The War in the Northwest 311 



lieutenant of his neighbors across the border. Ar- 

 thur at once proceeded to urge the adoption of the 

 plan on his cousin, William Campbell, who had just 

 returned from a short and successful campaign 

 against the tories round the head of the Kanawha, 

 where he had speedily quelled an attempted up- 

 rising. 



Gates had already sent William Campbell an 

 earnest request to march down with his troops and 

 join the main army. This he could not do, as his 

 militia had only been called out to put down their 

 own internal foes, and their time of service had ex- 

 pired. 16 But the continued advance of the British 

 at last thoroughly alarmed the Virginians of the 

 mountain region. They promptly set about raising 

 a corps of riflemen, 17 and as soon as this course 

 of action was determined on Campbell was foremost 

 in embodying all the Holston men who could be 

 spared, intending to march westward and join any 

 Virginia army that might be raised to oppose Corn- 

 wallis. While thus employed he received Shelby's 

 request, and, for answer, at first sent word that he 



16 Gates MSS. Letter of William Campbell, Sept. 6, 1780. 

 He evidently at the time failed to appreciate the pressing 

 danger; but he ended by saying that "if the Indians were 

 not harassing their frontier," and a corps of riflemen were 

 formed, he would do all in his power to forward them to 

 Gates. 



17 Gates MSS. Letter of William Preston, Sept. 18, 1780. 

 The corps was destined to join Gates, as Preston says ; hence 

 Campbell's reluctance to go with Shelby and Sevier. There 

 were to be from five hundred to one thousand men. See let- 

 ter of Wm. Davidson, Sept. 18, 1780. 



