0, from Charlotte, the place of rendezvous for several
counties, Colonel Graham led the regiment from Lincoln county. On the
arrival of the several forces at Charleston, they found the city so
completely invested by the British army that they could not render
assistance to the American garrison.

Soon after his return home, Colonel Graham again marched with his
regiment, General Rutherford commanding, against a large body of
Tories assembled at Ramsour's Mill under Lieut. Colonel John Moore,
(son of Moses Moore) near the present town of Lincolnton. General
Rutherford, with some Mecklenburg troops, crossed the Catawba river at
Tuckaseege Ford, on the evening of the 19th of June, 1780, and camped
at Colonel Joseph Dickson's plantation, three miles northwest of the
ford. On the morning of the 20th, Gen. Rutherford marched, at an early
hour, with the expectation of co-operating with Colonel Locke, of
Rowan county, in making a combined attack against the Tories, but
failed to reach the battleground until about two hours after the close
of that sanguinary engagement, in which the Tories were signally
defeated.

When a call was made upon the commanding officers of the militia of
Lincoln county (under its old limits) in September, 1780, for troops
to oppose the boasting Ferguson, Colonel Graham marched with his
regiment, and joined Colonels Campbell, Sevier, Shelby and others at
the "Cowpens," where, a little more than three months afterward,
General Morgan gained a brilliant victory; but, it is known, in
consequence of severe sickness in his family, Colonel Graham did not
participate in the battle which took place on King's Mountain on the
afternoon of the 7th of October, 1780, and which resulted so
gloriously for the American arms.

During the year 1775, the Province of North Carolina, ever in the van
of early patriotic movements, formed "Associations" throughout her
territory, mainly as _tests of patriotism_. The county of Cumberland
formed an Association on the 20th of June, 1775. The county of Tryon
(embracing Lincoln and Rutherford) formed a similar "Association" on
the 14th of August following, which was signed by the "Committee of
Safety," and ordered to be "signed by every freeholder in the county."
Among the forty-eight signatures may be conspicuously noticed those of
William Graham, Charles McLean, (who at one time commanded the Lincoln
regiment), Frederick Hambright, (see sketch of his services in this
volume) J