The Project Gutenberg eBook, Sketches of Western North Carolina,
Historical and Biographical, by C. L. Hunter
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Title: Sketches of Western North Carolina, Historical and Biographical
Author: C. L. Hunter
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***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SKETCHES OF WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA, HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL***
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SKETCHES OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL
Illustrating Principally the Revolutionary Period of Mecklenburg,
Rowan, Lincoln and Adjoining Counties, Accompanied with Miscellaneous
Information, Much of It Never before Published
By
C. L. HUNTER
1877
DEDICATION.
TO THE DESCENDANTS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY PATRIOTS OF NORTH CAROLINA,
WHETHER NOW ABIDING WITHIN HER BORDERS AND SHARING HER PROSPERITIES
AND ADVERSITIES, OR SCATTERED ABROAD IN OTHER STATES OF THE AMERICAN
UNION, BUT WHO STILL CHERISH A LASTING VENERATION FOR THE MEMORIES OF
THEIR HEROIC FOREFATHERS; AND TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE STATE GENERALLY,
WHO WOULD DRAW LESSONS OF WISDOM, PATRIOTISM AND ENDURANCE
FROM THE EXAMPLES HEREIN DESCRIBED, THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY
DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
History has been defined, "Philosophy teaching by example." There is
no branch of literature in a republic like ours, that can be
cultivated with more advantage to the general reader than history.
From the infinite variety of aspects in which it presents the dealings
of Providence in the affairs of nations, and from the immense number
of characters and incidents which it brings into view, it becomes a
source of continuous interest and enjoyment.
The American Revolution is undoubtedly the most interesting event in
the pages of modern history. Changes equally great and convulsions
equally violent have often taken place in the Old World; and the
records of former times inform us of many instances of oppression,
which, urged beyond endurance, called forth the spirit of successful
resistance. But in the study of the event before us--the story of the
Revolution--we behold feeble colonies, almost without an army--without
a navy--without an established government--without a good supply of
the munitions of war, firmly and unitedly asserting their rights, and,
in their defence, stepping forth to meet in hostile array, the veteran
troops of a proud and powerful nation. We behold too, these colonies,
amidst want, poverty and misfortunes, animated with the spirit of
liberty and fortified by the rectitude of their cause, sustaining for
nearly eight years, the weight of a cruel conflict upon their own
soil. At length we behold them victorious; their enemies sullenly
retiring from their shores, and these feeble colonies enrolled on the
page of history as a _free, sovereign and independent nation_.
The American struggle for freedom, and its final achievement, was an
act in the great drama of the world's history of such vast magnitude,
and fraught with such momentous consequences upon the destinies of
civilization throughout the world, that we can scarcely ever tire in
contemplating the instrumentalities by which, under Divine guidance,
it was effected. It has taught mankind that oppression and misrule,
under any government, tends to weaken and ultimately destroy the power
of the oppressor; and that a people united in the cause of freedom and
their inalienable rights, are invincible by those who would enslave
them.
No State in our Union can present a greater display of exalted
patriotism, enduring constancy and persistent bravery than North
Carolina. And yet, how many of our own people do we find who know but
little of the early history of the State, her stern opposition to
tyranny under every form, and her illustrious Revolutionary career.
On the shores of North Carolina the first settlement of English
colonists was made; within her borders the most formidable opposition
to British authority, anterior to the Revolution, was organized; by
her people the _first declaration_ of independence was proclaimed, and
some of the most brilliant achievements took place upon her own soil.
For several years, at intervals, the author has devoted a portion of
his time and attention to the collection of historical facts relating
principally to Western North Carolina, and bordering territory of
South Carolina, to whom, as a sister State, and having a community of
interests, North Carolina frequently afforded relief in her hour of
greatest need.
Such materials, procured at this late day--upon the arrival of our
National Centennial year, are often imperfect and fragmentary in
character--merely scattered facts and incidents gathered here and
there from the traditional recollections of our oldest inhabitants, or
from the musty records of our State and county offices; and yet, it is
believed such facts, when truthfully transmitted to us, are worthy of
preservation and rescue from the gulf of oblivion, which unfortunately
conceals from our view much valuable information.
Being the son of a Revolutionary patriot, and accustomed in his
boyhood to listen with enraptured delight to the narration of
thrilling battle-scenes, daring adventures, narrow escapes and feats
of personal prowess during the Revolution, all tending to make
indelible impressions upon the tablet of memory, the author feels a
willingness to "contribute his mite" to the store of accumulated
materials relating to North Carolina, now waiting to be moulded into
finished, historic shape by some one of her gifted sons.
