan. 
 The Honble. M. Genl. Gates. 
 
 The greatest contemporary tribute to the leaders of the 
 King's Mountain campaign, showing the high estimation in 
 which their services were held and the need generally felt for 
 the assistance to the American cause they could render, is 
 found in the following action taken by the North Carolina 
 Assembly at Halifax on February 13, 1781 : 
 
 Resolved, That Colonel Isaac Shelby of Sullivan County and John 
 Sevier, Esqr., of Washington County, be informed by this Resolve 
 being communicated to them that the General Assembly of this State 
 are feelingly impressed with the very generous and patriotic ser- 
 vices rendered by the Inhabitants of the said Counties, to which their 
 influence had in great degree contributed and earnestly urge that 
 they would press a continuance of the same active exertion ; that the 
 State of the Country is such as to call forth the utmost powers im- 
 mediately in order to preserve its freedom and Independence, and 
 that we may by the assistance of our friends in Virginia, as they 
 have occasionally by us, as emergencies induced them, availed of it, 
 we suggest our wishes that Colonel Arthur Campbell and Colonel 
 William Preston of Virginia, thro' the Gentlemen mentioned, may be 
 informed that their spirited conduct heretofore in favor of the 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 41 
 
 Southern States affords us the most perfect assurance that they will 
 make every active and effectual exertion at the present critical 
 foment in favor of this State. 
 
 \ At this same time, Ex-Governor Richard Caswell, an inti- 
 mate acquaintance of Isaac Shelby, "depicted to him the 
 melancholy circumstances of his own State. The Tories 
 were in motion all over North Carolina, and their footsteps 
 were marked with blood, and their path was indicated by the 
 most desolating devastations. Governor Caswell conjured 
 him to turn to the relief of his distressed country." 46 The 
 Continental Congress, through their laudatory resolution of 
 November 15, 1780, and the general officers of the American 
 army, including Gates, Greene and Morgan, having ascer- 
 tained the military value of the fighting frontiersmen, the 
 inevitable result was that General Greene, on January 30, 
 1781, wrote to "the famous Colonel William Campbell," re- 
 minding him of the glory he had already acquired, and urging 
 him "to bring, without loss of time, a thousand good volun- 
 teers from over the mountains." 47 The difficulties which the 
 frontiersmen were experiencing with the Indians at this 
 period, in a succession of campaigns, put out of the question 
 the sending of any large force to assist Greene in his North 
 Carolina campaign. No sooner had Sevier returned from 
 the King's Mountain campaign than he was called upon to 
 lead three hundred horsemen from Watauga, in conjunction 
 with three hundred from Sullivan County, and one hundred 
 from Washington County, Virginia — the whole under the 
 command of Colonel Arthur Campbell, County-Lieutenant of 
 Washington County, against the Cherokees. Upon the return 
 of Colonel Campbell from this expedition, which was en- 
 tirely successful, the first of January, 1781, he immediately 
 communicated with General Nathaniel Greene, the Com- 
 mander of the Southern Department, who accordingly, on 
 February 6, 1781, appointed Arthur Campbell, William 
 
 46 Haywood : Civil and Political History of Tennessee. In slavishly following 
 Haywood, Ramsey (p. 251) falls into the error of stating that Caswell, instead 
 of Abner Nash, was Governor of North Carolina in 1781. 
 
 ^Draper : King's Mountain and its Heroes, 391 ; Summers : South West Vir- 
 ginia, 327-360 passim. 
 
42 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Preston, William Christian and Joseph Martin, of Virginia, 
 and Robert Lanier, Evan Shelby, Joseph Williams and John 
 Sevier, of North Carolina, commissioners to meet commis- 
 sioners from the Cherokees to treat on the subject of bound- 
 aries, to arrange for an exchange of prisoners and terms 
 of peace, and to invite the Indians to appoint a commission 
 to visit Congress. 48 
 
 The treaty was set for March 24, 1781, at the Long Island 
 of Holston River. On that day Colonels Campbell, Martin, 
 Shelby and Sevier assembled there, and, sent off one of the 
 Indians captured in the recent campaign to the Indian nation 
 proposing peace and fixing June 10th following as the date 
 for the conference. The date was again postponed until July 
 20, 1781. 49 Continued depredations by the hostile Indians 
 earlier in the year seriously hampered the Tennessee and Vir- 
 ginia borderers at this time; and Col. John Sevier, suspect- 
 ing that "the perpetrators of this mischief came from some 
 hostile towns in the mountain gorges," had resolved to lead 
 an expedition against them. 
 
 In March of this year Colonels John Sevier and Isaac Shelby un- 
 dertook an expedition against the Chickamauga Indians, and to assist 
 in this undertaking 200 of the militia of Washington county joined 
 Colonel Isaac Shelby and marched to the Big Island in the French 
 Broad River, where the troops were rendezvoused, from which point 
 they marched for the sources of the Mobile River, and after the third 
 day they crossed the Tennessee river at Scitico, at which point they 
 held a council with the friendly Indians. On the 6th day they en- 
 camped on the Hiawassee river, and on the 7th day they crossed the 
 river and passed into the territory of the hostile Indians, Colonel 
 Sevier with his forces, marched immediately against Vann's Towns, 
 which he reduced to ashes, and thence to Bull Town, at the head of 
 Chickamogga Creek. After the destruction of this town they marched 
 to the Coosa river, where they killed a white man by the name of 
 Clements from whom it was ascertained that he was a sergeant in 
 the British army, and it was believed that he instigated the Indians 
 in their depredations against the frontiers. The army then pro- 
 ceeded to Spring Frog Town, thence up the Coosa river to Estanola 
 and Indian Town which they destroyed. After thus destroying the 
 
 48 Weeks : General Joseph Martin and the War of the Revolution in the West, 
 429-433; Haywood: Civil and Political History of Tennessee (1823) ; Summers: 
 Southwest Virginia, 348. 
 
 ^Calendar Virginia State Papers, ii, 199. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 43 
 
 Indian towns and killing all the Indian Warriors they could find, the 
 troops returned to Chote, where a council was held with the friendly 
 Indians, at the conclusion of which the troops were disbanded and 
 returned to their homes. 50 
 
 Although neither Shelby nor Sevier could lead a force of 
 mountain men to the relief of Greene, Captain Charles Rob- 
 ertson raised a company of about one hundred and fifty volun- 
 teers and took a creditable part in the battle of Guilford 
 Courthouse on March 15, 1781. 51 With equal patriotism, 
 Colonel William Campbell raised a company of one hundred 
 men of the militia of Washington County, and on February 
 25, 1781, set out to join the militia of Botetourt and Mont- 
 gomery counties, on their march to join General Greene's 
 army. "A large number would have gone," says Arthur Camp- 
 bell in a letter to Governor Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, of 
 date February 28, 1781, "were it not for the daily apprehen- 
 sion of attacks from the northward and southern Indians." 
 About March 3, Colonel Campbell with sixty followers in his 
 immediate command, effected a junction with Greene's army ; 
 but the total number of the combined forces of William Camp- 
 bell and William Preston, who reached Greene about the 
 same time, was upwards of four hundred. 52 These forces 
 fought with staunchness and bravery at Guilford Courthouse, 
 fully justifying Greene's description of the "back country 
 people" as "bold and daring in their make." ' 3 
 
 XI 
 
 Following the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Greene de- 
 voted his attention to reducing the British posts in South 
 
 5 "This account is taken from Summer: Southwest Virginia, 360-1. Cf. also 
 Ramsey : Tennessee, 268-9 ; Weeks : Joseph Martin, 432. In his Autobiography, 
 Shelby makes no mention of having taken part in this expedition. 
 
 "Ramsey : Annals of Tennessee, 251 ; cf. monograph, Major Charles Robert- 
 son, and Some of His Descendants, by Mrs. Charles Fairfax Henley. Cf. also 
 Schenck's North Carolina, 1780-1, 302. 
 
 ^Calendar of Virginia State Papers, 542 ; Johnson's Greene, i. 455. Draper is 
 in error in giving the citation to Johnson, i, 438, in support of the statement 
 that there were "four hundred mountaineers" under Campbell; the allusion is 
 to the "400 regulars, under Colonel Richard Campbell," who had been organ- 
 ized and despatched to Greene's relief by the Baron Steuben. (Schenck's North 
 Carolina: 1780-81, 272.) 
 
 M Cf. Ramsey's Annals of Tennessee, 251-2, for comments upon the probable 
 results of that battle, had Shelby and Sevier led the over-mountain men to 
 Greene's assistance. 
 
44 THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Carolina and Georgia. After the fall of Augusta, on June 
 25, only Ninety-six remained in British hands ; but Greene 
 was foiled in his attack upon that post on June 18 and 19. 
 From the "Camp at Bush River, in the District of Ninety-six, 
 June 22, 1781," Greene once more appealed for aid to the 
 Watauga riflemen in a letter to Isaac Shelby, hitherto unpub- 
 lished. In this important letter he says : 
 
 We have been ui>on the eve of reducing all the enemies interior 
 posts in South Carolina and Georgia. Ninety-Six was the last and 
 four days more would have completed its reduction, when, unfor- 
 tunately, we were compelled to raise the siege, the enemy having 
 been reinforced at Charlestovvn. Lord Rawdou marched out in 
 force and is now in our neighborhood. To secure the advantages of 
 our past success it is necessary we should drive the enemy into the 
 lower country. To enable us to effect this I beg you to march to our 
 assistance a thousand good riflemen, well armed and equipped tit for 
 action. If you can join us in a few days with such a force you will 
 render an important service to the public in general, to the State of 
 South Carolina in particular, and lay me under very particular obli- 
 gations. I feel myself deeply interested in this application. 
 
