The  next  day  it  rained  incessantly,  but  the  army  continued  its  march
without  stopping,  until  they  crossed  the  Catawba  at  two  o'clock  the  suc-
ceeding night.  The  river  was  breast  high  when  they  crossed  it.  The
weary  troops  bivouacked  on  its  banks,  and  the  next  morning  it  had  risen
so  much  as  to  be  past  fording.  This  obstacle  being  such  as  to  prevent
all  pursuit,  they  leisurely  retired  with  their  prisoners.  As  an  evidence
of  the  hardships  undergone  by  these  brave  and  hardy  patriots,  Col.
Shelby  says,  that  he  ate  nothing  from  Saturday  morning  until  after  they
encamped  Sunday  night  at  two  o'clock,  A.  M.
The  information  given  Shelby  by  the  condemned  prisoners,  turned
out  to  have  been  substantially  correct.  Lord  Cornwallis  had  detached
Tarleton  to  pursue  and  attack  the  patriots,  and  to  rescue  the  prisoners.
Soon  after  Tarleton  was  dispatched,  the  former  took  an  old  Whig  pris-
oner, and  examined  him.  He  told  the  prisoner  he  could  not  learn  who
had   defeated   Ferguson.     The   old   man   told    him.     Cornwallis    then


APPENDIX.  545

inquired  the  force  of  the  patriots.  He  told  him  it  was  three  thousand
riflemen.  Cornwallis  asked  where  they  were  gone.  He  rephed,  they
were  bearing  down  on  him.  Whether  this  was  told  under  the  belief
that  it  was  true,  or  told  as  a  ruse  de  giicrre,  it  answered  a  very
excellent  purpose.  Lords  Cornwallis  and  Rawdon  immediately  con-
sulted together,  beat  to  arms,  struck  their  tents,  burnt  some  extra  cloth-
ing, and  retreated  to  the  south  side  of  Broad  river  in  confusion.  At  the
same  time,  a  messenger  was  sent  to  recall  Tarleton,  who  was  overtaken
after  he  had  proceeded  eighteen  miles,  and  who  immediately  returned
to  Cornwallis'  camp.
