n King's mountain, and was encamped on
its summit,--a ridge five or six hundred yards long, and sixty or
seventy wide.

[Sidenote: October 7.]

The Americans, who had arranged themselves into three columns, the
right commanded by Colonel Sevier and Major Winston, the centre by
Colonels Campbell and Shelby, and the left by Colonels Cleveland and
Williams, immediately rushed to the assault. The attack was commenced
by the centre, while the two wings gained the flanks of the British
line; and, in about five minutes, the action became general. Ferguson
made several impetuous charges with the bayonet, which, against
riflemen, were necessarily successful. But, before any one of them
could completely disperse the corps against which it was directed, the
heavy and destructive fire of the others, who pressed him on all
sides, called off his attention to other quarters, and the broken
corps was rallied, and brought back to the attack.

[Sidenote: Defeat of Ferguson.]

In the course of these successive repulses, the right and centre had
become intermingled, and were both, by one furious charge of the
bayonet, driven almost to the foot of the mountain. With some
difficulty they were rallied and again brought into the action; upon
which the British, in turn, gave way, and were driven along the summit
of the ridge, on Cleveland and Williams, who still maintained their
ground on the left. In this critical state of the action, Ferguson
received a mortal wound, and instantly expired. The courage of his
party fell with him, and quarter was immediately demanded.[52] The
action continued rather more than an hour.

[Footnote 52: The details of this battle are chiefly taken from a
paper signed by Colonels Campbell, Shelby, and Cleveland, and
published in the Virginia Gazette of the 18th of November, 1780.]

In this sharp action one hundred and fifty of Ferguson's party were
killed on the spot, and about the same number were wounded. Eight
hundred and ten, of whom one hundred were British troops, were made
prisoners, and fifteen hundred stand of excellent arms were taken.

The Americans fought under cover of trees, and their loss was
inconsiderable; but among the slain was Colonel Williams, who was
greatly and justly lamented. As cruelty generally begets cruelty, the
example set by the British at Camden was followed, and ten of the most
active of the royalists were selected from the prisoners, and hung
upon the spot. The victorious m