 At the time when this letter reached Shelby, the military 
 leaders of Virginia and Tennessee were busily concerned in 
 the negotiations for peace with the Cherokees. Isaac Shelby 
 attended the treaty at the Long Island of Holston from July 
 20 to July 29, 1781. The despatches from the Commissioners 
 to General Greene, reporting the results of this treaty, were 
 entrusted to Shelby for delivery, as it was known that he had 
 promised General Greene to raise a force and march to his 
 aid. The following letter, hitherto unpublished in any his- 
 tory, exhibits in detail the efforts made by Shelby and Sevier 
 to raise and to march a force to cooperate with Greene. 
 
 Camp on Wattauga Washington County 
 
 North Carolina 3d August 1781. 
 Hond. Sir: In answer to your request of the 22d June last I rote 
 you by the Express, that I should March by the loth July with what 
 force cou'd be rais'd in this quarter, but the Cherokee Treaty not 
 being over found it impracticable to draw any force from here untill 
 that important Business (to this frontier) was finally ratified, which 
 was done the 29th July, and immediately every step taken to rein- 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 45 
 
 force you ; about TOO good riflemen well mounted were now in motion 
 toward you & should have been down in as short a time as possible 
 but an Express arrived in camp last night from General Pickens that 
 informed us of the Enemys retreat to Orangeburg and perhaps to 
 Charles Town, that distance being so very great for us, the warm 
 season of the year & the men not prepared for so long a Tower, had 
 induced Col. Severe of this county and myself from proceeding on 
 our march, until one hear farther accounts from that quarter tho the 
 men are ordered to hold themselves in readiness to march on the 
 shortest notice, and as our country is now in a state of peace and 
 tranquility, have no doubt but we can furnish you with a largp pro- 
 portion of good men from here whenever you may find necessary to 
 require us. 
 
 I have the honour to be with, respect 
 
 Your Mo. Obt. Humble Servt. 
 
 Endorsed: Isaac Shelby. 14 
 
 From Colo. Shelby 
 Augt. 3d., 1781. 
 
 After Shelby and Sevier concluded not to march, Shelby 
 returned the despatches for Greene, mentioned above, to the 
 Commissioners who had negotiated the treaty with the Chero- 
 kees.'^ Greene had been greatly depressed by the failure of 
 Shelby and Sevier to march their seven hundred riflemen to 
 his assistance ; and throughout July he was frequently heard 
 to exclaim: "What can detain Shelby and Sevier ?" ; ' fi Writ- 
 ing to Colonel Lee from Camden on August 25, Greene de- 
 spondently says : "We are thus far on our way to join Colonel 
 Henderson, but the tardiness with which everybody moves 
 who was expected to join us, almost makes me repent that I 
 have put the troops in motion. Near two hundred of the 
 North Carolina Regulars, who ought to have been here four 
 days past, are not likely to be here for four or five to come. 
 Colonel Shelby, I believe, had gone back, if he ever set out, 
 which I much doubt. General Pickens had not been heard of, 
 and I fear will not have it in his power to bring any con- 
 
 M Original MS. letter owned by Arthur M. Rutledge, of Louisville, Kentucky. 
 Draper is in error in statins? that Greene's letter to Shelby miscarried. (Kinr/'s 
 Mountain and its Heroes, 413) Johnson erroneously cites Sevier as the author of 
 Shelby's letter above (Greene, ii, 210,1. 
 
 ^Shelby's Autobiography. The details of the treaty, it seems, have never been 
 published. G. W. Greene clearly is in error in giving the date of Shelby's letter 
 to Greene as August (Life of Nathaniel Greene, iii, 374n). Cf. also Johnson: 
 Greene, ii, 184-5. 
 
 •^Johnson's Greene, ii, 210. 
 
46 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 siderable reinforcements ; nor do I expect Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Henderson will be able to do much more. The State troops 
 I am told (are) all getting sickly, as is the North Carolina 
 Regulars. Not more than one-half the militia from North 
 Carolina are arrived, and the whole that are here don't exceed 
 four hundred. You know I never despair, nor shrink at diffi- 
 culties, but our prospects are not flattering." 57 
 
 Greene continued to rely upon receiving reinforcements 
 from Watauga; and after his victory at Eutaw Springs, he 
 despatched to Shelby the following letter, which was to have 
 momentous consequences. This letter was not received by 
 Shelby before the last of September or first of October, as it 
 "came through Virginia, was found in Henry County by a 
 neighbor, and brought out at his leisure." 
 
 Head Quarters, 
 High Hills of Santee 
 Sept. 16, 1781. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 I have the pleasure to inform you that we had an action with the 
 British Army on the 8th in which we were victorious. We took 
 500 prisoners and killed and wounded a much greater number. We 
 also took near 1000 stand of arms, and have driven the enemy near 
 to the gates of Charleston. I have also the pleasure to inform you 
 that, a large French fleet of nearly thirty sail of the line, has 
 arrived in the Chessepeak bay, with a considerable number of land 
 forces ; all of which are to be employed against Lord Cornwallis, who 
 it is suspected will endeavor to make good his retreat through North 
 Carolina to Charleston. To prevent which I beg you to bring out as 
 many riflemen as you can, and as soon as possible. You will march 
 them to Charlotte, and inform me the moment you set out, and of 
 your arrival. 
 
 If we can intercept his lordship it will put a finishing stroke to 
 the war in the Southern states. 
 
 Should I get any intelligence which may change the face of mat- 
 ters I will advise you. I am with esteem and regard, your most 
 obedient & humble Servant, Nath. Green. 
 
 Col. Shelby, back parts of North Carolina. 58 
 
 5TH. Lee: Campaign of 1781 in the Carolinas (1824), 455-6. 
 
 58 Letter of Isaac Shelby to C. S. Todd, June 28, 1822. This letter was first 
 given publicity by Shelby in his Memoir because of the unwarranted charge 
 brought by Judge Johnson in his biography of Greene (ii, 258) against Sevier 
 and Shelby for having "deserted" Greene. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 47 
 
 Upon the receipt of this letter, Shelby immediately com- 
 municated its contents by express to Sevier, who lived fifty 
 miles away, and proposed a rendezvous of their men early in 
 October. In making the enlistments, Shelby assured the 
 volunteers that they should not be absent from their families 
 for more than sixty days. 
 
 I made great exertions, and collected the men in a few days there- 
 after, many of them had not received more than 24 hours notice and 
 lived more than 100 miles from the place of rendezvous — but were 
 willing to go as the call was made for a special purpose — to wit, 
 to intercept Lord Cornwallis who it was suspected would endeavor to 
 make good his retreat through N. Carolina to Charleston and Gen. 
 Green thought and so did I that if we could intercept him, it would 
 put an end to the war in the S. states. To effect this important 
 object, the people on the western waters were induced to volunteer 
 their services — it was for this purpose that they were prevailed upon 
 to leave their homes 500 miles from the scene of operations to defend 
 a Maritime district of country surrounded with a dense population 
 and in comparative quiet, while their own firesides were daily 
 menaced by the Chicamauga Indians, who as you know had declared 
 perpetual war against the whites and could never be induced to 
 make peace. I was far advanced on my road when I received vague 
 information of the surrender of Cornwallis in Virginia and hesitated 
 whether to proceed. But as the men appeared to be willing to serve 
 out a tour of duty which at the time of their entering the service I 
 repeatedly assured them should not exceed 60 days absence from 
 their homes, I proceeded on more leisurely to Green, who observed to 
 me that such a body of horse could not remain in the vicinity of his 
 camp on account of the scarcity of forage and requested me to serve 
 out the tour with Marion, to which I consented, however, with some 
 reluctance as the men would be drawn 70 or 80 miles further from 
 their homes. 58 
 
 Shelby quickly raised upwards of five hundred mounted 
 riflemen ; and Sevier with equal despatch raised two hun- 
 dred mounted riflemen in Washington County. These two 
 bodies, totalling some seven hundred, joined Marion at his 
 camp on the Santee. The hint was given to Marion that "if 
 he would keep them he must keep them busy." 60 
 
 It was with considerable reluctance that Shelby and Sevier 
 
 50 Shelby's Autobiography. 
 
 '•"Greene Mss., cited in Greene's Greene, iii, 419. 
 
