PROGRAM OF EXERCISES
FOR
NORTH CAROLINA DAY
( WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA )
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1909
PREPARED BY
R. D. W. CONNOR
Secretary ot the North Carolina Historical Commission
A people who have not the pride to record their history will not
long have the virtue to make history that is worth recording.
ISSUED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE
STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
RALEIGH, N. C.
~no man is fit to be entrusted with control of the
Present who is ignorant of the Past ; and no people
who are indifferent to their past need hope to make
their Future great.
Edwards & Broughton
Printing Company
state printers
and binders
RALEIGH
CHAPTER 164 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS OF 1901
An Act to Provide for the Celebration of North Carolina Day in the
Public Schools
The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:
Section 1. That the 12th day of October in each and every year, to
be called "North Carolina Day," may be devoted, by appropriate exercises
in the public schools of the State, to the consideration of some topic or
topics of our State history, to be selected by the Superintendent of
Public Instruction: Provided, that if the said day shall fall on Satur-day
or Sunday, then the celebration shall occur on the Monday next
following: Provided further, that if the said day shall fall at a time
when any such schools may not be in session, the celebration may be
held within one month from the beginning of the term, unless the Super-intendent
of Public Instruction shall designate some other time.
Sec. 2. This act shall be in force from and after its ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times, and ratified this the 9th
day of February, A. D. 1901.
PREFACE.
As many of the public schools are not in session as early as October
12th, I have taken the liberty allowed under the law of fixing the date
of North Carolina Day this year and hereafter on the last Friday before
Christmas. It is earnestly desired that all the public schools of the
State shall engage in this celebration on the same day. This pamphlet
has been prepared and sent out to aid busy teachers in the proper
celebration of the day and to leave no excuse for failing to celebrate it.
The consecration of at least one day in the year to the public con-sideration
of the history of the State in the public schools, as directed
by the act of the General Assembly printed on the preceding page, is
a beautiful idea. It is the duty of every public school teacher to obey
the letter of this law. It will, I know, be the pleasure of every patriotic
teacher to obey the spirit of it by using the opportunity of North
Carolina Day to inspire the children with a new pride in their State,
a new enthusiasm for the study of her history, and a new love of her
and her people.
Following the chronological order of the State's history, the subjects
of the North Carolina Day programs have been as follows: In 1901,
The First Anglo-Saxon Settlement in America; in 1902, The Albemarle
Section; in 1903, The Lower Cape Fear Section; in 1904, The Pamlico
Section; in 1905, The Upper Cape Fear Section; in 1907, The Scotch-
Irish Settlements in North Carolina; in 1908, The German Settlements.
In 1906 it was deemed proper to turn aside from this adopted plan of
chronological study to devote the day to the study of the life, character
and splendid service of Dr. Charles D. Mclver. This year the Moun-tainous
Section forms the subject of study. Thus the history of every
section of the State has been studied, somewhat in the order of their
settlement and development, and the entire period of the State's history
has been covered. It is hoped ultimately to stimulate a study of local
and county history and the biographies of the State's eminent sons.
These programs have been arranged with a view of giving the children
of the rising generation a knowledge of the history of the resources,
manners, customs and ways of making a living of the different sections
of the State. It is hoped in this way to awaken a proper pride in the
history of the State, to inspire a proper confidence in its present and
hope in its future, and to give the people of the different sections of the
State a better acquaintance with each other.
This pamphlet was prepared, at my request, by Mr. R. D. W. Connor,
Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission.
Very truly yours,
J. Y. JOYNER,
Superintendent of lJ ublic Instruction.
Raleigh, N. C, October 1, 1909.
A WORD OF EXPLANATION.
The law creating the North Carolina Historical Commission makes
it part of the Commission's duty to "encourage the study of North Caro-lina
history in the schools of the State." The following pamphlet,
therefore, was prepared, at the request of State Superintendent James
Y. Joyner, by the undersigned as part of his work as Secretary of the
North Carolina Historical Commission.
The preparation of the pamphlet has been attended with unusual
difficulties because of the meagerness of the sources of information rela-tive
to Western North Carolina. Some of the teachers in those counties,
besides finding it an exceedingly interesting work, could render a valu-able
and conspicuous service to the State by collecting data relating to
their history and making it available for students.
I have consulted the following sources
Ashe: Biographical History of North Carolina.
Peele: Lives of Distinguished North Carolinians.
Clingman: Selections from his Speeches and Writings.
Hill: Young People's History of North Carolina.
Connor: The Story of the Old North State.
Draper: Kings Mountain and Its Heroes.
Smith: Western North Carolina.
Powell: Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the
Smithsonian Institution.
Allen: Centennial of Haywood County.
Harrison: Legal History of the Lines of Railroad of the Southern
Railway Company.
Wheeler: History of North Carolina.
Wheeler: Memoirs of Eminent North Carolinians.
Bartram: Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East,
and West Florida.
Memoir of Rev. Elisha Mitchell.
Raleigh, N. C. R. D. W. Connor.
HOW TO USE THIS PAMPHLET.
This pamphlet attempts to present the story of .the principal historic
events connected with the mountainous section of North Carolina. It
should be made the basis for the study of North Carolina history by all
the pupils in the school who are sufficiently advanced to understand
the subject. This work ought to be begun some time before North
Carolina Day, and continued, article by article, until the subject is
mastered. The teacher is expected, of course, to explain all points
which present difficulties that the pupils are not able to clear up for
themselves. It will greatly aid in explaining the subjects and fixing
them in the minds of the pupils if the teacher will put topical outlines
of them on the blackboard or have the pupils make them in their note-books.
After they thoroughly understand the subjects the pupils should
be questioned about them.
The best results can be obtained by having pupils reproduce the arti-cles
in their own language. If an article as it appears in the pamphlet
is too long for a single essay, let it be subdivided into two or more sub-jects,
each to be treated separately. The principal value of the articles
is to present the facts upon which the pupils may base their own work.
This practice serves both for history work and for exercise in composi-tion.
It will tend also to develop the talent for historical work which
any of the children may have. It is important for the teacher to dis-cover
such talent, if any of the pupils possess it, and help to develop it.
When the pamphlet is completed in the way suggested, the pupils will
have a fair knowledge of the history of the section under consideration.
It has been frequently observed that many of the pupils to whom
places have been assigned on the program for North Carolina Day do
not seem to understand clearly the articles they have to read or recite.
Two reasons may be given for this: First, the articles are too difficult
for the pupils to whom they have been assigned; second, the pupils
have not received sufficient previous training.
In regard to the first: Care should be taken not to assign parts to
pupils who are not advanced enough to take them understandingly. If
the article to be presented is too difficult, let the pupil to whom it has
been assigned, instead of reading it, as it appears in the pamphlet, use
it as the basis for writing an essay of his oum on that subject. It has
been suggested that, in using the pamphlet for class work previous to
North Carolina Day, this practice should be followed. If the teacher
will select from these essays, as they are prepared, the best ones, they
can be used in the program for North Carolina Day. The knowledge
that this will be done will stimulate pupils to their best efforts.
As an illustration : The article entitled "History in the Names of
the Counties'' is, as it appears in the pamphlet, rather long for one
pupil to read as a single number on the program; but it may be used as
a basis for an essay in the child's own language, or it may be subdivided
among several children, each writing from it a short essay on the several
counties. The facts upon which these essays may be based will be
found in the original article. To these facts others, gathered from local
sources by the pupils, should be added. The same practice should be
followed with the articles on "The Land of the Sky," "Kings Mountain
Boys," "The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution."
These essays in the children's own language will present no difficulties
to them when read in public, and a little previous training will enable
them to perform their parts with credit to themselves and to the school.
Another result of this plan will be to make the program more truly the
children's program, for they will present their own work, not another's.
This will, of course, increase their interest in the celebration.
Perhaps it will be well to have one or two of fhe simpler articles read
as they appear in the pamphlet. Those entitled "Heroes of Kings
Mountain," and "The Western North Carolina Railroad," are suitable
for this purpose.
The poems, of course, must be sung, or read, or recited, and the decla-mations
delivered just as they are written. The pupils to whom they
are assigned should read them over and over again to the teacher before
the celebration of North Carolina Day, until every word, every phrase,
every reference is thoroughly understood. They can not be presented
with the proper expression unless this is done.
"America," "The Old North State," and "Ho! for Carolina!" should,
of course, be sung by the school. It will be well for the teacher to in-clude
in the program other songs with which the children are familiar,
though no special ones are suggested in this pamphlet.
The declamation from Governor Vance's speech on David L. Swain
should, of course, be memorized and spoken. This is more suitable for
a boy than for a girl, and should be assigned to a boy who is well
advanced.
The subjects treated in the pamphlet are arranged in chronological
order, and the program should follow this arrangement.
It is scarcely necessary to add that the teacher should be thoroughly
familiar with the pamphlet from cover to cover, if it is to be used
intelligently.
The program may be divided into two parts—one part to be presented
in the morning and one in the afternoon or night; or one part by the
younger children, the other by the older ones. If it is too long to be
conveniently carried out by small schools, two or more schools may
unite in the celebration.
Teachers are urged to make a special effort to secure a large attend-ance
of the people of the district, and to avail themselves of this oppor-
8
tunity to interest parents and patrons in the school. The occasion can
be used by the teacher to secure the hearty cooperation of the commit-teemen,
the women of the district and all other public-spirited citizens.
The day should be made North Carolina Day in truth, for grown people
as well as for children.
These pamphlets, issued from year to year for the celebration of
North Carolina Day, will contain much valuable and interesting informa-tion
about the State and her people. They must be preserved as the
property of the school and filed in the school library, where they will be
accessible to teachers from year to year for the teaching of North Caro-lina
history.
TO THE TEACHER.
Although the general subject of study for North Carolina Day this
year is Western North Carolina, yet every teacher should devote part
of the program to local history. One or two essays should be read in
each school on the history of the county, or community, in which the
school is situated. For some time before North Carolina Day the older
and more advanced pupils should be put to work gathering information
about the county, which later can be used in essays for North Carolina
Day, after the examples given in this pamphlet under the article entitled
"History in the Names of the Counties." Such data can be gathered in
any of the counties by searching the records in the court-house, by
looking up the files of the county papers, by inquiries from elderly peo-ple
and older citizens of the county, and other sources. This research
should be conducted along the lines suggested by the outline given below,
and should form the basis of essays.
Perhaps this will seem difficult at first. Very well; so much the bet-ter.
The pupils will appreciate the results of their work more. But as
they proceed difficulties will be cleared out of the way; much more data
will be gathered than at first will be supposed possible. As this work
is done from year to year the data will finally be available for a real
history of the county; and nothing in historical work is more needed in
North Carolina than good local histories.
Never mind about the work's being crude and immature. In spite of
crudeness and immaturity it will be worth infinitely more to the pupils
who do it than the study of books written by others can ever be. It will
give them at first hand some idea of what real study of history is, it
will be their own work, it will stimulate an interest in the county, in
the school, and in the State. It will add much to the celebration of
North Carolina Day.
OUTLINE FOE INVESTIGATIONS.
Formation of county—date and origin ( get copy of law creating it).
Original boundaries.
Counties wholly or partially cut off from it.
Present boundaries.
Chief geographical features.
Origin of its name.
History involved in its name.
Organization of the county.
Selection of county seat.
Erection of the public buildings.
Development of the school system.
10
Eminent men of the county; brief accounts of their public
Chief events in the history of the county.
Historic spots and houses.
Eoad building in the county.
Railroad construction.
Chief industries.
Manufactures.
Chief agricultural products.
CONTENTS.
The Old North State—Gaston 12
The Land of the Sky 13
History in the Names of the Counties 16
Indian Names—Battle ; Spencer 29
The Cherokee Indians in the Revolution 30
Kings Mountain Boys 35
Heroes of Kings Mountain : Cleveland, Shelby, Sevier 39
Ho ! for Carolina—Harrell 45
James Robertson and the Western Settlements 46
A Daughter of North Carolina 48
David Lowrie Swain—Vance 52
Racing Water—Clarke 56
Zebulon Baird Vance 57
The Western North Carolina Railroad 64
America—Smith . 68
THE OLD NORTH STATE.
BY WILLIAM GASTON
Carolina ! Carolina ! Heaven's blessings attend her !
While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her
Though the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame her,
Our hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her.
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old ISTorth State
Though she envies not others their merited glory,
Say, whose name stands the foremost in Liberty's story
Though too true to herself e'er to crouch to oppression,
Who can yield to just rule more loyal submission?
Hurrah, etc.
Plain and artless her sons, but whose doors open faster
At the knock of a stranger, or the tale of disaster ?
How like to the rudeness of their dear native mountains,
With rich ore in their bosoms and life in their fountains.
Hurrah, etc.
And her daughters, the Queen of the Forest resembling
—
So graceful, so constant, yet to gentlest breath trembling;
And true lightwood at heart, let the match be applied them.
How they kindle and flame ! O ! none know but who've tried
them.
Hurrah, etc.
Then let all who love us, love the land that we live in
(As happy a region as on this side of Heaven),
Where Plenty and Freedom, Love and Peace smile before us,
Kaise aloud, raise together the heart-thrilling chorus
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the Old North State forever
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! the good Old North State
THE LAND OF THE SKY.