Several of the sketches herein presented are original, and have never
before been published. Others, somewhat condensed, have been taken
from Wheeler's "Historical Sketches," when falling within the scope of
this work. To the venerable author of that compilation, the author
also acknowledges his indebtedness for valuable information furnished
from time to time from the "Pension Bureau" at Washington City,
relating to the military services of several of our Revolutionary
patriots.
The author and compiler of these sketches only aspires to the position
of a historian in a limited sense. It cannot be denied that the
history of our good old State, modest in her pretensions, but filled
with grand, patriotic associations, has never been fully written.
Acting under this belief, he feels tempted to say, like Ruth following
the reapers in the time of Boaz, he has "gleaned in the field until
even," and having found a few "handfuls" of _neglected_ grain, and
beaten them out, here presents his "ephah of barley"--plain,
substantial food it is true, but yet may be made useful _mentally_ to
the present generation, as it was _physically_ of old, to the
inhabitants of Palestine.
In conclusion, the author cherishes the hope that other sons, and
daughters too, of North Carolina--some of them forming with himself,
_connecting links of the past with the present_--will also become
_gleaners_ in the same field of research, abounding yet with scattered
grains of neglected and unwritten history worthy of preservation.
If the author's efforts in this direction shall impart additional
information, and assist in elucidating "liberty's story" in the Old
North State, his highest aspirations will be gratified, and his
agreeable labors amply rewarded.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
ORIGINAL SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
CHAPTER I.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence--A brief account of the
Mecklenburg Centennial--The Grand Procession--Exercises at the Fair
Grounds--James Belk, A Veteran Invited Guest--Signers of the
Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence--Origin of the Alexander
Families of Mecklenburg county--Jack Family--Captain Charles Polk's
"Muster Roll,"--President James K. Polk--General William Davidson,
General George Graham--William Richardson Davie--Battle of the Hanging
Rock--General Michael McLeary--Major Thomas Alexander--Captain William
Alexander--Elijah Alexander--Captain Charles Alexander--Joseph Kerr,
"The Cripple Spy"--Robert Kerr--Henry Hunter--James Orr--Skirmish at
Charlotte; or, First attack of the "Hornets"--Surprise at McIntire's,
or, the "Hornets" at work--Judge Samuel Lowrie--The Ladies of the
Revolutionary Period--Mrs. Eleanor Wilson--Queen's Museum.
CHAPTER II.
CABARRUS COUNTY
The "Black Boys" of Cabarrus--Dr. Charles Harris--Captain Thomas
Caldwell.
CHAPTER III.
ROWAN COUNTY
Route of the British Army through Mecklenburg and Rowan Counties--
General Griffith Rutherford--Locke Family--Hon. Archibald Henderson--
Richard Pearson--Mrs Elizabeth Steele.
CHAPTER IV.
IREDELL COUNTY
Col. Alexander Osborn--Captain William Sharpe--Major William Gill--
Captain Andrew Carson, and others--Captain Alexander Davidson--Captain
James Houston--Captain James Houston's Muster Roll--Rev. James Hall--
Hon. Hugh Lawson White.
CHAPTER V.
LINCOLN COUNTY
Battle of Ramseur's Mill--Route of the British Army through Lincoln
county--Gen. Joseph Graham--Brevard Family--Col. James Johnston--
Genealogy of Col. James Johnston--Jacob Forney, Sr.--Gen. Peter
Forney--Major Abram Forney--Remarks--Genealogy of the Forney Family.
CHAPTER VI.
GASTON COUNTY
Rev. Humphrey Hunter--Dr. William McLean--Major William Chronicle--
Captain Samuel Martin--Captain Samuel Caldwell--Captain John Mattocks--
William Rankin--General John Moore--Elisha Withers.
CHAPTER VII.
CLEAVELAND COUNTY
Battle of King's Mountain--Colonel William Campbell--Colonel Isaac
Shelby--Colonel James D. Williams--Colonel William Graham--
Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Hambrigh.
CHAPTER VIII.
BURKE COUNTY
Battle of the Cowpens--General Daniel Morgan--General Charles McDowell
and Brothers.
CHAPTER IX.
WILKES COUNTY
Colonel Benjamin Cleaveland--Colonel John Sevier--General William
Lenoir.
CHAPTER X.
MISCELLANEOUS
Lord Cornwallis--Colonel Tarleton--Cherokee Indians--Conclusion.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE.