48 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 consented to being attached to Marion's command. "Their 
 men were called out upon a pressing emergency which no 
 longer existed. They had been, moreover, enrolled only 
 sixty days. Much of that time had already expired, and the 
 contemplated service under Marion would take them still 
 further from their distant homes. Besides Shelby was a 
 member of the General Assembly of North Carolina, from 
 Sullivan County, and its session at Salem took place early in 
 December." 61 
 
 Almost at once they were engaged in very active service. 
 The account of the ensuing events is contained in Shelby's 
 Autobiography, here reproduced as written: 
 
 The enemies main Southern army, it was said, lay at that time 
 near a place called Fergusson's Swamp on the great road bearing di- 
 rectly to Charleston. Gen'l Marion received information several 
 weaks after our arrival at his camp that several hundred Hessians 
 at a British Post near Monk's Corner, eight or ten miles below the 
 enemies main army were in a state of mutiny, and would surrender 
 the post to any considerable American force that might appear before 
 it ; and consulted his principal officers on the propriety of surprising 
 it, which was soon determined on, and Shelby and Sevier solicited a 
 command in it. Marion accordingly moved down eight or ten miles, 
 and crossed over to the South side of the Santee River, from whence 
 he made a detachment of five or six hundred men to surprise the 
 post, the command of which was given to Colonel Mayhem. The 
 detachment consisted of Shelby's mounted riflemen with Mayhem's 
 Dragoons, about one hundred and eighty, and about twenty or thirty 
 lowland mounted militia, the command of the whole was given to 
 Colonel Mayhem. They took up their march early in the morning, 
 and traveled fast through the woods until late in the evening of the 
 second day, when they struck the great road leading to Charleston, 
 about two miles below the enemy's post, which they intended to sur- 
 prise. They lay upon their arms all night across the road with a 
 design to intercept the Hessians in case the enemy had got notice of 
 our approach and had ordered them down to Charleston before morn- 
 ing. In the course of the night which was as dark as pitch an 
 orderly Sergeant rode into the line amongst us, and was taken 
 prisoner. No material papers were found upon him before he made 
 his escape except a pocket book which contained the strength of the 
 enemy's main army and their number then on the sick list, which was 
 very great. 
 
 81 Ramsey : Annals of Tennessee, 254. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 49 
 
 As soon as daylight appeared, we advanced to the British Post, and 
 arrived there before sunrise. Col. Mayhem sent in one of his confi- 
 dential officers with peremptory demand for a surrender of the gar- 
 rison, who in a few minutes returned and reported that the officer 
 commanding was determined to defend the post to the last extremity. 
 Col. Shelby then proposed that he would go in himself and make 
 another effort to obtain a surrender, which Mayhem readily con- 
 sented to. Upon his approach he discovered a gap in the Abbaties, 
 through which he rode up close to the building, when an officer opened 
 one leaf of a long folding door. Col. Shelby addressed him in these 
 words, "Will you be so mad as to suffer us to storm your works, if 
 you do rest assured that every soul of you will be put to the sword, 
 for there was several hundred men at hand that would soon be in 
 with their tomahawks upon them" ; he then inquired if they had any 
 artillery. Shelby replied, "that they had guns that would blow them 
 to pieces in a minute." Upon which the officer replied, "I suppose I 
 must give up." Mayhem seeing the door thrown wide open, and 
 Shelby ascend the high steps to the door, immediately advanced with 
 his dragoons, and formed on the right. It was not until this moment 
 we discovered another strong British Fort that stood five or six hun- 
 dred yards to the East, and this is the first knowledge we had of 
 that post, the garrison of which immediately marched out, about one 
 hundred infantry and forty or fifty cavalry came around the North 
 Angle of the fort all apparently with a design to attack us; they 
 however soon halted as we stood firm and prepared to meet them. 
 We took a hundred and fifty prisoners, all of them able to have fought 
 from the windows of the house, or from behind Abbaties. Ninety 
 of them were able to stand a march to Marion's camp that day which 
 was near sixty miles ; and we paroled the remainder most of whom 
 appeared to have been sick, and unable to stand so hard a march. 
 Information soon reached Marion's camp that the post had been 
 burnt down immediately on our leaving it ; but it was always the 
 opinion of Col. Shelby that the enemy had abandoned it, and burnt" 
 it themselves, for Mayhem and Shelby were the two last men that 
 left the place, and at that time there was nOt the least sign of fire or 
 smoke about it. This it is most probable they would do, as they had 
 previously destroyed, and burned down almost every building in that 
 part of the country. This post was an immense brick building, calcu- 
 lated to hold a thousand men, and said to have been built by Sir 
 John Gollitin a century before that period as well for defense as 
 comfort ; and was well enclosed by a strong abbaties. In it were 
 found, besides the prisoners three or four hundred stand of arms, 
 and as many new blankets. The American detachment left this post 
 between nine and ten o'clock of the same day, and arrived at Marion's 
 camp the night following at three o'clock. Gen. Stewart who com- 
 manded the Enemy's main army, eight or ten miles above made great 
 4 
 
50 THE NOBTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 efforts to intercept us on our return. And it was announced to 
 Marion before sunrise next morning that the whole British army was 
 in the old field about three miles off at the outer end of the cause- 
 way that led into his camp. Shelby was immediately ordered out 
 with the mountain men to meet him at the edge of the swamp, to 
 attack the enemy if he attempted to advance and retreat at his own 
 discretion, to where Marion would have his whole force drawn up to 
 sustain him at an old field. Shortly after his arrival at the edge 
 of the open plain, he observed two British officers ride up to a house 
 equidistant between the lines, after they retired he rode to the 
 house to know what inquiries they had made; a man told him that 
 they had asked him when the Americans detachment had got in, what 
 was their force, and of what troops it was composed ; he replied that 
 the detachment had come in just before day, that he had supposed 
 as they went out they were six or eight hundred strong ; and were 
 composed chiefly of Shelby's and Sevier's mounted men, with May- 
 hem's Dragoons. The enemy then being in the edge of the woods, 
 silently withdrew out of sight, and retreated back in the utmost 
 disorder and confusion. A small party sent out to reconnoiter the 
 enemy, reported that many of them had thrown away their knap- 
 sacks, guns and canteens. A few days afterwards Gen'l. Marion re- 
 ceived intelligence that the British commander had retreated with 
 his whole force to Charleston. Marion's sole design in moving from 
 the camp when the mountain men first joined him. and crossing the 
 Santee River below, was to get within striking distance of the be- 
 fore mentioned post, to make the said detachment, and be able to 
 protect and support them on their retreat if hard pushed by the 
 enemy. After this the enemy kept so within their lines that little or 
 no blood was spilt, and all active movements appearing to be at an 
 end, Shelby made application to Gen'l Marion for leave of absence to 
 go to the Assembly of North Carolina, of which he was a member, 
 and which was to meet about that time at Salem, and where he had 
 private business of his own of the first importance. The mountain 
 men had then but a day or two to stay, to complete their tour of 
 duty, of sixty days, and he verily believes that they did serve it out, 
 as he never heard to the contrary. 62 
 
 62 In a conversation with C. S. Todd, May 16, 1826, Shelby said concerning the 
 affair at Monk's Corner : 
 
 "When we arrived on parade with the detachment against the British post 
 near Monk's Corner, I did not know who was to command but I expected I was — 
 as I had been informed that Marion was only a Lt.-Col. When I understood the 
 command had been assigned to Marion I made objections and refused to march, 
 as I was the superior officer. The detachment stood still until Marion himself 
 came from a distance of one-half mile who entreated me in the most friendly 
 language to yield to the arrangement he had made. That Marion was well 
 acquainted with the country through which we were to pass and with the 
 immediate neighborhood of the post we were to attack. I submitted to his 
 request because I was to stay but a short time in camp and I thought Marion to 
 be much of a gentleman and so he treated me. Indeed, throughout the expedi- 
 tion he gave me no orders but consulted me on all occasions. These mountain- 
 eers were poor men who lived by keeping stock in the range beyond the moun- 
 tains, they were volunteers and neither expected nor received any compensation 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 51 
 
 XII 
 
 On November 25, having virtually filled out their term of 
 enlistment, the mountaineers set off homeward in a deep 
 snow. About November 28th, Shelby applied to Marion for 
 leave of absence to attend the session of the Assembly of 
 North Carolina, which was to meet at the Moravian Town 
 (Salem). Shelby had been elected a member of the legis- 
 lature from Sullivan County and was charged with a "Memo- 
 rial to be laid before that body in relation to a subject of 
 deep importance." According to Shelby's own statement, 
 General Marion "readily granted my request and addressed 
 a letter by me to General Green which I was permitted to see 
 directed to him at the High Hills of Santee where he ex- 
 pected General Green was still encamped. In this letter I 
 have a distinct recollection that he spoke in the highest terms 
 of the conduct of the mountaineers and gave me my full share 
 of the credit for the capture of the British Post." 63 
 
 Shelby attended the North Carolina Assembly at Salem in 
 December, 1781, which adjourned without action. On re- 
 turning to Holston, as stated by Draper, Shelby "was engaged 
 during the spring in preparing for an expedition against the 
 Chickamauga band of Cherokees, and the hostile Creeks at 
 the sources of the Mobile, in which enterprise he was to have 
 been joined by two hundred men from Washington County, 
 Virginia; but on account of the poverty of that State, the 
 authorities discouraged the scheme, and reaching Big Creek, 
 thirty miles below Long Island of Holston, the expedition was 
 relinquished." 64 Having again been elected a member of the 
 North Carolina Assembly, Shelby attended the session at 
 
 ^Shelby's statements effectually dispose of Judge Johnson's malicious charges 
 {Greene, ii, 258ff), repeated by G. W. Greene (Greene, iii, 419). The whole 
 matter has been thoroughly traversed by Ramsey in his Annals of Tennessee 
 (1853 edn.) 253-261#. 
 
