George Bancroft, History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent, Vol. 10

‘ [470] he persists in his mad scheme of pushing through the

Chap. XXIII.} 1781. Jan. 30.

country. Here is a fine field and great glory ahead.’¹ On the same day ‘the famous Colonel William Campbell’ was asked to ‘bring without loss of time a thousand good volunteers from over the mountains.’ A like letter was addressed to Shelby, though without effect. To the officers commanding in the counties of Wilkes and Surry, Greene said: ‘If you repair to arms, Lord Cornwallis must be inevitably ruined.’ He called upon Sumpter, as soon as his recovery should permit, to take the field at the head of the South Carolina militia; he gave orders to General Pickens to raise as many troops as he could in the district of Augusta and Ninety-Six, and hang on the rear of the enemy; and he sought out powerful horses and skilful riders to strengthen the cavalry of Washington.

Meantime parties sent out by Morgan brought in near a hundred British stragglers. He had sent his prisoners beyond the Yadkin on their way towards Virginia, when on the first day of February Corn-

Feb. 1.

wallis with a part of his army passed the Catawba at Macgowan's ford. The dark stream was near five hundred yards wide, with a rocky bottom and a strong current, and was disputed by General Davidson of North Carolina with three hundred militia. By forsaking the true direction of the ford, the British escaped a direct encounter, but forty of their light infantry and grenadiers were killed or wounded; and the horse under Cornwallis was struck while in the stream, but reached the shore before falling. The other division passed the Catawba at Beattie's