Battle of Kings Mountain

Battle of Kings Mountain
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date October 7, 1780 Location Near Blacksburg, South Carolina Kings Mountain, North Carolina Result Decisive American victory[1]
Belligerents
United States	Loyalist militia
Commanders
James Johnston (Colonel), William Campbell, John Sevier, Frederick Hambright (Hambrecht), Joseph McDowell, Benjamin Cleveland, James Williams†, Isaac Shelby, Joseph Winston, William Chronicle (Major)†	Patrick Ferguson (Major)†, Abraham DePeyster (Captain)
Strength
900 (+500 nearby)	1,100 (+200 nearby)
Casualties and losses
29 killed 58 wounded[2]	290 killed 163 wounded 668 captured[2]

The Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780, was a decisive Patriot victory in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Frontier militia loyal to the United States overwhelmed the Loyalist American militia led by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. In The Winning of the West, Theodore Roosevelt wrote of Kings Mountain, "This brilliant victory marked the turning point of the American Revolution." Thomas Jefferson called it, "The turn of the tide of success." Herbert Hoover's address at Kings Mountain said, "This is a place of inspiring memories. Here less than a thousand men, inspired by the urge of freedom, defeated a superior force intrenched in this strategic position. This small band of patriots turned back a dangerous invasion well designed to separate and dismember the united Colonies. It was a little army and a little battle, but it was of mighty portent. History has done scant justice to its significance, which rightly should place it beside Lexington, Bunker Hill, Trenton and Yorktown."^[3]

Prelude to battle

Maj. Ferguson was appointed Inspector of Militia on May 22, 1780. His tasking was to march to Tryon County, North Carolina, raise and organize Loyalist units from the Tory population of the Carolina Back Country, and protect the left flank of Lord Cornwallis' main body at Charlotte, North Carolina.^[4][5] On September 2 he and what militia he'd already recruited marched west, heading for the Appalachian Mountains hill country along the Tennessee/North Carolina border.^[6] By September 10 he had established a base camp at Gilbert Town, North Carolina and issued a challenge to the Patriot leaders to lay down their arms or he would, "Lay waste to their country with fire and sword."^[7]

North Carolina Patriot militia leaders Isaac Shelby and John Sevier met after receiving Ferguson's "fire and sword" message and agreed to lead their militia against him. They sent a message to Virginia militia leader William Campbell to join them.^[8] William Campbell, in turn, called on Benjamin Cleveland to bring his North Carolina militia to join the rendezvous.^[9] The detachments of Shelby, Sevier and Campbell were joined by 160 North Carolina militia led by Charles McDowell and his brother Joseph.^[9] William Campbell's cousin Arthur brought 200 more Virginians.^[10] Some 1,100 volunteer "Overmountain Men" (so named because they had crossed over to the far side of the Appalachians to settle) from southwest Virginia, western North Carolina, and northeast Tennessee mustered at the rendezvous at Sycamore Shoals near present day Elizabethton, Tennessee on September 25, 1780. During the next morning of September 26, the Overmountain Men crossed over Roan Mountain and proceeded in a southernly direction for about thirteen days in anticipation of encountering the British Loyalist force. By Sept. 30 they had reached Quaker Meadows, the Burke County, North Carolina home of the McDowell brothers, where they were joined by Benjamin Cleveland bringing 350 men.^[11] Now 1400 strong, they marched south to South Mountain, North Carolina,^[12] The five colonels leading the Patriot force (Shelby, Sevier, William Campbell, Joseph McDowell and Cleveland) then named Cleveland the nominal commander but agreed that all five would act in council to command their pickup army.^[13]

Meanwhile, two deserters from the Patriot force reached Patrick Ferguson and informed him that a large body of militia was advancing towards him. After waiting three days for reasons that remain unclear, Ferguson elected to retreat back to Lord Cornwallis and the British main body in Charlotte, meanwhile sending a message to Cornwallis asking for reinforcement. The message did not reach Cornwallis until it was too late. On October 1 Ferguson reached North Carolina's Broad River, where he issued another pugnacious public letter, calling for local militia to join him lest they be "pissed upon by a set of mongrels" (the Over Mountain Men).^[14]

