pectation of some incident
of great importance to himself.

At night Ferguson arrived at the Cowpens, just twenty-four hours in
advance of his enemies. Whilst resting here he received intelligence of
the stout array that had lately assembled at Gilbert-town, and which, he
was now told, were in full pursuit of him. It was, at first, with an
incredulous ear that he heard the report of the numbers of this
suddenly-levied mountain-army. It seemed incredible that such a host
could have been convened in such brief space and with such secret
expedition; and even more unworthy of belief, that they could have been
found in the wild and thinly-peopled regions of the Allegany. His doubt,
however, yielded to his fear, and induced him to accelerate his pace.

His first care was to despatch, on that night, a courier to Cornwallis,
to inform the general of his situation and ask for reinforcements. The
letter which bore this request is still extant, and will show that even
in the difficult juncture in which we have presented the writer of it,
his boastful confidence had not abandoned him.

Before the succeeding dawn he was again in motion, directing his hasty
march towards the Cherokee Ford of Broad river. This point he reached at
sundown. His journey had been pursued, thus far, with unremitting
industry. If his motions had corresponded to his affected disesteem of
his enemy, he would here have halted for rest; but, like one who flies
with the superstitious dread of a goblin follower, the retreating
partisan looked over his shoulder with an unquiet spirit, and made a
sign to his companions still to press forward. They crossed the river at
night, and did not halt again until they had traversed some six or eight
miles beyond the further bank.

The anxiety, suspense, and eager expectation of Butler increased with
these thickening demonstrations of the approach of a period which he
foresaw must be decisive, not only of his own hopes, but, in a great
degree, of the hopes of his country. The retreat of Ferguson towards
King's Mountain, which now lay but a few miles in advance, was a visible
and most striking type of the vanishing power which for a brief
half-year had maintained its domination over the free spirits of the
south, and which had aimed, by a cruel and bloody rule, to extinguish
all that was generous and manly in these afflicted provinces.

Contenting myself with this rapid survey of events which, of themselves,
possess an in