John: I agree with your assessment of Tarleton doing his share when it came to persuading the Scots Irish to get off the fence and involved in the war. The same thing can be said of Ferguson when he marched to the eastern edge of the Appalachians and sent word to the settlers on the other side of what he intended to do to them. Up to that point, they were pretty much occupied with defending themselves from the Indian raids on the frontier and trying to keep their families safe and fed. Being the independent lot they were, (pretty much still are), the Scotch-Irish on the western side of the mountains didn't much care for threats being make on them and they reacted the same way they would have if the Continental government had threatened them in such a manner. They too, like the South Carolinians almost a century later, went looking for a fight and found it at Kings Mountain. Another tactical error for which the British paid dearly, not only there, but with the resulting strategy followed by Cornwallis leading up to Cowpens. They, for the most part, had been living very independently over the mountains and didn't really feel obligated to get involved until they had a reason, which Col. Ferguson graciously gave them. Regards, Mack Smith

Great Posts! You guys are confirming everything I believed about my relatives. Does anyone have a link to actual letters, which may have been posted from this era? Thanks in advance! James Baker SmokyMtn43@aol.com wrote: > John: > > I agree with your assessment of Tarleton doing his share when it > came to persuading the Scots Irish to get off the fence and involved > in the war. The same thing can be said of Ferguson when he marched > to the eastern edge of the Appalachians and sent word to the settlers > on the other side of what he intended to do to them. Up to that point, > they were pretty much occupied with defending themselves from the > Indian raids on the frontier and trying to keep their families safe and > fed. Being the independent lot they were, (pretty much still are), the > Scotch-Irish on the western side of the mountains didn't much > care for threats being make on them and they reacted the same way > they would have if the Continental government had threatened them in > such a manner. They too, like the South Carolinians almost a century > later, went looking for a fight and found it at Kings Mountain. Another > tactical error for which the British paid dearly, not only there, but with > the resulting strategy followed by Cornwallis leading up to Cowpens. > They, for the most part, had been living very independently over the > mountains and didn't really feel obligated to get involved until they had > a reason, which Col. Ferguson graciously gave them. > > Regards, > > Mack Smith > > ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237