. From trail to railway through the Appalachians . reat the close of the war the American messengers, whowere in Paris arranging for peace, could say that theyalready had possession of all the land this side of theMississippi, so no excuse was left for the British toclaim it. In this way one frontier soldier saved severalgreat states for his country. The frontiersmen had beaten Cornstalk at Point Pleas-ant in 1774. Clark had won the prairie country fiv^eyears later; and the next year, 1780, saw the greatvictory of Kings Mountain. Lord Cornwallis was now chief general of the
. From trail to railway through the Appalachians . reat the close of the war the American messengers, whowere in Paris arranging for peace, could say that theyalready had possession of all the land this side of theMississippi, so no excuse was left for the British toclaim it. In this way one frontier soldier saved severalgreat states for his country. The frontiersmen had beaten Cornstalk at Point Pleas-ant in 1774. Clark had won the prairie country fiv^eyears later; and the next year, 1780, saw the greatvictory of Kings Mountain. Lord Cornwallis was now chief general of the had conquered the southern colonies, the Carolinas FRONTIER SOLDIERS AND STATESMEN 159 and Georgia. Two of his officers, Tarleton and Fergu-son, were brave and active commanders, and they wererunning over the country east of the mountains keepingthe patriots down. Ferguson gathered together manyAmerican Tories and drilled them to march and fight. The Watauga men, just over the mountains to thewest, were loyal patriots. Ferguson heard of them and. Fig. 61. On the French Broad, between Asheville and Knoxville sent them a stormy message. He told them to keepstill or he would come over and scatter them and hangtheir leading men. They were not used to talk of this kind and theydetermined to teach Ferguson a lesson. Isaac Shelbyrode in hot haste from his home to John Seviers loghouse on the Nolichucky river. When he arrived hefound all the neighbors there ; for Sevier had madea barbecue, and there was to be a big horse race, with l6o FROM TRAIL TO RAILWAY running and wrestling matches. Shelby took Sevier offby himself and told him about Ferguson. They agreedto call together the mountain men and go over the GreatSmokies to punish the British general. On September 25, 1780, they came together at Syca-more Shoals on the Watauga river. Almost everybodywas there, women and children as well as men. Fourhundred sturdy men came from Virginia under Williamand Arthur Campbell. These two leade
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