The Patriot militia chasing Ferguson reached his former camp at Gilbert Town on Oct. 4.^[15] Thirty Georgian partisans joined their camp, looking for action.^[16] On October 6, by which time they had reached Cowpens, South Carolina (soon to be the site of another famous battle), they received word from local sympathizers that Ferguson was east of them, heading towards Charlotte and Cornwallis. They would have to hurry to catch him.^[17] Rebel spies reported that Ferguson was making camp atop Kings Mountain with some 1500 men.^[18] The intelligence was accurate. Ferguson, rather than pushing on until he reached Charlotte and safety, just a day's march away, camped out at Kings Mountain and sent Cornwallis another letter asking for reinforcements (again, too late).^[19] Kings Mountain was one of many rocky forested hills in the upper Piedmont near the border between North and South Carolina. It is shaped like a footprint with the highest point at the heel, a narrow instep, and a broad rounded toe.

Needing to make haste, the Patriot militia put some 900 picked men on horseback and made for Kings Mountain.^[20] They set out immediately, marching through the night of the 6th and morning of the 7th. It rained all night and through the morning. By sunrise on the 7th, they were fording the Broad River, fifteen miles from Kings Mountain.^[21] By early afternoon they had reached their goal, whereupon they surrounded Kings Mountain and attacked.^[22]

Battle

Tactical map of the battle, red being the Loyalists and black being the Patriots

The battle opened on October 7, 1780, around 3 pm^[23] when 900 Patriots (including John Crockett, the father of Davy Crockett), approached the steep base of Kings Mountain. The rebels formed eight groups of 100 to 200 men. Ferguson, completely unaware that the rebels had caught up to him, was at the top of the mountain with some 1100 men. Ferguson was the only Briton in his command, which consisted entirely of Loyalist militia. He had made no fortifications.^[24] As the screaming Patriots charged up the hill, Captain DePeyster turned to Ferguson and said "These things are ominous--these are the damned yelling boys!".^[23] Two parties, led by Colonels John Sevier and William Campbell, assaulted the 'high heel' of the wooded mountain, the smallest area but highest point, while the other seven groups, led by Colonels Shelby, Williams, Lacey, Cleveland, Hambright, Winston and McDowell attacked the main Loyalist position by surrounding the 'ball' base beside the 'heel' crest of the mountain. ^[25] They caught the Loyalists by surprise; Tory officer Alexander Chesney admitted that he didn't know the Patriots were in the vicinity until the shooting started.^[26]

No one amongst the Patriot army was in command once the fighting commenced; each group fought independently in accordance with the plan to surround and destroy the Loyalists.^[27] The Patriots crept up the hill and fired on the Loyalists from behind rocks and trees. Ferguson rallied his troops and launched a bayonet charge against Campbell and Sevier's men. With no bayonets of their own, the rebels retreated down the hill and into the woods. Campbell rallied his troops, returned to the base of the hill, and resumed firing. Ferguson launched two more bayonet charges during the course of the battle. This became the pattern of the battle all around the Loyalist position; the Tories would form and charge with bayonets, driving whatever Patriots they found down the hill, whereupon the Tories would withdraw and the Patriots would reform and charge.^[28] During one of the charges, Colonel Williams was killed and Colonel McDowell wounded. However, after each charge the Patriots returned to the base of the hill and resumed firing. It was hard for the Loyalists to find a target because the Patriots were constantly moving using cover and concealment. Additionally, the downhill angle of the hill caused the Loyalists to overshoot.^[29]

After an hour^[30] of combat, Loyalist casualties were heavy. Ferguson rode back and forth across the hill, blowing a silver whistle he used to signal charges. Shelby, Sevier and Campbell reached the top of the hill behind the Loyalist position and attacked Ferguson's rear. The Loyalists were driven back into their camp at the toe of the hill, where they began to surrender. Ferguson drew his sword and hacked down the white flags that he saw popping up, but the end was near. Finally Ferguson gathered a few officers together and attempted to cut through the Patriot ring, but Sevier's men fired a volley and Ferguson was shot dead from his horse.^[31] When the Rebels found his corpse they counted seven bullet wounds.^[32]