"From Currituck to Cherokee," is an expression fre-quently
used to denote the whole of JSTorth Carolina. Curri-tuck
is on the extreme eastern border of the State, Cherokee
on the extreme western border. One lies along the Atlantic
Ocean, the other among the mountains. One is low, flat and
sandy; the other elevated, rugged and rocky. A traveler
from Currituck to Cherokee journeys uphill the entire way.
He leaves a country on a level with the sea ; he climbs to the
tops of mountains above the clouds.
Here he finds himself in the mountainous region of l^orth
Carolina, which extends across the western part of the State.
In breadth it is more than fifty miles, in length more than
two hundred. It covers an area of 6,000 square miles, and
embraces sixteen counties. On the east it is bounded by the
Blue Ridge, on the west by the Great Smoky Mountains. Both
are named because of their appearance. Seen from a dis-tance,
on a bright, clear day, the Blue Ridge looks like a
long, rugged, blue cloud hanging on the western horizon.
The Smoky Mountains appear to be covered with a dense,
black smoke. Both ranges have peaks that pierce the clouds.
In the Blue Ridge, old "Grandfather" is the highest. He
lifts his hoary old head to a height of 5,897 feet above the
sea. "Grandfather" gets his name from the "grey beard he
shows when a frozen cloud has iced his rhododendrons."
The Great Smoky Mountains form the boundary between
!N"orth Carolina and her daughter, Tennessee. The peaks of
the Great Smokies look down with contempt on those of the
Blue Ridge. Sixteen of them are more than 6,000 feet above
the sea. The highest is Clingman's Dome, 6,600 feet. It
was named in honor of Thomas L. Clingman, of Buncombe
county.
Between these two great ranges, there are other shorter
ranges. The two most important are the Black Mountains
and the Balsam Mountains. The Black Mountains have a
dozen peaks more than 6,000 feet high; the Balsams have
fifteen. The highest mountain east of the Rocky Mountains
is in the Black Range. This is Mt. Mitchell, 6,711 feet
high.
14
Altogether the mountainous region of North Carolina has
forty-three peaks more than 6,000 feet high, and eighty-two
more than 5,000 feet.
Many of these mountains are bald and rocky, hut for the
most part they have a deep fertile soil. Their sides are
covered with forests, containing timber trees of various kinds
and of great value. The oak, the hickory, the walnut, the
poplar, the pine, grow to a very large size. The fir and the
hemlock are also found in large quantity. But the most
fertile parts of the mountain region are its beautiful valleys.
The valleys of the French Broad, the Swannanoa, the Pigeon,
the Hiwasse, are noted for their beauty and fertility. Grain
and grasses, fruits and vegetables grow in abundance. Cat-tle
raising is an important industry, and the mountain sides
are covered with grazing sheep and cows and horses. The
great variety and beauty of the flowers and shrubs makes this
region a favorite field for the botanist. Some of the most
beautiful flowers in the gardens of Europe and America were
first found in these wild mountains.
Of the many peaks in these mountains, the most famous
is Mt. Mitchell. One who climbs to the top of Mt. Mitchell
stands on the highest point of land in the eastern part of the
United States. One seems to be in the center of a vast sea
of mountains. Within sight are the main ledge of the Black
Range, with a succession of cones and spires along its dark
crest ; the Blue Ridge, running out of Pennsylvania and
stretching" all the way across Virginia and North Carolina
the Craggy Range with its myriads of gorgeous flowers, its
naked and fantastic peaks" ; Kings Mountain, famous in
Revolutionary history; and, rising in solitary grandeur, the
rocky throne of the abrupt and wild Grandfather. Here and
there far, far below, are green valleys and dark gorges
winding streams and foaming torrents.
Standing on top of Mt. Mitchell early in the morning, a
writer describes the scene as follows: "The cold mists that
at first enveloped the tops of the mountain were gradually
dispersed by the sun as he rose higher in the heavens, and
then was revealed to us a grander scene than it had ever
before been our lot to behold. The majestic heights of the
peaks that with Mt. Mitchell rise from a common base; the
Blue Ridge in the distance; the deep frightful gorges on all
sides below us, * * * the rivers winding with their
15
silver streams in every direction from their sources in the
recesses of the mountains ; the beautiful farms with their
golden harvests, cultivated spots amid the boundless wilder-ness
of the trees ; the light fleecy clouds dotting the horizon
;
and the blue sky above; all formed a picture that any one
* * * could not fail to gaze upon without feelings of
silent admiration.
"
Near the city of Asheville is Mt. Pisgah, another famous
peak. It forms the corner of four counties, Buncombe,
Henderson, Haywood and Transylvania. From its top, which
is more than a mile high, can be seen a beautiful stretch of
mountain scenery for a distance of a hundred miles in every
direction. Mt. Pisgah itself "is always a striking object
before the eye of the spectator. Its beautiful blue on a sum-mer
evening is sometimes changed into a rich purple by the
rays of a red cloud thrown over it at sunset. In winter it
is even a still more striking object. Covered by a fresh snow
in the morning, its various ridges present their outlines so
sharply that it seems as if they had been carved by a chisel
into innumerable depressions and elevations. After one or
two days sunshine, the snow disappears on the ridges, but
remains in the valleys. The mountain then seems covered
from summit to base with alternate bands of virgin white,
and a blue more intense and beautiful than the immortal sky
itself presents."
There are a number of peaks noted for other reasons than
their height. Kings Mountain lies on the border between
North Carolina and South Carolina. On its top a famous
battle was fought between the Whigs and the Tories during
the Revolution. In Surry county is the well-known Pilot
Mountain. Rising suddenly and abruptly above the sur-rounding
country, it can be seen for a distance of many miles.
For this reason it is called the "Pilot." A very interesting
mountain is found in Watauga county. If you stand on the
top of this mountain and toss a hat or handkerchief over the
precipice a current of air which blows constantly from the
valley will catch it and blow it back to where you stand.
Hence this mountain is called "Blowing Rock."
Such then is the Land of the Sky, where some of the most
interesting and important events in our history have occurred,
and whence have come some of North Carolina's most eminent
sons.
HISTORY IN THE NAMES OF THE COUNTIES.
The mountainous region of North Carolina embraces six-teen
counties. They are: Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood,
Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Cherokee, Watauga, Jackson,
Madison, Alleghany, Mitchell, Clay, Transylvania, Swain
and Graham. Eight of these counties—Ashe, Haywood,
Macon, Yancey, Henderson, Jackson, Swain and Graham
—
are named for distinguished native North Carolinians.
Two—Buncombe and Mitchell—are named for men born
elsewhere who spent their lives in North Carolina. Two
Madison and Clay—are named for eminent American states-men
of other states. Three—Cherokee, Watauga and Alle-ghany—
are Indian names. One, Transylvania, is a fanciful
name. Three—Ashe, Swain, Graham—bear the names of
governors of North Carolina. Two—Jackson and Madi-son—
are named for presidents of the United States. Three
Ashe, Henderson, Swain—are named for North Carolina
judges. Four are the names of United States senators
Macon, Jackson, Graham and Clay. One, Mitchell, is the
name of a great scholar, scientist and teacher. So it will be
seen that a good deal of American history can be learned
by studying the names of these mountain counties.
BUNCOMBE.
The oldest of these counties is Buncombe. It was formed
in 1791. At first it embraced all the territory west of the
Blue Eidge, and was so large that it was nicknamed the
"State of Buncombe." Since then the following counties
have been partially cut off from it: Haywood in 1808;
Yancey in 1833 ; Henderson in 1838; Madison in 1851.
Buncombe is now bounded as follows : On the north by Madi
son and Yancey counties ; east by the Blue Bidge (which
forms the dividing line between Buncombe and McDowell
counties); south by Henderson county; west by the New
Found mountains (which form the dividing line with Hay-wood
county). The French Broad river, and the Swanna-noa,
which are noted for their beauty, flow through the county.
Mt. Pisgah is in the southern corner.
17
Buncombe was named for Colonel Edward Buncombe, a
soldier of the Revolution. He was born in the West Indies
in 1742, but was educated in England. In 1768 he came to
North Carolina and settled in Tyrrell county. He built
"Buncombe Hall/' a residence long noted for its hospitality.
Over the door he wrote:
" To Buncombe Hall
Welcome all."
During the Revolution he took the side of the Americans,
and was made a Colonel of the Fifth North Carolina Regi-ment
of Continentals. He was then ordered to go to Charles-ton,
S. C, to defend that city against the British. The next
year he marched North and joined Washington's army. His
men fought bravely under Washington at the battles of
Brandywine, September 11, 1777, and Germantown, October
4, 1777. At Germantown Colonel Buncombe was badly
wounded and left on the field for dead. There he was found
by an English officer, whom he had known at school in Eng-land,
who carried him to Philadelphia where he nursed him.
But Colonel Buncombe never recovered of his wound. He
died in May, 1778.
Asheville, the beautiful county seat of Buncombe, was
named for Governor Samuel Ashe. Originally its name was
Morristown.
Three of North Carolina's most eminent men lived in
Buncombe county—Thomas L. Clingman, a member of the
United States Senate ; David L. Swain, Governor of North
Carolina ; and Zebulon B. Vance, who was both Governor
and Senator.
ASHE.
Ashe county was formed in 1799 from "that portion of
Wilkes lying west of the extreme height of the Appalachian
Mountains." Two counties have since been partially cut of?
from Ashe; Watauga in 1849 and Alleghany in 1859. Ashe
county is now bounded on the north by Virginia; on the east
by Wilkes and Alleghany counties ; on the south by Watauga
and Wilkes counties; and on the west by Stone Mountains
(part of the Great Smokies which form the dividing line with
Tennessee).
The county was named in honor of Samuel Ashe, of New
2
18
Hanover county. He was born in 1725. His education was
received at Harvard College, in Massachusetts. He studied
law and settled at Wilmington. When the Revolution broke
out he became one of the leading patriots of the colony. He
was a member of the Committee of Safety at Wilmington,
a committee of leading Whigs chosen to oppose the British.
Later a Council of Safety consisting of thirteen leading
Whigs, was chosen for the entire province. One of these was
Samuel Ashe, who was elected the second President, and was
thus in all but name Governor of the new State. He was
also a member of the Provincial Congress in August, 1775,
and in April, 1776. This Congress had supreme control of
the Revolution in North Carolina. In November, 1776, a
convention composed of leading Whigs from each county met
at Halifax to write a Constitution and form a government for
the independent State. Samuel Ashe was one of the mem-bers
and helped to frame the new Constitution. He was
then elected a Judge of the Superior Court, and held that
office from 1777 to 1795. In 1795 he was elected Governor,
was again elected in 1796, and again in 1797. In 1799 a
new county was formed and named in his honor. The city
of Asheville, "the fairest town in the western part of the
State," also bears his name. He died in 1813.
The county seat of Ashe county is Jefferson, named in
honor of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Inde-pendence
and President of the United States.
HAYWOOD.
In 1808 a part of the "State of Buncombe" was cut off
and formed into a new county, called Haywood, "in honor
of the present Treasurer of this State." Six counties have
been partly carved out of Haywood. They are: Macon in
1828; Cherokee in 1839; Jackson in 1851; Clay in 1861;
Swain in 1871 ; and Graham in 1872. Haywood county is
now bounded on the north by the Smoky Mountains (the
dividing line with Tennessee) ; on the east by Madison, Bun-combe
and Transylvania ; on the south by Transylvania and
Jackson ; and on the west by Jackson and Swain. The
Pigeon River, famed for its beauty, runs through the county.
Some of the highest mountains and most beautiful scenery
in North Carolina are in this county.
19
The county bears the name of John Haywood. He was
born in Edgecombe county, February 23, 1755. He was
well educated. For many years he served as a clerk in the
Provincial Congress and in the Legislature. He became so
popular that in 1787 the Legislature elected him Treasurer
of North Carolina, and continued to reelect him to that im-portant
office for forty years, until his death. Throughout
his life he was always interested in education. He was one
of the first trustees of the University of North Carolina, and
was a member of the committee that located the University
at Chapel Hill. He served on the Board of Trustees for
nearly forty years. He also helped to establish the Ealeigb
Academy, for many years a famous school at Raleigh. He
was the first mayor of Raleigh, though the office was then
called "Intendant of Police." There was never, perhaps,
a more popular public official in the State than he. He died
at Raleigh, November 18, 1827.
The county seat of Haywood county is Waynesville. It
is situated in one of the finest parts of the mountain section,
surrounded by magnificent scenery. It bears the name of the
famous Revolutionary general, Anthony Wayne, better known
as "Mad Anthony Wayne," because of his great daring and
contempt of danger.
MACON.
Macon county is one of Haywood's six daughters. It was
born in the year 1828. Since then parts of it have been taken
to form Cherokee in 1839, Jackson in 1851, and Swain in
1871. Swain and Graham counties lie on its north, Jackson
on the east, Clay and the State of Georgia on the south, and
Graham, Cherokee and Clay on the west. One of the most
beautiful rivers in the mountains flows through this county.