DATE EVENTS.
1492 October 12, Columbus discovered America.
1584 July 4, Amadas and Barlow approach the coast of North
Carolina.
1663 Charter of Charles II, William Drummond, first
Governor of North Carolina.
1678 John Culpeper's Rebellion.
1693 Carolina divided into North and South Carolina.
1705 First Church erected in North Carolina.
1705 First Newspaper published in the United States.
1710 Carey's Rebellion.
1729 Charter of Charles II, surrendered.
1765 Stamp Act passed.
1771 May 16, Battle of Alamance.
1774 August 25, Popular Assembly at Newbern.
1775 May 20 Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
1775 June, General Washington commander-in-chief.
1775 June 17, Battle of Bunker's Hill.
1775 August, Josiah Martin, Royal Governor, retreated.
1775 December 9, Battle of Great Bridge, near Norfolk, Va.
1776 February 27, Battle of Moore's Creek, N.C.
1776 August 27, Battle of Long Island.
1776 December 12, Constitution of North Carolina formed at Halifax.
1776 December 26, Battle of Trenton.
1776 Aug. & Sept., General Rutherford subdues the Cherokees.
1777 January 3, Battle of Princeton.
1777 September 11, Battle of Brandywine.
1777 October 4, Battle of Germantown.
1777 October 7, Battle of Saratoga.
1778 June 28, Battle of Monmouth
1779 March 3, Ashe defeated at Brier Creek.
1779 June 2 Battle of Stono, near Charleston.
1780 May 17 Surrender of Charleston.
1780 June 21, Battle of Ramsour's Mill.
1780 August 7, Battle of the Hanging Rock.
1780 August 16, Gates defeated at Camden.
1780 October 7, Battle of King's Mountain.
1781 January 17, Battle of the Cowpens.
1781 March 15, Battle of Guilford Court House.
1781 September 8, Battle of Eutaw.
1781 October 19, Battle of Yorktown.
1783 January 20, Treaty of peace at Versailles.
1783 September 3, England recognizes the Independence of the United
States.
1787 May, Constitution of the United States formed.
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
ORIGINAL SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA AND CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
North Carolina, in the days of her colonial existence, was the asylum
and the refuge of the poor and the oppressed of all nations. In her
borders the emigrant, the fugitive, and the exile found a home and
safe retreat. Whatever may have been the impelling cause of their
emigration--whether political servitude, religious persecution, or
poverty of means, with the hope of improving their condition, the
descendants of these enterprising, suffering, yet prospered people,
have just reason to bless the kind Providence that guided their
fathers, in their wanderings, to such a place of comparative rest.
On the sandy banks of North Carolina the flag of England was first
displayed in the United States. Roanoke Island, between Pamlico and
Albemarle Sounds, afforded the landing place to the first expedition
sent out under the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584. "The
fragrance, as they drew near the land, says Amadas in his report, was
as if they had been in the midst of some delicate garden, abounding in
all manner of odoriferous flowers." Such, no doubt, it seemed to them
during the first summer of their residence in 1584; and,
notwithstanding the disastrous termination of that, and several
succeeding expeditions, the same maritime section of North Carolina
has presented its peculiar features of attractiveness to many
generations which have since arisen there, and passed away. In the
same report, we have the first notice of the celebrated Scuppernong
grape, yielding its most abundant crops under the saline atmospheric
influence, and semi-tropical climate of eastern Carolina.
From the glowing description of the country, in its primitive
abundance, transmitted to Elizabeth and her court, they gave it the
name _Virginia_, being discovered in the reign of a _virgin Queen_.
But having failed in this and several other attempts of a similar
kind, Sir Walter Raleigh surrendered his patent, and nothing more was
done in colonizing Virginia during the remainder of that century.
In 1607, the first permanent settlement was made by the English at
Jamestown, Va., under the charter of the London or Southern Company.
