-^^ -^- 'V^ % ,&"" <^ .-A •> _ ^ !>, \ ' fi * "-<, iN ^.^ .^% xV •X- :%. eP' ^^_^,.'>^^'' OO ^, " ,^^■'^- ^. .-^ f^ - - ^ ^*■^ "% 1 ■'■ % ^ "-/n^, '"y ■-oO^ -0- N * AN' "'-■ .• '-■"' ^ C.^ ^-<' " ^:^ >*' x^ °^ •^ ,0- ' ,./ '■• ^ ^/ ^^' xV ^o - 'k A v^ •^>. 8 1 A '• \V ,^\> -^^p^ V -0- 0' -r, o- ^ -> ^ " / 'c- .#• ^.^' ^^ .^'% -r^^^ o^- r ^^.c^- ' ■■ y • ^-^ - ^ -> J'\ /■ '^^'^ .:.^'^ ■^:^■% '■ \o>^ ?^ ^ ■ a"- .- '''\:^^ " \>' ^o 'C' Digitized by the Internet Archive "^ in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress '%. ^y> ■V- ,v\^: '^^ V ■>'^, ^\ _".• -. -?>. .-x> .0 .'- " -^ y <^ ^.^ ■•^>-.^^^ A ,0--.. 4^ http://www.archive.org/details/proceedingsatunv01cowp '^'. .-^ \ "The names around which have g-athered, in largest measure, tlie love and gratitude of succeeding- generations, are those that have maintained the cause of tlie weak against tlie strong; that have refused to cower beneath the forms of power; and that have looked for their reward^beyoud tlie transitory present, to the well considered and unchanging praise of the men and the centuries, that are in the womb of the future. Such 'names have a freshness that will not die." W. D. PORTKR, Charleston, 8. C. Published by THE COWPENS CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE, CHARLESTON, S, C. 1896. UI^KS }H tt/e o(a)N Of EYE#' Wnicrf ihdto (3PjOKNWAlllS SURRENDER W YOR)\mjL^ )>^ If /^r^^ Col.WM.Washin^tons Battle Fla^. ^. 1781-1881. PROCEEDINGS THE UNVEILING The Battle Monument SPARTANBURG, S. C, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENNIAL OF THE BATTLE OF COWPENS. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. PUBLISHED BY THE COWPENS CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE, 1! HE unusual delay since the Centennial, m the publication of these proceedings, is due to circumstances beyond the control of the Committee. The necessary amount set aside for this purpose having only recently been paid, consequently the work has only now been accomplished. Not only for the victory commemorated, but as well for the historical record it preserves, the continuous purpose of the Committee through all these fifteen years, has been to print this record in permanent form This public duty being at last dis- charged, the completed work is now submitted to all the parties interested and to the general public. v.- ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Frontispiece, . . . Col. Wm. Washington's Battle Flag. From the original in the custody of the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, South Carolina. Cowpens, April, 1S56, 12 16, Camp of the W. L. I. on the Battle-field of View of First Memorial erected there, Seal of the Grand Lodge A. F. M. of S. C Centennial ^Monument at Spartanburg, S. C, unveiled in if Bronze Statue of Gen'l Morgan, by J. O. A. Ward, Plat of Battle-field of Cowpens, . Portrait of Gen'l Morgan, Obverse and Reverse of his Gold Medal, Portrait of Gen'l Andrew Pickens, The Sword voted by Congress to him, Portrait of Col. J. Egar Howard, Obverse and Reverse of his Silver Medal, Portrait of Col. William Washington, Obverse and Reverse of his Silver Medal, Music of W. L. L Banner Song, Monument in Honor of William and Jane AVashington, in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, S. C, . . . . . . 126 Genealogical Tree of George Washington and his kinsman, William Washington, ... ..... 129 40. 43 49 71 104 106. 107 m 114 115 117 117 12a The Lucas & Richardson Company, Lithographers, Printers, Etc., CHARLESTON, S. C, 1896. GENESIS OF ^e ^gttle jVLndroei)!' In Honor of the Victors of the Cowpens, Erected AT Spartanburg, S. C, in Commemoration OF THE Centennial. UNIQUE and interesting chapter of American his- tory is behind this memorial column, and mention of noted events through three-quarters of a century naturally find a place here, as an introduction to the great pageant, which so conspicuously closed the first century after the victory at Cowpens. This memorial purpose had its origin in the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, and the birth of the corps carries us in memory to the signal guns of the second- war with England — the firing on the U. S. ship "Chesapeake" off the capes of Virginia by the British ship 'Leopard." The sound of the "Leopard's" insolent guns had scarcely died away on the ocean front of Caro- lina when gallant men sprang to arms eager to assert the national honor and punish the national insulter. Among the numbers Avhom this wanton aggres- sion aroused was a company of gentle- men in Charleston, S. C., who organiz- ing themselves under the name of Wash- ington called to their leadership William Lowndes, tliat pure and great statesman, who, himself a prominent candi- date for the Presidency, once remarked upon that ofifice "that it was one neither to be sought for nor declined," a sentiment which embodied somewhat of that spirit of incorruptible integrity which was ever the sole guide of his motives and conduct. Sprung from such parentage and nurtured by such sentiments it is a matter of no surprise that upon Col. William Washington's death, in i8iO, his widow should have unhesitatingly turned to the 4 WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY as the fittest custodians of her husband's flag. That bright crimson relic which had floated so triumphantly on the fierce field of "Cowpens," before whose avenging glow "Tarleton's Legion" had quailed and shrunk, and which had been well nigh lost at Eutaw bv Colonel Washington's too daring impetuosity, his widow herself delivered on the 19th April, 1827. to this company with the following charge : "Gentlemen, to your hands I commit the flag of my hus- band; it has never been dishonored while in his keeping. I am sure it will never be in yours." It was thus that the Washington Light Infantry, by becoming the sponsors for the honorable preservation of this historic relic, became linked with the Battle of Cow- pens. For over a half century they had cherished with honorable pride the associations of this important Revolu- tionary event, and the anniversaries of the battle have annually been celebrated by the corps and also from time to time by the patriotic citizens of Spartanburg. On the seventy-fifth anniversary of Cowpens, 17th Jan- uary, 1856, Capt. Lewis M. Hatch, then in command of the corps, at the annual parade in commemoration of the victory, proposed a visit to the battle-field in the following Spring. In the then condition of railroad transportation such a visit involved marching over one hundred miles of rough mountain roads, a regular soldier journey. It was a novel suggestion to a body of young men not accustomed to so long a walk. The Captain, it was known, had in early life taken a pleasure trip from Charleston to New York afoot, carrying his baggage in a knapsack, and arriving at his destination on time and in the best physical condition.* To go afoot, however, from the head of railroad travel at Laurens to the extreme northern border of the State, and thence over to Greenville, S. C, was so novel a project that there were doubts as to the ability of the members to creditably accomplish the task. Nevertheless, after dis- *From the diary, it appears, that the walk from Charleston to New- York City, begun on 30th April and ended on 31st May, 1833. Colonel Hatch was then eighteen years of age. He did not travel on Sundays, and stopped for sight-seeing at Columbia, S. C; Charlotte, N. C; Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. He averaged 33 miles a day, with knapsack of clothing. Some days 36 and 37 miles came easy. On the two last days he made 40 and 60 miles — 24 of the 60 before breakfast. Arrived in New York in the evening, eat a hearty supper, and felt very well. cussing the jaunt from all points of view, there were enrolled by April forty-three volunteers. The late Hon. W. D. Porter, ex-Captain, and the Rev. Sam'I Oilman, D. D., Chaplain, from the senior roll, were among the first to sign. The active roll, as preserved, is as follows : Capt. Lewis M. Hatch. ist Lieut. Thos. B. Trout. 2d Sergt. James Robb, Jr. 2d Lieut. Octavus Wilkie Ensio;n T. Y. Simons. 1st Sergt. E. W. Lloyd. Corpl. W. A. Courtenay. Cor pi. A. S. Brown. Corpl. Ben. F. Evans. Privates. Bruns, J. D., M. D. Bruns, R. S. Brown, A. S. Beckman, J. O. Curtis, R. R. Cuyler, S. G. Covert, H. C. Douglas, Campbell Drayton, C E. R. Dibble, S. W. Francis, G. F. Fitz Simons, B. Gadsden, A. E. Honour, T. A. Honour, F. H. Hatch, J. L. Jacobs, F. Jr. Kiddell, George Kenefick, John Klinck, John Jr. Lovegreen, L. B. McOueen, Donald Michel, A. L. Mason, C. M. Marsh, Jas. G. Olney, H. B. Pettigrew, J. J. Porter, VVm. H. Steedman, W. K. Spencer, G. W. Smith, H. S. White, W. T. Of that roll call there are only ten survivors at this writincf. TFfe [Zirst P(^blic JVlen)oriaI Erected to the Heroes of Cowpens — The Pilgrim- age OF the W. L. I. IN 1856— Origin OF the PRESENT Centennial Celebration. HE late Dr. J. Dickson Bruns, then an active member of the corps, and subsequently a distinguished and hon- ored physician of New Orleans, was a private in the ranks on this journey, and besides speaking eloquently on several noted occasions, and at the battle-field, wrote a narrative of the "camp and march," which it is desired to preserve in this permanent record, and is herewith presented. Out of the trip itself, it may be said, grew the present movement to erect upon the one hundredth anniversary of the battle a more enduring monument than had been erected in 1856. The traditional history of no State in the Union is more redolent of Revolutionary fame than that of South Caro- lina. From the mountains to the seaboard, every county within her Hmits can tell of some fierce sanguinary struggle ; from King's Mountain to Charleston there is not a foot of her soil the possession of which has not been hotly con- tested ; and though from the force of circumstances the scenes enacted upon her arena are apparently less grand than the triumphs won elsewhere, they were not on this account a whit the less important to the success of the general cause. Any detailed enumeration of her battle- fields, or discussion of their respective magnitude or im- portance, would here be out of place, but of THE BATTLE OF " COWPENS " an able and honest historian has said : " // was the first link ill tliat chain of events zvhich finally led to the capture of Cornwallis, and the successjiil ternimatton of the Revolution- ary war." And yet, with curious disregard of the memories of the past, no stone up to April, 1856, had been erected within the borders of the State to designate those conse- crated spots where the sacrifices to Liberty were offered, and the traveller trod the sod of her holiest places unheed- ing that the mould he pressed had been watered by the best blood of South Carolina's sons. To remedy this ap- parent depreciation of the men of the Revolution and rescue from oblivion, by the elevation of some appropriate mark, one at least of these her heritages, had long been a cherished wish of the Washington Light Infantry, and to Cowpens, doubly endeared to them by the treasured relic it had left in their keeping, they instinctively turned as the fittest field for their effort. The proposition, which was first made on 17th January, 1856, to put their purpose into immediate execution, was therefore heartily undertaken and prepara- tions for the visit busily began. THE START. e The showy dress uniform was laid aside ; buttons and broadcloth and lace stripes and feathers were doffed for the less gay but far more serviceable hunting-shirt and rough leggings in General Morgan's style, and for the stiff brain- racking army hat was substituted the more comfortable, if not equally military, "slouch." After great bustle and preparation order was finally secured and everybody duly armed and equipped, according to orders assembled at the Military Hall on the evening of the i6th of April, 1856. and at 10 o'clock P. M. the night train for Columbia with the W. L. L aboard rolled slowly out of the station. Passing over the incidents of the trip to Columbia, how wit and song and joke and merriment banished all thought of fatigue or sleep, and how the small hours of the night were asphyxiated with clouds of fragrant smoke, and how the very stars winked back at the boys in friendly'recogni- tion of their glee, the train reached Columbia at 8 o'clock the next morning. After a hearty though hasty reception and breakfast at that point, the company were soon speed- ing over the railroad to Laurens. Leaving the beauties of nature to enjoy their own loveliness, the tired and sleepy men had hardly settled down to something like dreamy comfort when the train reached Laurens. The comm.and to " FALL IN PROMPTLY ! " left little time for the refreshing exercise of yawning, and so stowing away blankets, etc., and buckling on knapsacks. 8 the company found themselves on coming into hne in the presence of the "Pahnetto Troop," the dragoons of the district, assembled to give the pilgrims a hearty welcome. After the national requisition of speech-making had been duly complied with the company were escorted through the village with colors flying and drums beating. Mutual ex- pressions of good-will were exchanged, a hundred hearty God-speeds and earnest wishes for the success of the enter- prise were received, and turning their faces away from their hospitable hosts they prepared resolutely for the work now fairly begun. OVER A HUNDRED MILES of untried mountain road lay before them. Of their capa- cities to accomplish the undertaken journey, of its vicissi- tudes and hardships — how they would be endured or over- come, through a fortunate inexperience they were happily ignorant. The wagons already packed were waiting, and at the lively call of the bugle the column of march is formed and with arms slung at will the company took the road. A startling thing for those simple-minded country people must have been this sight of armed soldiers with their attendant baggage train and guard, in piping times of peace, thus pursuing their way on — to them — an unknown errand with all the sober steadiness of military order. Little time was there, however, to gratify the curiosity of the rustic inhabitants, and the company kept steadily on when a few miles from the village, the advance guard sent back notice of a discovered spring and the declining shadows warned them of approaching night. In due time the tents were pitched and supper procured, after which all hands save the sentries turned in for a good night's rest. THE SECOND DAY. Bright and cloudless rose the morning of the i8th, and at earliest dawn the impatient reveille startled into bustling life the drowsy camp, and active hands soon completed the preparations for a long day's march. The securing of a good breakfast was satisfactorily performed, a daguerreo- type of the camp was taken, and the rising sun saw the tents struck and packed, the teams in harness and the eager col- umn already en route. All unconscious of the disasters which lay before them, and spurred to increased exertion by the thought of the twenty-four miles to be accomplished that day, with haver- sacks, luckily, well provided, the main body, leaving the lumbering baggage train to follow more leisurely, pushed eagerly on ; but the latter had scarcely dragged its slow length five miles when a refractory wagon laid obstinately down and positively refused to be urged another step. The rapid advance of the men had placed them beyond all pros- pect of recall, and the baggage guard were too few to attempt, with any prospect of speedy success, the repair of the shattered vehicle. Nothing remained but to procure a substitute. This was done after an apparently interminable delay, and the effects being transferred, a fresh start was made with the satisfaction that they had at last conquered fate. Short-sighted mortals ! A few miles further on the same scene, with added troubles, was repeated, and thus, grumbling and stumbling on, breaking, now an axle, and then a pole, and occasionally slipping a tire by way of variety, the baggage train found itself at sunset with a third of the day's march still unfinished, though at last provided with substantial conveyances and a strong and yet unjaded team. WAITING FOR THE WAGON. In the meantime the majority of those in advance, heed- less and ignorant of the less fortunate condition of their comrades in the rear, crossing the Enoree, pressed care- lessly on, levying as they went willing contributions of buttermilk and chickens and eggs. Thus plodding on, some- times with sore heels and blistered soles, often with aching limbs, but always in cheerful mood, they found their way to the assigned halting place, where, building their fires, they waited wearily for the long expected wagon train. It was late in the night, and many of the watchers had already thrown themselves down to slumber, when the distant notes of the bugle told of their coming, and at last the tired horses dragged their load into camp amid welcoming shouts and a hundred hurried exclamations of surprise and inquiry. After a cold supper the men turned into their tents and passed an uneasy night on native rocks and amid a drizzling rain. THE THIRD DAY. Warned by the dismal experience of the day before, a different disposition of the men was made, and an order of march adopted which, in the end, proved both convenient 10 and useful. An adequate guard was detailed for wagon service, whose sole duty it was to remain with and take care of the transportation, and strict commands were issued to the column ahead on no account to proceed more than a mile in advance. At the call of the bugle the latter were to halt until the wagons came up, or return for the purpose of rendering such assistance as accident might require. At intervals of an hour a rest of a few minutes M^as allowed, and at the word "Iialt" it was amusing to see each man, just where he happened to be standing, instantly strip off his knapsack and throw himself on the ground, elevating his feet almost simultaneously against the nearest tree, the position subserving the double purpose of gratifying a pecu- liar national instinct and relieving, momentarily at least, the engorged and travel- worn sole. At the command "make ready ! " knapsack and rifle were instantly and cheerfully resumed, the word " march ! " put everything in motion Avithout delay, and thus, da capo, the day's journey was completed. ARRIVAL ON TIME. The numerous predictions which were uttered along the route of the inability of the company to fulfil its engage- ments within the time specified, made every man determined to disappoint them, and, forgetting in their anxiety all fatigue and mishaps, pressed forward with such vigor that at lo o'clock A. M., two hours in advance of their appoint- ment, they hailed, witii such greetings as only the tired can give or appreciate, the spires of Spartanburg. A short dis- tance from the town, the W. L. I. were met by a committee of gentlemen, who, on behalf of their townsmen, tendered the company its hospitalities. Escorted by this committee through the town, they were again welcomed, ofiiicially, in an address delivered by one of the prominent citizens of the place, and more pleasantly and eloquently by the bright smiles from the fair faces which thronged the balconies. After many a hearty greeting given and received, the com- pany was finally conducted to their camping ground — a gentle slope selected on the eastern suburbs of the town, where the Stars and Stripes were soon floating in the hos- pitable breeze, and the quiet plain converted with military dispatch into a stirring scene of animated and bustling Hfe. 11 WARM GREETINGS AT SPARTANBURG. It would be vain to attempt any detailed account of the sojourn here. Suffice it to say that everything which could promote either their comfort or enjoyinent was generously contributed. A handsome entertainment given by the ladies in their honor on the evening of their arrival, and the religious exercises of the following day, (Sunday, 20th,) part of which were conducted by their highly esteemed and venerated chaplain, Dr. Oilman, sped the time profita- bly and pleasantly, and on the next day, (Monday, the 2ist day of April, 1856,) with the dawn they bade farewell to their kindly friends and welcomers and with many a linger- ing regret at the necessity which compelled their departing, and with three loyal cheers for the girls they left behind them, they turned their faces towards the long desired ter- minus of their now almost completed pilgrimage. On Sacred Ground. Along the banks of many a graceful rivulet, whose bab- bling waters occasionally swept their path, catching now and then a glimpse of the grand old "Blue Ridge," with its massive chain piled away like a bank of sombre clouds in the far northwest, the company kept on their way and about noon reached the Pacolet River, whose swift stream was crossed without accident, and after an easy and pleasant march they reached the "Cowpens" about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Thus far the weary steps of the pilgrims had Icept time only to the occasional tap of the drum, or been enlivened at intervals by the solitary bugle note; but now, as if t.\\Q genius loci had fired all with a novel inspiration, the swelling strains of martial music burst suddenly on the ear, and with brighter t-ye and firmer tread they mounted the brow of the declivity at quickstep, and planting the crimson flag of Cowpens Guilford, Hobkirk's Hill and Eu- taw Springs on the san^ie spot where three-cj^uarters of a century before it had first been flung to the breeze, they made the silent forest ring with three times three hearty cheers. There was little tune for giving vent to enthusiasm, how- ever, for much was to be accomplished ere the morrow, and each man readily accepted and resolutely began his share of the work. The tents were soon pitched. A more sumptu- ous dinner than usual was heartily partaken of in honor of \] W I" f the occasion, and the tasks of the afternoon being complet- ed, mirth and glee and uproarious merriment startled with their wild revelry the stillness of those ancient woods, while music and the glare of blazing bonfires, and the fiery flight of brilliant rockets, lent an additional enchantment to the scene. But as the hours sped these, all in turn, yielded to the usurpation of a more despotic power, and from the brooding wings of night, stillness and darkness dropped stealthily down. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE CELEBRATION. A small circle sat alone by the embers of a slowly dying fire, and memory, busy with the past, called up the dim- remembered shapes and shifting scenes of the time "'long ago." Overhead the drowsy folds of the national flag stirred lazily to the gentle night winds, in which the little banner, as if conscious of its native air, flapped incessantly. The plaintive note of the whip-poor-will broke at intervals upon the dreary stillness, and in the deep gloom giant pines —the guardian watchers of the plain — lifted their tall forms, in whose melancholy soughing, fancy caught the murmur of an eternal requiem to the brave departed who had fallen on this field. Behind the shadowy copse, like a pale prophetess, the moon sailed solemnly up, and against its quiet light spectral cypresses stretched their giant arms imploringly. A DIFFERENT SCENE these trees had looked down upon seventy-five years before ! Now, all was security and rest ; then, naught but eager bustle and active preparation, and dispiriting doubts, and half acknowledged fears, and sad forebodings for self and country. Where these quiet sleepers lay, wakeful eyes watched vigilantly for the dawn of an eventful morrow, upon which many of them, alas! were to be forever closed in death. Over all now brooded the motionless quiet of the grave ; then, the sound of earnest voices from closely gathered groups, of sharpened swords and burnished arms, and neighing steeds harnessed for battle broke angril}' on the air. From knot to knot of those sturdy men, whose bronzed features glowed redly in the firelight, flitted tall forms, at the encouraging tones of whose voices as they dropped here and there a word of advice, or cheer or command, the clenched hand and more closely knitted brow told of their 14 angry purpose and their high confidence in the leadership of those who addressed them. This smooth-shaven turf, on which the pilgrims now reclined, had been torn bv the hurt- ling ball, the ploughing artillery wheel and the rush of the impetuous squadrons. Here the fierce hand to hand strug- gle, with its burning hate and smothered curses and deep- drawn breath and tightly-braced sinews and desperate hold, never to be relaxed except in death, had been enacted, and here the deadly bullet had stopped the pulse and the keen sabre drank the life-blood of many a high heart. Hard was it to realize that from the grim and reeking demon of this bloody field had sprung the angel offspring of liberty and happiness and peace. In the small circle whose musings we have just chronicled it was proposed that the lOOth anniversary should be made a great occasion, that a more imposing memorial should be set up. Erection of the Memorial. Before the sun the W. L. I. were up and stirring on the morning of the 22d, and breakfast being dispatched, the work for which they had come was eagerly commenced. The sharp rap of chisel and mallet, the clink of trowels, the loud shouts and boisterous calls of the workers, the glancing of bright uniforms amid the deep green of the surrounding woods, the snowy canvas flapping in the breeze, the crack- ling fires, the waving flags and glittering arms, made up a scene as picturesque as novel and one not easily forgotten. The news of the intended celebration had spread for miles around, and scores of spectators from every quarter were momentarily pouring in. Old men, whose fathers had been actors in the strife, who had often listened with boyish en- thusiasm to the story of the stirring fight from the knees of many a participant, came to renew the old associations of their youth. Stalwart forms were there, whose firm tread and steady hand and quick eye betokened a manly inde- pendence, and a ready and skilful use of the rifle they often bore. Grand-dames and matrons, and BLOOMING MOUNTAIN GIRLS, with native roses in their cheeks, mingled their flaming dresses with the homelier garb of the men ; and children of every age and sex, and condition and style of garment with wondering eyes and gaping mouths, looked admir- ingly on. 15 LOCATING THE SPOT. The evening before, with a good chart of the field and plan of the battle, and the assistance of those familiar with the place and action, a careful survey of the whole ground had been made, and the very spot, as near as possible, where Tarleton's Legion had first been checked by Washington's charge had been located. Clearing this, the corner-stone and foundation had been laid, and the erection of the base now went rapidly on. This was composed of a rough granite block, selected from the field itself, and in it was inserted a white marble slab, bearing these words : The Memorial Shaft. THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY THE WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY, CAPT. L. M. HATCH, APRIL, 1856. On this rose an octagonal pillar, about four feet in height, made of concrete, the shells of which were gathered near Fort Moultrie, and a thick marble slab, of the same shape, surmounted the whole, whose several sides bore the follow- ing inscription : WASHINGTON. THE WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY OF CHARLESTON, TO WHOSE CUSTODY THE WIDOW OP WILLIAM WASHINGTON ENTRUSTED HIS BANNER, VISITED THIS BATTLE-FIELD, APRIL, 1856, AND AGAIN WAVED OVER IT THE FLAG BORNE BY HIM ON THAT OCCASION. MORGAN. HOWARD. FORT MOULTRIE, KING'S MOUNTAIN, COWPENS, EUTAW SPRINGS, OUR HERITAGE. PICKENS. TO THE VICTORS OF COWPENS : WE ENJOY THE RESULT OP THEIR STRUGGLE. LET US EMULATE THE VIRTUES WHICH SECURED IT. 16 From the centre of the pedestal towered up a fluted iron shaft, capped by a ball, on Avhich rested a gilded eagle with extended wings. In the interior of the monument were deposited a bottle of Eutaw Spring water, a brick from the house in which the British took refuge on that hotly con- tested day, the roll of the officers and members of the com.- pany present, and a pamphlet, descriptive of the battle, from Di'. Joseph Johnson's narrative. About noon the task of erec- tion was completed and the shaft lifted into its place. There was a slight pause and hush as it was being adjusted, the plumber leaped from the pedestal and the air shook with a thundering salute from the guns of the Cowpens Artillery, and repeated cheers from thousands of mountain lungs sent the wild chorus ^_ flying over wood and hill and plain. A picnic, provided by the ' -. fair ladies of Spartanburg, was ^ duly honored, and this finished, ^^^ a rough stand was erected and ^^^^the simple memorial to virtue J^and valor was solemnly dedi- ^(.^ cated by the venerable chap- /JA lam. Addresses were made by Ex-Capt. VV. D. Porter, Lieut. Thos. Y. Simons, J. D. Bruns, M. D., and others, and, at their close, the Banner Song of the W. L. I. was sung, the effect of which was greatly heightened by the myriad voices joining in the chorus. THE WORK WAS DONE. The enterprise, a small one it is true, but dear to those who undertook it, was successful ; the names of Morgan, Howard, Washington, Pickens, McCall, would henceforth be identified in more than mere memory with the place of their renown ! After performing several evolutions and deploy- 17 ing as skirmishers over the ground where the British h'ne was first checked by the picked marksmen of Cunningham and McDowel, the camp was abandoned and the company bivouacked that night on the banks of the Pacolet, not far from the ford where Tarleton crossed on the night previous to the battle. The following day, over a miry road, through a rain which tried their mettle and india-rubber cloths to the utmost, the company marched twenty-seven miles, and well fagged-out, rested that evening within thirteen miles of Greenville. At this place a ball and at Columbia a din- ner were cheerfully and successfully encountered, and on the afternoon of the 20th they were welcomed back to Charleston by their remaining comrades and other military companies. Thus in times of peace, and by unpracticed pedestrians, a journey of five hundred miles, one hundred of which were marched on foot over rough mountain roads, was under- taken and successfully accomplished, and thus was erected by untaught hands the first memorial in honor of a battle fought on Southern soil. It is due to the generous women of Spartanburg to add, that they afterwards purchased the acre of ground immediately surrounding the monument, enclosed it with a neat iron railing, and presented the title deed of the same to the W, L. I. KirtI] of tl]e Tentennial Mor)On)ent. IN the narrative of the pilgrimage to the battle-field, in 1856, appears the germ of thought, which gave birth to the great occasion, that is now to have a detailed and perma- nent record. On the evening before the company aban- doned their camp, and turned their faces homeward, a group of a half-dozen members of the corps were lying on the green sward, under the wide-spreading pines, congratulating themselves on the success of their enterprise, and talking over the stirring events which had occurred sevent3^-five years before. The conversation finally reverted from the past to the dim and distant future, and looking forward a quarter of a century, a proposition was offered and a pledge made by the little group that those who should survive until the centen- nial anniversary of the battle, in 1881, should use their best efforts to organize a second pilgrimage to the historic spot on Broad River, and there build an enduring memorial for the centuries. Little did the members of that small circle dream, that in five years a great civil war would have been begun ; that the visitors to one of the consecrated fields of the War of Independence would be actors on a larger field of strife than the struggle with England. The changes of a quarter of a century had been of a most sweeping character; war, pestilence and other causes had done their work, in scattering and destroying friends and comrades. Many of those who participated in the cel- ebration of 1856 had made the last sacrifice — had laid down their lives for South Carolina. The memorial they had erected on the battle-field, in the wild and sparsely settled border-land between North and South Carolina, had been utterly destroyed by vandal hands — even the iron fence around it, and, as well, the monument itself, had literally disappeared. In view of this desecration the original idea of placing the monument upon the battle-field was abandoned, and it was afterwards deter- mined to place it in the public square of the Town of Spartanburg, a site being presented by the Town Council 19 to the committee, and an appropriation of five hundred dollars made for its erection, this area is now known as " Morgan Square." The great changes that had occurred had left the writer the only survivor of the group who was in a position to un- dertake the revival of the proposed centennial memorial, and this had to be attempted amid doubt, uncertainty and many visible difficulties. His preliminary work was begun in 1879, and by the 99th anniversary of the battle, 17th January, 1880, plans had been so far matured that on that day meetings of the Washington Light Infantry in Charles- ton, and of the citizens of Spartanburg, in that town, were held, and an address prepared by a joint committee of gen- tlemen, which had been previously appointed, was adopted. At this meeting the following resolutions, v/hich had been previously adopted by the Town Council of Spartanburg, were submitted : Resolved, That it is the sense of the Town Council that the plan of celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens should meet the hearty approval and co-operation of all of our people. Resolved, further. That the Town Council will extend all the aid and assistance it possibly can to ensure the success of the centennial celebration, and the erection of a memo- rial, and that the whole country be invited to meet in com- memorating one of the most important victories of the Revolution of 1776-83. THE CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE consists of the following gentlemen : Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, W. K. Blake, Esq., Spartanburg, S. C. Dr. H. E. Heinitsh, Spartanburg. Capt. Chas. Petty, Spartanburg. Gen. J. C. Anderson, Spartanburg. Col. T. Stobo Farrow, Spartanburg. Dr. J. B. O. Landrum, Spartanburg. Capt. S. S. Ross, Spartanburg. Capt. Geo. D. Bryan, Commanding W. L. I., Charleston. First Lieut. A. W. Marshall, W. L. L, Charleston. First Lieut. W. Lucas Simons, W. L, L, Charleston. Second Lieut. Geo. B. Edwards, W. L. L, Charleston. Second Lieut. J. Lamb Johnston, W. L. I., Charleston. 20 Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, was chosen Chairman ; Hon. W. K. Blake, of Spartanburg, Vice-Chairman ; Col. Ed. B. White, of New York, Archi- tect, and Lieut. George B. Edwards, of the W. L. I., of Charleston, was elected Secretary and Treasurer of the Com- mittee. The first action of this Committee, was issuing the following : PUBLIC ADDRESS To the Governors and Peoples of the Old Thirteen States, and of the State of Tennessee, adopted at a Joint Meeting of the Citizens of Spartanbitrg County, S. C, and the Wash- ington Light Infantry, of Charleston : 17TH January, 1880. The Washington Light Infantry of Charleston, S. C, and the citizens of Spartanburg County, in joint, though sepa- rate, meeting assembled, propose to unite their efforts and make preparation for a worthy commemoration of the Centennial of Gen. Daniel Morgan's decisive victory at the Cowpens, which will occur one year from this day, by a worthy public observance, and the erection of a memorial column, on or near the battle field, which will hand down to the latest posterity in enduring granite, the heroic story of the victory on this historic spot. Such a memorial will recall to the present and future generations of our common country, the fidelity, the endurance, the sacrifice of those, who, in that period of hardship and peril, were true to the principles of liberty and faithful to the right of self-govern- ments in this Western world we call "Our Country." It will recall the defeat of General Gates and the coming of General Greene, the friend and companion-in-arms of George Washington, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Department, the leader of the patriot soldiers of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Car- olina and Georgia. It will recall the services of Daniel Morgan, of Pickens, Howard, Wm. Washington, Triplet, McCall, of Cunningham, McDowall, Tait, Beattie, with Marion, Sumter, Davidson, Kosciusko, LaFayette, Steuben, Hampton, Huger, Williams, Lee, Ford, Simons, and other officers in active co-operation at various points of the South- ern Department. It will recall this, "The First Link in the chain of events that led to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, and the successful termination of the war for American Independence." 21 With such a purpose the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, S. C., the custodians of the battle-flag of Col. William Washington, which first waved in triumph on this field, and the citizens of Spartanburg County, on whose soil this battle was fought, jointly invite the friendly co- operation and good offices of his Excellency the President of the United States, of their Excel'encies, the Governors and Commanders-in-Chief, and the people generally of the Old Thirteen States, and of the State of Tennessee, and especially of the Executives and citizens of the States em- braced in General Greene's Southern Department, to lend their aid to this patriotic work, proposed to be consum- mated on the 17th January, 1 88 1. Be it, therefore. Resolved, Jointly by the citizens of Spartanburg County and the Washington Light Lifantry, of Charleston, that the aim and purpose expressed in the foregoing address has our hearty concurrence, and that we pledge our united efforts to a worthy commemoration of the Centennial of the Battle of Cowpens, r7th January, 1881. Be it further Resolved, That a committee of thirteen be appointed, six from the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, and seven from the County of Spartanburg, who shall be charged with all the arrangements of the proposed observ- ance of the day, and the erection of the memorial column. Be it further Resolved, That the Governors of the Old Thirteen States, and of the State of Tennessee, be cordially invited to co- operate in this undertaking, by acting as honorary advisory committee, lending their council and influence to this pa- triotic work, of erecting with fitting ceremonies, an endur- ing memorial on South Carolina soil, to the brave men, who, one hundred years previously, devoted their lives and ser- vices to the establishment of American Independence, and by so doing bring together the people of the "Union" in the bonds of country and of Washington. Be it further Resolved, That all descendants of the officers and men of the several commands who participated in the Battle of Cowpens, be invited to send in their names and addresses to either ot the Committee at Spartanburg or Charleston, with brief mention of their connections, as it is desired to send special invitations to all such and assign to them prominence in the ceremonies of the day. (Signed by the Committee.) 22 At the meeting of the citizens of Spartanburg, S. C, the following additional resolutions were unanimously adopted : Resolved, That the citizens of Spartanburg County regard with pleasure the efforts made by the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, for a proper commemoration of the Centennial Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens. Resolved, That the energy and zeal displayed by the Washington Light Lifantry, in the cause of perpetuating the memory of the heroes of 1776, are entitled to our high- est consideration, and the undertaking thus initiated by them is deserving of the attention of our whole country. Resolved, That we will most heartily co-operate with them in their undertakings, and pledge ourselves to assist in erecting a memorial to the victors of the Battle of Cowpens. Resolved, That the Secretary of this meeting be instructed to forward to the Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, a copy of these resolutions, to be by him pre- sented to the officers and members of the "Washington Light Infantry." In consonance with the action of the Joint Committee the following address was issued in March, 1880: Armory of the Washington Light Infantry, ) Charleston, S. C, 17th March, 1880. \ OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION ADDRESSED TO THE GOVERNORS OF THE OLD THIRTEEN STATES AND THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. Your Excellency : The undersigned, a joint committee of the citizens of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, and of the Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, S. C, are charged with the very agreeable duty of arranging for a worthy commemoration of the Centennial of General Daniel Morgan's decisive victory at Cowpens, won on the 17th January, 1781, and alluded to by our distinguished historian, Mr. Bancroft, as "The first link in the chain of events that led to the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown and the successful termination of the War for American Independence." In considering the arrangements best suited for the ob- servance of this historic event, we recognize the fact that although thib battle was fought on the soil of South Caro- lina, it was won by the troops of several States, and enured 23 to the benefit of our then 5/oung Repubh'c, founded on the enduring principles of independence and self-government. In our opinion, therefore, it would be out of place to make of it a local celebration, and we shall aim to unite the Governors and citizens of the Old Thirteen States and of the State of Tennessee, in the erection of the proposed memorial column and the observance of the day, and through his Excellency the President and the Congress of the United States we shall hope to have the work crowned with a bronze figure, heroic size, of the gallant soldier from New Jersey, who made this splendid fight at the turning point of the War for American Independence. We propose, then, the erection of a memorial column, in gray granite, 22 feet high, complete in itself, so designed as to ensure great permanency and as well to be adapted to the reception of the bronze statue of General Morgan, proposed to be ordered by the Congress of the United States, a joint resolution being now before the United States Senate and House of Representatives, authorizing the Secretary of War to order this work done. With the view of extending the celebration, and of mak- ing it common to each of the Old Thirteen States, and of the State of Tennessee, we address you this communica- tion, soliciting your friendly co-operation in our work and calling your attention to the letters of President Hayes, of Governor Simpson of South Carolina, and to the pro- ceedings of the joint meeting held at Spartanburg and Charleston, S. C, on the 17th January, 1880, the 99th anni- versary of the victory. We most respectfully invite your Excellency's attention to the following resolution : Be it fiLTtJier resolved, That all descendants of the of^cers and men of the several commands who participated in the Battle of Cowpens be invited to send their names and addresses to either of the committee at Spartanburg or Charleston, with brief mention of their connections, as it is desired to send special invitations to all such, and assign to them prominence in the ceremonies of the day. And we ask your good offices in bringing it to the atten- tion of the people of yov\x State, in the hope that the descendants of those who fought on this field may take an interest in our comsnemorative ceremonies. Commending our plans to the most friendly consideration of your Excellency, and the patriotic citizens of your State. We are, your Excellency's very obedient servants. (Signed by the Committee.) 