 84 In this connection, cf. N. C. State Records, xvi, 696-7-8, for plans for the 
 expedition. 
 
 except liquidated certificates worth 2S. in the pound. Gen. Greene had no right 
 nor ought to have expected to command their services. For myself for the whole 
 services of 1780 and 1781 both in camp and in the assembly I received a liquida- 
 tion certificate which my agent in that county after my removal to Kentucky 
 sold for six yards of Middling Broadcloth and I gave one coat of it to the person 
 who brought it out to me — indeed I was proud of receiving that." 
 
52 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Hillsborough in April, 1782. 65 At this session he took an 
 active part in the proceedings, and was engaged busily on 
 important committees. At this session was passed the liberal 
 "Act for the relief of the Officers and Soldiers in the Conti- 
 nental line, etc.," rewarding the revolutionary soldiers for 
 their patriotic services — to every soldier who should continue 
 in the ranks until the end of the war 640 acres of land; to 
 every officer a larger quantity according to his rank, a colonel 
 receiving 7,200 and a brigadier 12,000 acres; and to General 
 Greene 25,000 acres. Section VIII of this act reads as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 And be it further enacted, That Absalom Tatom, Isaac Shelby, and 
 Anthony Bledsoe, Esquires, or any two of them, are appointed com- 
 missioners in behalf of the State, to examine and superintend the 
 laying off the laud in one or more tracts allotted to the officers and 
 soldiers, and they shall be accompanied by one or more agents, whom 
 the officers may appoint, to assist in the business ; and in case any 
 commissioner so appointed shall die, or refuse to act his Excellency 
 the Governor shall fill up the vacancy. 86 
 
 Full instructions were given the commissioners by Governor 
 Alexander Martin, 67 and, accompanied by a guard of one 
 hundred men, they arrived at ISTashborough and the Cumber- 
 land in January, 1783. Under the provisions of the act 
 above, the commissioners were instructed to settle the pre- 
 emption claims of those who had settled on the Cumberland 
 River prior to June 1, 1780. Under conditions of grave 
 danger from the Indians, who killed various members of the 
 Cumberland settlements, including one of their own party, 
 the commissioners satisfactorily concluded their task in the 
 early spring of 1783. 6S Their visit marks the beginning of 
 prosperity and moderate security from the Indians, for the 
 exposed settlements along the Cumberland. 
 
 ^Cf. N. C. State Records, xvi, 68, 101, 109, 128, passim. For a long and 
 laborious, yet imperfect sketch of Isaac Shelby, compare National Portrait Gal- 
 lery, i (1834). This sketch, by his son-in-law, Charles Stewart Todd, once 
 Minister to Russia, is reproduced, with a number of alterations, in G. W. Grif- 
 fin's Memoir of Col. Chas. S. Todd (1873), 157-174. 
 
 ^State Records of N. C, xxiv, 421. 
 
 m N. C. State Records, xvi, 713 ; Martin to the Commissioners. 
 
 ^Putnam : History of Middle Tennessee, 162-3, 172, 177, contains a descrip- 
 tion of the work of the commissioners. 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 53 
 
 On January 13, 1783, Isaac Shelby, Joseph Martin, and 
 John Donelson were appointed commissioners on behalf of 
 the State of Virginia to treat with the Cherokees, Creeks and 
 Chickasaws for peace. Shelby did not attend the treaties 
 subsequently held with the Chickamaugas at the Long Island 
 of Holston on July 9, 1783 ; and with the Chickasaws at the 
 French Lick on November 5 and 6, 1783. 69 
 
 In fact, more important business now occupied his atten- 
 tion ; for in April he was married to the young woman whom 
 he had long loved — Susanna Hart. She was the daughter of 
 Colonel Nathaniel Hart of North Carolina, a prominent- 
 member of the Transylvania Company. Isaac Shelby courted 
 his sweetheart at the famous fort of Boonesborough, in the 
 neighborhood of which her father had been slain by the 
 Indians the preceding year. 70 No doubt he wore at the time 
 that memorable "suit of middling broadcloth," which was his 
 recompense for his service to his country in the King's Moun- 
 tain campaign. In the union of the names of Hart and 
 Shelby, and in the associations which cluster about them, may 
 be recognized a living symbol of the greatness of Kentucky 
 for more than a century and a quarter. 
 
 The marriage, appropriately solemnized as the Revolu- 
 tion came to a triumphant close, marks the end of the era. 
 Of Shelby's future career — as first Governor of the Common- 
 wealth, general, eminent citizen — a new study must be pro- 
 jected. 71 A fitting summary of the virtues of this distin- 
 guished American, whose honored name is forever linked with 
 the history of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and 
 Kentucky, and the nation, is contained in these words of 
 Governor James T. Morehead, in his address at Boonesbor- 
 ough (May 25, 1840) : 
 
 "Great men," said Mr. Burke, "are the guide posts and landmarks 
 in the State." The life of Isaac Shelby is a signal example of un- 
 
 8e Weeks : Joseph Martin, 435-6. 
 
 70 Cf. Mrs. Ellet's Pioneer Women of the West, 19-22, in sketch of Mary Bled- 
 soe ; Address of George Blackburn Kinkead, delivered at Boonsborough Fort, 
 Oct. 5, 1907 ; Taylor's Historic Sullivan, 36-7. 
 
 71 In this connection compare the address of Mrs. Mary Shelby Wilson at the 
 unveiling and presentation to Memorial Continental Hall of the marble bust of 
 Isaac Shelby, April 19, 1811. 
 
54 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 blemished personal integrity and enlarged public usefulness, which 
 may be safely imitated by all those who aspire to become bene- 
 factors of their country. Starting into active life without the aid of 
 fortune or education, he pursued the gradations of military rank 
 from the lieutenancy of a militia company to the command of a regi- 
 ment — he rose from the humble station of a surveyor among the 
 pioneers to the governorship of a great Commonwealth — and was 
 distinguished in all the posts to which he was called. His mind like 
 his body was strong and vigorous : boldness, energy, decision, were 
 its leading characteristics. Capable of thinking for himself, he in- 
 vestigated every important subject that came within the range of his 
 private or public duties, with candor and deliberation ; and having 
 formed his opinions, he followed them with unshaken firmness. He 
 spoke and wrote as he thought — with great force and vigor — always 
 expressing his opinions with manly frankness, and a lofty disdain 
 of personal consequences. His manners — derived from the school in 
 which he was brought up — were plain and simple, and commanded, 
 without any affectation of dignity, the universal deference of his 
 associates. He was sincere but not profuse in his professions of 
 attachment— faithful and steadfast to his friends when those attach- 
 ments were once formed. Elevating himself in the discharge of his 
 official duties above the influence of private considerations, he sought 
 and rewarded merit for his country's sake. If such was his character 
 as a public man, he maintained all the relations of life with equal 
 credit and success. x , 
 
ISAAC SHELBY 55 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 The present research, dealing with the career of Isaac Shelby down 
 to the close of the Revolution, is a fragment of a larger study, a 
 detailed biography. In the preparation of these two papers, I have 
 been materially assisted by my friend, Judge Samuel M. Wilson, of 
 Lexington, Kentucky. He has placed at my disposal original and un- 
 published material, as well as interesting contributions to the history 
 of Kentucky and the West which have remained hidden in inaccessi- 
 ble publications. I am also indebted to Mr. William R. Shelby of 
 Grand Rapids, Michigan, and to Colonel Samuel King of Bristol, 
 Tennessee-Virginia, for transcripts of valuable documents throwing 
 light upon Shelby's career. 
 
 There are a few statements to be made here, which are the results 
 of more intensive study and purport either to correct or to modify 
 statements already made. 
 
 In regard to the parents of General Evan Shelby, to wit : Evan 
 Shelby, Sr., and Catherine Davies. it is certain that they were 
 natives of Wales, with a large percentage of Welsh blood. Evan and 
 Davies are characteristic Welsh names. Those best informed in 
 regard to the family's early history, however, believe that the name 
 was originally Selby, and that the Shelbys were of English extrac- 
 tion. 
 
 The records at Upper Marlboro, the county seat of Prince George's 
 County, Maryland, reveal many transactions in which the Shelbys 
 figure as residents of said county prior to the creation of Frederick 
 County (not carved out of Prince George's County until 1748). It 
 is probable that the immigrant ancestors of the Shelby family settled 
 in Maryland nearer 1730 than 1735. Ultimately, by the formation of 
 Washington County, the residence of Evan Shelby, near the North 
 Mountain, was found to be in Washington County. (See Part I, 
 109-110. ) 
 
 The earliest surveys and grants to Evan Shelby, Senior and Junior, 
 make it reasonably certain that the Shelbys resided continuously in 
 Maryland from 1739 or earlier to 1771 or 1772. In particular, see 
 Scharf 's History of Western Maryland, ii, 982-6. ( See Part I, 112-3. ) 
 
 Isaac Shelby's mother was Letitia Cox (correctly given in Part I, 
 p. 114, inadvertently given as "Scott" on p. 113). There is strong docu- 
 mentary evidence that she was born, not in Frederick Town, but 
 somewhere in Prince George's County, Maryland. She was married 
 to Evan Shelby probably in August, 1744. 
 