This charter contained none of the elements of popular liberty, not
one elective franchise, nor one of the rights of self-government; but
religion was especially enjoined to be established according to the
rites and doctrine of the Church of England. The infant colony
suffered greatly for several years from threatened famine,
dissensions, and fear of the Indians, but through the energy and
firmness of Capt John Smith, was enabled to maintain its ground, and
in time, show evident signs of prosperity. The jealousy of arbitrary
power, and impatience of liberty among the new settlers, induced Lord
Delaware, Governor of Virginia in 1619, to reinstate them in the full
possession of the rights of Englishmen; and he accordingly convoked a
Provincial Assembly, the _first_ ever held in America. The
deliberations and laws of this infant Legislature were transmitted to
England for approval, and so wise and judicious were these, that the
company under whose auspices they were acting, soon after confirmed
and ratified the groundwork of what gradually ripened into the
_American representative system_. The guarantee of political rights
led to a rapid colonization. Men were now willing to regard Virginia
as their home. "They fell to building houses and planting corn." Women
were induced to leave the parent country to become the wives of
adventurous planters; and during the space of three years thirty-five
hundred persons of both sexes, found their way to Virginia. By various
modifications of their charter, the colonists, in a few years,
obtained nearly all the civil rights and privileges which they could
claim as British subjects; but the church of England was "coeval with
the settlement of Jamestown, and seems to have been considered from
the beginning as the established religion." At what time settlements
were first permanently made within the present limits of North
Carolina, has not been clearly ascertained. In 1622, the Secretary of
the colony of Virginia traveled overland to Chowan River, and
described, in glowing terms, the fertility of the soil, the salubrity
of the climate, and the kindness of the natives. In 1643, a company
obtained permission of the Virginia Legislature to prosecute
discoveries on the great river South of the Appomatox of which they
had heard, under a monopoly of the profits for fourteen years, but
with what measure of success has not been recorded. These early
exploring parties to the South, bringing back favorable reports of the
fertile lands of the Chowan and the Roanoke could not fail to excite
in the colony of Jamestown a spirit of emigration, many of whose
members were already suffering under the baneful effects of intolerant
legislation. In 1643, during the administration of Sir William
Berkeley, it was specially "ordered that no minister should preach or
teach, publicly or privately, except in conformity to the
constitutions of the church of England, and non-conformists were
banished from the colony."[A] It is natural to suppose that
individuals as well as families, who were fond of a roaming life, or
who disliked the religious persecution to which they were subjected,
would descend the banks of these streams until they found on the soil
of Carolina suitable locations for peaceable settlements.
In 1653, Roger Green led a company across the wilderness from
Nansemond, in Virginia, to the Chowan River, and settled near Edenton.
There they prospered, and others, influenced by similar motives, soon
afterward followed. In 1662, George Durant purchased of the Yeopim
Indians the neck of land, on the North-side of Albemarle Sound, which
still bears his name. It was settled by persons driven off from
Virginia through religious persecutions. In 1663, King Charles II,
granted to the Earl of Clarendon and seven other associates, the whole
of the region from the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude to the
river San Matheo, (now the St. John's) in Florida; and extending
westwardly, like all of that monarch's charters, to the Pacific Ocean.
At the date of this charter, (1663,) Sir William Berkeley, Governor of
Virginia, visited the infant settlement on the Chowan, and being
pleased with its evident signs of prosperity, and increasing
importance, appointed William Drummond the _first Governor_ of the
Colony of Carolina. Drummond was a Scotch Presbyterian, and,
inheriting the national characteristics of that people, was prudent,
cautious, and deeply impressed with the love of liberty. Such were the
pioneer settlements, and such was the first Governor of North
Carolina. The beautiful lake in the centre of the Dismal Swamp, noted
for its healthy water, and abundantly laid in by sea-going vessels,
perpetuates his name.
In 1665, it being discovered that the "County of Albemarle," as the
settlement on the Chowan was called, was not in the limits of the
Carolina charter, but in Virginia, King Charles, on petition, granted
an enlargement of that instrument so as to make it extend from
twenty-nine degrees to thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes, north
latitude. These charters were liberal in the concession of civil
rights, and the proprietors were permitted to exercise toleration
towards non-conformists, if it should be deemed expedient. Great
encouragement was held forth to immigrants from abroad, and
settlements steadily increased. They were allowed to form a
representative government, with certain limitations; and thus a degree
of popular freedom was conceded, which it seems, was not intended to
be permanent, but it could _never be recalled_; and had an important
influence in producing the results which we now enjoy. As the people
were chiefly refugees from religious oppression, they had no claims on
government, nor did they wish to draw its attention. They regarded the
Indians as the true lords of the soil; treated with them in that
capacity; purchased their lands, and obtained their grants. At the
death of Governor Drummond in 1667, the colony of Carolina contained
about four thousand inhabitants.
The first assembly that made laws for Carolina convened in the Fall of
1669. "Here," says Bancroft, "was a colony of men scattered among
forests, hermits with wives and children resting on the bosom of
nature, in perfect harmony with the wilderness of their gentle clime.
