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The
information presented
here is an exact
transcription of excerpts
from the book, printed in
1865, which consisted of
200 copies. The
indication in this book
is that the first
printing, in 1861,
consisted of 50 copies.
The dates
and locations of these
writings are important
to the context in which
they were written.
No corrections or
changes have been made.
Excerpts from the
book : “The
Narrative of Colonel
David Fanning” ( a
Tory in the Revolutionary
War with Great Britain):
GIVING AN ACCOUNT
OF HIS ADVENTURES
IN NORTH AMERICA From
1775 To 1783, as
written by himself with
an introduction and
explanatory notes ____________________ Richmond,
Va. Printed
for private distribution
only. 1861 in
the first year of the
independence of the Confederate
States of America ~ PREFACE. “The
narrative which is now
for the first time
printed, supplies a
vacancy which has always
been felt by the
historian of the
Revolution in the
Southern States.
History, song, and
tradition have each done
something to perpetuate
the recollection of the
deeds of one whose name
has come to us linked
with all that is cruel
and rapacious in a war of
the most fratricidal
character; but no
authentic detailed
account of his life has
up to the present time
been made public, and but
few of the particulars of
his career during the war
are generally known. All
who have written of David
Fanning, the Tory, have
assigned him a high rank
in the annals of infamy,
and none who read his own
account of himself and
his ‘services’ will
hesitate to admit that he
has been, ’by merit
raised To that bad
eminence.’ The
frankness with which he
narrates his adventures,
and speaks of the
cold-blooded murder of
his neighbors and
fellow-citizens, is only
equalled by the
self-satisfaction which
he exhibits at the close
of his address ‘To the
Reader,’ in using words
of the Psalmist as
applicable to himself, as
the ‘perfect’ and the
‘upright man.’ Besides
what he has written, the
following account of him
(principally traditionary)
is that which is best
authenticated. David
Fanning was born in
Johnston county, N. C.,
about the year 1754 of
obscure parentage.
He was apprenticed
to a Mr. Bryant, from
whom, on account of harsh
treatment, he ran away,
when about sixteen or
seventeen years of age.
His miserable
condition excited
compassion, and secured
for him a temporary home
at the house of John O.
Deniell, of the Haw
Fields, in Orange county. He
had the scald head, had
lost nearly all his hair,
and the scalp was so
offensive that he never
ate at the table with the
family or slept in a bed.
In subsequent life
he wore a silk cap, and
his most intimate friends
never saw his head naked. In
the course of two or
three years after his
elopement from his master
he went to South
Carolina, engaged in
trafficking with the
Catawba Indians, acquired
property,
and settled on
Raeburn’s Creek, a
branch of Reedy river, in
Laurens District.
On his return from
a trading excursion, at
the beginning of the
difficulties with the
mother country, he was
met by a party of lawless
fellows who called
themselves Whigs, and
robbed by them of
everything he had.
Previously to this
he had preferred to be a
Whig, but, exasperated by
the outrage perpetrated
by these desperadoes, he
changed sides, and during
a series of years availed
himself of every
opportunity to wreak his
vengeance on his former
friends. The
defeat of the Tories at
King’s Mountain
disheartened them for any
great efforts afterwards
in North Carolina, and
they never again
assembled in any large
numbers in that state.
In 1782 Fanning
went to Charleston, S.
C., and thence to St.
Augustine in Florida.
From thence, at
the close of the war,
finding that all hopes of
his returning to his
native State, were
removed by the action of
the Legislature , which
made an exception of him
in their acts of amnesty,
he went to New Brunswick,
and Sabine says:
‘He lived some
years in Queen’s
county, and was a member
of the House of Assembly,
but in 1799 he removed to
Nova Scotia, where he was
a Colonel in the militia.
He died at Digby,
Nova Scotia in 1825.’ Caruthers
has sifted and garnered
the traditions of the
times with remarkable
fullness and
discrimination, and
interwoven record
evidence, but recently
discovered, elucidating
and confirming much that
was previously obscure
and doubtful.
He is sustained by
Fanning in every
important statement but
one.
Fanning was not
trained in the school of
M’Girth, but received
‘bloody instructions’
from an abler and more
distinguished man,
William Cunningham, the
Captain of the ‘Bloody
Scout,’ a good memoire
of whom is a desideratum
yet to be supplied by the
South Carolina Historical
Society, before it is too
late.
Fanning states, in
the opening of his
narrative, that after the
reduction of Charleston
(May 1780), ‘myself and
one William Cunningham
concluded to embody a
party of men, which we
effected.
We determined to
take Colonel Williams, of
the rebel militia,
prisoner, and then to
join Captain Parish, who
was to raise a company
and assist us.’
‘Bloody Bill’
and Captain Parish (Paris
or Peares, according to
varying orthography) were
fit companions for
Fanning.
Williams eluded
them then , but only to
fall soon after more
gloriously, with the
shouts of victory
sounding his requiem, on
the well-fought
battlefield of King’s
Mountain. The
history of the
‘narrative’ itself;
of the importance
attached to it, by those
who had heard of or seen
it; with the
indefatigable efforts,
continued for a long
period and at last
crowned with success, on
the part of the gentleman
who, with the
indispensable, untiring
sprit of an antiquarian
and historian, allowed no
difficulties to divert
him from the pursuit, the
reader will find in the
Introduction by Mr.
Wheeler.
One thing seems
remarkable; that although
the existence of this
manuscript was known to
persons interested in the
history of North
Carolina, yet it must
have entirely escaped the
knowledge of Mr. Sabine;
for although he says, in
the preface to his
‘Sketches of American
Loyalists,’ that ‘I
lived in the eastern
portion of the United
States, enjoyed free and
constant intercourse with
persons of Loyalist
descent, have had the use
of family papers and of
rare documents, have made
journeys to confer with
the living, and
pilgrimages to graveyards
to complete the records
of the dead,’ yet he
makes no mention of the
existence of this
narrative; and, in
addition to that which is
above quoted, has only to
say for the biography of
David Fanning, that ‘He
was an officer under the
crown during the war, and
at its close settled in
New Brunswick.’ By
the date of his address
‘To the Reader,’ it
will be seen that the
narrative was written in
1790. An
examination and
comparison of the Index
and text will give reason
to believe that the order
of the narrative was
first arranged in his
mind, and the Index made
out, as containing the
most important events
connected with this
period of his life, in
the order in which they
occurred; and when the
work was being executed
he failed to find many of
the documents he had
intended to embody in his
account, among which were
included the letters,
proclamations, speeches
and petitions, which are
indicated in the Index by
a *, but which cannot be
found in the text.
Those parts of the
Index might have been
omitted; but deeming it
proper to print the whole
paper as it was made out
by the author, I have
preserved the whole
arrangement of title,
address to the reader,
index and text, just as
he had it, not altering a
single word or letter
from the copy. A very
few typographical errors
of a single letter occur,
but these are too
apparent to be pointed
out. This
narrative gives many
details of events which
have escaped the
historian, and records
acts of heroism and
instances of suffering on
the part of those who, in
the Southern States,
offered up their all as a
sacrifice to secure the
independence of the
American colonies.
But the patriot
and the philanthropist
must always regret that
the struggles of those
who, in the contest with
Great Britain, shed their
blood on every
battle-field, both in
their own section and
that of the North, for
the freedom of the whole
country, were productive
only of a change of
masters with them; for
soon after throwing off
the yoke of Old England,
they were, through adroit
management and cunning
legislation, made to
assume that of New
England; and ere the
actors engaged in the
first struggle had all
passed from the stage of
life, their children had
to draw the sword to
protect their homes and
firesides from a foe who,
fattened upon their
substance, and grown
insolent by successes,
attempted to impose on
them burdens more odious
than those which they
refused to bear from that
nation to whom they owed
their existence as a
people.
And these
impositions on the part
of the North have at last
culminated in the final
and irrevocable
separation from them of
those to whom they should
have clung with more than
maternal love.
And, alas! their
mad efforts to subdue
those who now stand in
the attitude of rebels
towards them, have
brought about the
re-enacting of scenes
such as those disclosed
by our veracious
chronicler; and although
we still have greatly the
advantage in the battles
fought up to this time,
yet Virginia invaded,
Maryland overpowered, and
Kentucky divided against
herself, have realized
all the horrors of civil
war as told by Fanning,
with other scenes at the
recital of which decency
revolts, and before the
perpetrators of them even
the Tories of the first
revolutionary war might
‘hide their diminished
heads;’ while the
faithful historian of
this portion of our
country’s annals will
blush for his race when
he records the deeds of
those who, calling
themselves Union men,
cling to the old
government, as did the
Tories of Fanning’s
time, and in the name of
loyalty rob and torture
and lay waste the
property of those who
have dared to assert and
endeavor to maintain
their rights as freemen. The
present may seem an
inappropriate time to
attend to preserving the
history of our former
struggle for
independence; and it must
be admitted that while a
country is engaged in a
furious war, with a foe
who unites to all the
rancor of difference of
race the rage of the
pirate at the escape of
his destined victims, it
is hardly a fitting time
to contribute to the
historical literature of
our country.
But when we
recollect how liable to
loss and destruction,
especially at such
periods, are all
manuscript records, a
reason is at once given
for consigning them
to’the art preservative
of all the arts,’ to
prevent their total loss.
For this reason,
and with the hope that
this effort may
contribute something to
the history of one of the
States now forming a part
of the new Confederacy,
is this pamphlet
distributed. In
making out the notes
illustrative of the
history of persons named
in the text, I have
derived the greater
portion of the
information from
Sabine’s Loyalists,
Lossing’s Fieldbook of
the Revolution, and
Gibbes’ Historical
Documents of South
Carolina. I am
also indebted to Hon. L.D.
Swain, ex-govenor of
North Carolina, for many
of the notes, which are
printed entire as he
wrote them, and for the
synopsis of the life of
Fanning, as given in the
preface. T.
H. W.
Richmond, Nov. 25th,
1861 ~ INTRODUCTION By
John H. Wheeler The
name of Fanning, whose
narrative is herewith
preserved, written by
himself, is associated,
in the revolutionary
history of North
Carolina, with deeds of
daring, rapine, and
cruelty.
Since the history
of North Carolina was
written by me (1851) I
have met with a letter
from General Alexander
Gray to Dr. A. Henderson,
dated Randolph
county, N. C.,
March 30th,
1847, which gives much
information as to the
adventures and exploits
of Colonel Fanning. Rev.
E. W. Caruthers, D. D.,
in a work entitled ‘
The Revolutionary
Incidents and Sketches of
Character, chiefly in the
old North State,’ in
1854, has devoted more
than one hundred and
fifty pages of his very
valuable work to the life
and character of Fanning. In
preparing matter for a
second edition of my
History of North
Carolina, as I felt
satisfied that the sketch
of Fanning I had
presented of him under
Chatham County (2d vol.
84) was not complete, and
not satisfactory even to
myself, without this
narrative, which I knew
had been written, and
which was in existence ,
I made some efforts to
obtain a copy of it.
But to effect this
seemed almost hopeless.
I had seen a copy
of a letter from Fanning
to Rev. Roger Veits,
dated in 1822, in which
he declared that he
‘would not let any one
have it on any pretence
whatsoever’ - that he
had refused five hundred
dollars for it.
I visited St.
Johns, in the British
province of New
Brunswick, near which
Fanning lived and died,
but was not successful in
this object. After
Fanning’s death (in
1825) his son, who, Dr.
Caruthers states, ‘ was
a ruling Elder in the
church and an estimable
man,’ did not seem to
value so highly this
important paper, which
with other documents of
his father came into his
possession.
He allowed Porter
C. Bliss, Esq., who was
employed by the
Massachusetts Historical
Society
to collect
authentic materials of
the early history of our
Nation, to make a copy,
which he did, as he
informed me, ‘verbatum
et literatum’ - not
correcting the many
errors in orthography and
grammar with which it
abounds.
I copied this
myself carefully.
When I first heard
of this manuscript copy,
it was in the hands of
Hon. Geo. Bancroft, in
New York.
Wrote to Mr.
Bancroft, with the
approbation of Mr. Bliss,
who at the time was
engaged in a responsible
position in the Indian
Affairs Bureau of the
Interior Department in
Washington City, and is
now attached to the
American Legation at
Brazil, Mr. Bancroft
immediately replied,
testifying to the
authenticity, fidelity,
and value of the
manuscript;* and through
Mr. Bliss’s efforts it
was forwarded to me. My
exertions
to procure this
paper had been stimulated
by a letter to me from
Governor Swain, dated 16th
April, 1861, in
which he says: ‘ I have
known of the existence of
the Fanning manuscript
for nearly thirty years;
and have made repeated
efforts, unsuccessfully,
to obtain a copy.
My last attempt
was three or four years
ago, through Dr. Sparks,
of Boston.' _________ *The
following note from Mr.
Bancroft will testify to
the value he placed on
the narrative:
New
York ,
April 26, 1861 My
dear Mr. Wheeler:
I have yours of
April 19th.
Having only had
permission of Mr. Bliss
to keep the MS. for
a short season, I
returned it almost
immediately to Mr. Deane
, from whom I received
it.
The journal must
be printed.
Yours truly,
Geo.
