Horse-Shoe Robinson: A Tale of the Tory Ascendency

by John Pendleton Kennedy

  CHAPTER LII.

  SIGNS OF A GATHERING STORM.--MUSTER OF THE BACKWOODSMEN.

  In arms the huts and hamlets rise, From winding glen, from upland brown, They poured each hardy tenant down.--LADY OF THE LAKE.

  In gathering up the ends of our story, as we draw towards a conclusion,we are forced, after the fashion of a stirring drama, to a frequentchange of scene. Accordingly, leaving Mildred and her friends to pursuetheir own way until we shall find leisure to look after their footsteps,we must introduce our reader to some new acquaintances, whose motions,it will be seen, are destined greatly to influence the interests of thishistory.

  The time was about the second of October, when a considerable body oftroops were seen marching through that district which is situatedbetween the Allegany mountain and the head waters of Catawba, in NorthCarolina. This force might have numbered perhaps something over onethousand men. Its organization and general aspect were sufficientlystriking to entitle it to a particular description. It consisted almostentirely of cavalry; and a spectator might have seen in the rude,weather-beaten faces, and muscular forms of the soldiers, as well as inthe simplicity of their equipments, a hastily-levied band ofmountaineers, whose ordinary pursuits had been familiar with the arduoustoils of Indian warfare and the active labors of the chase. They were,almost without exception, arrayed in the hunting shirt--a dress so dearto the recollections of the revolution, and which, it is much to beregretted, the foppery of modern times has been allowed to displace.Their weapons in but few instances were other than the long rifle andits accompanying hunting-knife.

  It was to be observed that this little army consisted of various corps,which were in general designated either by the color of thehunting-shirt, or by that of the fringe with which this cheap andsimple uniform was somewhat ostentatiously garnished. Some few were cladin the plain, homespun working-dress of the time; and here and there, anofficer might be recognised in the blue and buff cloth of the regularContinental army. The buck-tail, also, was an almost indispensableornament of the cap, or usual round hat of the soldiers; and where thiswas wanting, its place was not unfrequently supplied by sprigs of greenpine or holly, or other specimens of the common foliage of the country.

  The men were mounted on lean, shaggy, and travel-worn horses of everyvariety of size, shape, and color; and their baggage consisted ofnothing more cumbersome than a light wallet attached to the rear oftheir saddles, or of a meagrely supplied pair of saddle-bags. The smallparty on foot were in no wise to be distinguished from the mounted men,except in the absence of horses, and in the mode of carrying theirbaggage, which was contained in knapsacks of deer-skin strapped to theirshoulders. These moved over the ground with, perhaps, even more facilitythan the cavalry, and appeared in no degree to regret the toil of themarch, which was so far the lighter to them, as they were exempt fromthe solicitude which their companions suffered of providing forage fortheir beasts.

  The officers in command of this party were young men, in whose generaldemeanor and bearing was to be seen that bold, enterprising, and hardycharacter, which at that period, even more than at present,distinguished the frontier population. The frequent expeditions againstthe savages, which the times had rendered familiar to them, as well asthe service of the common war, in which they had all partaken, hadimpressed upon their exteriors the rugged lines of thoughtfulsoldiership.

  The troops now associated, consisted of distinct bodies of volunteers,who had each assembled under their own leaders, without the requisitionof the government, entirely independent of each other, and moreresembling the promiscuous meeting of hunters than a regularly-organizedmilitary corps.

  They had convened, about a week before the period at which I havepresented them to my reader, at Wattauga, on the border of Tennessee, inpursuance of an invitation from Shelby, who was now one of the principalofficers in command. He had himself embodied a force of between two andthree hundred men, in his own district of the mountains; and ColonelCampbell, now also present, had repaired to the rendezvous with fourhundred soldiers from the adjoining county in Virginia. These two hadsoon afterwards formed a junction with Colonels M'Dowell and Sevier, ofNorth Carolina, who had thus augmented the joint force to the numberwhich I have already mentioned as constituting the whole array. They hadmarched slowly and wearily from the mountains into the district ofcountry which lay between the forks of Catawba, somewhere near to thepresent village of Morgantown--and might now be said to be ratherhovering in the neighborhood of Ferguson, then advancing directlytowards him. The force of the British partisan was, as yet, tooformidable for the attack of these allies, and he was still in aposition to make his way in safety to the main army under Cornwallis--atthis time stationed at Charlotte, some seventy or eighty miles distant.It was both to gain increase of force, from certain auxiliaries who wereyet expected to join them, as also, without exciting suspicion of theirpurpose, to attain a position from which Ferguson might more certainlybe cut off from Cornwallis, that the mountain leaders lingered with suchwily delay upon their march.