 Isaac Shelby was not the eldest son of Evan Shelby, being the 
 second son and third child. Susannah Shelby, born about 1746, was 
 the first born child and John Shelby, born about 1748, was the 
 second child and eldest son. Evan Shelby brought to Virginia five 
 
56 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 sons : John, Isaac, Evan, Moses and James. A younger daughter, 
 Catherine, was married to Captain James Thompson. (Part I, 113.) 
 
 Within recent years the remains of General Evan Shelby have been 
 removed from his original grave and re-interred in East View Ceme- 
 tery, Bristol. (Part I, 114.) 
 
 In Part I, 133, twelfth line from bottom should read (in part) : 
 "... it was not supposed . . ." 
 
 In Part I, 134, the last two lines should read : "opened at St. 
 Asaph's on October 13, 1779 ; and again at St. Asaph's, on April 26, 
 1780, after various sessions at Harrodsburg and elsewhere, the court 
 announced that its." 
 
 In Part I, 135, line 11, "1778" is a misprint for "1776." 
 
 There is good x*eason to believe that the "Captain I. Shelby" re- 
 ferred to in Clark's Memoir, is not Isaac, but James Shelby. The 
 "J" was misread "I." At this time, Isaac Shelby was a Major, under 
 commission from Governor Jefferson of Virginia. It is uncertain 
 whether this James Shelby was a brother or a cousin of Isaac Shelby. 
 (Part I, 136.) 
 
 In Part I, 141, foot-note 49, line 2, "eighty-three" is a misprint for 
 "sixty-three." 
 
JSTEGEO SOLDIERS 57 
 
 NEGRO SOLDIERS 
 
 By Chief Justice Walter Clark 
 
 In view of the enlistment of negroes as soldiers in the pres- 
 ent war, it may be of interest to note the part that they have 
 taken as soldiers in our previous wars. 
 
 In the Revolutionary War there was no small number of 
 negroes who served as soldiers. These were mostly free ne- 
 groes, but no small part of them were slaves, who served, 
 usually, but not always, as substitutes for their owners under 
 promise of freedom at the end of the war. This promise was 
 usually kept, but not always. An act of the Virginia Legis- 
 lature passed in 1783, recites that every slave who had 
 enlisted upon the faith of a promise of freedom from his 
 master should be declared free accordingly, and directed the 
 Attorney-General of that State to institute proceedings in all 
 cases where the promise had not been complied with, and 
 that the court on proof, should enter a decree of emancipation. 
 It is greatly to the credit of that State that such act should 
 have been passed. 
 
 In North Carolina it does not appear that such act was 
 necessary, however, as the only statute is one enfranchising a 
 certain negro, ISTed Griffin, of Edgecombe, whose master, 
 William Kitchen, had promised him his liberty on condition 
 of service in the Continental line of this State for twelve 
 months, which he had done, and the act declared him a free 
 man. Laws 1784, ch. 70. Laws 1779, ch. 12, validated the 
 freedom of all slaves who had served in the army under the 
 promise of being free. 
 
 These negroes, whether freemen, or slaves, enlisting under 
 a promise of freedom, did not serve in separate organiza- 
 tions, but in the ranks with the white soldiers. This appears 
 in the diary of Hugh McDonald of this State, and also in 
 other memoirs and diaries of those times. 
 
 In the first collision between the Americans and the British 
 soldiers in Boston the leader of the popular revolt was Crispus 
 
58 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 Attucks, a free negro, who was killed by the soldiers, and 
 whose statue today stands on the Boston Commons. 
 
 At the battle of Bunker Hill, Peter Salem, a negro slave 
 who had volunteered on promise of freedom, behaved with 
 conspicuous courage, and it was he who shot Major Pitcairn 
 in reply to a summons to surrender. Bancroft says that "In 
 the forces under Washington the free negroes had representa- 
 tives in various companies and regiments, and their names 
 are preserved on the pension list of the nation." At that 
 time slavery existed in all the Colonies and, the draft laws 
 covering only "free persons," no slaves were drawn except 
 those who went on promise of freedom or as substitutes for 
 their masters. These served usually in the ranks with the 
 other soldiers, but it is recorded that Major Samuel Lawrence 
 of Groton, Mass., raised a command composed entirely of 
 free negroes. The Continental Congress passed an act for- 
 bidding the acceptance or retention of such as were "still held 
 in bondage," and thereupon the practice obtained of confer- 
 ring freedom upon those slaves who served as substitutes for 
 their masters, or voluntarily. 
 
 Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina, on one occasion moved 
 Congress that "all negroes be dismissed from the Continental 
 armies." This was overwhelmingly defeated and, when later, 
 Congress issued an order directing that negro soldiers who 
 were slaves should be rejected, General Washington replied 
 that the negroes "are very much dissatisfied at being dis- 
 carded, and, as it is apprehended that refusal to use them 
 may induce them to seek employment from the enemy, I have 
 taken the liberty to suspend your resolution concerning them." 
 Congress thereupon reconsidered and repealed the resolution. 
 
 After the battle of Monmouth Washington's army returns 
 showed 755 colored soldiers present for duty, being about a 
 tenth of the army. In 1778 Rhode Island passed an act 
 enlisting all men of color of the draft age with a provision 
 that those who were slaves should be free from the time of 
 joining. This was followed by Massachusetts and New 
 
NEGEO SOLDIEES 59 
 
 York. Sir Henry Clinton, the British Commander-in-Chief, 
 issued a proclamation offering bounties to all negroes who 
 would desert to his standard, which was also done by Corn- 
 wallis and Tarleton in the South. Mr. Jefferson wrote that 
 this action had cost Virginia 30,000 able bodied slaves in one 
 year. To meet the British offer, Madison, Generals Greene 
 and Lincoln, and other leading patriots advocated a general 
 recruiting of the Continental forces by offering emancipation 
 to the slaves. This was not, however, generally done, but 
 there was a considerable number of slaves who obtained free- 
 dom by serving as substitutes for their owners or their sons 
 in the army. 
 
 In the War of 1812 there were a great many colored men 
 who served in the ranks, thruout the country, but there is no 
 available record that at that time any slaves in the South 
 were admitted as substitutes or otherwise on condition of free- 
 dom. There were a good many who went over to the enemy 
 on condition of freedom, and two battalions of negroes served 
 at New Orleans under Jackson. In New York two regi- 
 ments of "freemen of color" were raised to receive the 
 same pay and allowance as whites, and there was a proviso 
 that "any able bodied slave" in that State might enlist "'with 
 the written assent of his master and mistress who were to 
 receive his pay," while the negro was to be set free on his 
 honorable discharge. After the battle of New Orleans Gen- 
 eral Andrew Jackson, in his proclamation, bore emphatic tes- 
 timony to the part borne by negro troops in that great vic- 
 tory and their bravery and good conduct during their service 
 under him. The British had two regiments of West India 
 negroes in that battle. 
 
 During the Civil War 180,000 negroes served in the Union 
 Army. Some of these were from the North, and served either 
 under the draft or as volunteers, but by far the greatest part 
 of them were fugitive slaves who served in northern regi- 
 ments, either as substitutes, or upon payment of bounties given 
 
60 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 by townships and counties in the North to fill up their re- 
 quired quotas under the draft. 
 
 The Confederate government was asked by General Lee 
 in the fall of 1864 to conscript slaves as soldiers, offering them 
 freedom, but this was opposed by President Davis and others, 
 and the act did not pass till February, 1865, and only a few 
 companies were raised. We often conscripted free negroes, 
 and sometimes slaves, to build forts and breastworks. Those 
 surrounding Raleigh were thus built. 
 
 It is believed that with very rare exceptions the colored 
 Union troops in the Civil War served as separate organiza- 
 tions, as now, tho officered by white men. This was true dur- 
 ing our Spanish War in 1898. This State, however, which 
 sent two regiments of white soldiers to that war, sent one 
 regiment of colored troops, officered entirely by colored offi- 
 cers, from its Colonel, James H. Young, down. 
 
 In the United States Regular Army, ever since the Civil 
 War, there has been several regiments of colored troops, but 
 these have been officered entirely by white men, as only one 
 colored man has ever graduated at West Point. 
 
 In the present war there are probably 200,000 colored 
 troops in the United States Army, most of whom have white 
 officers, tho there are some company officers of color. The 
 British and French have many colored troops, of whom the 
 Senegalese are exceptionally brave. It is related that when 
 some American colored troops landed at a French port they 
 were delighted to see colored troops ashore, and commenced 
 talking to them in English, supposing that all negroes spoke 
 our tongue. They proved, however, to be troops from French 
 Africa. 
 
 The conduct of the negro troops has generally been good in 
 peace, as well as in war. There was a painful exception in 
 the emeute at Brownsville, Texas, some years ago, and also in 
 the recent riot in a colored regiment at San Antonio, for 
 which some thirty or forty of the colored soldiers were hanged 
 
NEGRO SOLDIERS 61 
 
 by the government for mutiny. It seems that on both occa- 
 sions whiskey was at the bottom of the trouble. 
 
