The War in the Northwest 319 



the leadership of various militia colonels Hill, 

 Lacey, Williams, Graham, and Hambright. 30 Hill 

 and Lacey were two of Sumter's lieutenants, and 

 had under them some of his men; Williams, 31 who 

 was also a South Carolinian, claimed command of 

 them because he had just been commissioned a brig- 

 adier-general of militia. His own force was very 

 small, and he did not wish to attack Ferguson, but 

 to march southward to Ninety-Six. Sumter's men, 

 who were more numerous, were eager to join the 

 mountaineers, and entirely refused to submit to 

 Williams. A hot quarrel, almost resulting in a 

 fight, ensued; Hill and Lacey accusing Williams of 

 being bent merely on plundering the wealthy tories 

 and of desiring to avoid a battle with the British. 

 Their imputation on his courage was certainly un- 

 just; but they were probably quite right when they 

 accused him of a desire to rob and plunder the tories. 

 A succession of such quarrels speedily turned this 

 assemblage of militia into an armed and warlike 



30 Hambright was a Pennsylvania German, the father of 

 eighteen children. Hill, who was suffering from a severe 

 wound, was unfit to take an active part in the King's Moun- 

 tain fight. His MS. narrative of the campaign is largely quoted 

 by Draper. 



31 Bancroft gives Williams an altogether undeserved prom- 

 inence. As he had a commission as brigadier-general, some 

 of the British thought he was in supreme command at King's 

 Mountain; in a recent magazine article Gen. De Peyster 

 again sets forth his claims. In reality he only had a small 

 subordinate or independent command, and had no share 

 whatever in conducting the campaign, and very little in the 

 actual battle, though he behaved with much courage and was 

 killed. 



