PROMIXEXT PERSONS
347
1738. son of John Cleveland. He came of an
old and fine English family, whose tract,
named Cleveland, lay in North Riding of
Yorkshire. England. His grandfather, Alex-
ander, migrated to the famous Bull Run,
Virginia. His father. John Cleveland, mar-
ried Martha Coffee. Averse to farm work,
Benjamin became a hunter for pelts, and
was fond of horse-racing. He married Mary
Graves, of a well-to-do family, and fought
in the French and Indian war. About 1769
he removed with his wife's father to North
Carolina, near the Blue Ridge, on Roaring
Creek, an arm of the Yadkin, in Rowan, then
Surry (now Wilkes) county, and later re-
moved to **Round-About," fifteen miles be-
low Wilkesboro. From Daniel Boone he
learned of the Kentucky hunting grounds,
and in 1771 went there, but the Cherokees
drove him back without horses, and he ate
dog meat to escape starving. When the rev-
olution began in 1775. refusing to be ensign,
he served in the militia. In February, 1776,
as Capt. Cleveland, with riflemen he broke
up the Highland tories, and did good service
against them and the Indians, In 1777 he
was active in forming the new Wilkes
county, and in 1778 was head of the justices'
commission, militia colonel, commissioner
of confiscated estates, election superintend-
ent, county ranger, or stray master, and
member of the house of commons. In 1778-
79 his regiment shared in the campaign in
Georgia, and on his return he was elected
state senator. In 1780 he fought tories con-
stantly. His next service, now historic, as
settling the revolution in the South in spite
of English successes, was his vital part in
the fateful victory of King's Mountain. The
British had 1.103 men under Ferguson, and
the Americans 923, mostly Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians. The ground of the battle is
600 yards long, 250 wide at base, 60 to 120
wide on top, and 60 feet above the country
level. The English held the eminence. The
Americans were in two columns, two men
deep on the right of the mountain, under
Campbell and Servier. and two on the left
under Cleveland and Shelby. Cleveland
made a ringing appeal, and the attack was
begun with yells. The battle raged all
around the mountain ; Cleveland's horse was
disabled, but he fought on foot until re-
mounted. Several times the Americans were
forced down the ascent, only to rally and
gamely retrace their steps. Ferguson tried
to break through, but fell with eight wounds.
The British finally surrendered, having lost
157 killed, 153 wounded and 706 prisoners,
and over 1,200 arms. The Americans had
28 killed and 62 wounded. It was a com-
plete victory, and crushed the English cause
in the South. It withdrew the Carolinas
from Tory domination, and was the fore-
runner of Cowpens, Guilford, Eutaw, York-
town and Independence. For this, his great-
est life service. Cleveland has been immor-
talized. One of Ferguson's war horses was
assigned him by common consent, and he
treasured a drum as a trophy. His riflemen
became famous as "Cleveland's Heroes,"
"Cleveland's Bull Dogs." and by the tories
as "Cleveland's Devils." He was called "Old
Round About" and was noted for his warm
heart, sound sense and firm will. Gov. Perrj-
says he was a great man by nature. At the
close of the war, losing his "Round-About"
plantation, he moved to the Tugalo valley.
He was many years judge in old Pendleton
county.
His weight increased to 450 pounds, and he died from dropsy, in his sixty-ninth year.
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