[1131] Lee's Campaign of 1781, App.; R. E. Lee's ed. of Lee's Memoir, p. 613.
[1132] Cf. Lieut. Hatton in Mackenzie's Strictures.
[1133] Pickens to Greene in Johnson's Greene, ii. 135, and Gibbes, Doc. Hist. (1781-82), 91. On the other hand, Browne, the British commander at Augusta, in a letter to Ramsay, dated Dec. 25, 1786 (White's Hist. Coll.), asserts that James Alexander, a captain in Pickens's militia, was the murderer whom Pickens shielded. It would seem that such was the case. See further Johnson's Traditions; McCall's Georgia; Jones's Georgia, ii. 455; Stevens's Georgia, ii. 247; White's Hist. Coll. of Georgia, 210; Lee's Memoirs, ii. 204; and Stedman, American War, ii. 219.
[1134] There is an account of this author's life in Mag. Western History, Jan., 1887.
[1135] He gives portraits of John Sevier, Shelby, Samuel Hammond, Joseph McDowell, and De Peyster; and a view of Ferguson's headquarters. W. E. Foster, in his review of Draper, gives references (N. E. Hist. and Geneal. Reg., Jan., 1882, p. 92).
[1136] See the "report" in Draper, 522; Foote's Western North Carolina, 126; Moore's Diary, ii. 338; and the newspapers of the time. As to the opposing numbers, Ferguson had when attacked from nine to eleven hundred men; the Americans numbered a little over nine hundred. But as to the losses, it is within the truth to say that the British loss was not under seven hundred and fifty in killed, wounded, and prisoners; and it has been given as high as eleven hundred and three in the official report. There is every reason to suppose that this was an overestimate. The killed and wounded on the American side did not exceed one hundred, and may be stated at ninety. This is supposed to have resulted from the fact that the fire of the Tories, being down-hill, was not so effective as the fire of the patriots in the opposite direction. Draper (King's Mountain, 297) has said all that can be said on this subject. There is an account of Campbell in the Mag. of Western Hist., Jan., 1887.
[1137] Draper, 546; Foote's Sketches of Western North Carolina, 264; and Southern Literary Messenger, xi. 552. It forms the basis of the account in Ramsay's Annals of Tennessee, 225. On the whole, this account is very favorable to Shelby.
[1138] Many years before this, a dispute had broken out between the descendants of Campbell and Shelby himself. The portions of the papers which this brought forth, so far as they relate to King's Mountain, are reprinted in Draper, 540. What was in some sort a last word was said by John C. Preston, Campbell's descendant, in his Address delivered at the Celebration of the battle of King's Mountain (printed separately at Yorkville, S. C., 1855).
Charges of cowardice were also made on the British side. In February, 1781, a writer in the Political Magazine accused De Peyster of surrendering too soon; but in the same magazine (iii. 609) are documents vindicating his character. Ferguson's death deprived Cornwallis of a most valuable officer. For Ferguson, see Biographical Sketch or Memoir of Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Ferguson, by Adam Ferguson (Edinburgh, 1817). Cf. also Political Magazine, ii. 60; Mackenzie, Strictures, 63; Foote, Sketches of Virginia, 2d series, 129.
[1139] This was given to Draper by Allaire's grandson, J. De Lancey Robinson, of New Brunswick. The part relating to this campaign is in Draper, 505-515. The British Museum has recently acquired a MS. narrative of one Alexander Chesney, who describes the partisan warfare in Carolina during the Revolution. He was wounded at King's Mountain.—Ed.