[From  Rivington's  New  York  Royal  Gazette,  March  2ist,  1781.     Copied

into  a  London  paper,  of  April,  30th,  and  into  the  Charleston

Royal  Gazette  of  October  27th  following.]


Extract  of  a  letter  from  an  officer  taken  prisoner  at  King's  Mountain,
dated  Charleston,  S.  C,  March  4th,  1781  :

Capt.  DePeyster  and  I*  were  permitted  to  come  within  the  Hnes
upon  paroles,  and  were  made  exceedingly  happy  on  our  arrival  in  town,
being  informed  we  were  exchanged.  After  our  misfortune  in  losing
Maj.  Ferguson,  the  command  devolved  on  Capt.  DePeyster;  he  behaved
like  a  brave,  good  officer,  and  disputed  the  ground  as  long  as  it  was
possible  to  defend  it  against  four  times  our  number.  The  action  lasted
an  hour  and  five  minutes,  very  hot  indeed.  I  must  confess  I  was
pleased,  though  a  prisoner,  to  see  their  loss  superior  to  ours.  It  is  an
agreeable  satisfaction  to  think,  that  although  they  got  the  better  of  us,

d n  'em,  we  made  them  pay  for  it.     I  can  assure  you,  sir,  we  deserved

success,  although  it  was  not  in  our  power  to  command  it.
*As  Lieuts.  Allaire,  Taylor,  and  Stevenson  had  previously  escaped  from  Bethabara,
and  arrived  in  Charleston,  the  only  officers  left  with  Capt.  DePeyster  were  Capt.  Ryerson
and  Lieut  Fletcher.  It  was  one  of  these— most  likely  Capt.  Ryerson-who  wrote  this
letter.
520  PURSUIT— VICTORY.
COL.  WILLIAMS  TO  GEN.  GATES.
Burke  County,  Oct.  2d,  lySo.