24 The favorable responses from the Governors of the Old Thirteen States and of Tennessee, the State Societies of the Cincinnati, the Grand Lodge A. F. M. of South Caro- lina, and other prominent invited guests, indicated warm sympathy in the project, and enthusiasm in its successful completion. The original plan, based on somewhat limited means, in the presence of these new conditions, was expanded as events unfolded themselves, and a more substantial, impos- ing and, of course, more costly, memorial column was undertaken. A NATIONAL MONUMENT. In the late Spring of i88o this larger work came more plainly in view ; it was evident that the "Cowpens Centen- nial" was attracting general attention from New Hampshire to Georgia, and that the occasion in 1881 would be national in its character. So favorable was the growth of public opinion in the fourteen States, that it was thought most desirable to crown the memorial column with a grand bronze figure of General Daniel Morgan, in the uniform of his period. The chairman, Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, initiated this statuary purpose, communicating with Senators Hampton and Butler, and Representatives Evins and O'Connor, of the Spartanburg and Charleston Districts, suggesting that an effort be made to secure through Congressional aid a bronze statue of General Daniel Morgan, of heroic size, to crown this massive and imposing column of victory. The following action of the Forty-sixth Congress of the United States afforded the highest gratification, as it worthily honored the hero of "Saratoga" and "Cowpens," and as well crowned the centennial column of victory with a grand work of art from the studio of a distinguished American sculptor. JOINT RESOLUTION To FURNISH A Bronze Statue of General Daniel Morgan to the Cowpens Centennial Commit- tee OF Spartanburg, South Carolina. Whereas, the Washington Light Infantry of Charleston and the citizens of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, propose on the 17th day of January, 1881, to celebrate the 25 centennial anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens, fought near Cherokee Ford, in Spartanburg County, in said State, and to have completed before that day an imposing memorial column in honor of the victors in that important and decisive engagement ; and Whereas, the Governors and peoples of the "Old Thir- teen States" aie to be identified with the observance of this centennial event : Therefore, Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That as a mark of the appreciation of the whole country for this patriotic undertaking, and as a token of recognition by the American people of the signal service rendered to the cause of independence by the heroic men who took part in this battle, the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, author- ized and directed to have made a bronze statue (heroic size and in the uniform of the rifleman of the period) of General Daniel Morgan, the commander of the American forces in said battle, and cause the same to be delivered through the Governor of South Carolina to the Cowpens Centennial Committee in time to be placed in position upon said memorial column before the proposed commemoration ; and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to pay, upon the warrant of the Secretary of War, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropri- ated, the sum of twenty thousand dollars, or so much of said sum as may be necessary, to carry into effect the pur- pose of this resolution. Approved May 26, 1880. THE NEXT STEP. On the 2d of August, 1880, a meeting of the committee was held at Spartanburg, the Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay pre- siding. At this meeting satisfactory progress in the move- m.ent was reported, and the following resolutions were adopted : Resolved, That the proposed monument to commemorate the Battle of Cowpens be erected in the Town of Spartan- burg, on the site donated by the Town Council. Resolved, That the chairman prepare the necessary papers to be presented through the Spartanburg and Charleston delegation to the State Legislature, asking an appropria- tion to assist in completing the monument and in entertain- 'w.ii the distinguished guests. 26 Resolved, That the President and Cabinet of the United States be invited to be present at the unveiUng of the monument in January next, and that the President be par- ticularly requested to preside at the ceremonies. Resolved, That this committee extend an invitation to the Grand Masters of the Old Thirteen States and Ten- nessee, through the Grand Master of South Carolina, to be present at and assist the Grand Master of South Carolina in laying the corner-stone of the Cowpens Memorial. Resolved further. That the Town and County of Spartan- burg will provide the means of laying the foundations and erecting the monument commemorating the Centennial of the Battle of Cowpens. The site donated was in the public square of Spartanburg, which has since been known as " Morgan Squared The action of the General Assembly of South Carolina was cor- dial and generous, as will appear by the following record. At the ^session of the Legislature of South Carolina Mr. W. K. Blake, of Spartanburg, the Vice-President of the Centennial Committee, offered the following Concurrent Resolution, which was unanimously adopted : CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Authorizing the Governor to Extend an Invita- tion ON Behalf of the State to Certain Distin- guished Guests to be Present at the Unveiling OF the Cowpens Monument. Whereas, arrangements are now being made, and with every prospect of success, looking to the united action of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, the Old Thirteen States, and the then Territory of Tennessee, for the erection of a memorial column in honor of the vic- tors of the Battle of Cowpens, fought on the soil of South Carolina, by the men of the North and South, in the great cause of American Independence ; and, whereas, the Con- gress of the United States have, by their unanimous resolu- tion, specially endorsed this proposed commemoration by the munificent appropriation of twenty thousand ($20,000) dollars for a bronze statue of General Daniel Morgan, who commanded the American Army on that memorable day ; therefore, be it 21 Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate con- ciLrring, That the State of South Carolina cordially unites in the celebration of this, one of the great battle days of the Union. Resolved, That His Excellency the Governor of South Carolina extend an invitation to His Excellency the Presi- dent of the United States and his Cabinet, and to the Gov- ernors of the Old Thirteen States and of Tennessee to be present at the unveiling of the Cowpens memorial. At the same session the sum of $2,000 was appropriated in the general appropriation bill to assist in defraying the expenses of the centennial ceremonies. It was feared that it would be impossible to have the un- veiling ceremonies on the day of the centennial anniversary, 17th January, and in case of need for more time, the iith of May, 1881, was suggested as a suitable date. A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT HAYES. Executive Mansion, Washington, January 26th, 1880. Dear Sir: I am directed by the President to acknowl- edge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant, with enclosure, and to say that he will be glad to co-operate with yourself and the committee of the Washington Light In- fantry, and citizens of Spartanburg, in the arrangements for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens. Very truly yours, (Signed,) W^ K. RODGERS. Private Secretary. To Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, Chairman of Coivpens Centeiuiial Committee. A LETTER FROM GOVERNOR SIMPSON. Columbia, S. C, February 9th, 1880. Ho/i. Wm. A. Court enay, Charleston, S. C: Dear Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication with reference to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens. I have read with much interest the publications which have been made of the plans proposed, and I take pleasure 28 in saying, that they have my hearty concurrence and approval. It seems to me especially fitting that the people of Spar- tanburg, in their efforts to erect a suitable memorial on this historic spot, in their country, should have the active aid of the Washington Light Infantry. It is becoming that the descendants of the bold mountaineers of the Cowpens should join in this celebration with the distinguished corps which guards with such patriotic fervor the battle-flag of William Washington. But the centennial celebration of the Battle of Cowpens will not be confined to the people of any section or of any State. It will call forth the approval of every American patriot, without regard to State lines or political creeds ; certainly no event in the history of the War of Indepen- dence is more worthy of commemoration than the victory which " re-animated the desponding friends of America, and seemed to be like a resurrection from the dead of the Southern States." Although the glory of the Cowpens belonged to the soldiers of Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, the results caused rejoicing to the people of all the States, from New Hampshire to Georgia I trust that the representatives of each of the Old Thir- teen States and of Tennessee, may join with the people of South Carolina, in the erection of the proposed column, and that Congress may grant the request to crown it with a statue of the great New Jersey rifleman, General Daniel Morgan. Such celebrations as these teach us the value of the free- dom which our forefathers bought with their blood ; and they serve, too, to unite more closely the bands of that "more perfect union," which alone can secure the blessings of peace and prosperity to all portions of our common country. Feeling the fullest sympathy with the patriotic impulses which prompt this celebration, I beg to assure you of my readinesss to do all in my power to aid in the execution of whatever plans may be suggested. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, W. D. SIMPSON, Governor. 29 A LETTER FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA SEN- ATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES. Washington, D. C, Febiuary i6th, 1880. To Hon. Will. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, Chairman; Hon. IV. K. Blake, of Spartanburg, Vice-CJiairnian, and Members of the Cozvpens Centennial Cozvmittee : Gentlemen: The undersi^^ned, Senators and Represen- tatives in Congress from South Carolina, have learned with great pleasure of the plans you have initiated for the ob- servance of the one hundredth anniversary of General Mor- gan's great victory at Cowpens, appointed for the 17th January, 1881; and that the erection of a memorial column, with suitable inscriptions, in honor of the brave men who fought there, is also determined upon. It is a gratification to know that you do not intend a merely local observance of the day, and that you propose to invite the active par- ticipation of the Governors and citizens of the Old Thirteen States, and also of the State of Tennessee, then a part of North Carolina, having sons in that fight. This is the true spirit of the " Day you Celebrate," for Washington, of Vir- ginia, was Commander-in-Chief; Greene, of Rhode Island, Commander of the Southern Department, and Morgan, who led the fight, was from New Jersey. The Southern, the Eastern and the Middle States were thus closely associated in the common cause of Independence and self-government, and it is a happy thought to unite the citizens of the " Old Thirteen" at the close of the century, in honoring the event. It has been proposed that the whole country should con- tribute, by vote of Congress, a bronze statue of General Morgan, to crown the memorial column, and it will be a satisfaction to us to second this effort, as also to aid your plans in any way we can. With our warmest wishes for the success of the patriotic work Charleston and Spartanburg have initiated, We are, very respectfully, &c., M. C. BUTLER, ( ^ . WADE HAMPTON, f ^'^"^^"'^^• JOHN S. RICHARDSON,] M. P. O'CONNOR, I D. WYATT AIKEN, \ Representatives. G. D. TILLMAN, | JOHN H. EVINS, J 30 With the President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, and his Cabinet, in heartily expressed sympathy with this monumental re-union of the " Old Thirteen " and Tennessee ; with the assurances of active co-operation, ex- pressed in eloquent letters of encouragement from Gover- nors Natt Head, of New Hampshire; John D. Long, of Massachusetts; H. B. Bigelow, of Connecticut; Alfred H. Littlef^eld, of Rhode Island ; A. B. Cornell, of New York ; Henry M. Hoyt, of Pennsylvania; George C. Ludlow, of New Jersey; John W. Hall, of Delaware; W. T. Hamilton, of Maryland; F. W. M. Halliday, of Virginia ; Thomas J. Jarvis, of North Carolina; A. H. Colquitt, of Georgia; Alvin Hawkins, of Tennessee; with the active and most efficient efforts of Governor Johnson Hagood, of South Car- olina, it was realized by the Committee that the enlarged plans for an imposing Centennial Memorial were reasonably assured for successful execution. As I write, there is a mass of correspondence before me testifying to the interest of these Federal and State of^cials, in the coming re-union : the limit of space available in this publication does not justify the publication of these public-spirited and patriotic letters, and it would be difficult to epitomise their eloquent con- tents, it will therefore necessarily suffice to make this per- manent and public record of their active and influential participation. The best thanks of the committee are also eminently due, and here publicly acknowledged, to the M.*. W.'. Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina, and to its Grand Master, who upon accepting the invitation of the committee, to lay the corner-stone of the monument in October, issued this circular letter to the Grand Masters of the Old Thirteen States and Tennessee, enclosing a copy of the General Circular Letter of the Committee: most worshipful grand lodge of ancient free masons of south carolina. Office of the Grand Master, ) Grand East, V Charleston, S. C, i6th August, A. L. 5880. ) To M:. W.\ Bro. , Grand Master of Masons of the State of .• Dear Sir and Brother: With this I beg to enclose you a communication received at this office, from Hon. Wm. 31 A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston. Chairman ; Hon. Win. K. Blake, of Spartanburg, Vice-Chairman, and others, con- stituting a joint committee of the citizens of the County of Spartanburg, S. C and the Washington Light Infantry of Charleston, in charge of the arrangements for the erection of a monument in honor of the Centennial Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens. The letter speaks for itself. It calls for few additional words. It is desired to fitl}^ celebrate this historic event. // 7cias fougJit for tJic whole country. Every section participated in the benefits of the victory. There is to be no sectionalism in the commeinoration. With these views the committee have labored. And so laboring, they have succeeded in arranging for the gather- ing together on that occasion of representative men from all parts of a common country, to unite with us in recalling a common past, and looking forward to a common future. Masonry knows no parties. It is confined by the boun- daries of no country or kingdom. But Masonry instills the love of country among its followers. Its greatest missit^n is to promote brotherly love, peace and harmony. And to Masonry, too, it belongs to point to the good and true of by-gone years, and to draw lessons from their lives and characters. We are asked, as Masons, to lay this corner-stone. It is for a monument to commemorate an event that was of vital interest to this whole Union. The civil authorities have recognized its unsectional character. The Grand Lodge of South Carolina does the same. While lying within our bor- ders, we yet wish earnestly and cordially to have the assist- ance of our brethren from the North, the East, the West, to assist us in the work we are called upon to perform. From corner-stone to cap-stone, let us all unite to raise this memorial column. Let us lay this corner-stone strongly and firmly in the foundations of harmony and good-will, and let us bind it together with the cement of brotherly love and affection ; and may that cement unite us not only as Masons, but as citizens of one country " into one sacred band of friends and brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emu- lation, of who can best work and best agree." The place selected, the Town of Spartanburg, is directly on the Charlotte and Atlanta Air Line Railioad, and easily accessible by through trains from all points. The day fixed, 7th October, is the anniversary of another revolutionary 32 battle, that of King's Mountain, an event itself historic and ever to be remembered. This goes forth when our country is in rhe midst of the heat and excitement of elections. Political strife rages. Is it not most proper that we, as Masons, should come to- gether, and show, practically, the truths we profess ? Show that amid all the political turmoil and the struggle, broth- erly love prevails among Masons, and that the patriot's heart beats responsive to its sacred tenets, and to the calls of our common country. It gives me, then, great pleasure to forward to you the enclosed communication, and in the name of the Committee of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, and in my own name, as Grand Master of Masons of the State, to most earnestly and fraternally invite your presence and assist- ance in the ceremonies referred to. Trusting to receive from you an early and favorable reply, and with my kindest regards, I am, yours fraternally, AUGUSTINE T. SMYTHE, Grand Master of Masons of South Carolina. Attest: Charles Inglesby, Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of A. F. M. of South Carolina. P. S. — Should you desire to combine with this trip, an attendance also on the Centennial Celebration of the Battle of King's Mountain, which will be held in the vicinity, ap- prise me in season, and be at Spartanburg on the evening of October 6th. I will then arrange to have you included in a party leaving there for the purpose. THE STATE SOCIETIES OF THE CINCINNATI. The cordial thanks of the committee are equally due to "The State Society of the Cincinnati of South Carolina" for their earnest co-operation in this monumental work, not only taking an active interest in the centennial project themselves, but the late General Wilmot G. DeSaussure, President, issued the following circular letter to the State Societies in other States : 33 State Society of the Cincinnati of So. Ca., ] Charleston, 28th June, 1880. \ President of the State Society of the Cincinnati of ■ ■ .• Dear Sir: I enclose herewith a letter, signed by the Honorable William A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, Chairman, and a committee of citizens who have voluntarily taken upon themselves the labor of seeing that the Centen- nial of the Battle of Cowpens be properly commemorated. This battle was one of the turning points in the War of the Revolution. Foiled in their attempts upon the more North- ern States, the British forces had been hurled upon Georgia and South Carolina. These States had been overrun, and North Carolina was seriously threatened. It was during this dark hour that the Battle of Cowpens was fought. As one of the results, the British troops were slowly driven back, these States re-conquered, and the way prepared for Yorktown. It has been deemed proper by the committee that a victory attended by such important consequences should be fitly commemorated. % 'k * ^- 'k -k 'k As you will see by the circular, the purpose of the com- mittee is to make the proposed monument an historical one, and the celebration of the centennial anniversary, a pa- triotic pean for the establishment of a government of the people, for the people, in this our land. With such view, they propose : T. The erection of a monument with suitable inscriptions. 2. The celebration of the centennial, upon the battle- ground, by addresses from representative men of the Old Thirteen States : One speaking for the New England States, one for the Middle States, and one for the Southern States. 3. The identification, as far as practicable, of the descend- ants of those who fought at Cowpens. The committee have sent circulars to the Governors of these States, asking co-operation in this patriotic work, not merely in the pecuniary portion, but in the more important part of designating orators, preparing suitable inscriptions, and appointing committees, who, co-operating with the committee, of which the Honorable Mr. Courtenay is chair- man, may assist in making this celebration an expression of our common country's reverence for the liberty won by our revolutionary ancestors. The committee have addressed this Society, as one grow- ing out of, and peculiarly commemorative of the Revolu- 34 tionary War. asking that they will take an interest in this matter. With such request, I gladly comply, andbeg that you will bring the matter before the Cincinnati Society of on the approaching Anniversary of American Inde- pendence. The letter is so full that I specially ask your particular attention to its details. I would ask that your Society, the custodian of the mem- ories of our revolutionary ancestors, would appoint a com- mittee to co-operate with the Governor of your State in bringing the application for an appropriation before the Legislature, in co-operating with him in the selection of an orator for your section of the Continental States; and in the preparation of such suitable inscription for the panel appropriated to your section, as will make it an historical one. And that a committee be raised to co-operate with the committee, of which the Honorable Mr. Courtenay is Chairman, in all such matters as the committee may deem advisable for the proper celebration of this centennial. I am, dear sir, with assurances of much respect. Your obedient servant. WILMOT G. DeSAUSSURE, President State Society of the Cincinnati of So. Ca. As will be seen, the several Societies of the Cincinnati in the New England, Middle and Southern States were re- quested to confer with the several Governors, and assist in preparing the inscriptions for the three bronze panels, one for each group of States. To this wise action, so judiciously carried out, the committee were fortunate in securing the excellent records which ornament this beautiful and impo.s- ing war monument, and which as well gives patriotic ex- pression from these three groups of States to present and future generations of our common country. LAYING THE CORNER STONE. Spartanburg, S. C, October 7th, 1880. A Special Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Freemasons of South Carolina, was held in the City of Spartanburg, in the Hall of Spartan Lodge, No. 70, at 8.30 o'clock P. M. PRESENT. M. W. Bro. Augustine T. Smythe, Grand Master. W. Bro. R. E. iirewton, Acting Deputy Grand Master. 