The War in the Northwest 341 



as he rode full speed against a part of Sevier's men, 

 who had almost gained the hill crest, he became a 

 fair mark for the vengeful backwoods riflemen. Sev- 

 eral of them fired together and he fell suddenly from 

 his horse, pierced by half a dozen bullets almost at 

 the same instant. The gallant British leader was 

 dead, while his foot yet hung in the stirrup. 60 



The silver whistle was now silent, but the disheart- 

 ened loyalists were rallied by De Peyster, who brave- 

 ly continued the fight. 61 It is said that he himself 

 led one of the charges which were at this time made 

 on Cleavland's line; the "South Fork" men from the 

 Catawba, under Hambright and Chronicle being 

 forced back, Chronicle being killed and Hambright 

 wounded. When the Americans fled they were 

 scarcely a gun's length ahead of their foes ; and the 

 instant the latter faced about, the former were ral- 



60 The "South Carolina Loyalist" says he was killed just as 

 he had slain Col. Williams "with his left hand." Ramsey, 

 on the qther side, represents Col. Williams as being shot 

 while dashing forward to kill Ferguson. Williams certainly 

 was not killed by Ferguson himself; and in all probability 

 the latter was slain earlier in the action and in an entirely 

 different part of the line. The "Loyalist" is also in error 

 as to Clea viand's regiment being the first that was charged. 

 There is no ground whatever for the statement that Fergu- 

 son was trying to escape when shot ; nor was there any at- 

 tempt at a charge of horsemen, made in due form. The 

 battle was purely one of footmen and the attempt to show 

 an effort at a cavalry charge at the end is a simple absurdity. 



61 In his "Hist. Mag." article Gen. Watts De Peyster clears 

 his namesake's reputation from all charge of cowardice ; but 

 his account of how De Peyster counseled and planned all 

 sorts of expedients that might have saved the loyalists is de- 

 cidedly mythical. 