It is the Nantahala, which is the Cherokee word for
"Maiden's Bosom." A famous place on the border of this
county and Jackson is the "Devil's Court-house." It is an
immense precipice, about a mile long, nearly eighteen hun-dred
feet high, and shaped like part of a great circle. About
halfway up its sides is an immense opening. This the
Cherokee Indians said was the Devil's throne, where bad
spirits are to hear the judgment pronounced against them.
Nathaniel Macon, whose name the county bears, served
North Carolina longer than any other man. He was born in
20
Warren county, December 17, 1757. He became a student
at Princeton College in New Jersey, but did not remain
long, leaving in 1777 to enter the Revolutionary army as a
private. While he was away in the army fighting and with-out
his knowledge he was elected a member of the Legislature.
At first he said that he would not go because he "had often
seen the faces of the British, but had never seen their backs,
and he intended to stay until he did see them." But General
jSTathanael Greene, who was in command, told him that he
could do his country more good in the Legislature than in
the army; so he went. He served five years in the Legis-lature.
A few years later he was elected to the Congress of
the United States where he remained for twenty-four years.
Then the Legislature elected him to the United States Senate.
He served in the Senate for thirteen years. Altogether he
served the State and nation as a lawmaker for forty-two
years. For {ive years he was the chief officer of Congress
(called Speaker), and for two years the chief officer of the
Senate (called the President). His public service covered
a period of fifty-seven years. When he became seventy years
old he gave up his office in the Senate because he said he
was getting too old to stay any longer. In all his life he
never recommended any person akin to him to a public office.
One of his best friends was the famous John Randolph, of
Roanoke, Virginia. In his will Randolph said of Macon:
"He is the wisest, the purest, and the best man that I ever
knew.'' In North Carolina a county and a town bear his
name. The States of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky,
Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee
and Virginia have towns named Macon, which were either
named for him or for other towns which were named for
him.
YANCEY.
Yancey county was formed in 1833. It was cut off from
Burke and Buncombe. Three counties have since been partly
formed out of Yancey. They are: Watauga in 1849 ; Madi-son
in 1851; and Mitchell in 1861. Yancey county is now
bounded on the north by Mitchell county and the State of
Tennessee ; on the east by Mitchell and McDowell counties
on the south by McDowell and Madison; on the west by
Madison and Buncombe counties and the Tennessee line.
21
Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the eastern half of
North America, is in Yancey county. It was named for
Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a teacher in the University who explored
it. Mt. Mitchell is a part of the Black Mountains which
extend partly across this county. Yancey county contains
eighteen mountain peaks that rise above 6,300 feet. These
mountains are very fertile and are covered with great forests
of gigantic trees. Cherry trees in Yancey often grow four
feet, the walnut eight feet, and the poplar ten feet in diameter.
The county was named for Bartlett Yancey, a native of
Caswell county. He was educated at the University of
North Carolina, studied law, and became eminent in his pro-fession.
He was twice a member of the Congress of the
United States, and eight times a member of the Senate of
North Carolina. He was one of the first men in the State
to favor public schools for all the people.
The county seat of Yancey is Burnsville, named in honor
of Capt. Otway Burns, of Beaufort, N. C. He won fame in
the War of 1812 against England. With his vessel, the
"Snap-Dragon," he sailed up and down the Atlantic coast,
capturing many English vessels and destroying the British
trade. He had many wild adventures, and his name became
a terror to British merchants. Finally the English govern-ment
sent a war vessel, called the "Leopard," to capture
Captain Burns. The "Leopard" succeeded in capturing the
"Snap-Dragon" while Captain Burns was on shore sick.
After the war he was frequently a member of the Legislature.
A monument to his memory was recently erected at Burns-ville.
HENDERSON.
Henderson county is a daughter of the "State of Bun-combe."
It was formed in 1838. Henderson has two
daughters, Polk formed in 1855 and Transylvania formed
in 1861. Buncombe county is on the north of Henderson,
Polk and Rutherford on the east, South Carolina on the south,
and Transylvania on the west. The Blue Ridge Mountains
intersect the county, and the Erench Broad River flows
through it.
The county bears the name of Leonard Henderson, Chief
Justice of North Carolina. He was born October 6, 1772,
on Nutbush Creek in Granville county. After receiving a
22
good education lie studied law. Soon afterwards he was
elected a Judge of the Superior Court and served for eight
years. He then resigned and went back to the practice of
law. At Williamsboro, in Granville county, he established
the first law school in North Carolina. In 1818 he was
elected a Judge of the Supreme Court of North Carolina,
and served for fifteen years. Part of this time he was Chief
Justice. He died August 13, 1833.
The county seat of Henderson county is Hendersonville,
also named for Chief Justice Henderson.
CHEROKEE.
Cherokee county was formed in 1839, from Macon. In
1861 part of it was taken to form Clay county, and in 1872
part was given to Graham. Cherokee is the most western
county in the State. "When we say "From Currituck to
Cherokee'7 we mean the whole of North Carolina. Another
expression meaning the same thing is "From Murphy to
Manteo." (Murphy, the county seat of Cherokee is in the
extreme west ; Manteo, the county seat of Dare, is in the ex-treme
east.) Cherokee county is bounded on the north by the
Unaka Mountains (part of the Great Smokies, which divide
North Carolina from Tennessee) ; on the east by Clay and
Macon counties ; on the south by Georgia ; on the west by
Tennessee. The beautiful Hiwassee Kiver runs through the
county. In the Cherokee language this river is called
Ayuhwasi, which means a meadow.
The county was named for the Cherokee Indians.
Murphy the county seat was named in honor of Archibald
D. Murphey. He was born in Caswell county, was educated
at the University of North Carolina, studied law, and settled
at Hillsboro. For seven years he was a member of the Senate
of North Carolina. In 1818 he was elected a Judge of the
Superior Court, and served two years. His greatest service
was in the interest of public education. He suggested a plan
for public schools that has earned for him the title of "Father
of the Public Schools." No man in the history of North
Carolina has a prouder title.
WATAUGA.
Watauga county was formed in 1849. It was made up of
parts of Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell and Yancey. Since then
23
part of it lias been cut off to form part of Mitchell county.
Ashe counts and the State of. Tennessee bound it on the
north; Wilkes and Caldwell on the east; Caldwell and
Mitchell on the south ; and the Great Smokies (the Tennessee
line) on the west. Blowing Rock is in this county.
Watauga is an Indian name. Its meaning is not known.
The county seat is Boone, named in honor of the famous
hunter, Daniel Boone. Daniel Boone was born in Pennsyl-vania,
but when he was only thirteen years old his parents
moved into North Carolina and settled on Yadkin River.
There Daniel Boone grew to manhood ; there he learned to
love the silent woods, the birds, and the wild beasts ; there
he became more skillful than any Indian with his rifle
there he found his wife and built his first log cabin ; and
there he settled down to the quiet life of a pioneer farmer.
But the quiet life of a farmer did not suit the adventurous
hunter. He liked the vast forests better than the peaceful
fireside ; and sought the hiding places of the panther and the
bear and the deer rather than the rustling cornfield. He
was a match for any Indian in his knowledge of the pathless
woods, and he usually dressed like an Indian. He wore a fur
cap ; his hunting-shirt and breeches were made of the skins
of wild animals ; and on his feet were Indian moccasins.
In a leather belt around his waist he carried a tomahawk, a
hunting-knife, a powder-horn, and a bullet-pouch. Over his
shoulder was flung his trusty rifle, which never missed its
aim.
Daniel Boone soon grew tired of his quiet life on the
Yadkin. He often looked at the great mountain wall away
to the west and wondered what sort of country lay beyond
it. Finally he made up his mind to go and find out, and
flinging his rifle over his shoulder he started for the un-broken
wilderness across the mountains. On the banks of
Watauga River in the eastern part of Tennessee he made
his camp, and on a beech tree near by left this record:
"D. Boone cilled a bar on [this] tree in the year 1760."
He afterwards returned to North Carolina, but nine years
later went still further into the wild woods. He was fol-lowed
by his own family and several other hunters, and they
made a little settlement called Boones.boro on the banks of
Kentucky River. They had many wild adventures with the
Indians, who tried to drive them away. But Daniel Boone
24
got the best of them and became the founder of the great
State of Kentucky. When the Revolution broke out, Boone
and his followers did patriotic service for their country.
JACKSON.
•Jackson county was formed in 1851, from Haywood and
Macon. In 1861 part of it was taken to make Transylvania,
and ten years later another part was cut off to go into Swain.
Swain and Haywood now bound it on the north, Haywood
and Transylvania on the east, South Carolina and Georgia
on the south, and Macon and Swain on the west. Tuckasegee
River flows through the county.
The county was named in honor of the most distinguished
man ever born in North Carolina, Andrew Jackson. He
was born in the Waxhaw settlement, North Carolina, March
15, 1767. He had but little education. As a boy he served
in the Revolution. After the war he studied law at Salis-bury,
North Carolina, where he lived for a while. In 1788
he was appointed solicitor for Western North Carolina (the
district which is now the State of Tennessee), and moved
to Nashville. In 1796, he helped frame the Constitution
for the new State of Tennessee. He afterwards became a
member of Congress, United States Senator, and Supreme
Court Judge in Tennessee. He was also a General of the
militia. In the War of 1812, against England, he was a
Major-General in the United States army. He defeated the
Creek Indians, who were helping the British, at the great
battle of Horseshoe Bend; conquered Florida (which then
belonged to Spain) ; and on January 8, 1815, won the great
battle of New Orleans against the British. From 1823 to
1825 he was again in the United States Senate, and in 1828
he was elected President of the United States. He served two
terms, from 1829 to 1837. June 8, 1845, he died at his
home, the Hermitage, near Nashville, Tenn. He was popu-larly
known as "Old Hickory."
MADISON.
Madison county was formed in 1851 from Buncombe and
Yancey. It is bounded on the north by the Great Smokies
(the Tennessee dividing line) ; on the east by Yancey and
Buncombe counties ; on the south by Buncombe and Hay-wood
counties ; and on the west by Haywood and the Great
Smokies.
25
The French Broad River rims through it. Like Yancey
county, it is noted for its gigantic trees.
The county was named for James Madison, a famous
statesman of Virginia. He was for several years a member
of Congress, and in 1808 was elected President of the United
States. He served two terms, and was President during our
second war with England, 1812-1815.
ALLEGHANY.
Alleghany county was formed in 1859. It was taken
from Ashe. The northern boundary is the Virginia line.
Surry county bounds it on the east ; on the south the Blue
Ridge divides it from Wilkes ; Ashe county lies on the west.
Alleghany is an Indian name. The meaning is unknown.
MITCHELL.
Mitchell county was formed in 1861. Parts of five
counties were used in making Mitchell. They were Watauga,
Caldwell, Burke, McDowell and Yancey. These counties in
the order named, together with the Great Smokies on the
north, bound Mitchell on the north, east, south and west.
The county lies between the Blue Ridge on the south, and the
Roan and Iron mountains on the north. The Roan Moun-tain
rises to a height of 6,334 feet.
The county gets its name from Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a dis-tinguished
teacher in the University of IsTorth Carolina. Dr.
Mitchell was born in Connecticut, August 19, 1793. He
was educated at Yale College. He afterwards entered the
ministry. In 1847 he was appointed professor of mathe-matics
in the University of JSTorth Carolina, serving until
1825, when he was made professor of chemistry. He also
became interested in the geology of I^orth Carolina, and
pointed out the fact that the highest mountain peaks east of
the Rockies were in this State. With great difficulty, pain
and bravery, he climbed to the top of Black Mountain to
measure it, and prove his statement. Afterwards in 1857,
his statement being disputed, he again climbed to the top,
and again measured its height. While on this expedition he
fell from a tall cliff, forty feet high, and was killed. Several
days later his body was found lying at the bottom of a deep
pool of water. It was carried to Asheville and buried, but
afterwards it was taken up aud reburied on the top of Black
26
Mountain, which was afterwards to be called in his honor,
Mt. Mitchell. A small monument has been erected on top
of the mountain to his memory.
CLAY.
Clay county was formed from Cherokee in 1861. Chero-kee
and Macon bound it on the north; Macon on the east;
the State of Georgia on the south ; and its mother, Cherokee,
on the west. The beautiful Hiwassee River flows through
the county.
It bears the name of Henry Clay, a famous American
orator and statesman. He was born in Virginia, April 12,
1777. His education was very limited. In 1797 he moved
to Kentucky to practice law. He was frequently a member
of the Kentucky Legislature, of the Congress of the United
States, and of the United States Senate. From 1825 to
1829 he was Secretary of State of the United States. He
was twice nominated for President of the United States, and
each time was defeated by a North Carolinian; in 1832 by
Andrew Jackson, and in 1844 by James K. Polk. He was
one of the most eloquent of American orators. His death
occurred at Washington June 29, 1852.
TRANSYLVANIA.
Transylvania county was formed the same year with Clay,
1861. It was taken from Henderson and Jackson. Transyl-vania
is triangular in shape. It northern point is Mt. Pisgah,
where the lines of Transylvania, Buncombe, Haywood and
Henderson meet. On the east lies Henderson ; on the south,
South Carolina ; on the west, Jackson and Haywood. Along
its whole southern border runs the Blue Ridge in its most
massive and imposing form. The scenery and the climate
of the county make it a famous health resort.
