Pat. Ferguson, Major 71st Regiment

Copies of this obnoxious notice were passed around the patriot troops, and they were both infuriated and amused. At first, Ethan and the other Georgians could not understand why the men were addressing each other as “barbarians” and “mongrels,” and asking if they were ready to join the other cowards in attacking innocent ladies. While the men joked, the colonels were busy selecting their best riders to move against Ferguson.

There were two other southern military commanders who were engaged in a political struggle for command. South Carolina militia leaders had already elected Thomas Sumter as their commander in chief, with the rank of brigadier general. A few weeks later, North Carolina Governor John Rutledge gave a political appointment of the same rank to James Williams, who was distrusted by many troops because of his use of authority for financial gain and his false claims of heroism. When Williams claimed his first command with the new commission, a large delegation of officers went to the governor in Hillsborough to inform him that their men would not serve under his appointee. Under pressure, Rutledge announced that Sumter had the same official commission, with command of all South Carolina militia.

Now, as the assembled Georgia and Carolina troops searched for Ferguson, Brigadier General Williams came to camp and insisted that he was the senior officer, that only militiamen from Virginia and North Carolina should follow the British force, and that all the others would proceed with him to attack Ninety Six, where everyone knew that he had financial investments. After a squabble and accusations that he was trying to gain spoils and avoid combat, most of the men chose to go with the combined troops against Ferguson. When Williams was able to recruit just sixty men, he decided to tag along with the larger force. The colonels met at Cowpens on the Pacolet River, about one hundred miles north of Augusta, and had a planning council from which Williams was excluded, but he was finally permitted to join the army on an equal basis with the other leaders. Over their strong complaints, Captain Candler and his thirty Georgians were ordered to serve under the disgraced Williams. In order to preserve some semblance of a military structure, General Williams gave a field promotion of one rank to both Candler and Pratt. At Ethan’s suggestion, a vote of all the men in the small detachment confirmed this decision. There were 910 men in the total rebel force, including 50 on foot. Still without a clear ranking leader, the other colonels deferred to Shelby as the overall commander of the 440 Over Mountain men and 470 other militia from Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.

•  •  •

In October, Thomas Brown delivered what had now become a valuable report to Governor Tonyn on activities in the northern colonies.

Your Excellency: