What Was Life Like In the Settlements?

A newly discovered Sevier cousin and I have been having a conversation regarding our family's history. An incident occurred during the Siege of Fort Caswell (Watauga) in July of 1776. This has made it's way into the history books on my family. I contend that people most likely gossiped about it. The Settlements, not so huge at that time, that people would likely exchange 'news'. She contends that the cabins were so far apart and moving so often was very difficult, that likely the incident never reached the ears of my sixth great-grandmother. That it was only after my sixth great-grandfather rose to fame, that people began to romanticize what happened between him and his second wife. As from what I've read, he was already on his way to fame in 1776. The Battle of Kings Mountain just pushed him further to the top of the heap. And put him in good position for his political aspirations in the not-too-distant future.

She also contends that the siege of '76 wasn't so unusual. That flies in the face of what I have read in my research. Did the Cherokee attack the Settlers on a fairly regular basis? Of course they did. But this was a full-on Siege, prompted by the British, no doubt. It was different from the previous skirmishes, I would guess. Pretty much a big deal. 500-600 Cherokee and Whites took part in the attack. They even broke into smaller groups to spread around the Settlements with the desire to drive the Settlers all the way back to the New River.

Does anyone know how life was? I do know people and people do gossip whether it's the right thing to do or not. What better way to slough off the terror of that very tense incident than some salacious gossip to distract them?

Also, I realize the cabins they built were cramped and rather crude. But, did they have dirt floors or were there any Puncheon floors in any of the cabins?

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Please, and thank you, in advance.