 The history of our wars shows that colored men, when 
 well led by competent officers, have always shown up as brave 
 soldiers. The two instances named of misconduct seem to be 
 exceptions to their general good conduct and orderly behavior 
 in time of peace. 
 
 What is said above refers only to colored slaves. Those 
 acquainted with our Colonial history know, however, that 
 there were many Indian slaves in the Colonies, especially in 
 New England, and some of them in North Carolina, and not 
 a few white slaves. The latter were usually sent to this 
 country from Great Britain to serve out a sentence for crime 
 and sometimes for debt. Among these white slaves was the 
 Lieutenant Colonel of a North Carolina regiment, who on 
 his march to Germantown, with his regiment in 1777 was 
 humiliated by being recognized and claimed in Maryland as 
 a slave, he having escaped thence to North Carolina where he 
 had served an honorable career and risen in life. Massachu- 
 setts sold most of her Indian slaves in the West Indies, bring- 
 ing in return cargoes from Guinea of Africans, who they said 
 were better adapted for work. Among those who, after the 
 Pequot War, Massachusetts sold to the West Indies, were the 
 wife and son of King Philip, the former being the daughter 
 of Massasoit, who had been the best friend whom the Colonists 
 of that Province had ever had, and who had rendered the 
 whites notable service. 
 
 Probably the most distinguished colored soldier was Gen- 
 eral Thomas Alexandre Dumas who served under Napoleon, 
 and at one time was commander in chief of the army of the 
 Eastern Pyrenees. He was the son af a West India negro 
 mother, and to his son Alexandre Dumas the elder, the 
 famous novelist, we are indebted for the famous novels "Monte 
 Cristo," the "Three Muskeeters," with its famous trio Por- 
 thos, Athos, and Aramis, and the greatest of all D'Artagnan, 
 
62 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 "The Forty-five Guardsmen," and others. Hannibal and his 
 Carthaginians were not negroes, though from Africa. 
 
 The free negroes voted in North Carolina till 1835, and 
 under the Federal Constitution three-fifths of the slave popu- 
 lation was taken as a basis in the apportionment for members 
 of Congress. Republican disgust at finding that by emanci- 
 pation, which made negroes freemen, the basis was changed 
 and twenty new members of Congress had been given to the 
 South, is said to have been a strong motive for passing the 
 XV Amendment. 
 
north Carolina's dead 63 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA'S DEAD 
 
 At the unveiling of the monument and statue to the Con- 
 federate dead at Morgantom 22 January, 1918, the address 
 was delivered by Chief Justice Clark. The following extract 
 from his speech is of more than passing interest : 
 
 As against 2,850,000 men in the Union line, the South, first and last, 
 was able to send to the front about 650,000. Of these North Carolina 
 sent 125,000, or nearly one-fifth of the whole number. Of these, 
 43,000 of our best and bravest, being one-third, came not home again. 
 
 They sleep where the silver Shenandoah sweeps along ; some rest 
 on the heights at Gettysburg ; some sleep by the sounding sea at 
 Charleston; others at Vicksburg, 
 
 "By the great inland river, whence the fleets of iron have fled, 
 And the green grass quivers above the ranks of the dead" ; 
 
 on the plains of Chickamauga and where the Georgian pines are bare ; 
 around Petersburg, in the swamps of the Chickahominy and where 
 Potomac's "breezes answering low sooth many a soldier's endless 
 sleep." 
 
 Across the fields of yesterday they come back to us, as we knew 
 and remember them, in all the splendor of their young manhood. Age 
 has not withered them. Time and trouble have not touched them. 
 The Roman poet said that it was "sweet to die for one's country." 
 It was glorious for them to pass in the prime of their powers, with 
 the sunlight of victory on their faces and fronting the morning. 
 They died in the full assurance and confident hope of our ultimate 
 success. They saw not the torn and tattered battle flags furled for- 
 ever at Appomattox. The bugle did not ring out for them, as for 
 you, the final call to stack arms. No drums beat for them the 
 retreat. Their ears caught only the sound of the reveille. They live 
 in immortal youth. 
 
64 THE NOETH CAKOLINA BOOKLET 
 
 OTHER NORTH CAROLINA HEROINES 
 
 By Mary Hilliard Hinton 
 
 During these exciting and troublous times of the world's 
 existence when woman is constantly engaged in the service of 
 her country, helping in ways heretofore unknown, giving 
 freely of her time in unstinted service and keeping her purse 
 ever open, it will be interesting, perhaps, to look backward 
 thru the pages of history and gather notes of the spirit of 
 patriotism and heroism of our brave and loyal women patriots, 
 whose deeds have been recorded, and whose sufferings show 
 what our foremothers endured, that they may inspire us to 
 bear nobly whatever trials may be in store. While they were 
 subjected to innumerable privations their lot seems incom- 
 parable with the barbarities imposed by "the fiery Hun" upon 
 the weaker population of grief-stricken Belgium and the 
 devastated regions of Northern France and Poland. It was 
 with the British and Tories we were waging a civilized war, 
 not barbarians whose hearts hesitate at no cruelties. That 
 struggle for independence fortunately took place one hundred 
 and forty-eight years ago, during which period the United 
 States of America have developed into one of the leading 
 world powers, whereby she is now able to express to her splen- 
 did ally — France — the gratitude of an appreciative people 
 and to render to her mother country the duty of a worthy 
 offspring. 
 
 North Carolina's record of her heroic women is indeed 
 meager, and many of her heroines are known by name only 
 with sparse local tradition as proof their bravery. Of quite 
 a number just one brave incident can be cited, which can be 
 accepted as indicative of their conduct during the Revolu- 
 tionary War. Among the latter can be found the names of 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Forbis, Mrs. Mary Morgan, Mrs. Rachel 
 Denny, Mrs. Sarah Logan, Mrs. Elizabeth McGraw, Miss 
 Ann Fergus, Mrs. Margaret Caruthers and Miss Margaret 
 McBride. 
 
OTHER NOETH CAROLINA HEROINES 65 
 
 Caruthers, in The Old North State in 1776, has preserved 
 their records from oblivion, but since that rare volume has 
 long since been out of print and few copies are to be found, to 
 give these noble women further recognition, this brief sketch 
 is presented thru the columns of The Booklet. 
 
 Among the staunch and brave patriots who were mortally 
 wounded at the Battle of Guilford Court House was Colonel 
 Arthur Forbis. In that same engagement, under his com- 
 mand, was his brother-in-law, Thomas Wiley, also a brave, 
 unwavering Whig, who was wounded. Possessing similar 
 loyalty to the patriotic cause, Elizabeth Forbis, nee Wiley T 
 wife of Colonel Forbis, bore with fortitude and patience her 
 severe and continued trials and sufferings. Coming from 
 such stock, it is no marvel that she displayed unusual traits 
 of character, of which the following is illustrative. 
 
 Several days after the Battle of Guilford Court House 
 Thomas Morgan, who lived a mile and a half west of the 
 Forbis home, found wandering on his premises two horses 
 whose "bobbed tails" showed that they were the property of 
 the British and Tories, since the horses of the American cav- 
 alry were distinguished from that of the enemy by having 
 long tails. These he felt he had a right to appropriate, for 
 the British and Tories had seized all available property of 
 the Whigs. 
 
 Mr. Morgan, knowing that Mrs. Forbis was now in dire 
 need of a horse and in a destitute condition, presented her 
 with one the morning following. Colonel Forbis was either 
 dead or dying of his wounds ; the Tories had cleared the plan- 
 tation of almost all cattle, provisions, grain, etc. ; her eldest 
 boy was a mere lad of thirteen or fourteen years and could 
 only plough a gentle animal, her sole means of making a crop. 
 This gift she accepted thankfully and immediately put her 
 son to the plough handle. However, on the next day as he 
 was turning furrows in a corn field and the mother was drop- 
 ping corn after the plough and covering it with a hoe, two 
 
QQ THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 young men appeared on the scene and demanded the return 
 of the horse then in the plough, one claiming it was his own. 
 Mrs. Forbis did not dream the men were from the British 
 Army, then thirty or forty miles south of that locality on the 
 way to Wilmington. With this demand she flatly refused to 
 comply. It was repeated two or three times, she still refus- 
 ing to obey, when he ordered the lad to take the horse from 
 the plough. She forbade her son to do so, he standing reso- 
 lute, looking from her to the enemy, respecting the one and 
 fearing the other, but obeying the mother. Thereupon the 
 man stepped forward to unfasten the traces himself, and 
 instantly she sprang in front of him, with a hoe raised high 
 above her head, and with a firm expression and determined 
 manner, declared that if he touched the horse "she would 
 split his head with the hoe." This act produced the desired 
 effect — the horse remained in her plough and was never mo- 
 lested again. 
 
 Mrs. Forbis lived to enjoy the independence of her country 
 many years, attaining an honorable old age, noted for her 
 cheerful disposition and as a warm-hearted Christian char- 
 acter. 
 