The planters of Albemarle were men led to the choice of their
residence from a hatred of restraint. Are there any who doubt man's
capacity for self-government? Let them study the history of North
Carolina. Its inhabitants were restless and turbulent in their
imperfect submission to a government imposed from abroad; the
administration of the colony was firm, humane, and tranquil when they
were left to take care of themselves. Any government but one of their
own institution was oppressive. North Carolina was settled by the
freest of the free. The settlers were gentle in their tempers, of
serene minds, enemies to violence and bloodshed. Not all the
successive revolutions had kindled vindictive passions; freedom,
entire freedom was enjoyed without anxiety as without guarantees. The
charities of life were scattered at their feet like the flowers of
their meadows."[B] No freer country was ever organized by man. Freedom
of conscience, exemption from taxation, except by their own consent;
gratuities in land to every emigrant, and other wholesome regulations
claimed the prompt legislative action of the infant colony. "These
simple laws suited a simple people, who were as free as the air of
their mountains; and when oppressed, were as rough as the billows of
the ocean."[C]
In 1707, a company of Huguenots, as the French Protestants were
called, settled on the Trent. In 1709, the Lords Proprietors granted
to Baron de Graffenreidt ten thousand acres of land on the Neuse and
Cape Fear rivers for colonizing purposes. In a short time afterward, a
great number of Palatines (Germans) and fifteen hundred Swiss followed
the Baron, and settled at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse.
The town was called New Berne, after Berne, in Switzerland, the
birth-place of Graffenreidt. This was the first important introduction
into Eastern Carolina of a most excellent class of liberty-loving
people, whose descendants wherever their lots were cast, in our
country, gave illustrious proof of their valor and patriotism during
the Revolutionary war.
In 1729, the Lords Proprietors (except Lord Granville) surrendered the
government of the province, with all the franchises under the charter
of Charles II, and their property in the soil, to the crown for a
valuable consideration. The population at that time did not exceed ten
thousand inhabitants. George Burrington. Governor of the province
under the Lords Proprietors, was re-appointed to the same office by
the King. In February, 1731, he thus officially writes to the Duke of
New Castle. "The inhabitants of North Carolina are not industrious,
but subtle and crafty to admiration; always behaved insolently to
their Governors; some of them they have imprisoned; drove others out
of the country; and at other times have set up a governor of their own
choice, supported by men under arms. These people are neither to be
cajoled nor outwitted. Whenever any governor attempts to effect
anything by these means, he will lose his labor, and show his
ignorance." Lord Granville's part of the colony of North Carolina
(one-eighth) was not laid off to him, adjoining Virginia, until 1743.
At that date, a strong tide of emigration was taking place from the
Chowan and Roanoke, the pioneer attractive points of the colony, as
well as from abroad, to the great interior, and Western territory, now
becoming dotted with numerous habitations. The Tuscarora Indians, the
terrible scourge of Eastern Carolina, having been subdued, and entered
into a treaty of peace and friendship in 1718, no serious obstacle
interposed to prevent a Western extension of settlements. Already
adventurous individuals, and even families of hardy pioneers had
extended their migrations to the Eastern base of the "Blue Ridge," and
selected locations on the head-waters of the Yadkin and Catawba
rivers. In 1734, Gabriel Johnston was appointed Governor of North
Carolina. He was a Scotchman by birth, a man of letters and of liberal
views. He was by profession a physician, and held the appointment of
Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of Saint Andrews.
His addresses to the Legislature show that he fully appreciated the
lamentable condition of the colony through the imprudence and vicious
conduct of his predecessor (Burrington) and his earnest desire to
promote the welfare of the people. Under his prudent administration,
the province increased in population, wealth and happiness. At the
time of its purchase by the crown, its population did not exceed
thirteen thousand; it was now upwards of forty five thousand.
