I continued in extreme pain when my mother made a poultice of wet ashes, and applied it to my wounds. This gave me the first ease. On Monday morning by sun-rise Hugh Ewin and Andrew Barry came to see me, and immediately after came several Neutralists, as they called themselves, but were really Tories, to hear the news about the battle, when the following dialogue took place between Ewin and Barry on one part, and the Tories on the other: Is it certain that Col. Ferguson is killed, and his army defeated and taken prisoners?
E. and B. It is certain, for we saw Ferguson after he was dead, and his army prisoners.
Tory. How many men had Col. Ferguson?
E. and B. Nearly 1200, but not quite 1200.
Tory. Where did they get men enough to defeat him?
E. and B. They had the South Carolina and Georgia Refugees, Col. Graham’s men, some from Virginia, some from the head of the Yadkin, some from the head of the Catawba, some from over the mountains, and some from every where else.
Tory. Tell us how it happened, and all about it.
E. and B. We met at Gilbert Town, and found that the foot troops could not overtake Ferguson, and we took between six and seven hundred horsemen, having as many or more footmen to follow; and we overtook Ferguson at King’s Mountain, where we surrounded and defeated him.
Tory. Ah! That won’t do. Between Six and seven hundred to surround nearly 1200. It would take more than 2000 to surround and take Col. Ferguson.
E. and B. But we were all of us blue hen’s chickens.