35 W. Bro. J. A. Henneman, Acting Senior Grand Warden. R. W. Bro. VV. VV. Humphreys, Junior Grand Warden. W. Bro. W. T. Russell, Acting Grand Treasurer. R. W. Bro. Charles Inglesby, Grand Secretary. W. and Rev. Bro. J. M. Carlisle, Acting Grand Chaplain, W. Bro. J. B. McFadden, Senior Grand Deacon. R. W. Bro. A. H. White, Acting Senior Grand Deacon. W. Bro. H. D. Floyd, \ ^ ,■ r ■ n ^ r^ wT \:> T Tj r^ T J ■ Actmg J unior Grand Deacons. W. Bro. J. B. O. Land rum, \ ^ ■' W. Bro. J. W. Holtzclaw, Acting Grand Marshal. W. Bro. M. C. Cox, Acting Grand Pursuivant. W. Bro. Elliott Mason, ) a ^- n jo. i \\i \y T 1 T31 1 A t Acting Grand Stewards. W. Bro. John Blackwood, \ ^ W. Bro. J. B. Hinnant, Acting Grand Tyler. And the Representatives of many of the Subordinate Lodges. There were also present by special invitation of the M. W. Grand Master, M. W. Bro. James M. Mobley, Grand Master of Georgia ; M. W. Bro. J. W. Barlow, Grand Master of Connecticut, and M. W. Bro. Robt. B. Vance, P. G. M. of North Carolina. The Grand Lodge was opened in Ample Form on the First Degree in Masonry. The Grand Master announced that as Grand Master of Masons of South Carolina, he had been invited by the Cow- pens Centennial Committee to lay, with Masonic ceremo- nies, the corner-stone of the monument in the Town of Spartanburg, to be erected in commemoration of the Battle of Cowpens. That in recognition of the fact, that although achieved on South Carolina soil, the victory was of no one section ; that men from the North and the South mingled their blood freely in defence of a common country, it had been the desire of the committee to impart a national char- acter to the celebration, and to this end, they had requested him to extend an invitation to the Grand Masters of the original Thirteen States and of Tennessee, to be present and take part in the ceremonies. That pursuant to this invitation we were honored with the presence of M. W. Bro. James M. Mobley, Grand Master of Georgia; M. W. Bro. John H. Barlow, Grand Master of Connecticut; M. W. Bro. Geii. Robert B. Vance, P. G. Master of North Carolina, and the Representatives of the other Thirteen States and of Tennessee, who had been specially deputised for the occa- sion. The Grand Master stated that the ceremonies had been appointed to take place at night, because an opportu- 36 nity was thus given to those attending the Centennial Cele- bration at King's Mountain to be present at this. The Grand Secretary read the order of procession, and the Grand Master having given his instructions to the Craft, the Acting Grand Marshal, W. Bro. J. W. Holtzclaw, formed the procession, which marched to the site of the m.onument, on the public square, in the following order : Music. Tyler with drawn sword. Two Deacons with staves. Two Standards (Faith and Hope). The Masonic Fraternity in the order of Degrees. Tyler with drawn sword. Two Deacons with staves. Two Standards (Charity and Wisdom). Secretaries of Lodges. Treasurers of Lodges. Junior Wardens of Lodges with pillars. Senior Wardens of Lodges with pillars. Masters of Lodges with hirams. Tyler with drawn sword. Two Deacons with staves. Two Standards (Strength and Beauty). Grand Tyler with drawn sword. Grand Stewards, with white rods. The Architect, carrying the implements. Grand Pursuivant. Grand Secretary, with green bag. Grand Treasurer, with staff. The Holy Bible, Square and Compasses. Grand Chaplain. The Cowpens Centennial Committee, consisting of Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay, Mayor of Charleston, Chairman ; Past Grand Master Wm. K. Blake, Vice-Chairman ; Dr. H. S. Heintish, Capt. Charles Petty, Gen. J. C. Anderson, Col. T. Stobo Farrow, Dr. J. B. O. Landrum, Capt. S. S. Ross, Capt. Geo. D. Bryan, Lieut. Geo. B. Edwards and a detachment of the Washington Light Lifantry of Charleston, bearing the Eutaw Flag. Two Junior Grand Deacons with staves. 37 Grand Wardens. Deputy Grand Master. Book of Constitutions. Grand Master, supported by two Senior Grand Deacons with staves. Two Tylers with drawn swords. A magnificent arch had been erected near the stand, and upon arriving at the arch, the procession, numbering over five hundred, halted, opened ranks, while the officers of the Grand Lodge, the Cowpens Centennial Committee and the visiting Grand Masters, passing under the arch ascended the stage, upon which was a parlor organ and a fine choir of eight male voices under the leadership of Prof. A. T. Peete, assisted by Professors W. B. North and W. N. Johnson. The ceremonies were ushered in with a very handsome display of fireworks, which continued throughout the pro- ceedings. The square was brilliantly illuminated by Chinese lanterns, locomotive headlights, the gas lamps of the city and a number of lanterns arranged around the stand. Sus- pended over the site of the monument was a large United States flag. Past Grand Master Wm. K. Blake, in eloquent and patri- otic language, as Vice-Chairman of the Cowpens Centennial Committee, explained the objects and purposes of the cele- bration, and gracefully introduced to the very large assem- blage, M. W. Grand Master Augustine T. Smythe, who having suitably responded, instructed the Grand Secretary to make the proper announcement, whereupon R. W. Bro. Charles Inglesby, Grand Secretary, made the following pro- clamation : " Brethren, and all who are present, take notice that this is the order of the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Ma- sons of South Carolina, that he will now proceed to lay the corner-stone of the Monument in honor of the Centennial Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens. You will conduct yourselves in harmony with the solemnity of the hour." The choir, consisting of the Professors above named and Messrs. W. E. Burnett, W. H. Mitchell, W. S. Thomason, J. B. Jones, L. T. Lester and J. R. Anderson, sang with marked effect the Masonic Ode "When Earth's Foundation." A copper box containing the mementoes of the occasion was deposited within an excavation (prepared for that pur- pose in the stone,) by Acting Grand Treasurer W. Bro. W. T. Russell. 38 When the Grand Master called upon the Grand Treas- urer to deposit within the corner-stone the box containing the relics, Past Grand Master Blake stepped forward and stated that he held in his hand a most interesting relic of the Battle of Cowpens, which he offered in behalf of Mrs. Harriet Ann Stuckey, the granddaughter of John Ken- nedy, a native of North Carolina, v/ho survived until No- vember 29, 1 83 1. Before he was of military age he volun- teered in the American army, and upon the call for men to resist Col. Tarleton's advance into upper Carolina, being at home on leave, he marched with rifle and knapsack from Camden to Cowpens and participated in that victory. This relic was a lock of John Kennedy's hair, which has been preserved through three generations. John Kennedy Stuckey, of Spartanburg, of the fourth generation, by invi- tation, placed this relic in the copper box prepared for the corner-stone. Mrs. Stuckey, too feeble to be present, looked from her window at the ceremonies. The following is a list of the records which were also de- posited in the corner-stone: Roll of President and Cabinet. Members of the United States Supreme Court. Governors of all the States and Territories. Senators and Representatives of the Forty-Sixth Con- gress. South Carolina State officers. Mayor and Aldermen and Public Boards of Charleston. Intendant and Wardens of Spartanburg. Historical sketch of Wofford College and Literary Socie- ties and ofificers. Graduates of the College of Charleston. Proceedings of Grand Lodge of South Carolina, A. L. 5879. Roster and By-Laws Chicora Chapter Royal Arch Masons, and Spartan Lodge, No. 70, A. F. M., Landmark Lodge, No. 76, A. F. M., Charleston. Portrait of General Wade Hampton. Copies of invitations to the Governors of the Old Thir- teen States and Tennessee to co-operate in the erection of this memorial column. Copies of circular letters issued by the committee of ar- rangements in relation to this work ; also correspondence with the State Society of Cincinnati of South Carolina and other States on this subject. Constitution, By-Laws and Rolls of the Washington Light Lifantry of Charleston. 39 Eutaw and Cowpens Banner Song. Copies of the News and Courier and Boston Post con- taining accounts of the W. L. I.'s visit to Boston on the lyth June, 1875. The News and Courier, with an account of the W. L. I.'s visit to Philadelphia, on the 4th of July, 1876. W. L. I. Rolls at the Boston and Philadelphia parades. Roll of 113 W. L. I. dead, Companies A and B, 25th S. C. V. (Simonton's Regiment), and Company A, Hampton Legion Infantry, C. S. A. Pamphlet containing an account of Governor Hampton's first visit to Charleston, in April, 1877, ^'id opening of the W L. I. Armory. Copies of the News and Courier containing " Cotton Mills of South Carolina." Mrs. L. Virginia P^-ench's poem, " Liberty Bells," dedi- cated to the Centennial Legion, on the 4th of July, 1876. Accounts of the King's Mountain Centennial, as far as received, and other records of local interest. Miller's Almanac, and a statement of the condition of the National Bank of Spartanburg. The stone was then lowered into position by three regu- lar motions, when after an earnest and fervent prayer by Rev. Bro. J. M. Carlisle, Acting Grand Chaplain, the architect presented to the Grand Master the implements, consisting of the square, level and plumb. The Grand Mas- ter severally handed the implements to M. W. Bros. Mob- ley, of Georgia; Barlow, of Connecticut ; Vance, of North Carolina, and P. G. M. W. K. Blake, representing the Grand Lodge of New York, and R. W. Bro. Charles Inglesby, representing the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, requesting each of them to try the stone. This having been severally done, and each having pronounced the stone to be "well formed, true and trusty," the Grand Master himself tested the stone, and announced as follows: "I have tried and proved this stone by plumb, square and level, and pro- nounce it to be well formed, true and trusty." The Corn, Wine and Oil were respectively poured upon the stone by the Acting Deputy Grand Master, Acting Senior Grand Warden and by the Junior Grand Warden, after which the Grand Master and other Grand Ofificers re-ascended the platform. The Acting Grand Marshal having made due proclama- tion, the public Grand Honors of Masonry were given by three times three. 40 The Grand Master having returned the implements to the architect and placed him in charge of the work, the choir sang the ode, "Let There Be Light." The Grand Master then pronounced the usual exhorta- tion to the Craft, after which appropriate and eloquent addresses were delivered by the visiting Grand Masters, James M. Mobley, of Georgia; John H. Barlow, of Con- necticut, and P. G. Master Robert B. Vance, of North Carolina. The Grand Master called to the attention of the assem- bly that there were present a most interesting relic of the Battle of Cowpens and of the Revolution, viz., the Eutaw flag, in charge of Capt. George D. Bryan, Lieut. Edwards, and a color-guard from the W. L. L of Charleston. He requested Private C. Y, Richardson of the color-guard to bring forward the historic banner and place it at the front of the stand. The Eutaw flag was brought forward amid deafening applause and the strains of "Dixie" by the band. "Hail, Masonry Divine," was finely rendered by the choir, during the singing of which the Grand Stewards took up a collection among the Craft for the needy workmen, and the sum collected was placed in charge of the architect. A benediction having been pronounced by the Grand Chap- lain, the procession was re-formed and marched back to the hall of Spartan Lodge, No. 70. Where the Grand Lodge was closed in Ample Form. CHARLES INGLESBY, Grand Secretary. 41 A Necessary Postponement. As the year iSSodrew to a close it was fully realized that the very extensive details connected with the preparatory work of the memorial could not be accomplished by Cen- tennial Day. The aim and purpose of the committee was to unveil the completed work on 17th January, 1881, but after exhausting all efforts available by correspondence, the official action of New Hampshire and Connecticut, of the New England States; of the four Middle States, and of Maryland and Georgia of the Southern States, could not be had in season for the completion of the whole work by the date of the one hundredth anniversary of the victory. Leg- islatures had not been, and would not be, in session, to take action, in advance of the date fixed, and as the leading motive was the re-union of these States, in joint action on the day and for the event to be celebrated, the real object would have been then defeated, as a brief delay only was necessary to secure the desired result, and the spring sea- son of the year would be a more propitious time, a post- ponement was determined upon. Therefore, on ist January, 188 1, the committee, through the telegraphic service of the Associated Press, were reluc- tantly compelled to announce a delay in the ceremonies until May nth. It proved to be in every respect a most fortunate decision ; the four months' time was all really needed, not only for the action of the States named, but the distinguished sculptor, Mr. Ward, who had been com- missioned by Congress to furnish the bronze statue of General Morgan, required more time for his grand work. As the spring-time came every detail had been completed ; the great blocks of stone to form the column were brought to Spartanburg. A skillful stone mason, Mr. Grant, reared his great derricks, and on the substantial foundation, laid months before, the column, in all its massive proportions, slowly but surely reached its height. In due course came an enormous sized box, containing over a ton weight of finest bronze, which, when opened, revealed, in heroic size, the face and form of the commanding officer at Cowpens — one who rose from teamster to the high rank of Major General in the United States Army. Soon this grand work of the sculptor's art was safely raised to its place on the column, and draped from the public gaze until, with impres- sive ceremonies, it would be unveiled and saluted with the cheers of many thousands, amid the booming of cannon and the inspiring strains of martial music. 42 In preparation for the eventful day, a description of this battle monument should form part of the record. The de- sign was prepared by the late Col. Edward B. White, of Charleston, architect. It is in a simple and unpretentious style, which is cer- tainly in keeping with the character of the hero of the fight, while the sturdy dignity of the architectural portion of the design is calculated to arouse in the minds of those who behold it that veneration and respect, and quiet admi- ration for its proportions, which the Doric order always commands The monument is properly divided into three different parts, viz : The base, the shaft, and the statue, which stands upon its abacus. The base, which is octagonal in plan, is composed of four members. The base proper, which is a complete octagon, is in two pieces, and is the only portion of the monument containing a perpendicular joint, all the other separate members being in one piece ; this base is eleven feet in diameter, anH one and one-half feet thick. The sub-base is in one piece of stone eight feet and three inches in diame- ter; a "wash" of about one inch in height is cut on the base and sub-base, forming a bevelled face from the outer edge of the base to the sub-base, and from the outer edge of the sub-base to the die-block ; this bevelled face, although a utilitarian feature, by anticipating as it were the taper of the die-block, avoid the violent contrast which would other- wise exist between perfectly square corners and the softer outline of the die-block. The die-block (resting immedi- ately upon the sub-base) is at the bottom, five and one-half feet in diameter; it is four and one-half feet in height to the architrave, and tapers to a diameter of four and two- thirds feet at that point. The architrave which finishes the base is composed of three members, the cavette, lillet and level, a common but appropriate combination, and in keep- ing with the simple character of the design. At this point the base of the monument terminates and the shaft begins. The shaft, a simple truncated cone, three feet and two- thirds in diameter at the base, and three feet and one-third at the point of juncture with the cap, is little less than three diameters high, crowned with a moulded cap, in which the strict "severity of the Doric has given place to a freer mode of treatment; inasmuch as in this case the mouldings are much lighter, and the number of the members greater; the members composing the capitol are a counter-sunk The Cextenxial Memorial TO The Victors of the Cowpens, Unveiled at the City of Spartanburg, S. C, i8Si. 44 fillet or cincture ; an elongated cavette carved with the usual leaf and dart; a fillet, an ogee (the largest member); the whole terminated by the square abacus, which is four feet and five inches across. From the ground to the top of the abacus is twenty-one feet. THE INSCRIPTIONS. The following inscriptions appear in the bronze panels on the North, South, East and West faces: [east face.] (General Inscription.) To The American Soldiers, who, On the Field of Cowpens, January 17th, 1781, Fought victoriously for The Right of Self-Government and Civil Liberty. We enjoy the result of their toil and sacrifice, let us emulate their fortitude and virtue. This Column is erected by the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina. THE OLD THIRTEEN STATES, and The State of Tennessee, 1S81. MORGAN. [on the sub-base this record.] The Unanimous Resolve of THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES crowns This Memorial Column with the form and face of GENERAL DANIEL MORGAN, The hero of Cowpens, who, on that field, was victorious in the great cause of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 45 [north face.] (New England States.) N. H.— MASS.— R. I.— CONN. To Patriotism and the Brave. Forever In the past is sacrifice. In tlie future Progress. Liberty and Union. HOWARD. [west face,] (Southern States.) One hundred years ago Tlie men of the North and the South fought together, and by their blood secured the Independence, and cemented the Union of the American States. The Bond that then bound them together is the Bond of their fellow-countrymen to-day. The common country they created is the heritage of all their sons. The perpetuation of the Republic of their Fathers is the safety and honor of North and South, Alike the sentiment and duty of all the States. EsTO Perpetua. WM. WASHINGTON. [on the sub-base this record.] THE WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY, To whose custody The widow of Col. Wm. Washington, Committed his crimson battle-flag. Projected this Memorial Column, and participated in its dedication, again unfurling " The glorious Standard, which at Eutaw shone so bright. And as a dazzling meteor swept thro' the Cowpens deadly fight." 46 [south face.] (Middle States.) 1 78 1. ONE PEOPLE. No North, No South, No East, No West. A COMMON INTEREST, One Country — One Destiny. 1881. As IT Was, so Ever Let it Be. PICKENS. THE MORGAN STATUE. Mr. J. Q. A. Ward was fully occupied for nine consecu- tive months in the preparation of this magnificent piece of statuary art, which so grandly crowns this noble doric column, and which fulfills perfectly every requirement of the Joint Resolution of Congress, as appears from the fol- lowing ofBcial report : Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, ) ■ Old Building, Navy Department, 17TH Street, v Washington, D. €., February 26th, 1881. ) To His Excellency Johnson Hagood, Governor of the State of South Carolina, Cohimbia, South Carolina : Sir — I am directed by the Secretary of War to enclose herewith a copy of a report made by the officer detailed by the War Department to inspect the finished statue of General Daniel Morgan, as executed by Mr. J. O. A. Ward, for the United States, under the Joint Resolution of Con- gress, approved May 26th, 1 880, and contract consequent thereupon. It would be esteemed a favor by the Secretary if the contents of this paper could be communicated to the Cowpens Centennial Committee, their address not being- known to this of^ce. The artist has been informed of the satisfaction of the Government with his work, and he will proceed under his contract to deliver the statue, through your Excellency, to the Cowpens Centennial Committee, as provided by the law and his contract. I am, sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, THOS. LINCOLN CASEY, Lieutenant-Colonel of Engineers U. S. A., In Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds. (53-r. B. G.