In 1754, Arthur Dobbs was appointed Governor by the crown. His
administration of ten years presented a continued contest between
himself and the Legislature on matters frivolous and unimportant. His
high-toned temper for royal prerogatives was sternly met by the
indomitable resistance of the colonists. The people were also much
oppressed by Lord Granville's agents, one of whom (Corbin) was seized
and brought to Enfield, where he was compelled to give bond and
security, produce his books, and disgorge his illegal fees. But
notwithstanding these internal commotions and unjust exactions, always
met by the active resistance of the people, the colony continued to
increase in power, and spread abroad its arms of _native inherent
protection_. During the entire administrations of Governors Johnston
and Dobbs, commencing in 1734 and ending in 1765, a strong tide of
emigration was setting into North Carolina from two opposite
directions. While one current from Pennsylvania passed down through
Virginia, forming settlements in its course, another current met it
from the South, and spread itself over the inviting lands and
expansive domain of the Carolinas and Georgia. Near the close of
Governor Johnston's administration (1750) numerous settlements had
been made on the beautiful plateau of country between the Yadkin and
Catawba rivers. At this time, the Cherokee Indians, the most powerful
of the Western tribes, still claimed the territory, as rightful "lords
of the soil," and were committing numerous depredations and occasional
murders. In 1756, Fort Dobbs about twenty miles West of Salisbury, was
built for the protection of the small neighborhood of farmers and
grazers around it. Even the thriving colony of "Albemarle county" on
the seaboard now felt its growing importance was beginning to call for
"more room," and seek new possessions in the interior, thus
unconsciously fulfilling the truth of the poet's prediction, "Westward
the course of empire takes its way."
On the 3d of April, 1765, William Tryon qualified as Commander
in-chief, and Captain-General of the Province of North Carolina. The
administration of Governor Tryon embraces an important period in the
history of the State. He was a soldier by profession, and being
trained to arms, looked upon the sword as the true scepter of
government. "He knew when to flatter, and when to threaten. He knew
when 'discretion was the better part of valor,' and when to use such
force and cruelty as achieved for him from the Cherokee Indians, the
bloody title of the 'Great Wolf of North Carolina.' He could use
courtesy towards the Assembly when he desired large appropriations for
his magnificent palace; and knew how to bring to bear the
blandishments of the female society of his family, and all the
appliances of generous hospitality."[D] Governor Tryon first met the
Assembly in the town of Wilmington on the 3d of May 1765. "In his
address, he opposed all religious intolerance, and, although he
recommended provision for the clergy out of the public treasury, yet
he advised the members of the Church of England of the folly of
attempting to establish it by legal enactment. Under such
recommendations, a law was passed legalizing the marriages (which
before were denounced as illegal) performed by Presbyterian ministers,
and authorizing them and other dissenting clergymen to perform that
rite."[E]
On the 22nd of March, 1765, the Stamp Act was passed. This act
produced great excitement throughout the whole country, and no where
was it more violently denounced than in North Carolina. The
Legislature was then in session, and so intense and wide-spread was
the opposition to this odious measure, that Governor Tryon,
apprehending the passage of denunciatory resolutions, prorogued that
body after a session of fifteen days. The speaker of the House, John
Ashe, informed Governor Tryon that this law "would be resisted to
blood and death."
Early in the year 1766, the sloop-of-war, Diligence, arrived in the
Cape Fear River, having on board stamp paper for the use of the
province. The first appearance and approach of the vessel had been
closely watched, and when it anchored before the town of Brunswick, on
the Cape Fear, Col. John Ashe, of the county of New Hanover, and Col.
Hugh Waddell, of the county of Brunswick, marched at the head of the
brave sons of these counties to Brunswick, and notified the captain of
their determination to resist the landing of the stamps. They seized
one of the boats of the sloop, hoisted it on a cart, fixed a mast in
her, mounted a flag, and marched in triumph to Wilmington. The
inhabitants all joined in the procession, and at night the town was
illuminated. On the next day, Col. Ashe, at the head of a great
concourse of people, proceeded to the Governor's house and demanded of
him to desist from all attempts to execute the Stamp Act, and to
produce to them James Houston, a member of the Council, who had been
appointed Stamp Master for the Province. The Governor at first refused
to comply with a demand so sternly made. But the haughty
representative of kingly power had to yield before the power of an
incensed people, who began to make preparations to set fire to his
house. The Governor then reluctantly produced Houston, who was seized
by the people, carried to the market house, and there compelled to
take a solemn oath never to perform the duties of his office. After
this he was released and conducted by a delighted crowd, to the
Governor's Palace. The people gave three cheers and quietly dispersed.
Here we have recorded an act far more daring in its performance than
that of the famous Tea Party of Boston, which has been celebrated by
every writer of our national history, and
"Pealed and chimed on every tongue of fame."
It is an act of the sons of the "Old North State," not committed on
the crew of a vessel, so disguised as to escape identity; but on
royalty itself, occupying a palace, and in open day, by men of well
known person and reputation.
