t. Each carried a long rifle, hunting knife, knapsack and blanket. At
King's Mountain (on the border line between North and South Carolina),
this little army overtook and destroyed a British and Tory force under
General Ferguson. Soon after, Lord Cornwallis retreated to South
Carolina again.

The victory at King's Mountain aroused all the patriotism of the
mountain folk. Francis Marion, one of the bravest soldiers of the South,
took the field with a brigade of friends and neighbors. Armed with
knives and rude swords, he, like Sumter, would surprise and capture
British posts and then gallop back to the woods, while the enemy would
be at a loss to know where he came from. The British called him the
"Swamp Fox."

About this time, Colonel William Washington, a kinsman of the General,
with a few horsemen, surprised a body of Tories who had made their
headquarters in a log barn. He put the trunk of a tree on two wagon
wheels, painted it to look like a cannon, and pointed it at the barn.
Then he sent a messenger with a white flag of truce to tell them to
surrender or be blown to pieces. Their leader and one hundred and twelve
men surrendered! They felt very foolish when they saw the cannon and
were laughed at all over the State.

General Gates, broken-hearted over his defeat at Camden, was trying to
gather up his scattered army. To add to his sorrow, he received word
that his only son was dead, and soon after, he was notified that
Congress had given his command to General Greene and ordered an
investigation of his defeat. These troubles were almost more than he
could bear, but his feelings were soothed by a letter from General
Washington, full of tender sympathy and expressions of confidence. The
letter so comforted him that he was found in his room kissing the words.
General Greene was also very considerate, and the proud heart of Gates,
who had wronged both these men, was melted, by their kindness, into
lasting love for them.

General Greene found the army small and discouraged, but he soon
inspired the men with renewed hope. He had with him the famous Virginia
Rifles under General Daniel Morgan, who had served bravely at Quebec and
Saratoga. This division was attacked at Cowpens (S. C.) January 17,
1781, by Tarleton and his large force, but Morgan was so daring and
skillful that he routed the British, who lost 800 of their 1100 men.

Cornwallis tried to attack General Greene, who knew his army was too
small to risk a