  Ferguson was all intent upon Clarke--little suspecting the power whichcould summon up, with such incredible alacrity, an army from the woodsfit to dispute his passage through any path of the country; and,profiting by this confidence of the enemy, Shelby and his associateswere preparing, by secret movements, to put themselves in readiness tospring upon their quarry at the most auspicious moment. In accordancewith this plan, Colonel Williams, who yet preserved his encampment onthe Fair Forest, was on the alert to act against the British leader, whostill marched further south--at every step lengthening the distancebetween himself and his commander-in-chief, and so far favoring theviews of his enemy. Shelby and his comrades only tarried until theirnumbers should be complete, designing as speedily as possible after thatto form a junction with Williams, and at once enter upon an open and hotpursuit of their adversary.

  Their uncertainty in regard to the present condition of Clarke addedgreatly to their desire to strike, as early as possible, theirmeditated blow. This officer had, a few weeks before, commenced hisretreat from Augusta through Ninety-Six, with some five hundred men,closely followed by Brown and Cruger, and threatened by the Indiantribes who inhabited the wilderness through which he journeyed. Theperils and hardships of this retreat arose not only from the necessityClarke was under to plunge into the inhospitable and almost unexploredwilderness of the Allegany, by a path which would effectually baffle hispursuers as well as escape the toils of Ferguson; but they werepainfully enhanced by the incumbrance of a troop of women and children,who, having already felt the vengeance of the savages, and fearing itsfurther cruelties, and the scarcely less ruthless hatred of the Tories,preferred to tempt the rigors of the mountain rather than remain intheir own dwellings. It is said that these terrified and helplessfugitives amounted to somewhat above three hundred individuals.

  There were no incidents of the war of independence that more strikinglyillustrated the heroism which grappled with the difficulties of thatstruggle at its gloomiest moment, than the patient and perseveringgallantry of these brave wanderers and their confederates, whom we haveseen lately assembled in arms. History has not yet conferred upon Clarkeand his companions their merited tribute of renown. Some futurechronicler will find in their exploits a captivating theme for his pen,when he tells the tale of their constancy, even in the midst of thenation's despair; until fortune, at length successfully wooed, rewardedtheir vigilance, bravery, and skill, by enabling them to subdue anddestroy the Tory Ascendency in the south.

  The enemy, swarming in all the strong places, elate with recent victory,well provided with the muniments of war, high in hope and proud ofheart, hunted these scattered, destitute, and slender bands, with akeenness of scent, swiftness of foot, and exasperation of temper, thatcan only be compared to the avidity of the bloodhound. This eagerness ofpursuit was, for the present, directed against Clarke; and it is one ofthe most fortunate circumstances that belong to the events I have beenrelating, that this purpose of wayl
aying our gallant partisan socompletely absorbed the attention of Ferguson, as to cause him toneglect the most ordinary precautions for securing himself against thereverses of the war.

  In this state of things, Shelby and his compatriots waited for themoment when they might direct their march immediately to the attack ofthe British soldier--their anxiety stimulated to a painful acuteness bythe apprehension that Clarke might be overpowered by his enemies, orthat Cornwallis might receive information of the gathering bands, andmake a timely movement to reinforce or protect his outpost. It was inthis moment of doubt and concern that we have chosen to present them inthe course of our narrative.

