As  the  North  Carolina  Tories  were  the  first  to  give  way,
according  to  Allaire,  and  precipitate  the  defeat  that  followed,
it  only  goes  to  prove  that  they  were  the  hardest  pressed  by
Campbell  and  Shelby,  which  is  quite  probable  ;  or,  that  the
South  Carolinians  had  been  longest  drilled  for  the  service,

*Rev.  James  H.  Saye's  MS.   conversations   with   Thomas  Young,  of  Union    County,
South  Carolina,  March  27,  1843.
+  Saye's  MSS.
294  KING '  S  MO  UN  TAIN

and  were  consequently  best  prepared  to  maintain  their
ground.  It  is  not  a  little  singular,  that  so  few  of  the  promi-
nent Loyalist  leaders,  of  the  Ninety  Six  district,  were  pre-
sent with  Ferguson — only  Colonel  Vesey  Husband,  of
whom  we  have  no  knowledge,  and  who,  we  suppose,  was
in  some  way  associated  with  the  South  Carolina  Tories,  to-
gether with  Majors  Lee  and  Plummer.  Where  were  the
other  Loyalist  leaders  of  that  region — Colonels  Cunningham,
Kirkland,  and  Clarj',  Lieutenant-Colonels  Philips  and
Turner,  and  Majors  Gibbs,  Hill,  and  Hamilton  ?  Some
were  doubtless  with  the  partj'  whom  the  Whigs  had  passed
at  Major  Gibbs'  plantation,  near  the  Cowpens,  or  possibly
with  Colonel  Moore's  detachment ;  others  were  scattered
here  and  there  on  furlough ;  but  they  were  not  at  King's
Mountain,  when  sorely  needed,  with  all  the  strength  they
could  have  brought  to  the  indefatigable  Ferguson.  That
freebooter.  Fanning,  with  his  Tory  foragers,  who  were
beating  about  the  country,  fell  in  with  Ferguson  five  days
before  his  defeat ;  *  but  preferring  their  independent  bush-
whacking service,  they  escaped  the  King's  Mountain
disaster.