Bancroft John
H. Wheeler, Esq. ___________ When
Judge Murphy, a few years
before his death, was
collecting materials for
history, he made an
effort through
Hon. Archibald
McBride, of Moore county
(in Congress from 1809 to
1813), to obtain a copy
of Fanning’s narrative.
He could get get
nothing except the
following letter, which
has been published in the
University Magazine, and
also in Caruther’s
work:
Digby
15th
May 1822 ‘Dear
Sir The
letters you sent me
appears to be a request
of some gentleman in
North Carolina, or
elsewhere to get holt of
my Journal, or the
narrative of my servis,
During the time of the
American Revolution.
I am under the
necessity of saying that
I would not Let any man
have it on any pretense
whatsoever, Unless I was
well informed of the use
that was to be made of
it.
You can say to the
Gentleman that I now have
a narrative of the
Transactions of that war,
Both of North and South
Carolinas; and if any
gentleman wishes to know
from me of any particular
transaction, or the Date,
by pointing it out to me,
I may give the
information of it, if it
Don’t operate against
my Coming back to look
after my property. You
may say, that my Journal
contains more
than one Quire of
Fools Cap paper Closely
wrote, and it would take
a good pens man a month
to write it over, fit to
send to the world abroad.
I was offered, by
Charles Cook in England
fifty pounds sterling for
my Journal to have it
published, and
I Refused him.
Colonel McDougal
Desired me not to Insert
in it, any thing of his
Servessas; as he intended
going back to North
Carolina to Live, and he
knows that I have a
Narrative of all the
Transactions.
If he should want
any thing of the kind
from me, he should write
to me himself.
If any person
wishes to prove any thing
false , respecting the
conduct of the Torys, let
him point what it is, and
I will endeavour to give
him the truth.
I am dear Sir Your
obedient Servant
David Fanning. P.
S.
I believe there is
some more meaning in the
letters than I
understand; the word
Memorial of my life or a
word to that effect, that
I don’t understand.
I have hurt my
ankil and knee, so I
cannot come to see you. Ross
said you wanted to answer
them by post.
To
the Rev’d Roger Veitts. With
every reader of the
revolutionary history of
North Carolina, so full
of thrilling incidents
and patriotism, I feel
much gratification in
rescuing from oblivion
this narrative of one,
about whom so much and
varied tradition exists
in our State; and which,
from its minuteness in
detail, and accuracy of
dates (which have been
compared with reliable
authorities), may be
depended upon, as a
truthful record.
Had the daring,
desparate temper of
Fanning been elevated by
education, chastened by
religious influences, and
directed in proper and
patriotic channels, his
name might have been
associated with that of
the Marions and Waynes of
the eventful epoch in
which he was
notorious.”
Jno. H. Wheeler Murfreesboro’,
Hertford Co., N. C.
5th
June, 1861 ~ The
following excerpts are as
written by David Fanning: Narrative of
COL’O
DAVID FANNING written
by himself Detailing
Astonishing Events IN
NO. CA. From
1775 to 1783 ~
TO
THE READER Courteous
Reader, whoever
thou art, the Author
being only a farmer bred,
and not conversant in
learning, thou may’st
think that the within
Journal is not authentic.
But it may be
depended upon on that
every particular herein
mentioned is nothing but
the truth; Yea, I can
boldly assert that I have
undergone much more than
what is herein mentioned. Rebellion
according to Scripture
is, as the Sin of
witch-craft; and the
propagators thereof, has
more than once punished;
which is dreadfully
exemplified this
day in the now United
States of America but
formerly Provinces; for
since their Independence
from Great Britain, they
have been awfully and
visibly punished by the
fruits of the earth being
cut off; and civil
dissention every day
prevailing among them;
their fair trade, and
commerce almost totally
ruined; and nothing
prospering so much as
nefarious and rebelious
Smugling.
Whatever
imperfections is in the
within, its hoped will be
kindly overlooked by the
courteous Reader, and
attributed to the
Author’s want of
learning. I
do not set forth any
thing as a matter of
amusement, but what is
really, justly fact, that
my transactions and
scenes of life have been
as herein narrated during
the term of the
Rebellion; and that
conduct, resolution, and
courage perform wonderous
things beyond
credibility, the
following of which
laudable deeds will give
them, are exercised
therein the Experience
that I have gained. In
the 19th year
of my age, I entered into
the War; and proceeded
from one step to another,
as is herein mentioned,
and at the conclusion
thereof, was forced to
leave the place of my
nativity for my adherence
to the British
Constitution; and after
my sore fatigues, I
arrived at St. John
River; and there with the
blessing of God, I have
hitherto enjoyed the
sweets of peace, and
freedom under the
benevolent auspices of
the British Government -
which every loyal and
true subject may enjoy
with me, is the wish of
the Author.
