Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/18

 12 Southern Historical Society Papers.

and fifty of his men, leaving all his spoils again in the hands of the enemy from whom he had taken them. A second time the fruits of a brilliant achievement were lost by accident or recklessness. Tarleton, it is true, is inclined to acquit Sumter of blame in this affair, and to attribute his own success somewhat to fortunate cir- cumstances.*

Cornwallis reached Charlotte, but just as he was prepared to ad- vance into North Carolina he received the unwelcome news of our great victory at King's Mountain. Would that we had the time to recall here again to-day the deeds and glories of the heroes of that great victory, Campbell, Cleveland, Williams, Sevier and Shelby. But did time allow, it would be but to repeat the story so recently and so elo- quently told by the great Virginia orator, Daniel.

The security of his conquest in*South Carolina thus threatened by the sudden incursions of the mountain warriors, and endangered by the activity of Sumter, Marion and Pickens, Cornwallis was com- pelled to fall back and retreated to this place, Winnsboro, from which he might watch the threatened points of Camden, Granby and Ninety-Six. His headquarters were in this town until Greene, with Gates' army reorganized, advanced into South Carolina for its recovery.

But while Cornwallis was here, an opportunity was allowed Sumter to repay Tarleton at Blackstocks for his surprise at Fishing Creek, and to avenge the slaughter there.

Then followed our great victory at Cowpens under Morgan, which transferred the seat of war from this part of our State, and left it rest until peace and independence were secured.

I have said that the people who settled this part of the country carried with them the axe, the rifle, and the Bible, and that the meeting-house and the school-house were put up together. We have seen that they knew well how to use the rifle, and it is not inap- propriate here to observe in passing that not even in all these disturbances of revolution and war was the education of youth neg- lected.

The Mount Zion school, which is still open and, I trust, in a pros- perous condition, is as old as the town itself. The Mount Zion Society was incorporated in the midst of the Revolution, in 1777, the year after the battle of Fort Moultrie. Iis object was to provide the

means of education for " the orphan left forlorn and the children of e

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 * Tarleton' s Memoirs, p. 115.