Transylvania is made up of two Latin words, trans, across,
sylva, woods. It means "on the other side of the forests."
The county seat, Brevard, is the name of a famous patriot,
Ephraim Brevard, of the Revolution. He was one of the
leaders in Mecklenburg county, who helped to win for Char-lotte
the name, "The Hornets' Nest" of the Revolution.
SWAIN.
Swain countv was cut off from Jackson and Macon in
1871. The Great Smokies run along its northern line, divid-ing
it from Tennessee; on the east the Balsam Mountains
divide Swain from Haywood county ; on the south are Jack-son
and Macon ; and on the west the Little Tennessee River
makes the dividing line with Graham. In Swain the Great
Smoky Mountains reach their highest point in Clingman's
Dome, rising to a height of 6,660 feet. The Little Tennessee,
the Tuckasegee, the Nantahala and Ocona Luftee rivers flow
through the county. The scenery is magnificent.
The county bears the name of David L. Swain, twice
Governor of North Carolina, and for many years President
of the University. (See page 52.)
GRAHAM.
Graham county is one year younger than Swain. It was
formed in 1872 from Cherokee. On the north the Little
Tennessee River divides it from Swain ; on the east are
Swain and Macon counties ; on the south is Cherokee ; and on
the west the Great Smokies divide it from Tennessee.
In what is now Graham county was the home of the
famous Cherokee chief, Tsunulahunski, whom the whites
called Junaluska. The Junaluska Mountains near Waynes-ville
are named for him. In early life he was known as
Gulkalaski. But when war broke out between the whites and
the Creek Indians, the Cherokees, who were bitter enemies
of the Creeks, sided with the whites. Gulkalaski raised a
party of warriors and went against the Creeks. He boasted
that he would destroy them. But he failed. So when he re-turned
to the Cherokees he announced the result in a single
word which meant, "I tried, but could not." After that he was
known as Tsunulahunski, or Junaluska, which means "One
who tries, but fails." Afterwards he joined Gen. Andrew
Jackson's expedition against the Creeks, and was in the great
battle of Horseshoe Bend. In that battle, by aid of Juna-luska,
Jackson gave the Creeks a pretty bad beating. When
Jackson was President of the United States he required the
larger part of the Cherokees to move out to Indian Terri-tory.
Junaluska often said: "If I had known that Jackson
would drive us from our homes, I would have killed him that
day at the Horseshoe." Junaluska went with the other
Indians to Indian Territory in 1838, but afterwards re-turned
to North Carolina. He was allowed to remain because
28
of his services at the battle of Horseshoe Bend. In 1847
the State of North Carolina, by an act of the Legislature,
gave him a large tract of land in what is now Graham county.
There he died about 1858, and was buried near the town of
Robbinsville. A monument has recently been erected over
his grave.
Graham county was named in honor of William A. Gra-ham,
who was born in Lincoln county September 5, 1804.
He was graduated from the University in 1824, studied law,
and settled at Hillsboro. Eight times he was elected to the
Legislature. In 1840 the Legislature elected him to the
United States Senate. When he returned to North Carolina
in 1834, he was elected Governor. He served two terms, or
four years as Governor. He was interested in building good
roads, railroads and public schools, a school for the deaf and
dumb, and an asylum for the insane. After leaving the
Governor's office he became Secretary of the Navy of the
United States. In 1852 he was nominated for Vice-Presi-dent
of the United States, but was not elected. After North
Carolina withdrew from the United States and joined the
Confederate States, Graham was elected a member of the
Confederate States Senate. After many years of great ser-vice
to the State, he died August 11, 1875.
INDIAN NAMES.
Ye say they all have passed away,
The race of Indian braves;
That their light canoes have vanished
From off our crested waves
That ?mid the forests where they roamed
There rings no hunter's shout;
Yet their names are on our waters
Ye can not wash them out.
Their memory liveth on our hills,
Their baptism on our shore
Our everlasting rivers speak
Their dialect of yore.
'Tis heard where Swannanoa pours
Its crystal tide along
It sounds on Nantahala's shores,
And Yadkin swells the song
;
Wher'er the lordly Roanoke sweeps
The Indian name remains;
And swift Catawba proudly keeps
The echo of its strains.
-Adapted by Mrs. C. P. Spencer from K. P. Battle.
THE CHEROKEE INDIANS IN THE REVOLUTION.
The white men who first explored the mountain region of
North Carolina found it occupied by a nation of Indians
called the Cherokee. This name was given to them by the
white man, but the name by which they called themselves
was Yunwiya, which means "real people," or "principal
people." The word Cherokee has no meaning in their lan-guage.
The Cherokees were the mountaineers of the South.
They held a territory 40,000 square miles in area, in the
mountainous region of what is now the States of Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and
Tennessee. Their principal towns were on the Savannah,
the Hiwassee, the Tuskasegee, and the Little Tennessee
rivers.
A traveler who visited the Cherokee just before the Kevo-lution,
tells us that their warriors were "tall, erect, and mod-erately
robust, their limbs well shaped, so as generally to
form a perfect human figure; their features regular, and
countenance open, dignified and placid; yet the forehead
and brow so formed as to strike you instantly with heroism
and bravery ; the eye though rather small, yet active and full
of fire ; the pupil always black, and the nose inclining to the
aquiline. Their countenance and actions exhibit an air of
magnanimity, superiority and independence. Their com-plexion
of a reddish-brown or copper color; their hair long,
lank, coarse, and black as a raven, and reflecting the like
luster at different exposures to the light. * * * The
Cherokee are * * * by far the largest race of men I
have seen and their complexions brighter and somewhat of
the olive cast, especially the adults ; and some of their young
women are nearly as fair and blooming as European women."
"The women of the Cherokees are tall, slender, erect and of a
delicate frame, their features formed with perfect symmetry,
their countenance cheerful and friendly, and they move with
a becoming grace."
"The Cherokees in their dispositions and manners are
grave and steady; dignified and circumspect in their deport-ment
; rather slow and reserved in conversation ; yet frank,
31
cheerful and humane ; tenacious of the liberties and natural
rights of men; secret, deliberate and determined in their
councils; honest, just and liberal, and are ready always to
sacrifice every pleasure and gratification, even their blood,
and life itself, to defend their territory and maintain their
rights."
The known history of the Cherokee Indians begins with
the year 1540. In May of that year, a party of Spanish
explorers under the famous leader De Soto, entered their ter-ritory
in their search for gold. They were the first white
men to come in contact with the Cherokee. Other Spanish
explorers followed from time to time, but more than a hun-dred
years passed before the English had any relations with
them. In 1654 a great body of Cherokee warriors invaded
Virginia, fought a great battle with the white settlers, and
defeated them. After this there was constant warfare be-tween
the Cherokee and the English settlers. When the
French and Indian War broke out, the English sent a great
expedition against the Indians of Western North Carolina.
The soldiers inarched against the Cherokee towns, and in a
great battle in what is now Macon county, gave the Indians
a pretty severe beating.
In this war the Indians and their French friends were de-feated.
The French had to surrender to the English the
lands they claimed beyond the mountains. The war and the
troubles with the Indians had prevented many of the Eng-lish
settlers from settling in the West. But as soon as peace
was declared, the whites began to seek new homes there.
They cleared the woods and built their cabins on the frontier,
until the English settlements stretched all the way to the
mountains. A few, bolder than their fellows, even pushed
across the mountains and made their camps along the river
banks in what is now the State of Tennessee.
The Indians were greatly alarmed at this. They saw
their lands gradually taken from them, the forests cleared
for settlements, and the game driven from their hunting
grounds. The white man's cabin was rapidly taking the
place of the red man's wigwams, and the red man saw that he
must surrender or fight. He decided to fight, and he fought
desperately, as only the American Indian knew how to fight.
So when the Revolution began, the Cherokee Indians were
on hostile terms with the Americans. The King, therefore,
32
sent British officers among them, with clothes, guns, hatchets,
hunting-knives, and other presents, to win thern to his side,
against the settlers. The Indians were only too ready to
join anybody who would help them fight their nearest ene-mies.
The King, they said, was their "Great White Father
beyond the Water," and they must help him against his ene-mies.
So when war began between the Americans and the
British, the Indians joined the British, and the patriots had
to fight the British on the coast and the Indians in the moun-tains
at the same time.
In 1776, a great British army was sent against North
Carolina and South Carolina. The King planned that while
his soldiers were burning the towns and killing the people on
the coast, the Indians should be doing the same thing among
the mountains. The Americans then would have two ene-mies
attacking them at the same time. A bloody Indian war
followed in the usual Indian fashion. Houses and barns
were burned, and crops destroyed. The Indians spared
neither old nor young, men nor women. Old men and young
babies fell beneath their bloody tomahawks. The whole
mountain region was soon in a state of terror and desolation.
Nothing else that the British King did throughout the war
made the Americans hate him so intensely as his arming the
merciless savages and setting them on their unprotected
frontier.
North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina hastened
to raise armies to send against the Cherokees. The largest
army ever sent against this tribe was the North Carolina
army of 2,400 soldiers led by Gen. Griffith Rutherford.
General Rutherford collected his men at Davidson's Fort,
where Old Fort is now in McDowell County, in the fall of
1776. They crossed the Blue Ridge through Swannanoa
Gap ; marched down the Swannanoa to the French Broad
crossed that river a little below where Asheville now stands;
marched over the mountain ridge to the Pigeon Biver; then
across the mountains to Scott's Creek, and marched down
that creek to the Tuckasegee Biver ; then down the main trail
to the Cherokee town, Stekoa, in what is now Swain county.
The army had gathered in what is now McDowell, marched
across Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon and
Cherokee counties, almost along the same route now followed
by the Southern Railroad. What a terrible journey they
33
had ! Their route lay through a rugged country, covered
with boundless forests, steep mountains, and rushing streams.
There were neither roads nor bridges. Yet the soldiers
marched rapidly, and were upon the Indians almost before
the latter knew they were near.
The Indians fled, and the soldiers began their bloody work
of vengeance. General Rutherford's men burned thirty-six
Indian towns, destroyed their crops, and killed many of
their warriors. The poor Indians fled with their women and
children to the recesses of the Great Smokies, leaving their
fields in ruin and their towns in ashes. At the same time the
Virginia and South Carolina troops were destroying other
parts of their settlements. This expedition was the severest
blow ever struck the Cherokee. More than fifty of their
towns were destroyed; their orchards cut down; their fields
wasted; their cattle and horses killed or driven off; their
property plundered. Hundreds of their people were killed,
or starved. Others were made prisoners, and some were sold
into slavery. Those who escaped fled to the mountains, and
lived upon acorns, chestnuts, and wild game, or sought refuge
among the British. From the Virginia line to the Chatta-hoochee
River in Georgia, the destruction was complete. The
Indians were compelled to beg for peace.
A treaty was signed July 20, 1777. The Indians surren-dered
all their territory east of the Blue Ridge, together with
that on the Watauga, the Nolichucky, the Holston, and the
New rivers in what is now Tennessee. That territory then
belonged to North Carolina.
But a part of the Cherokee nation refused to join in this
treaty. A great chief called
aDragging-Canoe," declared
that he would never give up to the men who had taken his
hunting-grounds. Gathering several hundred of the most
warlike warriors around him, he made a new settlement,
called Chickamauga, on the Tennessee River. These In-dians
were after called Chickamaugas. They at once began a
never-ceasing warfare against the white settlers, and long
kept the frontier in terror. In 1779, 300 warriors from
Chickamauga started on a march against the back settlements
of North Carolina. But without a day's delay, North Caro-lina
and Virginia sent a strong force to meet them. They
caught the Indians by surprise, and defeated them.
In 1779 the British sent another army to conquer the
34
Southern States. Again they expected to receive help from
the Indians. So while the Americans were fighting the
British on the coast, there was constant fighting between the
whites and the Indians in the mountains.
Finally Col. John Sevier determined to strike a sudden
blow that would put an end to the troubles. In 1781, with
a body of picked horsemen, he started across the Great
Smokies on a trail never attempted before by white men. In
some places the route was so rough and rugged that it was
hardly possible to lead horses. Near where Webster now
stands, in Jackson county, was the Indian town of Tuckese-gee.
Sevier surprised the Indians, and destroyed their town.
Five other towns near by were burned, many prisoners cap-tured,
and warriors killed. Sevier and his men then got
away so quick that the Indians could not make an attack.
The whites lost only one man.
Soon after this, the Revolution was over. The Americans
had won. The Indians were so worn out that they could not
continue the fight alone.
They had played an important part in the war. If the
Indians had been at peace with the Americans, the mountain
men could have left their homes and gone to help their eastern
friends. As it was they had important work to do at home
and could send no aid against the British. But one impor-tant
battle they did fight, at Kings Mountain. Except for
this their best fighting in the Revolution was done against
the Indians.
The seven long years of war, reduced the Indians, to great
misery. Over and over again their towns had been burned,
their fields wasted. Their best warriors had been killed,
their women and children almost starved. So in 1783 they
were glad to make peace. After that, the State of North
Carolina sent an agent among them to look out for their
needs. A few years later they were taken under the protec-tion
of the United States.