 Of Colonel Forbis' sister and near neighbor, Mrs. Mary 
 Morgan, wife of Thomas Morgan, this daring feat is related : 
 
 At the time the British Army was encamped on the south 
 side of South Buffalo Creek, the same side on which Thomas 
 Morgan lived, on the plantation of Ralph Gorrell, Esq., and 
 from this camp one day a party sallied forth bent on plunder, 
 taking in Colonel Paisley's plantation and later the Morgan 
 home, in the absence of the owner, only Mrs. Morgan and her 
 little brood being present. As the place had frequently 
 experienced visitations of marauding soldiers but little could 
 be found. Still they ransacked the dwelling from cellar to 
 garret, as well as the kitchen and smoke-house, corn-crib and 
 barn, leaving naught in their wake. In the interval Mrs. 
 Morgan's active mind was at work and the thought occurred 
 to her to retaliate by removing the valise from the saddle of 
 
OTHER XORTH CAROLINA HEROINES 67 
 
 the commanding officer and dropping it in an inside corner 
 of the fence among the tall weeds, a few panels below the 
 horse from which it was taken. As they prepared to leave 
 the sun had nearly reached the horizon, and five or six miles 
 lay between them and their camp, there was considerable 
 hurry and confusion which caused the officer in command to 
 overlook the loss of his valise. On opening it, Mrs. Morgan 
 found it to be filled with fine linen shirts, collars, cravats, and 
 other articles which in value far exceeded that which she had 
 lost. 
 
 The true Irish wit displayed by Mrs. Rachel Denny has 
 amused many a listener. She was the wife of Walter Denny, 
 a strict elderly Scotch-Irish Presbyterian, who dwelt far 
 down on North Buffalo Creek, as staunch in his Whig princi- 
 ples as true to his religious faith and highly esteemed thru- 
 out the neighborhood. During his absence from home when 
 the British Army was near by, a foraging party under com- 
 mand of the proper officer invaded his home, pillaging every 
 repository of his possession. During this trying ordeal the 
 old lady, his wife, sat by utterly helpless in the presence of the 
 commanding officer, who sat near amusing himself with her. 
 Thus she saw flour, meat and meal as well as blankets she 
 had made with her own hands seized by ruthless hands. The 
 officer began by asking her where her husband was, to which 
 she replied she did not know. If she did know would she 
 tell, was the next question. Kindly she said "No, and no 
 gentleman of honorable feelings would ever ask or expect 
 such a thing." When asked if she was not afraid that he 
 would be caught and hung as a rebel, she replied, "as he was 
 engaged in a good cause, he was in good hands, and she hoped 
 he would be protected." After cursing her most profanely 
 he informed her he thought "the women in that part of the 
 country as damned rebels as the men, and that one-half of 
 them, at least, ought to be shot or hung." To all this she 
 did not reply. 
 
 Spying a Bible and a hymn-book on the table, he exclaimed 
 
68 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 that he presumed "the old man prayed every day in his 
 family." To this Mrs. Denny added that when at home 
 they usually had family prayers. "Well, does he ever pray 
 for King George ?" followed in a sneering, haughty air. She 
 gave an indirect answer. He then told her emphatically she 
 must tell him "He must pray for King George." Very indif- 
 ferently she replied that perhaps a good man might pray for 
 the salvation of his soul, "not for the success of his arms ; 
 for he had sinned so long and so much that there was very 
 little encouragement to pray even for his salvation., and to 
 pray for the success of his arms when they were employed to 
 oppress and to enforce obedience to unrighteous authority, 
 would be praying in direct opposition to the instructions of 
 the Bible, which would be offensive to God as it would be 
 useless to man." Whereupon the officer told her that her 
 husband must pray for the king or be treated as a rebel. 
 "Ah, indeed," said Mrs. Denny, "he has been denounced as 
 a rebel long ago, and no thanks to you nor King George either 
 that he still lives to defend his country." "Well," he re- 
 plied, "do you tell him that he must pray for King George 
 tonight, for I intend to come or send men to ascertain, and 
 if he does not, I will have him taken and hung up to the limb 
 of that oak tree in the yard." "Aye, fa'th," retorted the 
 brave old dame, with consummate nonchalance, "Aye, fa'th, 
 an' monny a prayer has been wasted upon King George." 
 
 The young Lieutenant, baffled, summoned his men as the 
 sun was fast sinking in the west and quickly galloped back to 
 camp, taking with them considerable plunder, but by no 
 means all of Mr. Denny's' abundance. 
 
 During the stormy days of the Revolution the women were 
 just as willing as the men to suffer and share privations with 
 them. The country being thinly settled, they were much 
 isolated and had to face innumerable perils. Frequently the 
 quick wit and ready, proper word of some intelligent woman 
 achieved a decided triumph. To this class could be assigned 
 Mrs. Sarah Logan, noted for her repartee, excellent sense and 
 
OTHER NORTH CAROLINA HEROINES 69 
 
 kindness of heart, and who was universally esteemed. She 
 was a native of North Carolina, though after her marriage 
 she lived in South Carolina, near the dividing line. Many 
 incidents occurred that testified to her patriotism, judgment, 
 character and ready wit. This one related here in particular 
 is illustrative of her varied experiences. 
 
 One morning in November when the air was cold and 
 frosty four or five Tories swooped down upon her home in the 
 absence of her husband. They were known to her by sight 
 and name, though they were not of her class. She spied 
 them as soon as they entered the lane and at once guessed 
 their purpose. She instantly resolved to devise some scheme 
 by which to safeguard her property against their pillage. 
 
 They rode up and hitched their horses to the fence within 
 a few feet of the house and entered without ceremony. Mrs. 
 Logan feigned a cordial welcome and invited them to be 
 seated, adding that such cold weather, after a long ride, they 
 must be cold and insisted on their sitting nearer the fire, on 
 which she had more wood piled. She inquired of the health 
 of their families, of the neighborhood ; in fact, received these 
 avowed enemies bent on pillage as graciously as though they 
 were friends. She apologized for the upturned state of her 
 house, claiming that her duties of housecleaning had been 
 neglected for a sick child and was just so engaged as they 
 approached, that if they would excuse her giving annoyance 
 she would proceed and finish in two or three minutes. She 
 swept vigorously, raising a cloud of dust. She next began 
 making up the bed, beating the feathers and seizing sheets and 
 bedspread and blankets, taking each at a time, she stood on 
 the door-step and shook them violently, making a great noise 
 and flutter as each spread out on the breeze. The horses 
 became alarmed, one broke loose, then another, until all sev- 
 ered their bridles and galloped in every direction. The 
 Tories, realizing that their steeds were more valuable th<sn any 
 plunder to be procured at the Logans', took to their heels in 
 hot pursuit, catching, as they bolted, Mrs. Logan's regrets — 
 
70 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 "very sorry" — "what a pity." Thus kindness proved of more 
 service than the sword or a sharp retort. 
 
 There lived in Surry County, near Mount Airy, during 
 the "Old War" (as the old people termed the Revolution) 
 Mrs Eliabeth McGraw. She was prior to her marriage to 
 Jacob McGraw a Miss Waller, daughter of George Waller of 
 Henry County, Virginia. Both she and her husband were 
 staunch Whigs; therefore their home was naturally an objec- 
 tive point with the bands of Tories scouring that section. 
 Still an account of one raid is handed down in that locality. 
 It occurred on a bitterly cold night when Jacob McGraw 
 was away from home and his wife was the sole white person 
 on the place. When she ascertained they were approaching 
 she made all the negroes who could leave run and seek some 
 hiding place, and in the meantime she engaged busily in 
 wrapping the pickaninnies in the tow that had been hackled 
 from flax that day, dressed and secreted them in a closet, just 
 finishing as the Tories burst into the house. They searched 
 the place from top to bottom, but, strange to say, missed locat- 
 ing the little negroes concealed in the tow. They appro- 
 priated all valuables and lastly took from the cupboard Mrs. 
 McGraw's shining pewter plates. Thru the rims of each 
 they bored holes and ran a hickory withe which they carried 
 along with them. Years after Mrs. McGraw had the pecu- 
 liar experience of taking dinner at a neighbor's when the 
 meal was served from her own pewter plates with holes in the 
 rims. She attained a great age, dying near Mount Airy in 
 1836. 
 
 Even amid the horrors of war people can and do relax 
 from their responsibilities and sufferings long enough to 
 engage in diverting festivities, better perhaps for the change. 
 During Major Craig's occupancy of Wilmington he and his 
 officers attended many balls and other entertainments. Tra- 
 dition still keeps alive in New Hanover amusing things that 
 took place at these social affairs. One anecdote, though ludi- 
 crous, that has not been lost, concerned Miss Ann Fergus, a 
 
OTHER NORTH CAROLINA HEROINES Yl 
 
 lass of a wealthy Scotch family of fine social standing. She 
 possessed a superior intellect, was well educated. Exceed- 
 ingly tall — five feet ten inches — but when wearing the high 
 heel slippers of that period, as she would have done at a ball, 
 she must have measured fully six feet. One of her brothers 
 was in the Patriot Army, possibly also a lover. One evening- 
 she attended a ball at which a number of British officers were 
 present. Among them was an exceedingly diminutive man, 
 full of conceit, who was most persistent in his attentions to 
 the American ladies, being both impertinent and presumptu- 
 ous, as his conduct to Miss Fergus proved. During the even- 
 ing he sought her out and asked for a kiss. With all serious- 
 ness and perhaps hauteur she replied "Yes, he might have 
 one, if he could take one without getting upon a stool." 
 Whereupon he tiptoed and stretched his neck and she drew 
 herself up to her full height, and he "couldn't come it." The 
 whole company present were intensely amused at so ludicrous 
 a spectacle. Ridicule caused his instant flight as well as 
 brought to an end his attentions to American belles. 
 
