The info came from Captain Hinrich's diary. Captain Hinrich was among the jagers who accompanied Clinton & Cornwallis to Charleston, SC during the 1780 Campaign. His diary was reprinted by Univ. of Mich. under the title, "The Siege of Charleston." From page 351:
"Moss. Not because it is a valuable article of merchandise, but rather because of its usefulness in the household of the farmer and especially because of its decided oddity, I cannot help saying a few words about the moss which covers the trees in this region, especially the oaks. This moss is of a dark gray color. Drawing its nourishment from the bark, it grows on every branch and attains a length of two or three feet. A melancholy sight! Every tree, all nature seems to mourn for being buried here, pining and cursed! Then the sight of the black ground that looks burnt where it is not strewn with fallen needles - the color of misery all over. However, sad as is the sight thereof, it nevertheless is a charitable gift in a land where but little grass and feed grow, since this moss takes the place of fodder for sheep, horses, and cattle. A peculiar spectactle - to see cattle in the woods eating hay from the trees!
"The Indian uses it to prime his rifle, the gunner to prime his battery pieces, and the soldier for a bed. If rubbed till it loses its outer skin, one obtains a fine hair, which is used to upholster chairs, etc., etc., and is better than horsehair. About the middle of March the moss slowly begins to die away, starting on the outer branches, and by the end of April it has almost disappeared."
Don't know what type of moss there is in the Carolinas.