Several years after the Revolution, the greater part of the
Cherokee nation was removed to the west of the Mississippi
River, and given lands in Indian Territory. But a small
part of the tribe held to their hunting grounds in North
Carolina where their descendants are still living.
KINGS MOUNTAIN BOYS.
After General Rutherford beat the Cherokee Indians in
1776, four years passed before there was any more important
fighting in North Carolina. During these years North Caro-lina
soldiers were in Washington's army fighting the British
in the North. After several years of hard fighting the
British found that they could not beat Washington so they
decided to send another army south to conquer the Southern
States. After much hard fighting Georgia and South Caro-lina
were overrun by the British, and then their general.
Lord Cornwallis, prepared to march into North Carolina.
He sent word to the Tories to get ready to join his army, for
he was coming soon. In September, 1780, he set out from
South Carolina, to march to Charlotte, in North Carolina.
But the people of North Carolina were not very glad to see
him, and they shot down the British soldiers at every chance.
It seemed to the British that an American soldier was behind
every bush and rock and fence. If a party left the main army
to look for food, they were attacked from every side by men
whom they could not see. If Lord Cornwallis sent a mes-senger
anywhere, he was sure to be shot down. The British
officers said that Mecklenburg county was the most rebellious
county in America, and that the "rebels" swarmed around
them like hornets. So they called Charlotte the "Hornets'
Nest."
Lord Cornwallis had not been long at the "Hornets' Nest"
when he heard news that sent him flying back to South Caro-lina.
Before leaving that State he had sent Maj. Patrick
Ferguson, one of his best officers, on a trip to the western
parts of North Carolina and South Carolina, to raise an army
of Tories, and to frighten the Whigs of the mountains so they
would not send any help to the Americans around Charlotte.
So Ferguson sent a message to the mountain men that if any
of them marched against the British he would cross the moun-tains,
burn their homes and destroy their settlements. But
the men who were not afraid to build their homes among the
bears, and the wolves, and the panthers, and the Indians,
were not the kind of men to be frightened at a threat from a
36
British major. Ferguson's message only made them angry,
and they decided to make him pay for it. Messengers were
sent all through the mountains calling on the people to rise
up in defense of their homes. Old men and young boys,
hunters and farmers, snatched their long rifles and hurried
to the meeting place.
More than one thousand of these fearless pioneers gathered
at Sycamore Shoals on Watauga River. There were 400
Virginians under Colonel Campbell; 500 North Carolinians
under Col. Isaac Shelby and Col. John Sevier; and 160
North Carolinians under Col. Joseph McDowell. Later they
were joined by Col. Benjamin Cleveland, of North Carolina,
and Col. James Williams, of South Carolina, with 400 men
each.
These officers then met and chose Colonel Campbell for
their leader. Then Colonel Shelby spoke to the men. He
told them where they were going and what they were going
to do. They were going after Ferguson and his Tories who
had dared to come into their mountains and threaten them
for fighting for their freedom. If there was any man who
was not willing to go on such an expedition he had better
go back home. But not a man left. Then Colonel Shelby
told them that each man must do his own fighting, and when
they met the British to give them "Indian play." After
this speech they all shouted that they were ready to go to
catch Ferguson.
What a strange looking army they made ! There were no
bright uniforms, nor flying flags, nor beating drums. Their
only uniforms were coonskin caps, buckskin shirts, and
fringed leggings. There were neither tents nor baggage
their only cover at night was the starry sky, and their food
was a pocketful of parched corn. Only a few of the officers
had swords. But every man rode a good horse, and had a
knife, a tomahawk, and a rifle; and they knew how to use
them. There was mauy a hunter in that little army who
could knock a squirrel from a limb as far as he could see him.
They were as fleet as deer ; as bold as the bears on their moun-tainsides
; and as keen as Indians after a trail. Nearly
every man of them had been in battles with the Indians and
knew how to fight "Indian fashion."
When Ferguson heard of this strange army he made fun
of them and called them a "crowd of dirty mongrels." Still,
37
he thought he had better get out of their way, so he hurried
to seek safety on the top of Kings Mountain. This mountain
is on the line between North Carolina and South Carolina.
Ferguson pitched his camp on the South Carolina side, and
there felt so safe that he swore all the rebels in the world
could not drive him off.
But the men in the patriots' army were used to climbing
mountains. Following close on Ferguson's heels, they
reached Kings Mountain October 7, and at once rushed up
the mountainsides to attack him. As they advanced they gave
the British ''Indian play," and from behind every rock and
tree and shrub poured a hot fire into their ranks. Ferguson
and his men fought bravely, but they fought in vain. They
fell by the dozens, and finally Ferguson himself, struck by
a half dozen bullets, fell dead from his horse. Then all the
rest gave up and became the prisoners of the "crowd of dirty
mongrels." The Americans killed nearly 400 of their ene-mies,
and captured over 700, besides thousands of guns and
pistols. Only 28 of their own men were killed, and 60
wounded.
It was a glorious victory ! Such a victory had not been
won in the South since the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge,
nearly five years before. A whole British army had been
destroyed or captured. One of Cornwallis's best officers had
been killed. Thousands of Tories who had been waiting to
join the British army if Ferguson won, returned to their
homes, put their rifles in the racks again, and left Lord Corn-wallis
to fight his own battles.
And what gloomy news it all was to Lord Cornwallis at
Charlotte ! He could not understand how it happened.
Where did all those "hornets" come from \ How many were
there ? What were they going to do next \ Maybe they
were already marching against him at Charlotte ! Fright-ened
at this thought, the British general ordered his army out
of Charlotte in great haste and disorder, and fled to South
Carolina for safety.
But the Kings Mountain Boys thought no more of Lord
Cornwallis. After their victory, they returned to their moun-tain
homes, kissed their wives and children, hung their rifles
again in the racks over the great fireplaces and went quietly
to work. They had done what they went out to do, and had
done it well. They had beaten their haughty enemy. They
38
had won an important victory. They had saved the State.
And yet, they did not even know that they were heroes ! But
real heroes they were, and on top of the ridge, just where
they won their battle, there now stands a great monument
erected by the American people to "Kings Mountain and its
Heroes."
HEROES OF KINGS MOUNTAIN.
The boy who grew up on the frontier of North Carolina
before the Revolution became used to danger and hardship.
His home was surrounded by great forests. The bear and
the wolf, the panther and the wildcat, prowled almost up to
his very door. When he went to sleep at night he was never
certain that he would not be waked before morning by the
glare from his burning house and the wild war-whoops of
painted savages. His life was full of adventures and hair-breadth
escapes. It was a life calling for steady nerves,
quick sight, presence of mind, and hardiness of body. The
man who lived that life must be keen on the trail, whether of
man or beast. He must be a trapper, a hunter, a fighter, and
in order to succeed, he had to do these things better than any-body
else. The boy learned but little out of books, he
learned much about the woods and the streams, the birds and
the beasts, and he had to know all the tricks of the Indian.
To shoot straight, to hit hard, were among his first lessons.
Such was the early training of Benjamin Cleveland, Isaac
Shelby, John Sevier, and the other heroes of Kings Mountain.
In this school they learned those lessons which they put into
practice so well when they were called to the defense of their
country in the Revolution.
BENJAMIN CLEVELAND.
Benjamin Cleveland was born in Virginia, May 26, 1738.
He grew to manhood in the backwoods of Virginia and North
Carolina, and when he was thirty-one years old, he came to
North Carolina to live. For his home he selected a beautiful
spot in what is now Wilkes county. There as the serious
business of life, he farmed, raised stock, and hunted Indians.
Horse-racing, hunting and fishing were his favorite amuse-ments.
Upon the outbreak of the Revolution he became an ardent
Whig. There were many Tories on the frontier and the
fighting between them and the Whigs was bitter and bloody.
Many cruel deeds were done by both, which we shudder to
40
think about. Cleveland was one of the most active, and it
must be admitted, one of the most cruel Whigs on the border.
To his friends he was one of the kindest of men ; but to his
enemies, and the enemies of his country, his name soon be-came
a terror all along the border. His soldiers were proud
of him as their leader. They admired his p;ood humor, his
hearty greeting and his reckless courage. He weighed over
three hundred pounds and his men called him "Old Round-about."
They called themselves "Cleveland's Bull-dogs"
but the Tories called them "Cleveland's Devils."
In the summer of~ 1776 Cleveland was a captain in Ruther-ford's
expedition against the Cherokee Indians. For his
great bravery and activity he was made a colonel. He ren-dered
great service in suppressing the Tory bands who
scoured the frontier, plundering the Whigs, burning their
houses and destroying their crops. He even marched as far
south as Georgia and took part in the war against the British
there.
But his greatest service was in the Kings Mountain cam-paign.
When the news came that Ferguson was invading
the mountains, Colonel Cleveland raised a regiment of 400
Surry and Wilkes county men and hastened to encounter
him. He soon joined Shelby, Sevier and the Virginians
under Colonel Campbell. Just before they met the British,
these leaders drew up their men in line, and Cleveland riding
up in front of them took off his cap, and said
"Now, my brave boys, I have come to tell you the news.
The enemy are close at hand. We must go for them. Now
is the time for every man of you to do your country a great
service. When the pinch comes I will be with you. But we
don't want anybody to go who wants to turn back. We don't
want any cowards or any skulking. If you are afraid to
share in the battle and in the glory, now is the time to back
out. So if any man wants to go back, he can now take three
steps to the rear." This would have been "backing out,"
indeed. But Cleveland knew his men; not a one "backed
out," but all cried out for him to lead them against the enemy.
When they reached the enemy, no regiment did better fighting
than "Cleveland's Bull-dogs."
After the Revolution Cleveland spent the rest of his life
quietly. He grew so fat that he weighed over 450 pounds
and could not get about easily. Full of wit and humor, he
41
loved a good story and a good fellow, and amnsed himself as
lie sat on his porch cracking jokes with passers by. He died
while sitting at the breakfast table, in October, 1806. The
State of North Carolina has named a county in his honor.
ISAAC SHELBY.
Isaac Shelby was born in Maryland, December 11, 1750.
He was so constantly engaged in the Indian wars of that
period that, like Colonel Cleveland, he received only a limited
education. When he was twenty-one years old, his father
sent him beyond the Alleghanies to engage in stock raising.
In 1774, he was appointed a lieutenant in the militia, and
served with distinction against the Indians. During 1775
and 1776 he explored the wilds of Kentucky, which was then
a part of Virginia. While he was engaged in this. work, the
Revolution broke out, and Gov. Patrick Henry, of Virginia,
appointed Shelby a captain in the Whig army. Later he was
appointed to extend the boundary line between North Caro-lina
and Virginia, westward, between what is now Tennessee
and Kentucky, and then it was found that his home was not
in Virginia, but in North Carolina.
Governor Caswell, of North Carolina, at once appointed
him a colonel in Sullivan county, in what is now Tennessee.
In the summer of 1780, a message reached Colonel Shelby
from Colonel McDowell, of Burke county, telling him of
Ferguson's expedition. He promptly raised 250 horsemen,
all of whom were crack shots, and hurried across the moun-tains
to join in the campaign against Ferguson and his
Tories. He soon met Cleveland, Sevier, and the other lead-ers,
and they started together on their march to Kings Moun-tain.
After the men had heard Cleveland's speech, and none
of them "backed out," Shelby rode up in front and said
"I am heartily glad to see you so determined to meet your
enemy and fight them. When we meet them, don't wait for
the word of command. Let each man be his own officer, and
do the best he can. If we fight in the woods, give them
Indian play. Advance from tree to tree, and pour your
shots into them. Your officers will shrink from no clanger,
but will be right along with you. Come on then, my boys,
and let's go after Ferguson !"
These remarks were answered with cheers ; and they went
after Ferguson, sure enough. The Legislature of North
42
Carolina gave Colonel Shelby a vote of thanks for his great
services, and ordered that a handsome sword be presented to
him by the State.
After the battle of Kings Mountain, Colonel Shelby was
active against the Indians. When the war was over he
moved to Kentucky, and settled at Boonesborough, the town
founded by Daniel Boone. In 1791 he attended a meeting
with the Cherokee Indians to make a treaty of peace. But
the Indians were surly and stubborn. Finally Colonel
Shelby said boldly: "There are a thousand horsemen in
Kentucky, with their horses all shod and their rifles ready
to march against you, if you do not consent to peace." The
Cherokee chiefs shook their heads, and said: "Too many,
too many," and agreed to a treaty.
Colonel Shelby took an active part in founding the new
State of Kentucky, and after the constitution was adopted,
he was chosen the first governor. He served as governor
four years. When the second war broke out with England
in 1.812 he was again elected governor and bent all his ener-gies
to help win the victory for the United States. In
1813 he led the Kentucky troops on the expedition against
the British in Canada, and was in the battle of the Thames
where the Americans won the victory. For this service the
Congress of the United States voted him a gold medal in the
name of the people of the United States.
In 1818 President Monroe appointed him Secretary of
War for the United States, but he declined on account of his
age. Two years later he was stricken with paralysis, but
lived six years longer. He died July 18, 1826. The town
of Shelby, in Cleveland county, North Carolina, was named
in his honor.
JOHN" SEVIER.
