Texaholic,

Charging a battery can be deceiving. The only true measure of charge is a check of specific gravity with a hydrometer.

Because your engine barely turned over, the choices would be low battery or bum starter. The hot ground cable could have been poorly bonded, but your starter was probably drawing 200 amps and that will create heat.

If the battery WAS properly charged and discharged by itself, you either has a high resistance short in your wiring or maybe a shorted plate in your battery.

I would charge the battery and make sure it was charged with a little cheapo hydrometer and give it another shot. If the doesnt' improve the starting speed, the starter might need a tune up.

I'm not sure it a stuck cutout relay in your voltage regulator would drain the battery without other obvious side effects...like a smoking generator.

Keep us posted.

Stuart