David Fanning King’s
County
Long Beach
New
Brunswick June
24th 1790. Psalm
37 & 37. “Mark
the perfect man, and
behold the upright! for
the end of that man is
peace.” ~ INDEX. The
narrative of David
Fanning
.
.
.
.
.
1 Major
Robinson took the command
.
.
.
.
.
3 The
first time my being taken
.
.
.
.
. 3 My
going to the Indians
.
.
.
.
.
.
4 John
Tork in East Florida
.
.
.
.
.
.
5 Colo.
Mills taken
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 7 Gilliam
took me
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 9 My
wounds dressed
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 11 Treaty
with the rebel, Colo.
Williams
.
.
.
.
.
11 The
reduction of Charleston
.
.
.
.
.
.
11 Colo.
Innis’
Engagement in South
Carolina
.
.
.
. 12 Went
to Deep River North
Carolina
.
.
.
.
.
13 Col.
Hamilton’s
advertisement
.
.
.
.
.
.
13 A
skirmish with Duck
.
.
.
.
.
.
14 Joined
Lord Cornwallis
.
.
.
.
.
.
14 A
skirmish with
Capt. John Hinds
.
.
.
.
.
15 The
Three Skirmishes
.
.
.
.
.
. 15 The
Skirmish with Collier and
Balfour
.
.
.
.
.
17 My
appointment from J. H.
Craigg
.
.
.
.
.
18 A
copy of the commission, I
gave
.
.
.
.
.
19 The
names of the different
Officers
.
.
.
.
.
19 Chatham
taken
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
24 The
Regulations of the
Loyalists
.
.
.
.
.
24 The
oath to the Loyalists
.
.
.
.
.
.
27 Engagement
with Col. Alston
.
.
.
.
.
.
27 Copy
of a parole
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 28 Major
Gage’s letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
29 Col.
Slingsby wounded
.
.
.
.
.
.
31 The
Engagement with Wade
.
.
.
.
.
.
31 McDougald
and McNeal join me
.
.
.
.
.
32 My
advertisement
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
32 Hillsborough
taken, (Gov. taken
prisoner)
.
.
.
.
33 Colo.
McNeal killed, and myself
wounded
.
.
.
.
34 Skirmish
with O Neal
.
.
.
.
.
.
34 J.
H. Craigg’s letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
36 Colo.
Edmund Fanning’s letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
37 Capt.
John Leggetts’ letters
.
.
.
.
.
.
37 Colo.
McDougal’s list of
Officers
.
.
.
.
.
37 Colo.
McNeal’s
do
do
.
.
.
.
.
.
37 The
Volunteers from
Wilmington
.
.
.
.
.
37 Different
skirmishes with
Rutherford’s men
.
.
.
.
38 Rebel
proclamation
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
39 &
Col. Isaacs from the
mountains
.
.
.
.
.
39 Skirmishes
with the Rebels
.
.
.
.
.
.
41 Golstone’s
House burnt and two
Rebels killed
.
.
.
.
41 Terms
required by me of the
Rebels
.
.
.
.
.
42 Williams
answer
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
43 Ramsey’s
Letters
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
44 Williams,
Burns, & Clarke’s
letter
.
.
.
.
.
45 Capt.
Linley murdered and two
men hanged for it
.
.
.
.
46 Col.
Alston came to me
.
.
.
.
.
.
46 My
articles presented again
.
.
.
.
.
.
47 General
Butler’s letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
49 Walker,
and Currie’s skirmishes
with the Rebels
.
.
.
.
50 Balfour
killed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
51 Bryan
Killed
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
51 Rebel
Commisary hanged
.
.
.
.
.
.
52 Capt.
Williams from Gov’r to
me
.
.
.
.
.
52 Griffith’s
Letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
53 Rosur
and Goldston’s letters
.
.
.
.
.
.
53 Capt.
Dugin’s and Guins
letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
54 The
answer from the Assemblay
.
.
.
.
.
55 Myself
married, & Capt.
Hooker killed
.
.
.
.
.
56 The
forged letters
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
57 My
answer in Major Rains
name
.
.
.
.
.
58 My
riding Mare taken
.
.
.
.
.
.
59 Hunter
and Williams letter
.
.
.
.
.
.
59 My
arrival in Charleston
.
.
.
.
.
.
61 The names of the gentlemen Committee in Char |