-1881.) 47 War Department, ) Bureau of Military Justice, ^ Washington, D. C, February 23d, 1881. ) Brig.-Geii. R. C. Drum, Adjutant-General U. S. A.: General — I have the honor to report that I have in- spected in compHance with Special Orders 41, Adjutant- General's Office, February i8th, 1881. and the letter of instructions accompanying said order, the bronze statue, by Mr. J. O. A. Ward, of New York, of General Daniel Morgan, who commanded the American forces at the Battle of the Cowpens, in 1781. The statue has been cast at the foundry of Bureau Bros. & Heaton, in Philadelphia, from a design and model pre- pared by Mr. Ward, under a contract made by him with Lieut. Col. Thomas L. Casey, acting for and in behalf of the United States ; its construction being authorized by a Joint Resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives, approved May 26, 1880, and which directed that the statue of General Morgan should be made of bronze, " of heroic ."ize, and in the uniform of the rifleman of the period." The contract with Mr. Ward provides that the statue shall be made of fine bronze, " of heroic size, and in the uniform of the rifleman of the period of the Revolution," and " shall be executed in the best manner of the said J. Q. A. Ward, and according to the requirem.ents of art." Your instructions directed me to " inspect the said statue and report whether, in your judgment, the statue fulfills the requirements of the Joint Resolution and contract con- sequent thereupon." 1 respectfully repoit that in my judgment the statue fulfills perfectly every requirement of both Joint Resolution and contract." The height is nine feet, its weight about 2,000 pounds, and its material a fine golden bronze, which will gradually darken with time and exposure to the air. The weight of the body is supported on the right leg and foot, the left leg a little behind the other, slightly bent, and its heel raised from the ground. The head is turned partly to the left, the left arm crosses, but does not touch the heart, and the right arm hangs at the side and somewhat behind the body, its hand holding a sword, of which the blade points directly to the front, the point a little depressed. 48 The features are very noble in expression. The head is covered with a high cap of fur, having on its left side a pompon of pine leaves. The dress is a loose frock, trimmed with fringe on both shoulders, down the front, and on the lower edge all round ; and meeting the pantaloons of apparently the same mate- rial, also fringed in corresponding style. The feet are in moccasins. A sheath on the left hip, a sash round the waist, and belts, partially hidden by the sash, indicates the rank of the wearer. A powder-horn is slung on the right side of the body. The dignity and grace, as well as lightness of the statue, which appears to be intended to represent General Morgan as advancing at the head of his men to the field of battle, or it may be engaging in and directing the pursuit of the enemy, are remarkable and worthy of all praise. A portrait of General Morgan in rifleman's dress, drawn by T. Herring, from a sketch by Colonel Trumbull, and engraved by Prudhomme, is given in the second volume of a work entitled " National Portrait Gallery of Distin- guished Americans," published by Rice, Rutter & Co., in 1867, in Philadelphia. I have the honor to be, very respectfully. Your obedient servant, (Signed,) H. PELHAM CURTIS, Major, Judge Advocate, U. S. A. As too much cannot be written of this statue, in its ma- jestic beauty and simplicity, I make an extract from a pri- vate letter of the distinguished American sculptor, which will be perused with deep interest : ''After reading the biography of General Morgan, and studying the history of his military career, I felt it essential to a proper portrayal of his character, that the statue should represent a man of action — intrepid, aggressive, alert — at the same time I wished to indicate, by certain movements of the head and left arm, that there was a sympathetic quality, even a tenderness, in the nature of the daring General. " I represented him with drawn sword, advancing with his troops, his attention for the moment attracted by some movement of the enemy on his left. "The costume I found portrayed very accurately by Trumbull, which agreed with all recorded descriptions. Bronze Statue of General Daniel Morgan, By J. Q. A. Ward, Sculptor, Ordered by Resolution of the 46th Congress, to crown the Column of Victory. Erected by the "Old Thirteen" States and Tennessee, in the City of Spartanburg, S. C. 1881. 50 " The coat or tunic was a fringed hunting shirt, a gar- ment adopted from the Indian costume, and much worn by the frontiersmen of that time. " The fringed leggins and moccasins belonged to the same costume, which was used by Morgan's Riflemen. " The cap, a pecuHar one of fur, with a cluster of pine leaves as a sort of pompon, was loaned me by a gentleman of Charleston, through the kindness of the Hon. VVm. A. Courtenay. This was an original cap, preserved from the Revolutionary War. Although the sword and sash which belonged to his rank were used, yet I added the powder- horn, as an indication of Morgan's characteristic disposition to use his rifle whenever the occasion admitted. Of course, the manner of wearing the hair, the cravat and ruffled shirt front are all in the mode of his time." (^roWi)ing tfie f er)t(ir^» Fitting Honors, at Last, to the Men of Cowpens — A National Day at Spartanburg, S. C. H SALUTE of thirteen guns, fired at sunrise by the Columbia Flying Artillery, Capt. J. Q. Marshall, and the Spartanburg Light Artillery, Capt. T. B. Martin, ushered in the glories of this memorable day, their thunder rever- berating through the valleys and shaking the foundation of this historic town. During the entire night the streets resounded with the tramp of armed legions, and for the last forty-eight hours civilians and soldiers had been arriving in constantly increas- ing numbers, special trains were employed on all the rail- roads. Lines of hacks communicated with the neighboring towns, and every conceivable conveyance has been pressed into service for this splendid occasion. Every hotel and private house is crowded to its utmost capacity, and many eager patriots passed last night by their camp fires, which blazed here and there upon the neighboring hills, with the stars for their sentinels and the heavens for a canopy. Seats were arranged all along the streets and the public square in front of the Court House, where the memorial column has been erected, resembles an immense amphi- theatre, the seats rising in tiers above each other. Bunting of the most gorgeous patterns and flags of every nation float in the mountain breezes, while the centennial stand and the monument are hung with intricately wrought floral wreaths and decorations, the whole forming a scene of sur- passing beauty and brilliancy. The stand is hung with evergreens and gay colored ribbons, in which the " red, white and blue" are conspicuous, and with wreaths of exquisite flowers, contributed by the patriotic women of this city. Over the front of the stand the decorations rise into an arch of striking symmetry and loveliness, the crown of the arch being surmounted by the State colors, the only Palmetto Flag displayed. In front of the Court House upon a ground of blue, in large silver letters, are the figures 1 78 1 — 1 88 1. Under the arch over the spacious stand is the 52 magic word "Cowpens," and running along the front upon a ground of white, worked in evergreen letters, are the names of Morgan, Pickens, Washington and Howard, On the stage at the extreme right is a beautiful silken banner, bearing the Palmetto Coat of Arms and the dates 1781 — 1 88 1. On the left is a banner containing the Coat of Arms of Georgia. On each column supporting the canopy is a cluster of United States Flags, while the National colors are looped and intertwined over the front of the stand. Suspended between the stores of Hon. W. K. Blake, the Chairman of the Spartanburg Committee, there is a beautiful crimson banner, upon which are in letters of gold the words "One Hundred Years Ago," and in front of the Merchants' Hotel is the huge National Flag of the Holy Communion Church Institute of Charleston, its folds almost reaching to the earth beneath. Directly in front of the stand and near the monument, at the headquarters of the W. L. I., some thirty flags, of almost every design, are strung across the street, the Flag of the Washington Light Infantry occupying the centre of the line. Suspended by an almost invisible wire is an eagle bearing the shield of the Union, and carrying in its beak a ribbon marked 1781 — 1881. The eagle, with v/ings extended, is constructed of white immortelles, and hovers over the monument. It cost $150, and was pre- sented to the Ladies' Committee on Decorations by Hon. James F. Wenm.an, President of the New York Board of Park Commissioners. At half-past 9 o'clock a signal of three guns was fired by the Columbia Artillery and THE TROOPS WERE MASSED In Main Street, to the east of the railroad track, and formed into two brigades, the Fourth Brigade, under the command of Brigadier-General C Irvine Walker, embracing ever}/ military command in the City of Charleston, occupying the right of the line, and the Second, or Centennial Brigade, made up of all the other commands present, under the command of Colonel Hugh S. Thompson, the left of the line. The entire body of troops was under command of General John C. Anderson, commanding the Thirteenth Brigade of South Carolina State Troops. Acting upon General Anderson's staff was Major Vardry McBee, of Greenville, and Major Smith, of Spartanburg. Major R.C. Gilchrist, of Charleston, was detailed by Adjutant-General Manigault to assist in the formation of the line. 53 General H. I. Hunt, of the United States Army, acted as reviewing officer of the day. In the terrible political ex- citement in Charleston, in November, 1876, which ended in riot and bloodshed. General Hunt, U. S. A., was in com- mand of that post, with two small Companies of United States Troops. Through his wise and firm conduct on that memorable occasion, order was restored and the rioters dispersed. For his dignified and effective services on that occasion, the honor of reviewing the volunteer troops on this centennial occasion, was with great unanimity tendered him, through Governor Hagood. This gallant gentleman has since passed away, but he will be long remembered in South Carolina, and especially in Charleston, for his patri- otic conduct in trying times. His staff was composed of Lieutenants J. M. Baldwin and Daniel Morgan Taylor, of the United States Army, and Colonels S B. Pickens, McHenry Howard and J. B. Washington, lineal descendants of heroes of Cowpens. The following officers participated in the review as mem- bers of Governor Hagood's staff : Lieutenant-Colonels Til- man Watson, of Columbia ; J. G. Clinkscales, of Anderson ; George T. Graham, of Lexington ; O. L. Schumpert, of Newberry ; L. DuBos, of Charleston, and W. R. Davie, of Chester. At 10 o'clock General Hunt received the division in line and rode around in review. He then took his stand in front of the centennial stage and reviewed the troops while they passed before him in platoons. The troops marched promptly forward and presented a fine appearance, keeping the step with all the precision of American veterans. The column was headed by the veteran Eutaw (W. L. L) Band, of Charleston, and moved in the following order: FIRST REGIMENT OF RIFLES, Colonel W. M. Bruns, commanding ; Lieutenant-Colonel, L, DeB. McCrady; Captain J. L. Gantt, Jr., Adjutant; A. C. Manigault, Quartermaster ; Dr. P. Gourdin DeSaussure, Surgeon ; Captain A. J. Chisolm, Aide. German Artillery, Charleston, Captain F. W. Wagener commanding, and the Lafayette Artillery, Charleston, Captain B. F. Mantoue commanding the Battalion of Ar- tillery. Sumter Guards, Charleston, Captain C. F. Hard. Charleston Riflemen, Charleston, Captain W. E. Butler. 54 Montgomery Guards, Charleston, Captain James F. Red- ding. Palmetto Guard, Charleston, Captain Samuel Wiley. Irish Volunteers, Charleston, Captain P. O'Neill. German Fusiliers, Charleston, Captain Henry Schachte. Fifth Artillery Band, United States Army. Washington Light Infantry, Charleston, Captain George D. Bryan, Color Company, with the Cowpens Flag, and an elegant U. S. Flag, of heavy silk, presented by the Military of Boston, 1875. Carolina Rifle Battalion, Major Thomas Frost, Jr. ; Lieu- tenant Trezevant Williams, Adjutant; J. G. Holmes, Jr., Paymaster; W. J. McCormack, Quartermaster. Company A of Battalion, Lieutenant C. F. Hanckel commanding ; Company B, Captain W. St. Julien Jervey commanding. German Hussars, Captain Gerhard Riecke. Acting upon General C. I. Walker's Staff were Colonel Arthur Mazyck, Adjutant ; Major VVohlers, Quartermaster ; Major D. O'Neill, Paymaster, and Major C. R. Holmes, Aide. PALMETTO REGIMENT, Colonel Hugh S. Thompson, commanding; Lieutenant- Colonel A. H. White, Major J. K. Marshall, Adjutant John P. Thomas, Jr., Quartermaster J. M. Morris, Sergeant Major C. M. Tew. Governor's Guards, Columbia, Captain Wilie Jones. Richland Volunteers, Columbia, Captain R. M. Richbourg. Columbia Flying Artillery, with battery of two i2-pound- ers, Captain J. Q. Marshall. Gordon Light Infantry, Winnsboro', Captain W. G. Jordan. Lee Light Infantry, Chester, Lieutenant John McFaddin. Catawba Rifles, Rock Hill, Captain Allen Jones. Greenville Cadets, Captain J. B. Patrick. King's Mountain Military Institute Cadets, Colonel As- bury Coward. Carolina Military Institute Cadets, Charlotte, Colonel John P. Thomas. Butler Guards, Greenville, Captain Waddy Thompson. Color-Bearer W. H. Chapman, of. the Palmetto Guards, carried the Fort Moultrie Centennial Standard, presented by Miss Julia G. Elliott, granddaughter of Mrs. Elliott. Color-Bearer HallT. McGee carried the bullet-riddled battle flag borne by the Company in the Confederate War. 55 There were about eight hundred troops in line, and not less than eighteen thousand persons were present. Ceremonies at the Monument. The mellow notes of the town bell had scarcely tolled the hour of noon when the sound of drums which had been hushed for a short time could be heard again on all sides. A few minutes later the troops came up to the stand with colors flying and bands gayly playing martial music. The VV. L. I. formed in hollow square around the monument, and the colors consisting of the historic Eutaw Flag and the National Colors were borne to the stage and given a promi- nent place at the side of the speaker's desk. The Eutaw Flag was borne by Treasurer F, H. Honour, W. L. I., and the U. S. Colors were borne by Color Sergeant F. P. Salas, an old member of the W. L. I. The other troops were massed in front and on the side of the stand, and the multi- tude of civilians stretched out as far the eye could see, north, south, east and west, to the back and to the front. On the house tops, on the balconies, on the tiers of seats, in the windows, everywhere an endless sea of people met the gaze. Old men and young men, white and black, in all conceivable dresses, old matrons, young girls and little children, all crowded together, forming a dense back ground to the solid phalanx of soldiers which closely surrounded the stand. The sun up to this time had beat down upon the unprotected heads of the crowd with relentless severity, but as if in tender sympathy for the celebrants of so great and glorious an occasion, white-winged clouds came hover- ing down from the Blue Ridge, and while in no way dim- ming the beautiful splendor of the day, cast a welcome and refreshing shade on the throng below. THE STAND upon which the ceremonies were conducted was a mighty structure, capable of holding several hundred persons com- fortably, and compelled to accommodate several hundred more. At the speaker's desk sat Governor Johnson Ha- good, the presiding officer, with the Hon. VVm. A. Courte- nay, the Chairman of the Committee, and the officers of the occasion. On his right was seated Governor Jarvis, of North Carolina, and on his left appeared the Hon. Thomas W. Higginson, of Massachusetts. In their rear sat Senators Lawrence and Francis, and Representatives Van Cleff and 56 Lawrence, the New Jersey Committee. To the left of these, arrayed in his clerical robes, the Rev. Ur. A. Toomer Porter, the Chaplain of the Washington Light Infantry, was seated. Prominent also appeared General H. L Hunt, U. S. A., and Lieutenant Baldwin, of the 5th United States Artillery ; Lieutenant Daniel Morgan Taylor, U. S. A., Adjt.-General Manigault, the officers of the parading commands, Judge Bryan, the Rev Dr. Junkin, Judge Joseph Christian, of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and Colonels Buford and Cabell, of Virginia, representing that State on the occasion; Con- gressmen John S. Richardson and J. H. Evins, State Sena- tors Gaillard, Moore, Lartigue, Jeter and Callison, Repre- sentatives Hemphill, Verner, Rucker and Allen, and a host of other prominent visitors Among the latter was Mr. John Fielder, one hundred and one years of age, who was born in this county and resided here for seventy years, but who is now a resident of Laurens County. Forming a bright and pleasing picture in the throng upon the stand were the GROUP OF LADIES who had charge of the unveiling of the Centennial Memo- rial. As soon as the troops had been posted the Hon. Wm. A. Courtenay commanded silence, and, coming to the front, said : As Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, I have the honor to request that His Excellency Governor Johnson Hagood, Governor of South Carolina, will take the Chair, and that the Governors of the " Old Thirteen " States and the State of Tennessee be requested to act as Vice-Presidents : Governor Natt. Head, State of New Hampshire. Governor John D. Long, State of Massachusetts. Governor Hobart B. Bigelow, State of Connecticut. Governor Alfred H. Littlefield, State of Rhode Island. Governor A. B. Cornell, State of New York. Governor Henry M. Hoyt. State of Pennsylvania. Governor Geo. C. Ludlow, State of New Jersey. Governor John W. Hall, State of Delaware. Governor Wm. T. Hamilton, State of Maryland. Governor F. W. M. Holliday, State of Virginia. Governor Thos. J. Jarvis, State of North Carolina. Governor A. H. Colquitt, State of Georgia. Governor Alvin Hawkins, State of Tennessee. Captain Courtenay proposed for Chaplain of the day Rev. A. Toomer Porter, W. L. I. 57 Secretaries — T. Stobo Farrow, Esq., Lieutenant W. Lucas Simons, W. L, L ; Charles Petty, Esq., Lieutenant Geo. B, Edwards, W. L. L Addressing Governor Hagood, the Chairman of the Com- mittee said : In behalf of the contributors and builders I have the honor to place in charge of your Excellenc}^ this completed Centennial Memorial, now ready for dedication. Governor Hagood, advancing a few steps, in response to Captain Courtenay, said : Mr. Chairman, in behalf of the 1 hirteen Original States and of Tennessee, who have con- tributed to the erection of this memorial column before us, and in behalf of the Forty-Sixth Congress, who, represent- ing the people of the whole Union, has crowned it with the statue of Morgan, the hero of Saratoga, as well as Cowpens, I accept at your hands the finished work. In the completeness of your arrangements for the dedication to- day is recognized the patriotic ardor with which the whole duty assigned you has been discharged. The ceremonies of the day will be opened with prayer by the Rev. A. Toomer Porter, D. D., the Chaplain of the W. L. L QUEEN AND PRESIDENT. The Rev. A, Toomer Porter, D. D., Rector of the Church of the Holy Communion, Charleston, and Chaplain of the Washington Light Infantry, came forward and said : The prayers which will now be offered are from this book which I hold in my hand, found upon the battle-field of Cowpens, more than a century ago, when the battle ended. I invite you first to unite with me aloud, in that prayer which every man of all creeds and nationalities can say. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. O Lord, show Thy mercy upon us, and grant us Thy sal- vation. O Lord, save our Rulers, and mercifully hear us when we call upon Thee. Endue Thy ministers with right- eousness, and make Thy chosen people joyful. O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine heritage. Give peace in our time, O Lord, because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only Thou, O Lord. O God, make clean our hearts within us, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from us. 58 O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, defend us Thy humble servants from all assaults of our enemies, that we, surely trusting in Thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries. Grant that in these coming years this Nation may fall into no sin, but that all our doings may be ordered by Thy goverance to do always that which is righteous in Thy sight. Lighten our dark- ness, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and by Thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers. O Lord, our Heav- enly Father, high and mighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth, most heartily we beseec h Thee with Thy favor to behold Thy servants, iJie President of the United States, and Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria, and so replenish them with the grace of Thy spirit, that they may always incline to Thy will, and walk- in Thy way. Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts, grant them in health and wealth long to live; strengthen them with wisdom to exercise their high office for the good of the whole people over whom they are called to rule, and finally, after this life, they may attain everlasting joy and felicity. As our hearts rise to Thee with gratitude for all the blessings which have come to us, through the efforts and the sufferings of our forefathers, with the Psalmist we say. If the Lord had not been on our side, if the Lord Himself had not been on our side, when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quickly, when they were so wrathfully displeased at us. But the Lord hath wrought a mighty salvation for us ; we got not this by our own sword, neither was it our own arm that saved us, but Thy right hand and Thine arm that saved us; because Thou hadst a favor unto us. The Lord hath done great things for us, for which we rejoice ; therefore, O Almighty God, the Sover- eign Commander of all the world, in whose hand is power and might, which none is able to withstand, we bless and magnify Thy great and glorious name for the happy victory, which after these hundred years we commemorate. The whole glory whereof we do ascribe to Thee, who art the only giver of victory. And, we beseech Thee, give us grace to improve this great mercy to Thy glory, the ad- vancement of Thy Gospel, the honor of our Government, and as much as in us lieth, to the good of all mankind. And we beseech Thee, give us such a sense of this great mercy as may engage us to a true thankfulness, such as 59 may appear in our lives, by an humble, holy and obedient walking before Thee all our days, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Dr. Porter read the prayers with deep impressiveness. During the repeating of the Lord's Prayer many of the multitude joined in, rendering its effect most solemn. At the close of the prayer the 5th United States Artillery Band played " THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER," as only they can play it, the shouts and cheers that went up from many thousand throats, showing how deeply the hearts of the multitude were stirred by the National anthem. THE UNVEILING had been planned by the Chairman of the Committee, and assigned to the wise and experienced care of Mrs. Governor F. W. Pickens, who was accompanied by Mrs. Trust and Mrs. Daniel Morgan Taylor, descendants of General Morgan. Mrs. Pickens was assisted by the following young ladies: Miss Douschka Pickens, of Edgefield, great granddaugh- ter of General Andrew Pickens. Miss Maria Simons, of Charleston, granddaughter of Cornet Simons, of Colonel William Washington's Cavalry. Miss Grace Graham, of Louisiana, a great great grand- daughter of General Daniel Morgan. Miss Kate C. Smith, of Spartanburg, whose great granduncle was killed at Cowpens, and his body buried on the field. Miss Edith Courtenay, of Charleston, daughter of the Chair- man of the Cowpens Centennial Committee. Miss Hattie S. Brown, of Fairfield, a descendant of General Morgan's sister. Miss Sallie B. Jones, of Spartanburg, a great granddaugh- ter of Captain John Collins. Miss Clarice W. Colton, of Spartanburg, eleven years of age, a descendant of General Morgan's sister. An avenue was opened through the crowd, and the ladies who had occupied seats on the stand were escorted by the of^cers of the Washington Light Lifantry to the base of the monument. Each lady was given a silken cord, which was attached to the veil of American flags which surrounded the statue. At a given signal the cords were pulled, and in a moment the veil was drawn away at the sides, disclos- ing the hero of Cowpens. A moment later the veil floated 60 backward and downward, leaving the magnificent column of victory clearly outlined against the blue sky of heaven. Turning to'the immense concourse of people Governor Hagood continued, as follows: My countrymen, we have met to commemorate an event in our history memorable in its occurrence and potent in its consequence. The col- lision of arms upon the field of Cowpens closed in its be- ginning the second invasion of South Carolina by the troops of Cornwallis, and was the first and perhaps the most im- portant in the series of encounters which culminated in the successful termination at Yorktown, a few months later, of the struggle of the Colonies for separation from the Mother Country. Those Colonies, then loosely banded together for purposes of allied assistance, driven since by the inex- orable force of events, have been fused and welded into an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States. [Applause.] The infant communities of that time have become the mighty Empire of this; ranking in power with the foremost and exerting to-day among the nations of the earth perhaps the most profound influence upon the destiny of the human race. [Applause.] It is well that we should be here ; that poetry and oratory and art should lend their aid to commemorate the virtues and achievements of the men of Cowpens ; that the elder States should revisit this spot, and, gathering their younger sisters around the altar upon which a hundred years ago the fires of patriotism burned so brightly, pledge themselves to the honor and welfare of a common country. [Applause.] Governor Hagood continued : Capt. George D. Bryan will now read an ode written by the late Prof. Samuel Henry Dickson, of Jefferson Medical College. Philadelphia, dedicated to the Washington Light Infantry, and recited on the occasion of their first visit to the battlefields of Cowpens, April, 1856. Captain Bryan's association with the Washington Light In- fantry entitles him to feel a deep interest in this occasion. Capt. Bryan then came to the front, and in a clear ring- ing voice read the ode, as follows : THE COWPENS ODE. Hail to the honored dead! Here with uncovered head Reverently bow; Bravely our fathers fought On this time-honored spot. Ne'er shall they be forgot! Solemn, we vow. 61 Raise the memorial stone! From blank oblivion — Rescue each name. Let our regardful care Bid the bright marble bear Record, enduring, clear; Give them their fame! Freedom's dark hour was then; Grief filled the souls of men. War drained their life; Vain seemed the Patriot's care, Vain every pious prayer, Vain woman's tender tear; Fierce was the strife. Britain looked grimly down Threatening with haughty frown. Ruin and woe; Subtle Cornwallis' art, Rawdon's cold, cruel heart, Hot Tarleton's butcher part. Well did they know. Here midst the forest shade, Anxious, but undismayed. Heroes had met; Friends few and sad they found, Foemen were clustered round, Toils over all the ground Thickly were set. Triplet and Tait were near; Clarke's banner waived in air; Howard, the brave, Pickens and stout McCall, Stood ready, one and all. Whatever fate befall; Fame — or — the grave. Washington's sabre keen Flashed o'er the stirring scene Prompt for the field; Morgan, their leader high. Looked on with eagle eye. Earnest to do or die, Sworn not to yield. Shoulder to shoulder press'd. Throbs every manly breast, Eager they stand: Georgia's bold soldiery Join in the battle cry, Maryland's infantry. Veteran band. 62 Twin Carolina sent Men on stern deeds intent Dauntless of earth; Forward the strife to share, Danger's dark front to dare, Well did Virginia bear Her constant part. Now like the stormy wave When winds in winter rave. On come the foe; 'Midst the loud cannon's roar Deadly the rifles pour — Soon the brief battle's o'er, Down, down they go! One short half hour is past, So long the fight did last, Then it was done. Then rose the victors' shout, Then rushed the headlong rout. Ended all fear and doubt, Valor had won. Sacred to victory, Then did our standard fly First o'er the plain; Hence stained with hostile gore. On Eutaw's field once more Its fateful folds they bore, Conq'ring again. England! thy star has paled. Naught thy proud force availed. Foiled in the fight; Tarleton's famed horse, that day, Turned soon and fast away. Scared from the bloody fray, Shameless in flight. Now let our hearts rejoice; Lift up our cheerful voice Grateful to Heaven; Praise, too, those who bled, Those who in battle led; To the renowned dead Due praise be given. May all the gracious Power, Who gave the glorious hour We celebrate. Hear even when we pray; Smile on our country's way, Make her grow day by day. Good, wise and great. (;3 Grant us, O God, above! Grant us in patriot love Still to increase, By Thy Divine decree Let our blest future be — Union and Liberty, Virtue and Peace. Prolonged rounds of applause greeted this Revolutionary poem, and the strains of " Hail Columbia" from the band added to the enthusiasm. Governor Hagood coming again to the front, after quiet- ing the applause, said : There has been selected as the orator of the day for the Southern States one whom it is my duty now to present you. Standing upon the soil of Spartanburg, in which lie the bones of his ancestors, victors of a war that preceded the Covvpens, and speaking beneath a Carolina sky, he needs no introduction from me. I have but to mention his name — Wade Hampton. Governor Hampton arose amid a perfect storm of ap- plause from acres of people, and pausing a few minutes for a lull, spoke as follows : GENERAL HAMPTON'S ORATION. My Countrymen : One hundred years ago the hillsides and the valleys around the historic field of Cowpens were torn by the rough ploughshare of war. Now they are smil- ing in quiet beauty, active with busy industry, blessed with holy peace and dotted on every side with the happy homes of brave men and fair women. How great is the change that a century has wrought ! Now on the place of slaughter are cots and sheepfolds seen, And rows of vines and fields of wheat and apple orchards green, The fisher baits his angle, the hunter twangs his bow. Little they think on those strong limbs that moulder deep below; Little they think how sternly, that day the trumpets pealed. Here in the slippery swamps of blood warrior and war horse reeled. That spot, now so prosperous and serene, was then the scene of one of the most memorable acts in the great drama of our one Revolutionary War. The actors on that occa- sion were well worthy to fill the heroic parts they were called on to perform, and we have met here to day to recall their patriotic services, to do honor to their fame, and to perpetuate their deeds by dedicating this monument to their memory. In the performance of this sacred duty there are gathered here representatives of the " Old Tliir- teen " united Colonies, and with them comes those of North Carolina's fair daughter, Tennessee. All these, now great States, have contributed to the erection of this memorial column, and we all meet to-day on this consecrated spot as citizens of one great Republic, and as brethren bound to- gether by the strong ties of blood and of hereditary affec- tion. At this shrine dedicated to Liberty no fires save those of Patriotism should be allowed to burn. The spirit of sectionalism should stand rebuked, and fraternity should inspire every- American heart. Here, at least, under the shadow of yonder stately monument, sacred for all time to come to the valor and patriotism of our common ancestors, we should bur)' all animosities and dedicate ourselves to the noble work of promoting the prosperity, the happiness and the peace of our whole country. The "Old Thirteen" call upon their bright and glorious daughters to join in this ■ holy work. Let this grand sisterhood of free and equal States hand in hand press forward in the great race of free- dom and human progress, teaching to mankind the great lesson of liberty and equality, and building up on this Con- tinent a mighty Republic, whose States shall be — " Distinct as the billows, Yet one as the sea." That is the mission which should inspire the heart of every patriot in our land. The Southern States represented here have done me the great honor to delegate me to speak for them on this occasion, and in their behalf I declare solemnl}^ that it is their purpose, their wish, their hope to make and to keep our whole country great and prosperous, honored at home, respected abroad, the fit home forever of a free and happy people. This is not only our duty as citi- zens, but should be our highest aim as patriots. To per- form this duty, to cherish this aspiration is not in the slightest degree inconsistent with the political views we of the South held in the past, for the decree of Providt-nce has made us all one people. This broad land, from the Lakes of the far North to the Gulf, from ocean to ocean, is our country, our home, and it behooves us to build up its prosperity, to defend its honor, and to maintain its liber- ties. We should strive to make it worthy of the heroic ancestors who gave it to us, and worthy of our descendants to whom we shall leave it. The great Cj[uestions which 65 aroused such bitter discord and brought so much suffering oil the country are furever settled, and political wisdom as well as patriotism demands that the animosities they engen- dered should be buried with them. Looking back to the past only to gain experience from its errors, or to draw inspiration from its patriotic teaching, let us turn our faces resolutely and steadily to the future, deteriTiined. with God's help, to make that future bright with all tlie bless- ings that religion, education, peace and liberty can bestow. When we turn to the past to seek examples of patriotic devotion, none can be found higher, nobler, grander than are presented by the patriots of our Revolutionary War and of that band of heroes. Few names stand higher on the deathless roll of fame than these inscribed on the monu- ment you have just dedicated with such imposing ceremo- nies to the memory of the victors of Cowpens. The battle that was fought here, judged only by the numbers engaged, may seem insignificant when compared with others where mighty hosts met each other, but, if considered by the re- sults it effected, few of the great battles of the world, and none in our Revolutionary War, have exercised a larger influence on contemporaneous and subsequent events than this. I have said that it was a memorable battle, and if you will follow me as I tell of the masterly struggles, the stubborn courage, the devoted patriotism that made this field so memorable and its results so important, you will all agree with me that few battlefields have been marked by more brilliant achievements or have been more instrumental in shaping the destiny of a people. There was no period during the whole war when the con- dition of affairs was more gloomy throughout the country, than it was just previous to the Battle of Cowpens. At the North even the great Washington, devoted as he was to the cause, could scarcely hold together a little handful of brave but famishing men. At the South the whole coun- try, except where a few heroic partisans maintained their birthright with their good swords, was in the possession of the enemy, and the people were in despair. They had to meet in this fearful conflict not only the British, but their allies, the worthless Tory and the savage Indian. Every incident that could add horror to war was thus present with these unhappy people, and it is not surprising that they were well nigh hopeless, for their cause seemed desperate. Charleston, after a protracted, determined, heroic defense, had fallen on the I2th of May, 1780, and with it fell the 6Q whole Southern army. Gates, whose unfortunate destiny it was to exchange his Northern laurels for Southern cypress, had been most disastrously defeated near Camden on the i6th August of the same year. The brave and gal- lant Sumter, who with Marion and Pickens and other de- voted patriots had upheld with unfaltering constancy the cause of liberty in South Carolina, was surprised and his command destroyed by Tarleton two days after the battle of Camden. The country from Charleston to the moun- tains was in the possession of the British, and the people were subjected to the cruel domination of military rule. It seemed as though Liberty herself was dead, and that her fair features were shrouded forever in the funereal pall of death. It was at this time, so full of hopeless despair, that Greene, the great soldier and the unconquerable patriot, was assigned by Washington to the command of the South- ern Department. Just before he reached Hillsboro', in North Carolina, where he began in the South that arduous and heroic career which has placed his name next to Wash- ington among the heroes of the Revolution, another great and patriotic soldier, who had won high fame on many a bloody field from Canada to Delaware had come to offer his sword to the South. This was Daniel Morgan, the hero of the Cowpens, the man to whose memory his grateful countrymen have erected that noble statue just presented to our view, which stands, and will stand for ages, a mute but eloquent memorial of a brave soldier and incorruptible patriot, and a devoted defender of the liberty of his coun- try. The story of his life is not only full of the most stirring and romantic incidents, but it is equally so of in- struction and encouragement to all who, like him, are forced to struggle with the world unaided and alone. Though authorities differ as to the place of his birth, it is generally conceded that he was born in Huntingdon County, N. J., in 1736. Leaving home at the early age of seventeen, he sought his fortune in what were the wilds of the Valley of Virginia, where he began his life as a common farm laborer. Of humble birth he had been blessed with no advantages of fortune, or opportunities of education, and he is de- scribed as having been at this period of his life not only uneducated but rough in his appearance and address. By exemplary honesty, untiring industry and determined energy he accumulated in two years from his hard earnings enough to enable him to buy a wagon and team. While working steadily to acquire the means of honorable support fi7 he had devoted himself with equal zeal to the acquisition of useful knowledge, and in this laudable effort his success was remarkable. The corresponding improvement in his bearing and conversation was no less decided, and though but a boy in years he already gave evidence of the posses- sion of those great qualities of mind and body which never fail to exercise strong influence over men. It would be a pleasant task to trace his strange and bril- liant career from its humble beginning to its honored close, but the time allotted to an occasion of this sort forbids this. The history of our revolutionary days gives the story of his life, and it tells of few examples where devotion to duty, inflexible courage, strong willand high character have overcome greater obstacles than he conquered as he rose from his post as wagoner to that of the trusted friend and comrade of Greene and Washington. Here I can only touch briefly on the main incidents of his life up to the period when he became so intimately and honorably con- nected with the war in South Carolina. His first appear- ance in connection with military service was in capacity of teamster when he accompanied Braddock on the disastrous expedition in which that unfortunate ofificer lost his life. in the warfare with the Indians, which subsequently ensued, Morgan volunteered when the militia were called out, in 1757, and he distinguished himself greatly in an attack made by the French and Indians on Edward's Fort. This is the first mention of him as a soldier, but his courage and ability soon attracted such attention that he gained a position as ensign. Not long afterwards he was promoted to a lieutenancy, and in 1771 Governor Nelson, of Virginia, appointed him a Captain in the Militia of Fredericks County. In 1774 he again took the field against the In- dians, and on the 22d of June of the next year he was com- missioned Captain by the Continental Congress, being appointed to the command of one of the rifle companies raised by Virginia. In ten days after receiving his com- mission he organized a company of ninety-six men, and leaving Winchester early in July he reached Boston, six hundred miles distant, in twenty-one days, without losing a single man by sickness, straggling or desertion. The rifle companies were the first levies ordered by Con- gress ; they were the first to obey the call, and Morgan's was among the first, if not the first, to reach Boston, Soon after his arrival he was assigned to duty under Arnold in his ill-fated expedition to Canada. During all the hard- 68 ships and suffering attending this expedition his high sol- diery qualities were conspicuous, and in the assault on Quebec his courage and ability gained him high and de- served distinction. He led the storming party, and after carr3Mng the works of the enemy he was, owing to the fail- ure of the co-operating attacks, made prisoner with his command in the city. Upon his exchange Washington, in a most complimentary letter, recommended him as Colonel of the Rifle Regiment which was then being raised. Con- gress gave him the commission. The famous corps to which he was assigned was made up of five hundred picked men of the different regiments of the army, and it consti- tuted the finest regiment perhaps in the Continental ser- vice. Under its gallant commander it haci a large share of the triumphs achieved by our heroic little army. By it were shared too all the privations of that band of patriots. After arduous and distinguished services the health of Morgan gave way, and in 1779 he asked leave of Washing- ton to tender his resignation. The Commander-in-Chief consented with great reluctance, and Congress accepted it with regret. While recruiting his health at home the news of the disastrous defeat of Gates at Camden reached him, and without a moment's hesitation he hastened to offer his services to his old commander, to whose success at Saratoga he had contributed so largely. This imperfect sketch of Morgan brings us to the time when he became connected with the war in the South, where he was soon to achieve the most brilliant triumph of his life by gaining one of the most decisive and important victories of the Revolution. Soon after his arrival at Hills- boro', where the shattered remnants of the command of Gates were encamped, tardy justice was done to his emi- nent services by his promotion as Major-General, and he was assigned to the command of a small corps specially organized for him. This force was made up of a detach- ment of 320 men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Howard, from the Maryland Line, that gallant command which had so greatly distinguished itself