Another event of great historic importance occurred during the
administration of Governor Tryon. On the 16th of May, 1771, the battle
of Alamance was fought. It is here deemed unnecessary to enter into a
detail of the circumstances leading to this unfortunate conflict.
Suffice it to say the Regulators, as they were called, suffered
greatly by heavy exactions, by way of taxes, from the Governor to the
lowest subordinate officer. They rose to arms--were beaten, but theirs
was the _first blood shed_ for freedom in the American colonies. Many
true patriots, who did not comprehend the magnitude of their
grievances, fought against them. But the principles of right and
justice for which they contended could never die. In less than four
years, all the Colonies were found battling for the same principles,
and borne along in the rushing tide of revolution! The men on the
seaboard of Carolina, with Cols. Ashe and Waddell at their head, had
nobly opposed the Stamp Act in 1765, and prevented its execution; and
in their patriotic movements the people of Orange sustained them, and
called them the "Sons of Liberty." Col. Ashe, in 1766, had led the
excited populace in Wilmington, against the wishes and even the
hospitality of the governor. The assembled patriots had thrown the
Governor's roasted ox, provided for a barbecue feast, untasted, into
the river. Now, these patriotic leaders are found marching with this
very Governor to subdue the _disciples of liberty_ in the west. The
eastern men looked for evils from across the waters, and were prepared
to resist oppression on their shores before it should reach the soil
of their State. The western men were seeking redress for grievances
that oppressed them at home, under the misrule of the officers of the
province, evils scarcely known in the eastern counties, and
misunderstood when reported there. Had Ashe, and Waddell, and Caswell
understood all the circumstances of the case, they would have acted
like Thomas Person, of Granville. and favored the distressed, even
though they might have felt under obligations to maintain the peace of
the province, and due subordination to the laws. Herman Husbands, the
head of the Regulators, has been denounced by a late writer, as a
"turbulent and seditious character." If such he was, then John Ashe
and Hugh Waddell, for opposing the stamp law, were equally turbulent
and seditious. Time, that unerring test of principles and truth, has
proved that the spirit of liberty which animated the Regulators, was
the true spirit which subsequently led to our freedom from foreign
oppression.
On the 24th of May, Tryon, after committing acts of revenge, cruelty
and barbarity succeeding the Alamance battle, returned to his palace
at Newbern, and on the 30th took shipping for New York, over which
State he had been appointed Governor. Josiah Martin was appointed by
the crown, Tryon's successor as Governor of North Carolina. He met the
Legislature, for the first time, in the town of Newbern, in November,
1771. Had he lived in less troublesome times, his administration might
have been peaceful and prosperous. Governor Martin had the misfortune
to differ very soon with the lower House of the Assembly; and during
the whole of his administration, these difficulties continued and grew
in magnitude, helping, at last, to accelerate the downfall of the
royal government. In this Assembly we find the names of a host of
distinguished patriots, as John Ashe, Cornelius Harnett, "the Samuel
Adams of North Carolina," Samuel Johnson, Willie Jones, Joseph Hews,
Abner Nash, John Harvey, Thomas Person, Griffith Rutherford, Abraham
Alexander, Thomas Polk, and many others, showing that, at that early
date, the Whig party had the complete control of the popular House of
the Assembly, in accordance with the recommendation of Governor
Martin, the veil of oblivion was drawn over the past unhappy troubles,
and all the animosities and distinctions which they created. The year
1772 passed by without a meeting of the Assembly; and the only
political event of any great importance, which occurred in the
Province, was the election of members to the popular House. Such was
the triumph of the Whig party, that in many of the counties there was
no opposition to the election of the old leaders, nor could the
Governor be said to have a party sufficiently powerful to effect an
election before the people, or the passage of a bill before the
Assembly. The Assembly, however, in consequence of two dissolutions by
the Governor, did not convene in Newbern until the 25th of January,
1773, and the popular House illustrated its political character by the
election of John Harvey to the office of Speaker. To this new Assembly
many of the leading members of the House in 1771, were returned.
Thomas Polk and Abraham Alexander were not members; the former having
been employed in the service of the Governor, as surveyor, in running
the dividing line between North and South Carolina, and the latter not
having solicited the suffrages of the people. The county of
Mecklenburg was, in the Assembly, represented by Martin Pheifer and
John Davidson.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Harvey, laid before that
body resolutions of the House of Burgess of Virginia (1773) of the
12th of March last; also, letters from the Speakers of the lower
houses of several other provinces, requesting that a committee be
appointed to inquire into the encroachments of England upon the rights
and liberties of America. The House passed a resolution that "such
example was worthy of imitation, by which means communication and
concert would be established among the colonies; and that they will at
all times be ready to exert their efforts to preserve and defend their
rights." John Harvey, (Speaker) Robert Howe, Cornelius Harnet, William
Hooper, Richard Caswell, Edward Vail, John Ashe, Joseph Hewes and
Samuel Johnston were this committee. This is the first record of a
legislative character which led to the Revolution.