  The troops had halted about the middle of the day, to take somerefreshment. The ground they had chosen for this purpose was a narrowvalley or glen, encompassed by steep hills, between which a transparentrivulet wound its way over a rough, stony bed. The margin of the streamwas clothed with grass of the liveliest verdure, and a natural grove ofhuge forest trees covered the whole level space of the valley. Theseason was the most pleasant of the year, being at that period when, inthe southern highlands, the hoar frost is first seen to sparkle on thespray at early dawn. The noon-tide sun, though not oppressively warm,was still sufficiently fervid to render the shade of the grove, and thecool mountain brook in the deep ravine, no unpleasant objects to weariedtravellers. Here the whole of our little army were scattered through thewood; some intent upon refreshing their steeds in the running water,many seated beneath the trees discussing their own slender means, andnot a few carelessly and idly loitering about the grounds in theenjoyment of the mere exemption from the constraint of discipline. Themarch of the troops on this day had not exceeded ten or twelvemiles:--they might have been said to creep through the woods. Still,however, they had been in motion ever since the dawn of day; and as theymeasured the ground with their slow but ceaseless footfall, there was asilent disquiet and an eagerness of expectation, that were scarcely lessfatiguing than more rapid and laborious operations.

  "Cleveland will certainly join us?" said Shelby, as, in the vacancy ofthe hour, he had fallen into company with his brother officers, who werenow assembled on the margin of the brook. "It is time he were here. I amsick of this slow work. If we do not make our leap within the next twoor three days, the game is lost."

  "Keep your temper, Isaac," replied Campbell, who, being somewhat olderthan his comrade, assumed the freedom indicated in this reply, and nowlaughed as he admonished the fretful soldier. "Keep your temper!Williams is below, and on the look-out; and most usefully employed inenticing Ferguson as far out of reach of my lord Buzzard, there atCharlotte, as we could wish him. Ben Cleveland will be with us all ingood time: take my word for that. You forget that he had to muster hislads from Wilkes and Surry both."

  "And Brandon and Lacy are yet to join us," said M'Dowell.

  "Damn it, they should be here, man!" interrupted Shelby again; "I hatethis creaking of my boots upon the soft grass, as if we had come to fishfor gudgeons. I am for greasing our horses' heels and putting them toservice."

  "You were always a hot-headed devil," interrupted Campbell again, "andhave wasted more shoe-leather than discretion in this world, by at leastten to one. You are huntsman enough to know, Isaac, that it is sometimeswell to steal round the game to get the wind of them. Your headlonghaste would only do us harm."

  "You!" rejoined Shelby, with a laugh, excited by Campbell's face of goodhumor. "Verily, you are a pattern of sobriety and moderation yourself,to be preaching caution to us youngsters! All wisdom, forecast, anddiscretion, I suppose, have taken up their quarters in your wiry-hairednoddle! How in the devil it came to pass, William, that yonder green andgrey shirts should have trusted themselves with such a piece of prudenceat their head, is more than I can guess."

  At this moment a soldier pressed forward into the circle of officers:

  "A letter for Colonel Shelby," he said, "brought by a trooper fromCleveland."

  "Ah, ha! This looks well," exclaimed Shelby, as he ran his eyes over thelines. "Cleveland is but ten miles behind, and desires us to wait hiscoming."

  "With how many men?" asked one of the party.

  "The rogue has forgotten to tell. I'll warrant, with all he couldfind."

  "With a good party, no doubt," interrupted Sevier. "I know the Whigs ofWilkes and Surry will not be backward."

  "From this despatch, gentlemen, I suppose we shall rest here for thenight--what say you?" was the interrogatory proposed to the group byShelby.

  The proposition was agreed to, and the several officers repaired totheir commands. As soon as this order was communicated to the troops,everything assumed the bustle incident to the preparation of a temporarycamp. Fires were kindled, the horses tethered, guards detailed, andshelters erected of green wood cut from the surrounding forest. Inaddition to this, a few cattle had been slaughtered from a small herdthat had been driven in the rear of the march; and long before nightcame on, the scene presented a tolerably comfortable bivouac oflight-hearted, laughing woodsmen, whose familiar habits at home hadseasoned them to this forest-life, and gave to their present enterprisesomething of the zest of a pastime.

