From Pennsylvania Archives - 5th Series
Pennsylvania Muster Rolls, Lancaster co. 1776
Andrew Cavet (Vol. VII pp. 338, 342, 344, 355) Lancaster CoO M litia,
Colo James Busch s Battalion, 4th Battery Capt. James Cowden's Co.s Mar.
137 1776
James Cavett 'Vole p. 411) "a return of Capt. John Gilchrist Compy. of
the D Class of the 4th Battalion, Lancaster COe Militia for the year
1779, Oct. 23rd. (p. 386). James Cavett, 8 Class, discharged (pO 1ll6).
Andrew Cavet belonged to Capt. John Reed's co. on his march to the
Jerseys, July 24th, 1776. "The company lost blankets and almost
everything they had. Andrew Cavet reimbursed them by giving $1500. - he
also gave wheat."
Page 1001, Class Rcll or 2nd co , 10th battalion, Lancaster County
Militia, April 12, 1781 Capt. George ElacWilliam - John CavettO
VolO VI, p. 20 - CoO of First Battalion Cumberlqnd co. Militia commanded
by Lieut. Col. James Johnston as they are Classed the 18th Aug. 1780 (p.
90). E ird Class, Patric Cavet, John Woodse Capt.
Third Class evidently were men between 18 and 53 years of age. In 1780
Patric Cavet was 45 years of age.
Patric, and his three sons, John, Andrew, James, and Patric's brother,
Moses, with his son Richard, served in the Revolution.
The Battle of King's Mountain, Oct. 7, 1780, in which several Cavitt
(Cavet) ancestors participated was financed mainly by the public funds
of Sullivan County, commandeered by Shelby and Sevier who when to John
Adair, entry taker for that county, and agreed to put their personal
wealth as collateral for the safe return to the county of its funds. The
entry taker was calm and contemplative in his decision and told Col.
Sevier that he had no right to so dispose of the public monies but that
if the British Col. Ferguson and his men took the county, the
impoverished treasury of North Carolina would no longer have the use of
its $13,000 and that he would, under these circumstances, hand over the
public monies to Col. Sevier.
With this much money and nearly 1,000 men gathered together by Sevier,
Shelby and the ranking officer of the County Col. Arthur Campbell, and
his brother, Col. William Campbell of Virginia, the army of King's
Mountain men war ready.
Now that Kings Mountain men were assembled, they were looked over by
their commanding officers. Each man had a small-bore rifle, tomahawk and
scalping knife. Only a few officers had swords. There were no tents in
the entire group. The grim-visaged thousand stood silent as Rev. Samuel
Doak offered a solemn benediction.
Unfortunately, two of the thousand had changed their minds and deserted,
making a change of route necessary for the others. This march was said
to have been over the roughest country ever traversed by an array of
horsemen. The infantry found the going easier and, from time to time,
some of the horsemen were left behind as the ascent of the mountain
started. Col. Williams of South Carolina and his men fell in with Shelby
and Seviere's men at this juncture. As the going kept getting more
difficult, they had to leave behind the cattle they were driving and
live entirely on wild game and parched corn each man carried in his
bulging shirt blouse.
Draper's "King's Mountain Men", probably the most quoted of all
accounts
of the desperate fighting of the mountainmen to secure their homes,
tells of the selection of Campbell to lead the attack on Ferguson's men
who, by this time, knew from the two deserters that the mountainmen were
coming. At a stop near the foot of the final rise, Campbell inquired of
a farm family the whereabouts of the British soldiers. As they came out
of the farmhouse, they were followed by a young girl who asked, "Show
many are there of you?" The answer was, "Enough to whip Ferguson if we
can catch him." The girl pointed to the top of King's Mountain and said,
"He's on that mountain."
The last orders were given just before the troops were disposed all
around the mountain for the ascent were, "Every man fight for himself,
shout like hell and fight like devils."
Ferguson had said when he reached the summit, "I now hold a position God
Almighty cannot drive me from," but when his men had to be moved from
side to side of the position as first one division and then the other of
the mountairmen appeared up the opposite sides of the mountain, he was
not sure he had spoken wisely. The Americans were repulsed time after
time by the British bayonets, but regrouped while their compatriots from
the other side engaged the frustrated British. Someone finally
recognized Ferguson and six guns fired simultaneously, killing him
instantly.
The battle that had begun at three o'clock in the afternoon was ended at
ten past four, seventy minutes of the fiercest fighting of the war,
ending what Thomas Jefferson said vas the battle that turned the tide of
the Revolution.
In this battle, Moses Cavet II (Major), serving under Shelby was killed.
His son, Richard, 15 years old, fought by his Side after several
attempts to join his father and being sent home to protect the family
against
Indians now being paid by the English to depradate the settlements.
Shelby and Sevier ultimately paid back every cent of the money to
finance the seige of King's Mountain....and in
his memoirs Sevier noted for this service to his country, the toil, the
privation (and getting together
$13,000) he was rewarded with six yards of middling
broadcloth....an expensive suit if he ever had it made
up!
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The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched.
It must be felt with the heart.
Helen Keller
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Wishes, Wants and Dreams...
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The Waterfall... POW/MIA
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Military Tribute Poetry...POW/MIA
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Selman Field Memorial WW II
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Carrington Domain Genealogy...POW/MIA
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