at Camden ; two hundred Virgi- nia Militia, under Major Triplett, anci eighty cavalry, led by that great cavalry soldier, Lieutenant-Colonel Washington. On the i6th December General Greene ordered Morgan to proceed to the west side of the Catawba River, and gave him entire command in that quarter. The volunteer troops, under Brigadier-General Davidson, of North Carolina, a most meritorious and gallant officer, who was killed soon G9 afterwards, and the militia who had been serving with Sumter, the Gamecock of South Carolina, were directed to join him. Sumter had unfortunately received a severe wound in the affair with Tarleton, at Blackstocks, some time before, and he was still unable to take the field. Leaving Charlotte in pursuance of his orders, Morgan took position on the 25th of December, near Pacolct Springs, where he was joined soon after by about two hun- dred and twenty mounted militia from North and South Carolina. From this point several successful expeditions were made by Washington against the British and Tories. These had the effect of alarming Cornwallis for the safety of the post at Ninety-Six, and determined him to force Morgan to abandon the country in which he was operating. With this object in view he ordered Tarleton on the second of January to follow Morgan up and to push him to the utmost. At this time the main force of Cornwallis was stationed at Winnsboro', and Tarleton was in advance on Broad River at Brierly Ferry. With his accustomed promptness Tarleton crossed the river and moved in a wes- terly direction, placing himself south of Morgan. His force consisted of about 1,100 men, 500 of whom belonged to that dreaded legion which had carried desolation and dis- aster through every part of the State. Finding that Ninety- Six was not threatened he proposed to Cornwallis a joint movement against Morgan by which the v/hole army was to be used. The plan suggested and adopted was for Corn- wallis to move up the east bank of the river towards King's Mountain, while Tarleton advanced up the west side. "When I advance," said Tarleton in his letter to Cornwallis, 'T must either destroy Morgan's corps or push it before me over Broad River towards King Mountain." The plan was an admirable one, and it failed only because Morgan refused to carry out the part allotted to liim. On the 12th of January Tarleton began his march, crossed the Enoree and Tyger Rivers above the Cherokee road on the 14th, and on the evening of the 15th he reached the Pacolet at Easterwood Shoals. Before daylight the next morning he crossed the river without opposition, Morgan having with- drawn his pickets. As he was thoroughly advised of the movements of his enemy, he knew that the force immedi- ately opposed to him was greater than his own, and he was aware of the approach of Cornwallis with the view of cut- ting him off. The attempt, therefore, to have disputed Tarleton's passage of the Pacolet would have been a grave 70 blunder, for delay at the river would have allowed Corn- wallis to have placed his whole force on Morgan's only line of retreat. It was, therefore, essential to his safety that he should retire to a position where he could not only fight to advantage, but in case of disaster could elude the main body of the enemy. Falling back leisurely he encamped at the Cowpens on the night of tlie i6th of January, and he determined to accept battle on that spot. A few hours after he had left his last camp, Tarleton reached it and, fully impressed with the idea that his antagonist was only trying to escape, he gave his troops only a short rest, and leaving his heavy baggage, he moved at 3 o'clock in the morning rapidly in pursuit. Such was the speed of his march that he came in sight of Morgan about 8 o'clock in the morning. Still lingering under the delusion that escape across Broad River was the only object of his enemy, he determined to attack at once, for he Avas a bold and dashing soldier, one who never hesitated when an enemy was in sight. Before describing the great battle that followed it may be proper to notice the charge made against Morgan that he was imprudent in fighting a force so superior to his own in the position chosen. In military operations success is the best justification of the wisdom of plans adopted to secure an end, and in this case there could be no ampler vindica- tion of Morgan's conduct than was furnished by the result of the great battle which he planned and directed. In war at least the maxim holds good, that '"nothing succeeds like success," but apart from the success achieved here, there are many considerations which justify Morgan fully in the course he adopted. It was manifest to him that with an active, energetic, determined enemy pressing on with vigor he would not be able to effect a passage across the river without a contest which might prove disastrous to him. A retreat, under the circumstances in which he was placed, would necessarily soon have become a flight, and the militia, composing so large a portion of his force, would have sought safety by deserting their colors. His little body of Regulars, pressed in rear by an active enemy and threatened in front by an overwhelming force, would have fallen an easy prey to their pursuers. By accepting battle in a strong position he was able to concentrate his whole strength, and he had every reason to expect reinforcements at any mo- ment. He had a just confidence in his troops. His Regu- lars were from that gallant brigade which drove the British left at the point of the bayonet at Camden. His cavalry. •-'^- The best Plat of the Battlefield of Cowpens — To Accompany General Hampton's^Oration— Copied from " The Hero of Cowpens," A. S. Barnes & Co., Publishers, iSSi. 72 with Washington to lead them, were the equals of any mounted troop on either side in the field, and his militia was composed chiefly of veterans led by able, brave and experienced officers. These, under the gallant Pickens, all fought like their leader, with halters around their necks, and with them it was literally victory or death. He had selected his own ground. His troops were rested, refreshed and confident, while those of his adversary were fatigued by a night march. Morgan possessed in an eminent degree the rare faculty of inspiring the troops under his command with confidence, and he had that other gift of a great leader, confidence in himself. It was this reliance on his troops, and his own self-reliance, not rashness, that determined him to fight. Then, too, he knew that Cornwallis was but twenty- five miles distant, prepared toco-operate with Tarleton,and that delay would bring both detachments of the enemy upon him. His reasoning was good, his, judgment sound and his conclusions just, as the result of the battle proved. Having determined to fight, he made the disposition of his little force with the skill and the ability characteristic of him. The position selected for the action was an admirable one. The country was open woodland, with little or no underbrush. Two ridges parallel to each other, separated by an intervening depression, crossed the field at about 150 yards distance apart. To the crest of the first the ground rose gradually for about 350 yards, and on this crest Morgan formed his main line. This was composed of the Maryland Regulars, 390 strong, ^nd the Virginia Militia, 140 men, under Major Triplett. This line of 430 muskets was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Howard. It was made up of the best troops, and on it Morgan placed his chief re- liance. The volunteers of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, under the command of "the brave and valua- ble Col. Pickens" as Morgan designated that distinguished of^cer, were situated to guard the flanks. The official report of Morgan which I have just quoted goes on to say: Major McDowell, of the North Carolina Volunteers was posted on the right flank in front of the line 150 yards and Major Cunningham, of the Georgia Volunteers, on the left the same distance in front. Cols. Brannon and Thomas, of the South Carolinians, were posted on the right of Major McDowell and Cols. Hays and McCall of the same corps. On the left of Major Cunningham, Capts. Tate and Buchanan, with the Augusta Riflemen were to support the right of the line. These two last mentioned companies 73 came from Virginia. Just behind the second ridge Wash- ington was posted with his cavahy which had been strength ened by the addition of forty-five volunteers from McCall's command, thus malrw— ?— j *i » .iJ «i \ m^^ J ^ J ^ — f — f^— p — \ r r r p -^ ^ ^ ^i/^" 1 -^ ^-^ ^— ^-f- z=^=\ f~\ h k Ij "" u^ ^^ ^i 4=i= Jr. ^fcc H*- :^=t =T^ the glo - rious standard Which at Eutaw shone so bright, And as a dazzling 2. In the strug-gle for our freedom,When the boldest stood in dread, Our Wash-ing-ton was 3. British skill and Brit - ish val-or Could not stay his onward course, Nor fierce Tarleton, with his After fifty years of use it was found necessary, in 1876, to repair and strengthen the flag. It was, therefore, placed in the hands of Major Robert C. Gilchrist, then the com- 121 mander of the corps; and a curious incident should be re- corded of this restoration. It was found that the most efTective way to preserve the flag was to quilt it on to a piece of crimson silk. Mr. George F. Babbage, an English- man in the dry goods business in Charleston, was consulted ; meteor swept, Thro' tlieCowpen's deadly fight, fore - most, With this banner o'er his liead ; vet' - rana With-stand his Pat - riot force ; And as a dazz-ling meteor swept, Thro' the Our Wash - ing-ton was fore-most, Witli this Nor fierce Tarleton, witli his vet'-rans, With - pu^r^ i r ^^ m^Mkm Cow - pen's dearl-Iy ban - ner o'er his stand his Patriot fight head ; force ; Sound.sound our live ly bugles, Let them pour their loudest And where the fight was fiercest, And carnage raged the Where gleam'd his trust - y battle blade, This banner waved on blast, most, high. Whilst we pledge both life and honor To standby it to the As a bea - con liglit this banner Marl<'d the Hero at his The thun - der of hiscbargewasheard, Re -e-cho-ing to the he asked to see the flag, and when it was brought to him he exhibited a piece of crimson silk resembling closely the original flag, and said : '• I brought that remnant of silk from England a great many years ago, and I know of no better use to put it to than to restore this historic flag." 122 This was done, and the flag is good for a hundred years to come, with one side fresh and bright, and the other faded and worn. A noteworthy coincidence is that the father re- ceived the flag, and a half century later the son, also a commander, had it repaired and preserved. ±=^ ° gV>~^ — g ^ I —i . f standby it to the last. ' Whilst we pledge onr life and hon-jr, To stand by it to the last. -• — 0^-0 — » • , t » m» 3 m » » £ B a J$r_^^ -i h E^S rrT — 9 • 1 ' ■ „_ _ -• -— — 1 ."? - ,-^ ,. „ j f^^^^ a 1 : ; ^ : • ■ « i|^ *»* ^— » V0e00- -0 ' i ■» < at * '^. -•- -0- .-*« ^ . — ^ 1 1 . —4 [ ■ ■ 1 ™ 1 1 / Orderly Sergeant Theodore L. Smith, some years afterf the reception of the flag, wrote the " Banner Song." This was set to music by the late Professor M. S. Reeves, an Eng- lish gentleman then prominently identified with the musical circles of Charleston. 123 This historic flag, a picture of which forms the frontis- piece of this volume, was at "Cowpens," "Guilford," "Hob- kirk fTill," ' Eutaw Springs," and in numerous smaller com- bats, and is preserved to this day. ; » 9' 9 M^-sb-a >-r-^ T^ ^ Ttii~sr t=t honor, To ctanJ by it lo the last. "Whilst we pledge both life and honor, To stand by it to the last. 3^^ ^S? j=^ij'^-rT ^^ iri -ttn =i=?: ifefi ^ g). d honor, To stand by it to the last Whilst we pledge both life and honor, To stand by it to the last. TgiH^n-^=^^^^ — * — 1 r"". — 1 — ^ '0 -^ — \-'^r^ — l' » d -^.n.-r^ W- i-^-^-^r^, Uf ^ — f^ o 4 4 4-4 de^ ^ — -. ^^ ^ \ > ^^^ ■^ V J ^ — ^3.=«=^ — i 1 i _,N ¥ IjOZ^ ^ ^ ^^^^ =^sa= m^EEk J 7 This precious relic of the War of Independence is kept in a case and deposited in a bank vault for safe keeping. It is displayed annually on the 22d of February, " Washington's Birthday," but otherwise only on high public occasions, and is the only Revolution Flag from active service in that war, in active use by any military command in the United States. 124 The Washington Light infantry was tounded in 1807. When the news reached Charleston, South Carolina, that Her Majesty's Ship Leopard had fired into the United States Ship Chesapeake, off the Capes of Virginia, the young men of the City and State formed them- selves promptly into numerous military commands. The "W. L. I." was commissioned ; William Lowndes, states- man, jurist, orator, and the author of the high sentiment "the Presidency is an office to be neither sought nor de- clined," then on the threshold of his distinguished life, pre- sided at the first meeting, and was elected Captain ; George Warren Cross, First Lieutenant; and William Crafts, Jr., Ensign. An enthusiastic member exclaimed : "Remember the Leopard !'' and a trimming of leopard skin has been worn on the company hat ever since. The corps was named in honor of George Washington, and his birthday, February 22d, has been since celebrated annually by public observances. It commemorates its 90th anniversary in 1897. and is the sole survivor in South Carolina of the patriotic impulses which were aroused when the "signal guns" of the second war with England re- sounded through the country in 1807. The " W. L. L" is thus identified with two Washingtons ; it bears the name of one and carries the battle-flag of the other, ''Esto Per- pctiia .^" Upon the occasion of the semi-centennial celebration of the Washington Light Infantry, 22d February, 1857, Gov- ernor R. F. W. Alston, in response to a complimentary toast, expressed his sense of the privileges of the day, and his gratification at the opportunity of honoring it with a corps so justly renowned for patriotic ardor and military spirit. He referred to the character and services of Colonel William Washington, and gave instances of his impetuous daring and strategic invention. He proposed : " The mem- ory of Colonel William Washington." Ex-Captain Henry Ravenel responded, and described happily and tenderly the relations and memories that attached the W. L. I. to the name of William Washington. He spoke of the graves where, side by side, in a quiet rural rest, reposed the remains of William Washington and his noble wife. He suggested that it was not merely the privilege, but the duty of the corps, to ask permission to rear a suitable memorial. The corps at once responded in enthusiastic and expressive affirmation. 125 In executing this purpose it was found impossible to carry out the original purpose, at the graves, for want of space. It was finally determined to erect the memorial in Magnolia Cemetery, near Charleston. The ceremonies were appointed for the 5th May, 1858, and presided over by Captain C. H. Simonton, commanding W. L. I. Hon. William Porcher Miles had been unani- mously elected orator of the day, and left his seat in Con- gress to be present on the occasion. The parade of escort v.as commanded by Colonel James Simons, (a son of Cornet Simons, of Colonel William Wash- ington's Cavalry,) 1st Regiment Artillery, 4th Brigade S. C. M, with Major F. W. Capers, of the Citadel Academy, and Major Edward McCrady, Jr., of the Rifle Battalion, associated in the command, which consisted of the follow- ing companies : German Artillery — Captain John A. Wagener. Citadel Cadets — Lieutenant J. B White. Charleston Riflemen- — Captain Jos Johnson. Moultrie Guards — Captain Allan Hanckel. Palmetto Guard — Captain J. J. Lucas. German Riflemen — Captain Jacob Small. Meagher Guards — Captain Jas. Lowndes. Lieutenant W. Silvey, U. S. A., Adjutant. There were present on the stand Hon. Charles Macbeth, Mayor, and the Aldermen of the City; the officers of the United States Army and Navy ; the officers and members of the State Society of the Cincinnati ; '^6 Association ; and South Carolina Histoiical Society; the venerable and esteemed Ex-Governors Thomas Bennett and John P. Richardson were also honored guests on the occasion. The Right Rev. Thomas F. Davis, Bishop of South Caro- lina, officiated as Chaplain of the day. A patriotic ode, written expressly for this occasion by Professor Samuel Henry Dickson, M. D., was then pro- nounced by Dr. P. G. Robinson. This was followed by the eloquent oration of Hon. William Porcher Miles. Want of space prevents the Committee from republishing here the ode and address which so fully honored that occasion. View of the Memorial Erected in Magnolia Cemetery in Honor of WILLIAM AND JANE WASHINGTON, By The Washington Light Infantry, 127 Tlie monument is shown in the picture: it is of white marble, from a design furnished by Colonel Ed. B. White, Architect, about seventeen feet high. The handsome wrought iron railing, which encloses the lot, was erected to the order of the State Society of the Cincinnati of South Carolina, under the direction of Colonel James Simons, who took an active interest in this patriotic work; the gate- posts are made of two bronze cannon of Revolutionary record ; the crossed sabres are also of that war period — as a whole this memorial is handsome in design and imposing in appearance, and bears the following inscriptions on its four faces : [west face.] This Memorial Dedicated (311 5th May, 185S, Has been erected under a Resolution of the Company, adopted unanimously at their Semi- Centennial Anniversary, in 1857. [sub-base.] TRENTON. [north face.] WILLIAM WASHINGTON. A Native of Virginia, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Revolutionary Army of the United .States. Born 2Sth February, 1752. Died Gth March, iSio. [sub-base.] C O W P E N S . 128 [east face.] The Remains of Lieut. Col. WM. WASHINGTON, And of Mrs. JANE WASHINGTON, Repose in the secluded Burial Ground of her Family, near Rantowl's Bridge, in the Parish of St. Paul. The Washington Light Infantry of Charleston, So. Ca., the Honored Guardians of the Standard of Col. Washington's Regiment, Received from the hands of his Widow, on igth April, 1827, Consecrate to the memory of both, this Monument, a grateful offering to Heroic Valour, Patriotic Virtue, and Modest Worth. [SUB-BASE.] HOB KIRK'S HILL, [south FACE.] JANE WASHINGTON, A Native of South Carolina, Daughter of Charles Elliott, And Wife of Lieut. Col. William Washington. Born 14th March, 1763. Died 14th December, 1S30. [sub-base.] EUTAW SPRINGS. "Jane Washington Day," 19th April, 1877. On the semi-centennial of the custody of Colonel Wash- ington's Battle-Flag the W. L. I. made it a gala occasion. The Company had as their chief guest Governor Hampton, who had then been recently recognized as Governor of the State, and which ended carpet-bag rule in South Carolina. There was a grand parade of the uniformed Rifle Clubs; public ceremonies at the Academy of Music, including many eloquent addresses. The old corps has always hon- ored the memories of William and Jane Washington, and as is well known, is still — " on guard !" 129 The Genealogy of William Washington. In the Magazine of American History IXth Volume, February, 1883, there is contributed a biography of this distinguished Virginian. In it appears very conspicuously three surprising state- ments : 1. " His name has become so entirely identified with the history of South Carolina that it is scarcely known that he was born in Virginia." 2. "We cannot trace his genealogy beyond his father." 3. " His correspondence with General George Washing- ton gives no evidence of the relationship supposed to exist between them." In brief reply to the first allegation, it is an historical fact that William Washington took the field at the very begin- ning of the War of Independence, and from the Hackensack River, New Jersey, to the Savannah River, Georgia, he was foremost in the defense of a common country, and his achievements and fame are part of a common heritage for all the States. It is much to be regretted that this infor- mation is not generally known in Virginia, as has been alleged. As the family records are preserved in Charleston, S. C, the Committee made request of Captain Henry A. DeSaus- sure, (whose information and experience in such matters was an assurance of accuracy,) to prepare a chart, showing the Washington family from the emigrant, John Washington, to the close of the XVIIIth Century. This public-spirited citizen, having access to all the family papers, has done this in a highly satisfactory manner, and the Committee desire to record their thanks and appreciation for his pains- taking and unremunerated services. It thus appears that William Washington's ancestors are v/ell known and of record, " beyond his father." As it is a matter of general public information that President George Washington, in his own diary, has referred to William Washington as his KINSMAN, this family tree only systematizes the family recotd. With this complete testimony tJie ijiatter rests. Gbnkalocy op thk Washii The Statements on this Tree and its Genealogy 1. Papers by Mr. Worthington C. Ford, of Brooklyn, N. Y., published in New York Evening Post, 17th No- vember, 1892, and in the Nation, 22d December, uS(j2, both devoted chiefly to connection between the English and American family of Washington, in which are refer- ences to wills. One will, that of Martha Hayward, fiih on tree, gives information — by devises, legacies, &c., to relatives — of the family in Virginia. 2, 3. Only from Ford articles. 4. 5. Authorities are practically unanimous as to date of their immigration and settlement in Westmoreland County, \'a. 4. Styled "Colonel" in Irving's Life of Washington, Vol. 1; Lossing's Field Book of the Revolution, Vol. 2; Draft Chart in Miss Washington's possession. Irving, Lossing, Conway Chart, and Miss Washington's Chart, give wife as Ann Pope. Death Miss Washington's Chart. Ford article says his will provided for expense of his sister, Martha, 6 on tree, coming to America, date of will not stated, but alluded to as well known document. 