LINCOLN COUNTY. 381 



of the intended feast, and prepared to surprise them. He pro- 

 ceeded up the river in the evening, and landed with 12 men ; 

 and between 8 and 9 o'clock at night, Spencer entered the 

 house and made Col. Cruger and the party of officers prisoners 

 of war. As Spencer intended to carry off some negroes, he 

 kept his prisoners under a guard until the morning, when he re- 

 ceived their paroles and permitted them to return to Sunbury. 

 Col. Cruger was soon after exchanged for Col. John Mcintosh, 

 who had been taken prisoner at Brier Creek." 



In the year 1788 the inhabitants suffered much from the 

 depredations of the neighbouring Indians. Several skirmishes 

 took place, in which the Indians were generally worsted. 

 Colonels Stewart and Maxwell, Lieuts. Way, Winn and Jones, 

 and many others, were active soldiers during these trying 

 times. 



LINCOLN. 



Boundaries, Extent. — This county is bounded N. by El- 

 bert, N. E. and E. by the Savannah river, S. by Columbia, W. 

 by Wilkes. Laid out from Wilkes, in 1796. It is 22 miles long 

 and 9 miles wide, containing 198 square miles. 



Rivers, Creeks. — The Savannah river separates the 

 county from South Carolina, Broad river from Elbert, and 

 Little river from Columbia. The creeks are Fishing, Mills, 

 Pistol, Gray's, Lloyd's, Cherokee, Shivers, Soap, Dry Fork, &c. 



Post Offices. — Lincolnton, Double Branches, Goshen. 



Population, Taxes, Representation. — In 1845, the po- 

 pulation was 7,899; of these 4,383 were whites, and 3,526 

 blacks. State tax returned for 1848, $2,228 29 cts. Sends 

 one representative to the Legislature. 



Towns. — Lincolnton is the seat of justice, situated on the 

 waters of Soap creek, in the centre of the county, having a 

 brick court-house, built in 1823 at a cost of $4,000, a jail, one 

 church, common to Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians, 

 one academy for children of both sexes, one store, two black- 

 smiths, one wheelwright, four lawyers, two doctors, and two 

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