 It is not often that a woman possesses such spirit of daring 
 and bravery that she is willing to attack an enemy of the 
 other sex, assuming the role of aggressor. Of such type was 
 Mrs. Margaret (Gillespie) Caruthers, a native of Lancaster 
 County, Pennsylvania, who settled with her husband, James 
 Caruthers, in middle North Carolina some time prior to the 
 Revolution. Her family included four sons and several 
 daughters, all eventually becoming useful citizens and church 
 members. Three of her sons served in the Revolution. The 
 eldest, Robert, being a partisan leader, won the rank of cap- 
 tain and was very active, being almost always on duty. The 
 youngest, who was retained at home to protect his parents 
 and attend to the farm, met death at the hands of Tories dis- 
 guised as Indians, as strong circumstantial evidence proved. 
 His dead body was found by a creek on the plantation almost 
 in sight of the house. He had gone to a neighbor's, two miles 
 distant on an errand. The report of a gun drew his mother 
 
72 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 and sisters to the spot to find, him dead; scalped with a bloody 
 knife bearing the name of a neighbor, lying near his head. 
 Ever after when the said neighbor met a member of the 
 family his countenance expressed guilt and he manifestly 
 shunned them. Thus deprived of her main support, with her 
 husband, not infirm but passed the draftable age, compelled 
 for safety to conceal himself, she found herself unprotected, 
 especially during the trying year of 1780. Her wonderful 
 self-possession never failed her in time of danger. Her 
 firmness and energy of character, combined with the "spirit 
 of '76," rendered her far from helpless in emergencies. 
 
 Not long after the tragedy just recounted, two Tories, 
 neighbors, came to plunder her premises. They at once at- 
 tempted to steal a fine young black mare, of unusual beauty 
 and splendid qualities, which they brought out and hitched to 
 a shade tree on the west side of the house." After packing up 
 all provisions, blankets, etc., to be found in the house they 
 entered the corn-crib to fill their bags with corn. The quaint 
 form of crib of that day had an opening thru which a man 
 must thrust one leg, next his head "and with his body laid 
 beside the projecting leg force himself thru, with the other 
 leg resting on the floor, and, at the same time, as it was 
 raised a foot or two above the ground, held by the side with 
 the left hand lest when the center of gravity passed the sill, 
 he might go faster and further than he wanted." The thieves 
 were busy over their grain when Mrs. Caruthers hid the black 
 mare in the cellar, locking the door. Then she took a stick 
 of hickory, intended for an axe-handle, laid by to season in 
 the chimney corner, twice the size of a dressed article, which 
 she concealed under her apron and stood at the corner of the 
 crib. As each appeared she beat upon him so successfully 
 that he could neither defend himself nor return the blows, 
 and both fled in haste, leaving their plunder behind and never 
 again did they dare to enter the Caruthers home. 
 
 The name of Betsy Dowdy is universally known and her 
 bravery can never be forgotten, while the name of Margaret 
 
OTHER NORTH CAROLINA HEROINES 73 
 
 McBride is familiar to comparatively few and of the service 
 rendered her country little is known. As her surname im- 
 plies she was of a Scotch-Irish family. Hanty McBride, a 
 resident of Guilford, was a man of good standing in the neigh- 
 borhood where he lived and died, some seven or eight miles 
 south of Greensboro, midway between Alamance and Buffalo 
 creeks. He was a member of Dr. Caldwell's congregation, 
 and a true Whig. Too old for military duty, he served his 
 country when possible. His large family was comprised of 
 nearly all daughters. Of one son, Isaiah, the oldest, we 
 learn that he was in several campaigns. 
 
 In 1781 Margaret, or Maggie, as her family and neigh- 
 bors called her, was a pretty lass of thirteen or fourteen sum- 
 mers and well grown for her years. She was full of life, but 
 discreet and had the courage to express her convictions. 
 With winsome ways and abounding enthusiasm, she was nat- 
 urally a favorite. She gloried in being a Whig and hated 
 the Tories. A certain tract of land four or five miles wide, 
 ten or twelve in length, between North and South Buffalo 
 creeks, lay to the north and northwest of Hantz McBride's. 
 This included the present site of Greensboro and ran along 
 both sides of the Hillsboro road to Buffalo Bridge. This was 
 not inhabited and was traversed only by roads connecting the 
 two settlements. As pine was the principal growth it was 
 called the "Pine Woods," or ''Pine Barrens." People did 
 not settle there because the land was considered too thin. It 
 afforded fine pasturage for cattle. At intervals rich and well- 
 watered glades existed like oases of the desert. In the first 
 days of autumn, 1781, a band of Tories from southern Guil- 
 ford or northern Randolph pitched camp in one of these fairy 
 dells. The Whigs were thick on the outskirts of the "Bar- 
 rens" and some were wavering. These the Tories in question 
 visited, and exerted no good influence over them. The true Pa- 
 triots became uneasy — something must be done, and accord- 
 ingly a band bent on retaliation was organized, though none 
 knew the exact location of the camp. It was thought that the 
 
74 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET 
 
 McBrides knew of it if any one did, so to that home they 
 repaired one evening just after dark. Hantz McBride, of 
 course, was absent, the mother, Maggie and other children 
 were there. The captain, after ascertaining they were 
 staunch Whigs, inquired whether there was a Tory camp in 
 the "Piney Woods." She understood there was. When 
 asked for directions to find it, she answered as intelligently 
 and as best she could, little Maggie by her side now then 
 adding a word of explanation. The captain observed her 
 interest and said courteously, "Well, now, my little Miss, 
 could you go along to show us the way ?" This startled her. 
 Objections she urged — going off with a party of soldiers, all 
 strangers ; then the fighting, etc. The captain insisted. She 
 reckoned she might go; they must promise not to fire on the 
 Tories till she left them. They consented, so she mounted 
 behind the commander and they rode off at full speed. It 
 was agreed that she should remain with the band until they 
 came in sight of the place, when she was to fly back home, it 
 being impossible for her to be taken into the battle in the 
 darkness. She was firm in her determination to render this 
 invaluable service to the Whigs, and never faltered when so 
 much was at stake. The spot was familiar to her as she had 
 frequently been there when hunting the cows on summer 
 evenings with the other children. 
 
 As they approached the camp near enough for the sound of 
 the horses' feet to be heard, they proceeded with great caution 
 and Margaret McBride was straining her eyes and craning 
 her neck to ascertain the exact spot. Finally she exclaimed, 
 "Yonder they are," and sprang from the captain's horse, 
 returning home with the agility of a native of the forest. 
 As soon as she alighted on the ground the party dashed for- 
 ward at a gallop, took the camp by surprise, firing a good 
 volley as a greeting on approach. Before the brave little 
 heroine had passed over much ground, she heard the report 
 of twenty or thirty pistols and the clash of sabres, with 
 shouts of victory and cries of the assailed, all of which made 
 
OTHER NORTH CAROLINA HEROINES 75 
 
 her run but the faster. On reaching home she proudly in- 
 formed her mother that "those miserable Tories have got a 
 lesson tonight which they will not soon forget, and I hope 
 they will no longer be a pest and a reproach to the country." 
 "Why, my daughter," replied Mrs. McBride, "You didn't 
 stay to see what was done ?" "Why, mother, as soon as we 
 came in sight, I jumped clown and started back as hard as I 
 could, but I had come a very little distance — it didn't seem 
 to be a minute — till I heard ever so many guns, and then such 
 slashing and hallooing — you never heard the like. I just 
 know the ugly things are used up, and we shall now be clear 
 of them. Well, I do feel sorry for them after all — really 
 sorry. Just think how they will be cut up and run off like as 
 many sheep-killing dogs ; but then they had no business to be 
 Tories. If they are so mean and pusillanimous that they 
 want to be slaves or foot-pads to King George, let them not 
 stay here and try to make us as degraded as themselves, but 
 go to his own country and serve him there. We have no use 
 for them here and I am so glad they are gone." 
 
 The Tory den was completely broken up. All that were 
 not killed fled, and henceforth the "Pine Barrens" of Guil- 
 ford knew neither them nor their like again. 
 
 When Margaret McBride grew to womanhood a few years 
 later she married and, with her husband, moved westward 
 with the tide of emigration that laid the foundation of some 
 of our great States of today, and nothing was known of this 
 brave heroine of old Guilford. 
 
 North Carolina can well be proud of her women from the 
 earliest days when the hardships and perils of life led by the 
 first settlers in the wilderness were patiently borne, during 
 the stormy times of the Revolution, of the War between the 
 States and, lastly, of the response they are giving to the 
 demands of this present-day world conflict. 
 
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