men, who were more numerous, were eager to join the mountaineers, and entirely refused to submit to Williams.  A hot quarrel, almost resulting in a fight, ensued; Hill and Lacey accusing Williams of being bent merely on plundering the wealthy tories and of desiring to avoid a battle with the British.  Their imputation on his courage was certainly unjust; but they were probably quite right when they accused him of a desire to rob and plunder the tories.  A succession of such quarrels speedily turned this assemblage of militia into an armed and warlike rabble.  Fortunately Hill and Lacey prevailed, word was sent to the mountaineers, and the Flint Hill bands marched in loose order to join them at the Cowpens. [Footnote:  Gates MSS.  Letter of Gen. Wm. Davidson, Oct. 3, 1780.  Also Hill’s Narrative.]

The mountain army had again begun its march on the afternoon of the third day of the month.  Before starting the colonels summoned their men, told them the nature and danger of the service, and asked such as were unwilling to go farther to step to the rear; but not a man did so.  Then Shelby made them a short speech, well adapted to such a levy.  He told them when they encountered the enemy not to wait for the word of command, but each to “be his own officer,” and do all he could, sheltering himself as far as possible, and not to throw away a chance; if they came on the British in the woods they were “to give them Indian play,” and advance from tree to tree, pressing the enemy unceasingly.  He ended by promising them that their officers would shrink from no danger, but would lead them everywhere, and, in their turn, they must be on the alert and obey orders.

When they set out their uncertainty as to Ferguson’s movements caused them to go slowly, their scouts sometimes skirmishing with lurking tories.  They reached the mouth of Cane Creek, near Gilbert Town, on October 4th.  With the partisans that had joined them they then numbered fifteen hundred men.  McDowell left them at this point to go to Gates with the request for the appointment of a general to command them. [Footnote:  Gates MSS. (in New York Hist.  Soc.).  It is possible that Campbell was not chosen chief commander until this time; Ensign Robert Campbell’s account (MSS. in Tenn.  Hist.  Soc.) explicitly states this to be the case.  The Shelby MS. and the official report make the date the 1st or 2d.  One letter in the Gates MSS. has apparently escaped all notice from historians and investigators; it is the document which McDowell bore with him to Gates.  It is dated “Oct. 4th, 1780, near Gilbert town,” and is signed by Cleavland, Shelby, Sevier, Campbell, Andrew Hampton, and J. Winston.  It begins:  “We have collected at this place 1500 good men drawn from the counties of Surrey, Wilkes, Burk, Washington, and Sullivan counties (sic) in this State and Washington County in Virginia.”  It says that they expect to be joined in a few days by Clark of Ga. and Williams of S. C. with one thousand men