On the 23d day of September, 1745, in the Valley of Vir-ginia,
John Sevier was born. When he was ten years old,
war broke out with the Indians, and John Sevier's home was
burned by them. From that time there were constant trou-bles
with the Indians, and John Sevier grew up to be one of
the most famous Indian fighters on the frontier. It is said
that he beat the Indians in thirty-five battles.
During one of the Indian wars in the settlements on the
Watauga and Nolichucky rivers, now in Tennessee, but then
43
in North Carolina, the white people took refuge in a fort.
One day when no Indians were in sight, several of the girls
ventured outside. Suddenly a cry was heard from the fort
"The Indians! the Indians! Run, run for your lives!" The
frightened girls sprang over the ground like deer, and all got
safely through the gate but one. When this girl saw that she
could not reach the gate in time to get in, she ran to another
part of the fort, and scrambling over the high wall, fell into
the arms of one of the fighters. Her name was Catherine
Sherrill, but her friends called her "Bonnie Kate." The
man who caught her was John Sevier, but his friends called
him "Nolichueky Jack." A few years later "Bonnie Kate"
became the wife of "Nolichueky Jack."
John Sevier moved from Virginia to the Watauga settle-ment
when he was twenty-seven years old. He soon became
one of the leaders in the new country, and in 1776 was elected
to the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The settlement
was then called the "District of Washington." Like Cleve-land
and Shelby, he saw a great deal of fighting with the
Indians, and like them he led his brave fellows to Kings
Mountain against Ferguson. As a reward for his services in
this battle the Legislature of North Carolina gave him a
handsome sword.
After the Revolution the people of the Washington District
became discontented with the State of North Carolina. Then
Sevier and other leaders tried to establish a new Sta£e called
Franklin. They elected John Sevier governor. But North
Carolina declared that Sevier and his followers had no right
to establish a new State, and were in rebellion against the
State of North Carolina. So "Nolichucky Jack" was ar-rested
as a rebel, taken to Morganton and put in prison to
wait for trial.
But "Bonnie Kate" and her friends determined to rescue
him. So a small party rode all the way from Franklin to
Morganton, bringing with them Sevier's fleet horse, for him
to escape on. A great crowd was in the court-house when
they entered quietly. Nobody suspected what they were up
to, for nobody knew them except Sevier. Suddenly their
leader, pointing at Sevier, exclaimed in a loud voice to the
Judge, "When are you going to let that man go?" Every-body
jumped in confusion, and before the Sheriff could stop
him, Sevier was out of the door, on his horse, and away to the
44
mountains as fast as the wind. It was of no use to try to
catch him; perhaps the people, who remembered his great
service at Kings Mountain, did not want him caught. Any-how
after a fast ride "Nolichucky Jack" was soon over the
mountains kissing his wife "Bonnie Kate/' who was glad
enough to see him again. He' was never tried for rebellion,
for the Legislature of North Carolina passed a law that he
should be forgiven and go free.
Afterwards when the State of Tennessee was established,
the people again chose "Nolichucky Jack" to be their gov-ernor.
They elected him governor six times, and three times
elected him to the Congress of the United States. When he
died at seventy years of age, he had been a leader of the
pioneers of Tennessee for more than forty years. No two
persons in Tennessee were more popular than "Nolichucky
Jack" and his brave little wife, "Bonnie Kate."
HO! FOR CAROLMA!
BY WILLIAM B. HARRELL.
Let no heart in sorrow weep for other days
Let no idle dreamer tell in melting lays
Of the merry meetings in the rosy bowers ;
For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours
CHORUS.
Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me
In her happy borders roam the brave and free
And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be
Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty !
Down in Carolina grows the lofty pine,
And her groves and forests bear the scented vine
Here are peaceful homes, too, nestling 'mid the flowers.
Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours
Ho ! for Carolina ! etc.
Come to Carolina in the summer-time,
When the luscious fruits are hanging in their prime,
And the maidens singing in the leafy bowers
Oh ! there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours !
Ho ! for Carolina ! etc.
Then, for Carolina, brave and free, and strong,
Sound the meed of praises "in story and in song"
From her vertile vales and lofty granite towers,
For there is no land on earth like this fair land of ours
CHORUS.
Ho ! for Carolina ! that's the land for me
In her happy borders roam the brave and free
And her bright-eyed daughters none can fairer be
Oh ! it is a land of love and sweet liberty
JAMES ROBERTSON AND THE WESTERN SETTLE-MENTS.
The founder of the great State of Tennessee, the daughter
of North Carolina, was James Robertson, a famous pioneer.
He was born in Virginia, but when he was eight years old
his father moved to North Carolina, and there James Rob-ertson
grew up to be "a cool, brave, sweet-natured man."
When he was only seventeen years old, he followed the great
hunter, Daniel Boone, on one of his expeditions across the
Alleghanies. The beauty of the country made a deep impres-sion
on him. He explored the valley of the Watauga River,
and resolved to make his home there.
So upon his return to the settlements of North Carolina,
he persuaded several families to go with him to the Watauga
Valley. A long, tiresome journey lay before them. "The
men led the way and often had to clear a road with their
axes. Behind the axemen went a mixed procession of women,
children, dogs, cows, and pack-horses loaded with kettles and
beds. Up the valley of the Yadkin these homeseekers made
their slow way. Through the dark tangles and across the
cold streams of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they pushed
farther west. The gaps of the tall peaks of the Smoky Moun-tains
opened a way for them. After threading the gorges
of the mountains, they found themselves in the beautiful
valley of the Watauga River, in what is now the State of]
Tennessee [then North Carolina]. There on the banks of
this clear stream they soon changed trees into houses and
forests into farms."
Soon this little settlement grew into four counties called
Washington, Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson.
This was the beginning of the .State of Tennessee, and
James Robertson became its founder. He had grown up in
the wild woods without going to school. It was not until
after his marriage that his wife, Charlotte Reeves, taught
him to read and write. Robertson engaged in all the Indian
wars and became famous as an Indian fighter. During the
Revolution he was a Whig and rendered his country great
47
service. Many stories are told of his bravery and skill. In
17 SO he founded a town on the Cumberland River, which he
called "Nashborough," in honor of Gen. Francis Nash, the
brave North Carolina general who was killed at the battle of
Germantown. It is now called Nashville.
But the Indians were so hostile and so many of the settlers
were killed, that many of them became discouraged. They
began to leave Nashborough and return to the older settle-ments.
But Robertson declared that he would never desert
his post. ''Every man," he said, "must do what seems to
himself to be his duty. As for me, my place is here, and here
I shall stay, if every man deserts me." And so, in spite of
danger, he remained at his post.
Once his brave wife saved the settlers from the Indians
by her cool courage and presence of mind. The Indians
were making an attack on the fort. Charlotte Robertson,
rifle in hand, mounted the lookout, where she could overlook
the fighting. Seeing some of the white men's horses, the
Indians tried to capture them. This made a great gap in
their ranks, and some confusion. When Charlotte Robertson
saw this, she cried out to the sentinel:
aOpen the gate and
set the dogs on them." The dogs rushed out and flew at the
savages. While the Indians were fighting these unexpected
four-footed enemies, their two-legged foes escaped. "Thanks
be to God," said Mrs. Robertson to her husband, "who gave
to the Indians a dread of dogs and a love of horses."
But all of James Robertson's time was not spent in fight-ing.
A government had to be organized which, could protect
the people, keep order, maintain the laws, and punish crimi-nals.
Robertson was one of the leaders in this work. He
was made the head of the government at Nashborough ; and
he represented the new settlement in the North Carolina Con-gress.
The Spaniards who owned the lands along the lower
Mississippi River, tried to induce Robertson to separate
Watauga and Kentucky from the United States and form an
independent government. But Robertson firmly and patri-otically
refused. In 1790, President Washington appointed
him a general. The last years of his life were spent in mak-ing
treaties of peace with the Indians and in building up the
new State which he had founded. He died in Tennessee in
1814, in his seventy-third year.
A DAUGHTER OF NORTH CAROLINA.
The early history of Tennessee is a part of the history of
North Carolina. Bold North Carolinians pushing their way
through the valleys and the gaps of the mountains pitched
their camps on the banks of the Holston, the Watauga, the
Nolichucky, and the Cumberland rivers. President Roose-velt
says that they were "men of sterling worth ; fit to be
the pioneer fathers of a mighty and beautiful State.' 7 Their
leaders were James Robertson and John Sevier.
The settlements grew so rapidly that a government was
soon necessary. So in 1772, a great meeting of the settlers
was held. Robertson, Sevier and others were elected officers,
and a written constitution, called
aThe Watauga Association"
was adopted. This was the first written constitution ever
adopted west of the Alleghany Mountains. Sevier and Rob-ertson,
in 1776, were elected to the North Carolina Congress.
The Congress declared that the Watauga settlement should
be a county of North Carolina, called Washington. Three
other counties, called Greene, Sullivan, and Davidson, were
afterwards formed.
After the Revolution these counties grew into the State of
Tennessee. The war for independence had cost a great deal
of money, and at its close the United States owed millions
of dollars. Some of this was owed to foreign countries, like
France, who had helped the Americans. A large part of it
was owed to the brave soldiers who had fought the war and
won the independence of their country. How were these
debts to be paid ? This was a hard question to answer, for
the United States had no money. But several of the States
owned great tracts of land in the West, and they now offered
to give these to the United States, so these lands could be
used to pay the soldiers. North Carolina was one of these
States. Her territory stretched from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Mississippi River. So in 1784, the Legislature offered
to the United States the land now within the State of Ten-nessee.
Most of it was a great wilderness then. Congress
hesitated to accept the gift. This made the people angry.
49
It seemed to them that nobody wanted them, for North Caro-lina
gave them away, and Congress would not take them.
So they made up their minds to take care of themselves. A
convention of the leading men met at a place called Jones-boro,
and decided to form "a separate and distinct State, in-dependent
of the State of North Carolina." Another con-vention
met later and named the new State the "State of
Franklin," in honor of the great statesman Benjamin Frank-lin.
John Sevier, one of the heroes of Kings Mountain, was
elected governor.
Everything was now done to put the new State government
into operation. Officers were elected, laws were passed,, and
a curious kind of money was adopted. There was but little
coin in the State of Franklin. So in order that the people
should have some way of carrying on trade and paying their
debts, the Legislature declared that cloth, sugar, bees-wax,
tallow, whiskey, brandy, the skins of coons, deer, beavers, and
otters should be used as money. One raccoon skin was to be
one shilling and three pence ; one deer skin, was six shillings.
One gallon of rye whiskey was two shillings and six pence
;
one gallon of brandy was three shillings.
But now it was North Carolina's turn to get angry. What
right had John Sevier and his followers to make a new State
out of territory that belonged to North Carolina ? There
were many people in the new State who did not want to sepa-rate
from North Carolina. They would not obey the laws
of the State of Franklin ; and the others would not obey the
laws of North Carolina. Everything for a while was in
great disorder. There was almost a state of civil war. But
after a while the North Carolina party got control, and the
" State of Franklin" came to an end.
A few years later North Carolina again offered to give the
same territory to the United States, and Congress accepted
it at once. . It was made into a territory of the United States,
and William Blount, of North Carolina, was appointed gov-ernor.
The people were satisfied this time. Finally, in
1796, a new State was made, called Tennessee, and admitted
to the Union. John Sevier was again elected governor.
The first man sent by the new State to Congress was a North
Carolinian, whose name was Andrew Jackson.
North Carolina's daughter has given three presidents to
the United States, who were born in North Carolina. They
4
50
were Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson.
Their lives show that in our country any boy, no matter how
poor or how humble, if he works hard and is honest, may
reach the highest place in the land.
Andrew Jackson was born in a log cabin, in the Waxhaw
settlement, then in Mecklenburg county, but now in Union.
When he was a boy thirteen years old, he was captured by
the British and treated so badly that he was almost starved.
Once a British officer ordered him to clean the officers' boots.
The boy haughtily refused and the cowardly officer cut him
across the face with his sword. Jackson bore the scar all his
life. Maybe when he fought the great battle of New Orleans
in 1815, and gave the British such a beating, he remembered
that scar. It is said that he was a "roaring, rollicking, mis-chievous
fellow' 7 when he was a boy. But he was as brave
as a lion. There was no danger that he feared and no hard-ship
that he could not stand. When he became a general
his soldiers called him "Old Hickory." After studying law
at Salisbury he moved to Tennessee. There he had many
wild adventures fighting criminals and Indians. The peo-ple
admired him for his courage and honesty and elected him
to many high offices. He was always noted for his purity of
life and his great respect for women. He was firm, honest,
and hated meanness. He was proud of his country, and
when he was President made the nations of the world respect
her. He is regarded as one of our greatest Presidents.
James Knox Polk was also born in a log cabin in Meck-lenburg
county. He studied at the University of North
Carolina and was graduated as the best student in his class.
When he moved to Tennessee he became a friend of Andrew
Jackson. The people elected him to Congress several times,
and he became one of the most famous men in the country.
He was president during the Mexican War, and to him more
than to any other man the United States owes all the territory
included in the States of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah,
and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. The great historian,
Bancroft, said that from its results the administration of
President Polk "was perhaps the greatest in our national
history."
