MASSACRE OF 1781
Another man concealed himself in the garret of the house, but was
discovered.
He was promised his life if he would inform his captors of the
position and plans of the patriot forces who were known to be not far
away. In his fright he did this, but he was, nevertheless, promptly
put to death. It was a dastardly deed, but it showed the spirit of
the British soldiers who were trying to subdue the American
Rebels.
It happened that a small body of American troops under Colonel
BLOODWORTH were not far away; and, when the member of the party who
had hidden in the chimney was running toward them, they heard the
rifle fire. They hurried to the scene, but the Britishers had gone.
Their diabolical work was over, and they could have the pleasure of
reporting it to their commanding officer in Wilmington. It was
another victory for the royal cause.
Under the mulberry tree in the yard beside which James LOVE had
fallen the patriot victims were buried in one grave. For a century
the trees watched over their resting place. IT has long since
disappeared and the mound which marked the grave
Is also gone; but the ground will ever be consecrated to the
sacrifice which was there made for the Independence of the American
colonies.
Note: Accounts which have been made of the massacre at the ROUSE
house have generally stated that James LOVE was from Duplin County;
but his county was Bladen. Near his home Lord CORNWALLIS encamped on
his way to Wilmington, while LOVE'S widow and children were still
residing there.
The description of the massacre given above is drawn from an article
written by a son of a friend of LOVE, and published in 1845.
Source: The Latimer House in Wilmington, N.C.
The Latimer House in Wilmington is a
Museum, it is managed by the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society.
The archives are founded on the
research of Ida Brooks Kellam and Elizabeth F. McKoy in family
records and deeds of property. Today they include a comprehensive and
growing collection of local documents and source material, much of it
unique (including a significant collection of original documents).
LATIMER
HOUSE
Article sent by Jim
ROUSE
|
LINKING TO "OLD DOBBERS"
We appreciate your desire to link to the Old Dobbers site.
Linking to Old Dobbers is welcome, but
duplication
of this Website is prohibited
without written
permission. Permission to link to Old Dobbers is granted if
you use a direct link to the Old Dobbers index page rather
than links to individual pages, using the following URL
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~paday/dobbers/index.htm
|