  In the first intervals of leisure, parties were seen setting out intothe neighboring hills in pursuit of game; and when the hour of theevening meal arrived, good store of fat bucks and wild turkeys were notwanting to flavor a repast, to which a sauce better than the wit of manever invented, was brought by every lusty feeder of the camp.

  At sundown, a long line of woodland cavalry, in all respects armed andequipped in the same fashion with those who already occupied the valley,were seen winding down the rugged road which led from the high groundsto the camp. At the first intimation of the approach of this body, thetroops below were ordered out on parade, and the new-comers werereceived with all the military demonstrations of respect and joy usualat the meeting of friendly bodies of soldiers. Some dozen horns of theharshest tones, and with the most ear-piercing discord, kept up anincessant braying, until the alarmed echoes were startled from athousand points amongst the hills. In spite of the commands of officers,straggling shots of salutation were fired, and loud greetings ofindividual acquaintances were exchanged from either ranks, as theapproaching body filed across the whole front of the drawn-up line. Whenthis ceremony was over, Colonel Cleveland rode up to the little groupof officers who awaited his report, and, after a long and heartywelcome, announced his command to consist of three hundred and fiftystout hearts, ready and tried friends to the issues of the war.

  The force of the confederates, by this accession, now amounted to aboutfourteen hundred men. It became necessary, at this juncture, to give tothese separate bands a more compact character, and with that view it wasindispensable that the command of the whole should be committed to oneof the present leaders. In the difficulty and delicacy of selecting anindividual for this duty, the common opinion inclined to the proprietyof submitting the appointment to General Gates. A messenger wasaccordingly despatched on that night, to repair to the Americanhead-quarters at Hillsborough, to present this subject to the attentionof the General. In the meantime, Shelby, whose claim, perhaps, to thehonor of leading the expedition was most worthy of consideration, withthat patriotic and noble postponement of self which occurs so frequentlyin the history of the men of the Revolution, himself suggested theexpediency of conferring the command upon his friend Campbell, until thepleasure of Gates should be known. The suggestion was heartily adopted,and Colonel William Campbell was accordingly, from this moment, thechosen leader of our gallant and efficient little army.

  On the following day the troops were in motion at an earlyhour--designing to advance, with a steady pace, towards Gilbert-town,and thence on the track of the enemy across the border into SouthCarolina. In the course of the forenoon, the vanguard were met by asmall body of horsemen, whose travel-worn plight and haggard aspectsshowed that they had lately been engaged in severe service. They werenow in quest of the very party whom they had thus fortunatelyencountered upon the march; and i
t was with a lively demonstration ofjoy that they now rode with the officer of the guard into the presenceof Campbell and his staff. Their report announced them to be MajorChandler and Captain Johnson, of Clarke's party, who, with thirtyfollowers, had been despatched from the western side of the Allegany, toannounce to the confederated troops the complete success of thatofficer's endeavor to reach the settlements on the Nolachuckie andWattauga rivers. Their tidings were immediately communicated to thearmy; and the deep and earnest interest which officers and men took inthis agreeable intelligence, was evinced in a spontaneous acclamationand cheering from one extremity of the column to the other. Themessengers proceeded to narrate the particulars of their late hazardousexpedition, and fully confirmed the most painful anticipations which thelisteners had previously entertained of the difficulties, toils, andsufferings incident to the enterprise. Clarke's soldiers, they furtherreported, were too much disabled to be in condition immediately torecross the mountain and unite in the present movement against Ferguson;but that, as soon as they should find themselves recruited by needfulrest, they would lose no time in repairing to the scene of action.

  Towards sunset of the succeeding day, our sturdy adventurers enteredGilbert-town. This post had been abandoned by Ferguson, and was now inthe occupation of the two staunch Whig leaders, Brandon and Lacy, at thehead of about three hundred men, who had repaired thither from theadjacent mountains of Rutherford, to await the arrival of Campbell andhis friends. It was manifest that affairs were rapidly tending towards acrisis. Ferguson had hitherto appeared indifferent to the dangers thatthreatened him and his movements indicated either a fatal contempt forhis adversary, or an ignorance of the extent of his embarrassments--eachequally discreditable to the high renown which has been attributed tohim for careful and bold soldiership.