School History of North Carolina Part 19

2. Sir William Howe, the British Commander-in-Chief, had twenty- nine thousand trained soldiers available, and when Lord Cornwallis, who had been pursuing the Americans, was halted by him, it was the salvation of the force left with General Was.h.i.+ngton. Had Sir William forborne to stop the pursuit of Cornwallis the struggle might have soon ended in the capture of Was.h.i.+ngton. After a week of delay, Cornwallis was permitted to advance, and even then came up in time to see the last boatloads of the American troops crossing the great river which so effectually stopped all further pursuit.

1777.

3. When General Nash arrived at the American camp, after his long march from the south, he brought six full regiments of North Carolina Continentals, nearly doubling the force upon which the hopes of America mainly depended. By this means General Was.h.i.+ngton was soon after able to confront the advancing enemy in the battle of Brandywine, on September 11th. At this and other engagements the North Carolina troops displayed both courage and discipline.

4. It was on the b.l.o.o.d.y occasion of the attack upon the British force at Germanton, October 4th, that their most glorious record was made. General Was.h.i.+ngton entrusted the post of honor on the extreme right flank of his line of attack to General Francis Nash. The British were driven by the North Carolinians a long distance on the right of the village, but the American divisions which had been sent in on the left failed to dislodge the enemy, and in this way left General Nash's force exposed both on his left and rear.

5. It was a glorious but b.l.o.o.d.y day for North Carolina. The brigade suffered heavy loss in advancing, but greater when compelled to fall back for want of support. General Nash and Colonel Edward Buncombe were mortally wounded. Lieutenant- Colonel Irwin and many other gallant officers were slain upon the field.

1778.

6. At length the British forces were directed again toward the south. On December 29th, General Robert Howe was driven from Savannah by General Prevost, on which occasion the Second Regiment of Continentals was confronted by a regiment of North Carolina Tories under Colonel John Hamilton. Howe and his command were transferred to West Point, on the Hudson River, of which important post he was soon commander, with the rank of Major-General.

1779.

7. After 1778 the courts were fully established, and Judges Ashe, Iredell and Spencer held terms at Wilmington and at five other towns twice a year. Waightstill Avery, as Attorney-General, was busy in trials for treason against the State. There were many men who yet labored to restore the King's authority, and against them was needed all the vigilance possible, both in the courts and at military headquarters.

8. More than three years of the war had pa.s.sed away without serious disaster to North Carolina. No invaders disturbed her borders, and beyond the grief for friends slain in battle, there was cause for grat.i.tude to G.o.d that so few evils of the war had yet visited the State.

9. General Was.h.i.+ngton had evinced such n.o.bility of soul and great military capacity that all American hearts were soon filled with love and admiration. With far-seeing wisdom, he was patiently biding his time to strike his enemies, and in foreign lands other great soldiers were applauding the mingled caution and boldness of his military movements.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were the North Carolina troops at this time? What was the condition of Was.h.i.+ngton's army?

2. How were the Continental troops benefited by an order of Sir William Howe?

3. What battle was fought on September 11th, 1777?

4. On what battle field did the North Carolina troops specially distinguish themselves on October 4th? Relate the circ.u.mstances.

5. How did General Nash and his troops suffer on this occasion?

6. What occurred at Savannah on December 29th, 1778? To what place was General Howe then transferred?

7. When were the courts of North Carolina fully established? Can you tell something of the judicial system in that period?

8. For what had North Carolina cause to be grateful?

9. What is said of General Was.h.i.+ngton?

CHAPTER x.x.x.

STONY POINT AND CHARLESTON.

A. D. 1779 TO 1780.

The capture of Savannah caused uneasiness in all the Southern States. It was seen at once that Georgia was but a starting point in a general scheme of transferring hostilities from the north. Early in 1779, General John Ashe reached Charleston with two or more brigades of militia. These were hurried off, at the importunate demand of the Governor of South Carolina, to attack the British at Augusta.

2. General Ashe remonstrated, saying his men were not yet ready for active service in the field; he obeyed orders, however, and took the field as directed. On his approach the enemy retired down the Savannah River, and Ashe, dividing his force, was so unfortunate as to fall into an ambush on Brier Creek, where his men, who were raw, undisciplined troops, were taken by surprise and routed.