Andrew Johnson was born in Raleigh. He was so poor
that he could never go to school. While the other boys were
51
at school he was learning to be a tailor. He taught himself
to read after he became a large boy, and several years later
his wife taught him how to write. When he was eighteen years
old he set out with his mother and step-father in a two-wheel
cart, driving a blind pony, for Tennessee. The people along
the way who laughed at this odd party little dreamed that
they were laughing at a future President of the United States.
He began life in Tennessee as a tailor, but in a few years
was elected Governor, then to Congress, and then to the
United States Senate. When war began between the North
and the South, he opposed secession and would not follow the
South. He was elected Vice-President when Lincoln was
elected President the second time. So when Lincoln was
killed the poor Paleigh tailor became President of the United
States.
DAVID LOWRIE SWAIN.
Adapted from the address of Zebulon B. Vance.
[A Declamation.]
In a beautiful valley of the Blue Kidge near where the
Swannanoa pours its waters into the French Broad, at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, stood an old-fashioned
log house of the kind generally known as a "double-cabin."
The tall dome of Mt, Mitchell literally casts its shadow over
this spot as the sun first appears above the eastern horizon.
Great mountain ridges hem it in on all sides. A fresh brook,
springing high up in the heart of the mountain, runs through
green meadows, and pours its bright, sparkling waters into
the French Broad. An orchard, surrounding the little moun-tain
cabin, gave to the scene that air of rustic beauty and
abundance which makes the special charm of the country
home. On this spot, in this cabin, on the 4th day of January,
1801, was born David Lowrie Swain.
Of all the eminent men given to North Carolina by her
mountain counties, none loved her more or served her better
than this son of Buncombe. Four times a member of the
Legislature, Solicitor of the Edenton District, though a resi-dent
of Asheville ; Judge of the Superior Court ; twice Gov-ernor
of North Carolina, in every place of trust he served the
people with an eye single to their welfare. But neither as
Solicitor nor as Judge, neither as lawmaker nor as Governor,
did he render his greatest service. Retiring from the gov-ernor's
office in 1836, he was elected President of the State
University, and for thirty-two years through peace and
through war, in days of prosperity and in days of disaster,
he guided the affairs of that institution with the greatest suc-cess.
Under him the number of students increased from 90
to 500. When war came, he bent every energy to keep the
University open. Though every member but one of the
Freshman Class, though every member of the Senior Class,
enlisted in the army, though but a dozen students remained,
though Northern troops occupied the University buildings,
under Governor Swain's direction, the old college bell still
53
called the handful of students to daily prayer and to daily
classes. But finally the great calamity came ; enemies closed
the doors ; the grand old man was driven away. This great
blow broke the last link that united his heart and hopes to
earthly objects. The whole manner of the man changed.
His step became tottering and slow; his great frame bowed
down in grief. Finally in the sixty-seventh year of his life,
death came to his relief, August 27, 1868.
Governor Swain's greatest pupil and one of his most de-voted
friends, Zebulon B. Vance, paid him a noble tribute.
Said he:
"A just estimate of the talents and character of Governor
Swain * * * is not easily made plain to popular appre-hension.
By the world the term "great" is variously applied,
and misapplied. It is often withheld when it is most richly
deserved * * * because men rarely appreciate the full
extent and character of the labors of a lifetime. And espe-cially
is this true when that life has been mainly spent in the
planting of moral seeds below the surface, which, perhaps, for
years make no great show of the harvest which is sure to
come. Generations are sometimes required to elapse before
the world can see the golden sheaves which cover and adorn
the landscape, the result of that patient and judicious
planting.
"They who in life are followed by the noisy plaudits of
the crowd, who fill the largest space in the eyes of their con-temporaries,
and seem to tower far above their fellows, are
not, always, found to have their reputation built on the
securest foundations, nor to have left their mark on the age
in which they lived. * * *
"In many senses of the term Governor Swain was not a
great man. As an author, though a man of letters, he neither
achieved nor attempted anything lasting. As a politician,
though he rose rapidly to the highest honors of his native
State, he did not strikingly impress himself upon his times
by any great speech, nor by any grand stroke of policy. In
this respect he was inferior to many of his contemporaries
who constituted, perhaps, the brightest cluster of names in
our annals. As a lawyer and a judge, he occupied compara-tively
about the same position ; and as a scholar he was not
to be distinguished, being inferior to several of his co-laborers
in the University. But in many things he was entitled to be
5
54
called great, if we mean by that term that he so used the
faculties he possessed that he raised himself beyond and above
the great mass of his fellows. In him there was rounded
fullness of the qualities, intellectual and moral, which consti-tute
the excellence of manhood, in a degree never excelled by
any citizen of North Carolina whom I have personally known
except William A. Graham. If there was in Swain no one
grand quality of intellect which lifted him out of comparison
with any but the demigods of our race, neither was there any
element so wanting as to sink him into or below the common
mass. If there were in him no Himalayan peaks of genius,
piercing into the regions of everlasting frost and ice, neither
were there any yawning chasms or slimy pools below the tide-waters
of mediocrity. He rose from the plain of his fellow-men
like the Alleghanies, in whose bosom he was born, by
regular and easy gradation—so easy that you know not how
high you are until you turn to gaze backward—every step
surrounded by beauty and fertility—until he rested high over
all the land. If there be those who singly tower above him in
gifts, or attainments, or distinctions, there are none as a whole
we can contemplate with more interest, affection, and admira-tion
; none whose work for North Carolina will prove to be
more valuable, or more lasting, or more important to future
generations ; none to whom at the great final review, the greet-ing
may be more heartily addressed: cServant of God, well
done !'
"No estimate of Governor Swain's walk through life should
omit the consideration of his Christian character. * * *
On his deathbed he spoke often of the communion of saints
with one another, and with their Head. * * * He was a
praying man, and not ashamed to be known as such. He first
introduced the practice of opening the regular meetings of
the faculty with prayer. The night before he died he said
of the Lord's Prayer : The oftener I use it the more precious
it is to me ; it contains a whole body of divinity.'
"In private life he was most upright, kind, social and hos-pitable.
An excellent financier, he left a handsome estate,
even 'after the war.' He had a proper conception of the
value of wealth, and all his life practiced a judicious economy,
but he knew well both how to lend and how to give. His
conversation was delightfully interesting and instructive,
replete with anecdote, genial humor, historical incident, or
literary quotation. Few men of his associates equaled him
55
in these respects, even after the infirmity of deafness had cut
him off from much social enjoyment.
"'His remains lie buried in Oakwood Cemetery, near Kal-eigh,
and close beside the sleeping soldiers of the Confederacy.
The soil of our State holds the dust of no son who loved her
more or served her better. Peaceful be his rest, as he waits
for the clear breaking of the day over the brow of the eternal
bills."
RACING WATER.*
BY MARY BAYARD CLARKE.
Racing Water, who can paint thee,
With thy scenery wild and grand ?
It would take a magic pencil
Guided by a master hand.
Here are towering, rugged mountains,
Granite rocks all scarred and gray,
Nature's altars whence her incense
Floats in wreaths of mist away.
At thy feet the murmuring waters
Now are singing songs of praise,
Or in sonorous notes triumphant
A majestic pean raise.
Down the canyon's rocky gorges
Now they wildly, madly sweep,
As, with laughing shout exultant,
O'er the rocks they joyous leap.
Then in calm and limpid beauty
Still and deep they silent flow,
With the verdant banks o'erhanging
Pictured in the depths below.
Pulsing from the heart of Nature,
Here thy "Hot Spring's" genial gush,
There, like stream from Alpine glacier,
Down the mountains coldly rush.
Tah-kee-os-tee—Pacing Water
—
Was thy sonorous Indian name,
But as "French Broad" thou art written
On the white man's roll of fame.
Perish that—but live the other !
For on every dancing wave
Evermore is shown the beauty
Of the name the red man gave.
*The name of the French Broad river in the Cherokee language was " Tah-kee-os-tee,
signifying "racing water."
ZEBULON BAIRD VANCE.
Iii the valley of the French Broad, ten miles from the city
of Asheville, on the 13th of May, 1830, was born Zebnlon
Baird Vance. The place of his birth was a small, simple
farm-house. But this little cottage, though simple in itself,
nestled amid some of the grandest scenery on the American
continent. Near by the beautiful French Broad River flowed
through a green valley. The loftiest peaks of the Blue Ridge
threw their shadows on the little house. Within plain view
were the peaks of Pisgah and Mitchell. Forests of great
oaks, and hickory, and laurel, covered the mountain sides.
The valley was musical with the rippling of the stream and
the songs of birds. All this beauty and grandeur had a
strong effect on the lad who grew up with such surroundings.
They kindled his imagination ; they planted in him a love of
nature ; they aroused in him a strong pride of country and
an ambition to be of service to his native State.
His father was David Vance ; his mother Margaret Baird.
Young Vance bore the name of his mother's father, Zebulon
Baird. The Vances and the Bairds were among the early
settlers of the mountains. Both families were sturdy pa-triots
during the Revolution, and fought for American Inde-pendence
at Kings Mountain. From them young Vance
inherited a strong mind, a vigorous body, and an intense love
of liberty. When he was but twelve years old his father died,
-leaving a family of eight children, with but a small farm for
their support. Margaret Vance had a hard struggle to rear
her large family, but she bore it bravely. There were but
few opportunities among the mountains for education—the
poorest child in North Carolina to-day can find a better
school right at his door than young Vance could have found
in many a mile of the French Broad valley. His father sent
him across the mountains to Tennessee to school, but in a
few weeks his father died, and he had to return home.
When he was twenty-one years old he decided to,become a
lawyer. He wanted to go to the University of North Caro-lina,
at Chapel Hill, to study, but he had no money. Presi-dent
Swain, of the University, was a Buncombe county man,
58
so young Vance decided to ask him for help. His letter ask-ing
for a loan was so straightforward and manly, that Presi-dent
Swain was greatly pleased, and wrote to him that he
should have the money. So young Vance rode over the
mountain wall, doAvn to Chapel Hill, and began his studies.
He and President Swain became warm friends, and their
friendship continued until Swain's death.
Vance was at the University but one year. But he worked
hard, read much, and acquired a fair education. His
favorite books were the Bible, the plays of Shakespeare, and
the stories of Sir Walter Scott. It would certainly be hard
to select a better library for a boy than young Vance selected
for himself. He read but few books, but these he knew
thoroughly. Better than this, he made many friends who
remained true to him throughout his life.
After leaving the University, he went to Asheville to
practice law. He was a good speaker, and had such a supply
of good stories and jokes, which he told so well, that he was
always welcomed in any company. His lively spirits, his
ready wit, and his good humor soon made him a general
favorite. He was only twenty-four years old when he was
elected to the Legislature of North Carolina. This was in
1854. Four years later he was elected to Congress and went
to Washington City to help make laws for the whole United
States. He was then only twenty-eight years old, and was
the youngest member in Congress. In 1860 he was elected
again to Congress.
But he was not to remain in Congress long. For many
years the North and South had been quarreling over the
question of slavery. Finally the South declared that the
North was trying to take away the rights given her under the
Constitution, and that the only way she could prevent it
was to withdraw from the United States. The North replied
that no State had a right to withdraw, or secede. But in
1860, South Carolina declared that she was no longer a
member of the United States, and six other Southern States
soon followed her example. These seven States then formed
a new government called the "Confederate States of
America.." They invited all the other Southern States to
join them.
Should North Carolina accept this invitation? Many
people said, Yes. But Vance and most of the people said,
59
No. The people loved the old Union which their fathers had.
fought for at Moore's Creek Bridge, at Kings Mountain, at
Guilford Court-house, and at Yorktown. They did not want
to leave the Union if they could help it. So at first they
followed the advice of Vance, and other leaders, and refused
to join the Confederate States. Peace was what they wanted,
and they did all they could to keep the country out of war.
But war came anyhow, and President Lincoln called on
North Carolina to send troops to fight against the South.
Then Governor Ellis replied: "You can get no troops from
North Carolina"; and the people all cried out: "If we must
fight, let us fight by the side of our friends and neighbors
and not against them." So on May 20, 1861, North Caro-lina
withdrew from the United States and joined the Con-federate
States. Vance then had to leave the Congress of
the United States and come home to get ready for war.
Great preparations were now made for war. Soldiers
gathered at various places in North Carolina, ready to fight
for the South. Ports were built along the coast to keep the
enemy's ships from landing troops. The women worked night
and day with their needles, making clothes and knitting socks
for the soldiers. Many pretty girls embroidered beautiful
flags for their sweethearts to carry into battle. Everybody
was excited and talked about the war as if it were to be some
holiday excursion, for few people understood what a terrible
thing war is.
Vance at once raised a company of sturdy mountain men,
whom he called "The Rough and Ready Guards." They
marched away to Virginia to join the Confederate army.
Vance proved to be a brave fighter, and was soon promoted
to the rank of colonel. But North Carolina needed him at
home for other work than fighting. In 1862, while he was
away in Virginia leading his men in battle, the people of
North Carolina elected him governor.
He returned at once to Raleigh to take up his new work.
No other man in the history of North Carolina ever had a
harder task before him. But he met his difficulties bravely
and did his duty well. The proud record made by North
Carolina during the war was due more to him than to any-body
else. It was he who kept North Carolina's ranks in
Virginia and Tennessee full, and caused her to send more
soldiers to the Confederate army than she had voters.