During the summer of 1774 the people in all parts of the province
manifested their approbation of the proposed plan of calling a
Congress or Assembly, to consult upon common grievances; and in nearly
all the counties and principal towns meetings were held, and delegates
appointed to meet in the town of Newbern on the 25th of August, 1774.
On the 13th of August, Governor Martin issued a proclamation
complaining that meetings of the people had been held without legal
authority, and that resolutions had been passed derogatory to the
authority of the King and Parliament. He advised the people to forbear
attending any such meetings, and ordered the King's officers to oppose
them to the utmost of their power. But the delegates of the people
attended on the day appointed without any obstruction from the "king's
officers." The proclamation of Governor Martin availed nothing. (_Vox
et praeterea nil_.) Excited at this state of affairs, Governor Martin
consulted his council on the steps most proper to be taken in the
emergency. They advised him that "nothing further could be done." This
first Assembly, or Provincial Congress, independent of royal
authority, in Newbern, on the 25th of August, 1774, is an important
epoch in our history. It was the first act of that great drama of
revolutionizing events which finally achieved our independence.
After the adjournment of this Provincial Congress Governor Martin
visited New York, ostensibly for the "benefit of his health," and,
perhaps, for the benefit of his government. The tumults of the people
at Newbern, that raged around him, and which threatened to overthrow
his power, were, by his own confession, "beyond his control"; but he
hoped the influence of Governor Tyron, who still governed New York,
might assist him in restoring peace and authority in North Carolina.
Vain, delusive hope, as the sequel proved!
The year 1775 is full of important events, only a few of which can be
adverted to in this brief sketch. In February, 1775, John Harvey
issued a notice to the people to elect delegates to represent them in
a second Provincial Congress at Newbern on the 3rd of April, being the
same time and place of the meeting of the Colonial Assembly. This
roused the indignation of Governor Martin, and caused him to issue, on
the 1st of March, 1775, his proclamation denouncing the popular
Convention.
In his speech to the Assembly, Governor Martin expressed "his concern
at this extraordinary state of affairs. He reminded the members of
their oath of allegiance, and denounced the meeting of delegates
chosen by the people, as illegal, and one that he should resist by
every means in his power." In the dignified reply of the House, the
Governor was informed that the right of the people to assemble, and
petition the throne for a redress of their grievances was undoubted,
and that this right included that of appointing delegates for such
purpose. The House passed resolutions approving of the proceedings of
the Continental Congress at Philadelphia (4th of Sept. 1774) and
declared their determination to use their influence in carrying out
the views of that body. Whereupon, the Governor, by advice of his
council, dissolved the Assembly, by proclamation, after a session of
four days.
Thus ceased forever all legislative action and intercourse under the
Royal government. Indeed, from the organization of the first
Provincial Congress or Convention, in Newbern (Aug. 25th, 1774)
composed of delegates "fresh from the people" the pioneers in our
glorious revolution, until Governor Martin's expulsion, North Carolina
was enjoying and exercising an almost unlimited control of _separate
governmental independence_. After the dissolution of the Assembly on
the 8th of April, 1775, Governor Martin lingered only a few days,
first taking refuge in Fort Jonston, and afterwards, on board of the
ship of war, the Cruiser, anchored in the Cape Fear River. Only one
more frothy proclamation (8th of Aug., 1775,) appeared from Governor
Martin, against the patriotic leaders of North Carolina, issued this
time, not from "the palace," at Newbern, but from a _cruising_ source
and out-look, and on a river, whose very name typified the real origin
of his departure, and present retirement.
These glimpses of the colonial history of North Carolina, necessary to
a proper understanding of the following sketches, will serve to
illustrate, in a limited degree, the character of her people, and
their unyielding opposition to all unjust exactions, and encroachment
of arbitrary power. While these stirring transactions were transpiring
in eastern Carolina, the people of Mecklenburg county moved, in their
sovereign capacity, the question of independence, and took a much
bolder, and more decided stand than the Colonial or Continental
Congress had as yet assumed. This early action of that pat