5. Name given as Laurence by Lossing, Ford, Conway and Hayden; his wife's name only on Hayden and Con- way Chart — Mr. Courtenay's copies. Irving erroneously says his name was "Andrew." 6. Ford's articles, her' will, says of Stafford County, dated 6th May, 1697; proved Sth September, 1697. Leg- acies and devises as hereafter noticed. 7. Name, Encylopa-dia Britannica; Lossing.Miss Wash- ington's Chart, Conway Chart. Miss Washington's Chart says he owned land in Stafford and Westmoreland Counties; that his will bears date nth March, 1698; that he married Mildred Warner. Lossing and Conway Chart, same name for wife. 7. Will of 6 gives legacies to John and Augustine, sons of my cousin, Lawrence Washington, of West- moreland: 7, the only "Lawrence, of Westmoreland," known to have sons', John and Augustine. Captain Lawrence, one of her three residuary legatees and devi- sees, "the aforesaid Lawrence," made one of her two ex- ecutors. Only one other Lawrence named in will, viz; Lawrence.son of Mr.John Washington.of Westmoreland. Cousin formerly used to denote kinsman. 8. Name and brother i>f 7. Lossing. Miss WashinK- ton's Chan. Trom tliis.ilso l.irtli. marriace ;ind dau- of will, Tl.;- ,1,..,. in. I,;-..,:,. ,.,,„. :-,.f ■ : , r f", v i ■ . . . ■ . \-. . 27. 2S. Miss Washington's Chart. Will of 16. Hay- den Chart, wife of 2S. name same on both. Hayden and Conway Charts give a,-* as father of 2c). 29. Miss Washington's Chart. Hayden and Conway Charts give same name for wife. Their tombstone is in Washington Burial Ground. near Rantowles. So. Ca. It gives no dates, but death 130 Major James Simons had a genius as well as predilection for military mat- ters. Of his early exercises and incidents in arms very little is known, but there is reason to believe that he attached himself to Count Pulaski on his arrival in May, 1779, became his aide, and was present with him in his various expeditions until the disastrous siege of Savannah. After this Mr. Simons took a Lieutenant's com.mission in Colonel Wilham Washington's Corps of Cavalry, and con- tinued in all its active duties and dangers to the close of the Revolution. About the 14th of January, 1781, when under the com- mand of General Morgan, Lieutenant Simons was detached with a part of the Cavalry and a number of the Continental Militia, against a body of Tories at Hammond's Store, on Bush River, a branch of the Pacolet. When they came in sight of the store the Tories were formed in a line on the brow of a hill. The Americans immediately formed and charged down the opposite hill with such impetuosity, that the Tories broke and fled without firing a gun. Lieutenant Simons there ascertained that Tarleton was advancing to cross the Pacolet, above Morgan, for the purpose of attack- ing the rear of his position. Having destroyed the Tory rendezvous at Hammond's, Lieutenant Simons hastened to rejoin Morgan with the important information, and reached his camp in the night. Morgan availed himself of this notice, marched northwardly on the i6th of January, then encamped and announced his intention to fight Tarleton on the following day. Simons shared with Washington's Cav- alry all the dangers of the important victory of Morgan at the Cowpens. He was Adjutant to Washington's Regiment from the 2d of June. 178 1, to the 26th of December following. He was also Brigade-Major from the 27th of December, 1781, to the 30th of June, 1782. This last commission he preferred to the appellation of "Colonel," which had not, like that of Major, been acquired in the field, but granted by Congress to him in common with all Continental officers as a brevet of one grade. Li the daring charge made by Colonel Washington, at Eutaw, on the Lifantry of Major Majoribanks, Major Simons received two severe wounds, and his horse, having been shot by the same discharge, fell upon him. The Brit- ish Infantry advanced upon him, and he expected that the 131 next moment he would be killed ; but his horse, roused by the gleam of arms and array of steel flashing before him, or more probably by the well-known call of his own bugle sounding the retreat, made a sudden effort to get up, and rose with Lieutenant Simons clinging to his neck, and did succeed in bearing him off in that way until they reached his comrades, when the horse again fell down and died. Lieutenant Simons was taken up by his own men, cared for and recovered. At the battle of Cowpens, Major Simons was the only South Carolinian who held a Continental commission in the line, and he commanded the Left Division of the Cavalry in that action. Until the capture of Tarleton's baggage on that occasion James Simons had not for months seen can- dles, coffee, tea, sugar, pepper or vinegar. The canopy of heaven was his tent, and a great coat his only covering. Major James Simons first married Miss Dewar, and had two sons, the Rev. James D. Simons, at St. Philip's Parish, Charleston, S. C, and Professor Charles D. Simons, of the South Carolina College. He next married Miss Hyrne, sister of Major Hyrne, whose name is frequently spoken of with distinction in the Southern warfare. On the early death of this amiable lady Major Simons married the eldest daughter of Dr. Tucker Harris and left several children, among whom was the late General James Simons, of Charleston, the father of Captain James Simons, a prominent member of the Charleston Bar, who took part in the centennial pro- ceedings as a grandson of Major James Simons, representing the State Society of the Cincinnati of South Carolina. Georgians at Cowpens. In the hasty gathering of Militia by Colonel Pickens, in preparation for the fight at Cowpens, (that patriotic band of citizen-soldiers so frequently disparaged by senior officers of the army throughout the struggle, by unfair comparison with "Continentals," but who nevertheless resisted, and con- tinued to resist, in South Carolina, through the gloomy days of 1780-81, and resisted to the very end,) there came at the last moment, to General Morgan's camp, three Militia Companies from Georgia. As narrated, the American Army, after the victory, found themselves, with hundreds of pri- soners, many wagon loads of arms and stores, and Corn- wallis, with a largely superior force, within a day's march ! To secure the fruits of the victory no time could be lost in 132 reaching General Greene, in North Carolina. Before noon, on 17th January, Morgan's column was put in motion, General Pickens, in advance with prisoners and wagon trains, crossing the Broad, Catawba and other rivers, on a forced march in mid-winter. Cornwallis, burning his baggage, and with his army in light marching order, in rapid pursuit ! It is not strange, under these conditions, that the particulars of this battle are not more fully given. From Colonel T. Bailey Myers' collection of original papers, we find in a letter of Major James Jackson to General Morgan, that the Geor- gia Battalion consisted of Captain Samuel Hammond's, George Walton's and Joshua Inman's Companies, under the command of Major Cunningham. Major Jackson says: " None of the authors who have written have mentioned them in that action, nor did the account given by your Aide-de-Camp, Major Giles, to Congress, notice them, or any officer belonging to the State. Georgians have imputed this to the loss of your dispatches, and not to any intention of yourself, who have always been one of their favorite com- manders. The detachment was small, but if you recollect you placed them in front of the whole, and they strictly obeyed your orders in keeping up a warm fire and gradually retreating. I could wish your expressing that they behaved as well as the other militia in the field. All behaved well, and were peculiarly serviceable to you in advertising you of the enemy's approach and skirmishing with their ad- vance." Major Jackson sent a copy of his letter to General Mor- gan to General Pickens, and the following concise and char- acteristic letter was sent to General Morgan : "■Dear General: Our friend. General Jackson, has shown me this letter. His merit cannot be forgotten by you !" " I am, dear General, " Your obedient servant, "ANDREW PICKENS." In the brief space available here, in addition to recording the fact that Georgians have an honorable record in this decisive victory, I wish to allude to some of the chief actors : Major James Jackson, whose name has been gratefully inscribed on the soil of Georgia, and preserved to posterity as a county name, was born at Moreton-Hampstead, in the County of Devon, England, September 21st, 1757. He im- bibed a sympathy for the Colonies from his father, who 133 favored the views of Edmund Burke and other prominent EngHshmen — "Conciliation with the Colonies." With such sentiments James Jackson, when fifteen years of age, left home and arrived in Savannah, in 1772; an entire stranger, except to John Wereat, Esq., a friend of his father, before he left England. He began the study of law in the office of Samuel Farley, Esq., but the times were exciting, and the text-books were soon laid aside, and with his bosom burning with the love of liberty, associated himself with that portion of the citizens who aimed at Independence for the Colonies. After various services he was commissioned Major, in 1778, and the chronicles of the times speak highly of his military talents and fidelity. After the fall of Sa- vannah he joined General Moultrie's command, in South Carolina, fie was with the army before Savannah, in 1779, ■ and subsequently served with General Sumter at Blaclc- stocks. At Cowpens he was acting as Brigade-Major for General Pickens, who commanded more than half of the American troops there engaged. General Pickens thus re- fers to Major Jackson : " By his example, firm and active conduct, he did much to aniinate the soldiers and insure the success of the day. He ran the utmost risk of his life in seizing the Colors of the 71st Regiment." Major Jackson exerted a great influence in the field to the end of the war. At the evacuation of Savannah, on 1 2th July, 1782, General Wayne honored Major Jackson by designating him to receive the surrender and keys of the town. He entered it, with his ever faithful cavalry, the first American officer in actual command within its lines since its fall. He was after the war Governor of Georgia and United States Senator. He died in the City of Wash- ington, while serving as Senator. On his tomb, in the Con- gressional Burying Ground, are these inscriptions: "To the mem )ry of Major James Jaekson, of Georgia, who deserved and enjoyed the confidence of a grateful country. A Sol- dier of the Revolution." On the reverse: "He was the determined foe of foreign tyranny ; the scourge and terror of corruption at home. He died igth March, 1806, in the 49tli year of his age." His descendants still reside in Sa- vannah, Georgia. Captain Samuel Hammond, who commanded one of the three Georgia Companies at Cowpens, was born on 21st September, 1757, in Richmond County, Virginia, and at seventeen years of age was in the desperate Indian battle foueht at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River, under 134 General Lewis, on loth October, 1774. On the breaking out of the Revolution he espoused the Patriot cause, and entered the Army as Captain of Infantry, at 19 years of age, and was in the battle near Norfolk, Va., in December, 1775. He was active in the field until January, 1779, when be re- moved with his father's family to Edgefield County, S. C, and under orders served under General Lincoln, in South Carolina. Subsequently he enrolled a company of mounted volunters, and was assigned to his brother's corps, Colonel Leroy Hammond, and on 3d March, 1779, wascommissioned Captain by Governor Rutledge. He was in all the combats in lower Carolina, until the fall of Charleston. His com- mander, General Williamson, then toolv protection. Captain Hammond's age and rank did not entitle him to take part in these councils, but he was present, protesting against his commander's course. He raised a new company of seventy- six men, and went to the upper part of the State, conceal- ing themselves by day in swamps and cane-brakes and traveling by niglit, and so avoided the British posts and troops in the field, and finally reached North Carolina. It is impossible, for want of space, to give details of Captain Hammond's unceasing activity at this time, for which Gov- ernor Rutledge sent him acomm.ission as Major. His Com- pany was in front of Colonel Tarleton's Troops, in observa- tion, and skirmished with his advance, back to Cowpens, in which fight he was with the Georgia Troops on the left of the front line, and behaved with great gallantry. He was also conspicuous at Eutaw Springs. A most interesting ac- count of the n"!ilitary services of the two gallant brothers, Leroy and Samuel Hammond, is published in " Dr. Joseph "Johnson's Traditions of the Revolution, 1851." It would be a public benefit if his only surviving son, the Rev. John -Johnson, D. D., Rector of St. Philip's Parish, Charleston, would edit a new edition of tliese valuable records for the historical instruction of present and future generations. Captain George Walton, who commanded a Georgia Com- pany on the front line at Cowpens, was born in Frederick County, Virginia, in 1740; had few educational opportuni- ties; was apprenticed to a carpenter, and when his service expired, moved to Georgia, and begun the study of law under Henry Young, Esq. In the first patriot call ever made in Georgia, 27th July, 1774, Mr. Walton's name first appears in the annals of Georgia. At the second meeting, I2th January, 1775, he was eloquent in urging immediate action for the redress of grievances. In 17761113 talents and patriotism were recognized, and he was appointed a Dele- gate to Congress, and was one of the Signers of the Declara- tion of Independence. His name is inscribed on the soil of Georgia as a county name. He was six times elected to Congress — yet he was in military service at critical times, notwithstanding his high civic honors. Was wounded and a prisoner at Savannah, and as we have stated was in the fore- front at Cowpens. He was Governor of Georgia, and subse- quently Judge of the Superior Court until his death, in l8oi. In a letter from Congress George Walton complains, that " for want of information the deeds of Georgia are given to others." This allegation is founded in truth, is a just one, but it may truthfully be added, that no State has been more indifferent to her early history than Georgia; indifferent even after the lapse of more than a century, to the publica- tion of these proceedings, which is at least an attempt to do justice to that State, and to recall the fact that Georgia shared with her sister States the victory of Cowpens; that her sons made forced marches to get there in good season for the fight. Of Captain Joshua Inman, I regret to say. I can find no further record than that he was a gallant soldier, and acted well his part at the Cowpens. The Prayer for "President and Queen." Among the Patriot soldiers at Cowpens was Jesse Brown, who, after the battle, found on the field, among the dead, a Church of England Prayer Book. It is of the edition " Printed at Edinburg, in 1768, by Alexander Kincaid, His Majesty's Printer." It includes the Book of Psalms and a portion of the New Testament. This little volume had been preserved for a century among the descendants of Jesse Brown. In March, 1881. his grandson, Jesse Brown Lassiter, living in Washington Coun- ty, Florida, wrote to the Chairman of the Centennial Com- mittee, in Charleston, S. C, and offered this Old Prayer Book for the use of the Chaplain of the Day, at the unveil- ing of the monument. The proposal was referred to the Rev. A. T. Porter, D. D., Chaplain of the Washington Light Infantry, who expressed himself gratified, and accepted the offer. The Prayer Book was duly received, and as will be seen by the proceedings, was used on the great occasion, Dr. 136 Porter invoking the Divine Blessing on both " The Presi- dent of the United States" and "Queen of England." CORRESPONDENCE. Charleston, S. C, 2d April, 1881. My Dear Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the re- ceipt of your valued favor of 28th March, to-day, and also the Prayer Book. I will have the binding repaired and the venerable volume put in complete order, and use it, in the grand ceremonies of May iith ; will then return it to you, as desired. Your other wishes will have due attention. Respectfully, WM. A. COURTENAY, Chairman Centeiuiial Coininittec. Mr . Jesse B. Lassiter, Miller s Ferry, Fla. Subsequently the Prayer Book, in greatly improved con- dition, was returned to the owner at his home, in Florida, and duly acknowledged in the following letter. Altogether this was certainly a very interesting incident of the occasion : Washinc;ton County, Fla., Miller's Ferry P. O., June the 6th, 1881. Hon. Win. A. Conrtenay : Dear Sir — Your very kind favor of 23d May last has been received ; also the Prayer Book, papers and pictures that you sent me. Please accept my thanks for the same. I assure you the papers were quite a treat to me. Please give my kind regards to Dr. Porter, and say to him that I have a considerable line of descendants now living, includ- ing children, grand children and great grand children ; I have thirty-five, and that my eldest son living bears the name of Morgan Lafayette Lassiter, and that Ivvill make a written request on one of the blank leaves of the venerable Old Book, that some of my descendants at my death shall take care of the book, and hand it down from generation to generation, that it may be preserved and sent back to Spar- tanburg at the end of another hundred years. In all probability this will close our correspondence, which has been a very pleasant one to me. I shall regret, until the day of death, not being able to go to that celebration, where I could have had the gratification of witnessing the grand sight, and also making your acquaintance personally. 137 In conclusion, suffer me to assure you that you have my best wishes for your welfare and prosperity in time and your happiness in eternity. JESSE B. LASSITER. Finis. My self-imposed taslv is finished. Written during several months, in the spare moments of an active business life, it must inevitably fall short in execution, of the high standard justified by the important event here sought to be com- memorated. Such as it is, I respectfully submit it to the public, in the confidence that the benefit of good inten- tions will be allowed me. Early in life I became identified with this Revolutionary Battle-field, and was in the ranks of the VV. L. I., visiting the historic spot in 1856; twenty-five years later, I initiated and became associated in these monumental proceedings, and have been still further spared, in health and strength, to gather up the neglected story of Cowpens, and at the end of forty years to prepare this historic record. To the citizens of Spartanburg, in whose midst the im- posing memorial stands, acknowledgements are eminently due for uniform and continuous co-operation in all that related to the successful accomplishment of this patriotic purpose in 1856, 1881, and subsequently. It has been remarked by one, distinguished by his learn- ing, that " the happiest man should be one, who links the events of his later life with its commencement." Shall I not, then, deem myself happy, that through so long a period as four decades, I should have been spared to be so agreeably identified in this continuing work, not only to look upon the completed memorial "To the Victors of the Cowpens," but to read the proceedings of this centennial in permanent form. With my grateful thanks to all workers to this common end, I subscribe myself, very respectfully. /C/^^t^c-^y^S^uz^, " IiDiisfallcu,'" Newry p. O., S. C, Anniversary of Yorktoivn, October, i8g6. Lliairinan Centennial Committee. What the Historian George Bancroft said at King's Mountain, South Carolina, October, 1855: " No State may celebrate the great events of the American Revolution with juster pride than South Carolina. At the very beginning- of the struggle in 1765, she was the first to adhere to a general union ; and to her it is due that the Colonies then met in Congress. When, in 1 774, a tyrannical government endeavored by slow torture of starvation to crush Boston into submission, South Carolina opened her granaries of rice and ministered abund- antly to its relief. While the sons of the Scottish covenanters in Mecklenburg were the first to sever the connection with Great Britain, and institute government for themselves, the immediate of the great reform rose within the borders of this State ; the victory gained; at the Palmetto Fort by Moultrie was the bright and the morning star, which went before the declaration of American inde- pendence. Wherever the camp-fires of the emigrant shall light up the forest of the West, wherever the history of our country is honestly told, wherever the struggles of brave men in the cause of humanity are respected, high honor will be rendered to the triumph at King's Mountain and at Cowpens, and to that sad victory at Eutaw Springs, where th-^ vciecc'"' exultation is chastened by sorrow for the brave who fell. There is still a stronger reason why the North should give you its sympathy on this occasion. She sent you no aid in the hour of your greatest need. It is a blessed thing to give even a cup of cold water in a right spirit ; it was not then possible to give even that. All honor must be awarded to the South, since she was left to her- self alone in the hour of her utmost distress." x^^ ^ o>- =. ^"^ .0? "m (^ ^. .^y'f; ' . % ,#' .-.^^ ^.. c^S ^ A u ^ \ . ,^^ .^^^^. ■^, .^\ .c^- ^. .^\^ Oo, ff 1 \ V/<^^ V ^ ^. v^^ A^ °^. ^ p ' v^ sX\- .^v^^'"'^. V' ^ .<^ -^ ^ ■o- ,H '^^- ,<^'^ .'^^^=^*^. >\/% ^0 ^^ O 0' %. .^' %^^^c^ i>^%, -S-Cc ' * 4 > \' ^ 'C^. ' ^ * -;*-' 'OO ^.v^^ / V. * ^D N ^ x^-^^ '^. o^ 6^ >/ >■■ --^ \' ^^ '/ > ■ .^ C^ A^ ^^ " ^' . ^-^ x" •7 o - ,r^'-' . V ^\-V -'^^ •- A^- .^ : '"^.^ "% •"co^ ^ "\^ v"' V ^ c^' - -% ' ^ ,-^ '** ^b- ^'^' ^^ xO-<, :. "^•^^^ ^^ ^ "^^-^ - -^,^ x.^^ t. c^^- .X LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0011 7124162