3. A little later, and elsewhere, there was better fortune. At Stony Point, on the Hudson River, a strong American fortification had been recently captured by the British.

General Wayne found that it was garrisoned by six hundred Scotch Highlanders, const.i.tuting one of the regular Royal regiments.

The work was nearly surrounded by the river and by mora.s.ses, and the single approach was so swept by the guns of the work, and also by those of several s.h.i.+ps-of-war lying close by for the purpose of aiding in its defence, that it seemed wellnigh hopeless to attempt its capture.

4. But hopeless as it seemed, General Wayne determined to make the attempt. He drew near at midnight, and with unloaded muskets, and courage that has never been surpa.s.sed, captured the stronghold at the point of the bayonet.

5. Two columns of a.s.sault were sent in on the right and left; but to Major Hardy Murfree's two companies of the Second North Carolina Continental Regiment, as a forlorn hope, was the post of real honor and danger a.s.signed. They charged full in front, up the steep hillside, through several lines of abattis, and in this way received the hottest of the enemy's fire. The capture of the fort was largely due to the gallantry of the North Carolina troops.

1780.

6. Governor Caswell being ineligible for the next term, was succeeded, at the beginning of the year, by Abner Nash as Chief Magistrate of North Carolina. The const.i.tution provided that after three years' service the Executive became ineligible for the next term, and Caswell had served three terms. Governor Nash, like his predecessor, was a man of ability and patriotism, but did not equal him in the versatility of his powers or his consummate skill in the management of men.

7. In February, 1780, all of the North Carolina troops of the Continental Line had been ordered to the south. They were at Charleston with General Lincoln, being besieged there by an overwhelming force under Sir Henry Clinton. In addition to the army, the British commander had come down from New York with a great fleet.

8. The defence was a brave one, but unavailing, and on May 12th General Lincoln was forced to surrender. It was a direful day for North Carolina. All of her regular troops and a full thousand of her militia became prisoners of war. It was a fatal rashness in General Lincoln to allow himself to be cooped up in a city. Thus, while no real benefit resulted to the American cause, or to the State of South Carolina, North Carolina was, at one fell blow, stripped of all her defenders.

9. Sir Henry Clinton sailed back to New York after the capitulation, but he left a man of far superior ability with an army to continue the conquest of South Carolina. This was Lord Cornwallis, who was the bravest and most skillful British soldier then in the world. He was to remain this time long enough to be forever remembered and to take b.l.o.o.d.y vengeance for his inglorious experience with Sir Peter Parker four years before.

10. The first movement of Cornwallis, after capturing Charleston, was to send Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton, with his dragoons, to intercept a column of infantry which was approaching from Virginia, under the command of Colonel Buford.

These were surprised and cut to pieces. Among others, the North Carolina company of Captain John Stokes lost heavily in the sudden and b.l.o.o.d.y attack.

11. This disaster occurred in the Waxhaw settlement, on the State line, not far from Charlotte, in North Carolina. Thus, at a time when everything indicated another invasion, not a single troop of disciplined soldiers was left for the defence of this State, except the two companies of mounted infantry which were commanded by the gallant Major William R. Davie. This little band hovered continually in the neighborhood of the scene of Colonel Buford's defeat.

12. Governor Rutledge, of South Carolina, upon the fall of Charleston, offered to cease fighting the British if they would allow his State to remain neutral for the remainder of the war; but a very different feeling actuated Governor Nash and his people when apprised of the great disaster. If her Continental veterans were all prisoners, there were still brave hearts and deadly rifles left with which to continue the struggle, and North Carolina had no thought of quailing.

QUESTIONS.

1. What was apprehended in North Carolina after the fall of Savannah, and why? Who was put in command of the brigades under General John Ashe? Where were these troops carried?

2. What befell the command on the route?

3. What victory was gained by the Americans on the Hudson River?

Who was in command? Describe the situation of Stony Point.

4. Give an account of the attack on this stronghold?

5. What troops occupied the post of special danger?

How did they perform their duty?

6. Who succeeded Governor Caswell?

Why was Governor Caswell not re-elected?

7. Where were the North Carolina soldiers in 1780?

What enemy was besieging them?