60
It was he, too, who kept the North Carolina soldiers
better clad and better fed than those from any other Southern
State. After the battle of Gettysburg the Confederate army
in Virginia was terribly gloomy and disheartened. Vance
visited the army and made some wonderful speeches to the
soldiers. These speeches stirred their hearts with hope and
courage. General Lee said that Vance's visit was worth
50,000 soldiers to him.
But Vance did more than make speeches. He sent more
supplies to the army than any other governor in the South.
Among the things he bought were: 2,000 fine rifles, 12,000
overcoats, 50,000 blankets, 250,000 pairs of shoes, gray cloth
for 250,000 uniforms, 100,000 pounds of bacon, and $50,000
worth of medicines. Most of these things of course were
sent to the North Carolina soldiers ; but a large quantity also
found its way to the camps of soldiers from other States.
Many a poor, ragged soldier had shoes on his feet, a blanket
to cover him from the snow, and a ration of bacon once a
week because Zebu! on Baird Vance was governor of North
Carolina. No wonder the soldiers called him "The Great
War Governor of the South."
No other man did so much as he to keep up the courage of
the people during the terrible days of suffering that the war
soon brought to every Southern home. Those terrible days
came soon after Governor Vance was elected. North Caro-lina
had sent thousands of her bravest men to the battlefields
of other States. The work at home had to be done by women,
children, and negroes. They worked bravely day and night,
but found it hard to keep the soldiers clothed and fed without
starving themselves. Many people could not buy the food
and clothing they needed, because the price of everything
was so high. A gallon of molasses cost $8. It took $50 to
buy a bushel of corn, and $100 to buy a barrel of flour. A
boy thought he had a good dinner if he could get cornbread
and sorghum and peas. He did not expect to have meat. A
pair of boy's boots cost $150, so most of the boys went bare-foot,
even in winter. The women made their own shoes.
Carpets were torn up from the floor and cut into blankets.
Even the richest people had to do without things that the
poorest can now have.
The chief cause of all this suffering was what is called the
"blockade." The United States had large fleets of war ves-
til
sels which sailed along the coast of the Southern States and
would not let other. vessels go in and out of the harbors. No
cotton could be shipped to Europe to be sold, and no clothing
and food could be brought in from Europe.
But there was one port in the South which the war vessels
could not close up. This was Wilmington. A powerful fort
had been built on Cape Eear River, a few miles below Wil-mington,
called Fort Fisher, and this protected the city.
Swift little vessels called "blockade runners" slipped in and
out of Wilmington, protected by the guns of Fort Fisher.
They carried out cotton and brought back many things
needed by the people and the army.
The most famous of these blockade runners was the "Ad-vance."
She was a fast sailing little vessel, which Governor
Vance bought in England. For two years the "Advance"
managed to keep out of the way of the big vessels, sailing
back and forth between Wilmington and the West Indies.
She made eleven trips, but was captured on the twelfth and
destroyed.
The "Advance" carried out hundreds of bales of cotton,
which were sold in the West Indies to English merchants.
The money was used to buy all sorts of useful things. Tools
for farmers, medicine for hospitals, uniforms, blankets,
rifles, and food for soldiers, all were brought into North Caro-lina
in large quantities.
But the United States now decided to capture Fort Fisher,
and put an end to the blockade running. A powerful fleet
and army were sent to the Cape Fear, and after some terrible
fighting the fort was compelled to surrender. Soon after
this the war was brought to a close by the surrender of the
Confederate armies in Virginia and in North Carolina.
After the surrender of the Confederate armies the soldiers
told each other good-bye with tears in their eyes and turned
their faces homeward. What sad journeys they had before
them ! Everywhere they say the ruin and suffering caused
by the war. North Carolina, like the other Southern States,
was in a terrible condition; thousands of her sons had been
killed on the battlefield ; thousands of others came home sick
and crippled for life ; all were ragged, hungry, and penni-less.
When they reached home they found nothing to cheer
them except the love of their friends. Where they had left
beautiful homes, they found tumbled down ruins or heaps of
62
ashes. Fine farms, where corn and cotton had grown in
abundance, were waste places covered with grass and weeds.
Their barns and fences were rotted to the ground. There
were not enough horses and mules in the State to plough the
fields. But the men were as brave now as they had been in
the war, and went cheerfully to work to rebuild their State.
But evil days now followed in North Carolina. Hostile
United States soldiers roamed everywhere, robbing and in-sulting
the people. Hundreds of men, most of whom were
bad men, followed the army from the North to plunder the
South. They were called "carpet-baggers," and were pro-tected
by the army. They soon got control of the State.
Thousands of ignorant negroes were allowed to vote. They
turned out the brave old Governor Worth, and elected Wil-liam
W. Holden Governor. Many negroes were put into
public offices. The schools built up by Calvin H. Wiley were
destroyed ; the doors of the University were closed ; business
and trade were ruined ; and there was no order, no peace, no
safety, for men who were true to the South.
But finally the enemies of the State were beaten ; Governor
Holden was turned out of office ; and after a few years the
people again called on Vance to be their Governor. Hap-pier
days then came to the "Old North State." The Union
soldiers were sent away, and the people of North Carolina
were left to control their own affairs.
Governor Vance proved himself to be one of North Caro-lina's
greatest sons. While he was Governor the laws of the
State were obeyed ; again there was peace and order ; the
lives and property of the people were protected; schools and
colleges were opened. The hum of mills, the shriek of fac-tory
whistles, the roar of trains proclaimed that industry
had taken the place of war. Trade began to thrive, farmers
plowed their fields in safety, and men with glad hearts set
themselves to the task of building their homes again, plant-ing
their fields, and making the State stronger and richer and
happier than ever before.
Governor Vance became the most popular man in the State.
In 1879, after he had been Governor two years, the Legisla-ture
elected him to the United States Senate. He remained
in the Senate for fifteen years and became one of the strong
leaders of the "New South." He was so eloquent, so gener-ous,
so kindly, and so honest that those who had been his
63
enemies became his friends. He defended the South from
attacks of her enemies without offending the North. No man
did more than he to make the two sections friends again.
The hard work which he did in the Senate injured his
health. His physician sent him to the mountains of North
Carolina, to Florida, and to Europe in search of health. The
people of North Carolina waited anxiously for the news that
he was well again. But this news never came. Instead
came the tidings, April 15, 1894, that he was dead. Never
before had the people so mourned the loss of a great man.
When his body was taken from Washington City to Raleigh,
and from Raleigh to Asheville the little stations, and the val-leys
and the hillsides along the railroad were lined with
people who had come out to catch a glimpse of the train that
bore the body of their beloved leader. Thousands of people
went to Raleigh and to Asheville to see for the last time the
body of the man whom they had loved and followed for so
many years. Already, while he was living, the Legislature
had named a county in his honor ; and now that he was dead,
the State erected to his memory a handsome monument in
the Capitol Square at Raleigh. This is the only monument
the State has ever erected with public money to the memory
of any of her great sons. Another monument to his memory
has been erected in Asheville.
THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RAILROAD.
One day, many long years ago, a small boy who lived in
the valley of the French Broad River, got a fright that he
never forgot. Standing nnder the trees in his father's or-chard,
he heard a loud, rumbling noise coming down the val-ley,
gradually getting "nearer and nearer to him. Suddenly
a wonderful object came in view. It looked for all the world
like a great moving tent drawn by two horses. Under it
were four wheels, one at each of its four corners, which
turned over and over, rattling and rumbling as they rolled
over great rocks or crashed into the deep washouts. Under-neath
hung several big iron .pots and kettles that swung to
and fm, adding to the noise and din. As the boy gazed at
this strange object, with awe and wonder, he was suddenly
overcome with fright, and taking to his heels, fled in dismay
without stopping until he was safe in his father's house.
This lad was the future Governor of North Carolina, David
L. Swain; the strange object which gave him such a fright
was the first wagon that ever crossed the Blue Ridge.
From this old, rickety, rumbling wagon to the great, puf-fing
locomotives that now pull their long trains of cars
through the valleys of the Blue Ridge, it is a long, long step.
But few men did more to bring about this great change than
the boy who ran away from the first wagon that he ever saw.
The story of how this change was brought about is the most
important chapter in the history of the mountain counties
since the Revolution.
After the Revolution, North Carolina did not grow as
rapidly as some of the other States. New York, Virginia,
Maryland, and even her daughter, Tennessee, began to out-strip
the Old North State in population, in trade and in
prosperity. People began to say that North Carolina was
asleep, and they called her "The Rip Van Winkle" of the
States. What was the trouble ? Many men said it was be-cause
the farmers could not get their products to the markets
of the world. Before North Carolina could have great cities
and fine farms and grow into a great State, she must build
good roads, dig canals, deepen her rivers, and build rail-
65
roads. Such works are called "internal improvements" ; they
cost large sums of money, but they soon pay for themselves
in increased wealth and prosperity.
So under the leadership of David L. Swain, and other pa-triotic
men, the people began to plan for internal improve-ments.
They talked about internal improvements, they
wrote letters to the papers about them, and they held great
meetings to decide what should be done. After a while all
this led to work on some of the rivers, which were deepened
and widened, and to the digging of a few canals. But the
most important work to be done was the building of rail-roads.
This was the work in which the western counties were
most interested. The eastern counties had deep and broad
rivers on which boats could sail ; but the rivers of the moun-tains,
though very beautiful, were too shallow and rapid for
boats. The mountain roads were rough and frequently im-passible,
as many of them still are, and often there were no
roads at all over which wagons could travel. So the West
wanted railroads that would carry their corn and wheat and
fruit and timber to market.
In 1848 the North Carolina Railroad from Goldsboro, by
way of Raleigh, Greensboro and Salisbury, to Charlotte, was
begun, and in 1856 was ready for trains. In the meantime
the people of the West had demanded a railroad from Salis-bury
to Asheville. So in 1854 the Legislature passed a law
for building a railroad from Salisbury "to some point on the
French Broad River beyond the Blue Ridge." This road
was to be called "The Western North Carolina Railroad."
When it was begun there was great joy in the mountains.
After this work was started the Civil War broke out and de-layed
it for a while. But after peace came the work was
pushed along again, and in 1869 that part of the road from
Salisbury to Old Fort in McDowell County, 111 miles, was
opened for travel. Ten years later the line was extended to
Asheville.
The plan was to build out from Asheville westward two
lines, one to Paint Rock on the boundary between North
Carolina and Tennessee, the other to Murphy in Cherokee
county. But when the road reached Asheville, the Legis-lature
declared that the State would give no further help.
The people to the west of Asheville were in despair, and for
a while it seemed that their dreams would never be realized.
But finally in 1880 there came a ray of hope. A company
of wealthy men bought the road from the State, and declared
their purpose to complete it. Hope again "brought gladness
to the whole trans-montane country, which now looked with
confidence to the early completion of the road." But the
time came for work to begin, and still "no sound of pick rang
through the rocky gorges, no shovel of dirt was thrown, and
the gloominess of disappointment was settling over the whole
of Western North Carolina." For it was learned that the
men who had bought the road could not get the money to pay
for it. So the road came back into possession of the State,
and work was put off again.
Then Governor T. J. Jarvis turned to Col. A. B.
Andrews, a well-known railroad man, for help ; and Colonel
Andrews persuaded the Richmond and Danville Railroad
Company to undertake the work. It now seemed certain that
the road would be finished soon. But delays came. Politi-cal
and financial difficulties had to be met and overcome.
Much legislation was needed, and the expenditure of large
sums of money was necessary. For a time it seemed as if it
would be impossible to complete the road. But in spite of all
these difficulties, the energy and determination of Colonel
Andrews never failed. He had promised to complete the
road, and he would not give up. He even pledged his own
private fortune to the work, and finally he had the gratifica-tion
of seeing both lines, to Paint Bock and to Murphy, ready
for trains. The line to Paint Rock runs partly through
Buncombe county and through Madison county, and con-nects
Western North Carolina with the great railroad lines
of Tennessee and the Northwest. The line to Murphy serves
the people of Buncombe, Haywood, Swain, Jackson, Graham,
Macon, Clay and Cherokee counties, giving them an outlet for
their products and manufactures.
The building of the Western North Carolina Railroad was,
perhaps, the greatest piece of engineering work ever done in
North Carolina. The road is 309 miles long. Rivers were
bridged, mountains were tunneled, deep gorges were filled in.
The road crosses the Catawba, the French Broad, the Pigeon,
the Little Tennessee, and the Hiwassee rivers. It spans great
gorges and deep precipices. It climbs to the tops of high
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mountains, and winds like a great serpent around their lofty
peaks. It runs through long, dark tunnels, one of which, the
Swannanoa tunnel, is 1,800 feet, or nearly one-third of a mile
long. Millions of dollars were spent in the building of this
great railroad, the dream of the mountain section of North
Carolina, for more than half a century.
The building of railroads through the mountains has
changed that section of North Carolina from the hunting-grounds
of Indians and the haunts of wild animals to the
playgrounds of the South. The cool, invigorating air, the
healthy climate, and the magnificent scenery of that sect