3 H The Winning of the West 



gation, who listened in silence to his words of 

 burning zeal as he called on them to stand stoutly 

 in the battle and to smite their foes with the sword 

 of the Lord and of Gideon. 



The army marched along Doe River, driving 

 their beef cattle with them, and camped that night 

 at the "Resting-Place," under Shelving Rock, be- 

 yond Crab Orchard. Next morning they started 

 late, and went up the pass between Roan and Yel- 

 low mountains. The table-land on the top was 

 deep in snow. 22 Here two tories who were in 

 Sevier's band deserted and fled to warn Ferguson ; 

 and the troops, on learning of the desertion, aban- 

 doned their purpose of following the direct route, 

 and turned to the left, taking a more northerly trail. 

 It was of so difficult a character that Shelby after- 

 ward described it as "the worst route ever followed 

 by an army of horsemen." 23 That afternoon they 

 partly descended the east side of the range, camp- 

 ing in Elk Hollow, near Roaring Run. The fol- 

 lowing day they went down through the ravines 

 and across the spurs by a stony and precipitous 

 path, in the midst of magnificent scenery, and 

 camped at the mouth of Grassy Creek. On the 

 29th they crossed the Blue Ridge at Gillespie's Gap, 

 and saw afar off, in the mountain coves and rich 

 valleys of the upper Catawba, the advanced settle- 

 ments of the Carolina pioneers, for hitherto they 

 had gone through an uninhabited waste. The 

 mountaineers, fresh from their bleak and rugged 



22 Diary of Ensign Robert Campbell. 23 Shelby MS. 



