The War in the Northwest 301 



and successful a commander, showed a generous 

 heart, and treated the inhabitants of the country 

 fairly well. He was especially incensed at any out- 

 rage upon women, punishing the offender with the 

 utmost severity, and as far as possible he spared his 

 conquered foes. Yet even Ferguson's tender mer- 

 cies must have seemed cruel to the whigs, as may 

 be judged by the following extract from a diary 

 kept by one of his lieutenants 6 : "This day Col. 

 Ferguson got the rear guard in order to do his 

 King and country justice, by protecting friends and 

 widows, and destroying rebel property; also to col- 

 lect live stock for the use of the army. All of which 

 we effect as we go by destroying furniture, break- 

 ing windows, etc., taking all their horned cattle, 

 horses, mules, sheep, etc., and their negroes to drive 

 them." When such were the authorized proceed- 

 ings of troops under even the most merciful of the 

 British commanders, it is easy to guess what deeds 

 were done by uncontrolled bodies of stragglers bent 

 on plunder. 



When Ferguson moved into the back country 

 of the two Carolinas still worse outrages followed. 

 In the three southernmost of the thirteen rebellious 

 colonies there was a very large tory party. 7 In 



6 Diary of Lt. Anthony Allaire, entry for March 24, 1780. 



7 Gates M.SS., passzm, for July-October, 1780. E.g., letter 

 of Mr. Ramsey, August 9, 1780, describes how "the Scotch are 

 all lying out," the number of tories in the "Drowning Creek 

 region," their resistance to the levy of cattle, etc. In these 

 colonies, as in the middle colonies, the tory party was very 

 strong. 