Seeing their leader fall, the Loyalists began to surrender. Capt. Abraham DePeyster, in command after Ferguson was killed, asked for quarter. Eager to avenge the Waxhaw Massacre, where Banastre Tarleton's men had killed Abraham Buford's Patriot soldiers after the latter had surrendered, the rebels did not initially want to take prisoners. The Patriots rejected DePeyster's white flag and continued firing. Rebels continued firing and shouted, "Give 'em Tarleton's Quarter!" and "Give them Buford's play!". After a few more minutes of bloodletting, DePeyster sent out a second white flag and Rebel officers took control,^[33] giving quarter to around 700 Loyalists.

Aftermath

The Battle of Kings Mountain lasted 65 minutes.^[34] The Loyalists suffered 244 killed, 163 wounded, and 668 taken prisoner. The Patriot militia suffered 29 killed and 58 wounded. The Rebels had to move out quickly for fear that Cornwallis would advance to meet them.^[35] Loyalist prisoners well enough to walk were herded to camps several miles from the battlefield. The dead were buried in shallow graves and wounded were left on the field. Both victors and vanquished came near to starvation on the march due to a lack of supplies in the hastily organized Patriot army.^[36]

On October 14, the retreating Patriot force held drumhead courtmartials of various Loyalists on various charges (treason, desertion from Patriot militias, incitement of Indian rebellion), mostly due to a desire for revenge. Thirty-six Loyalists were convicted and nine were hanged before Isaac Shelby brought an end to the proceedings.^[37] At least 100 Loyalist prisoners escaped before the column finally reached camp at Salem, North Carolina.^[38]

Kings Mountain was a pivotal moment in the history of the American Revolution. Coming after a series of disasters and humiliations in the Carolinas--the fall of Charleston and capture of the American army there, the destruction of another American army at the Battle of Camden, the Waxhaws Massacre--the surprising, decisive victory at Kings Mountain was a great boost to Patriot morale. The Tories of the Carolina Back Country were broken as a military force.^[39] Additionally, the destruction of Ferguson's command and the looming threat of Patriot militia in the mountains caused Lord Cornwallis to cancel his plans to invade North Carolina, evacuate Charlotte and retreat to South Carolina.^[40] He would not return until early 1781, when he was chasing Nathanael Greene after the Americans had dealt British arms another devastating defeat at the Battle of Cowpens.

In 1931, the Congress of the United States created the Kings Mountain National Military Park on the site of the battle. The park headquarters is in Blacksburg, South Carolina, and hosts hundreds of thousands of people each year.^[41]

Footnotes

References

• Buchanan, John (1997). The Road To Guilford Court House: The American Revolution in the Carolinas. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471327166. 
• Dameron, J. David (2003). Kings Mountain: The Defeat of the Loyalists, October 7, 1780. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306811944. 
• Howard, Kate (July 4, 2006). "Kings Mountain Messenger' bravery remembered by few". The Tennessean. 
• Russell, C. P. (July 1940). "The American Rifle: At the Battle of Kings Mountain". The Regional Review (Richmond, Va: National Park Service, Region One) V (1): 15–21. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/popular/12/ps12-2.htm. 
• Sweeney, Bob (January 18, 2004). "Overmountain Victory Organization the Patriot Army at King's Mountain". http://www.overmountainvictory.org/army.htm. 
• Ward, Christopher War of the Revolution 2 Volumes, MacMillan, New York, 1952

External links

• Roan Mountain (Tennessee) Citizens Club - Overmountain Men Celebration
• Georgia Participants at Kings Mountain (offered by Georgia Society, Sons of the American Revolution)

Coordinates: 35°07′10″N 81°23′37″W / 35.11935°N 81.39359°W / 35.11935; -81.39359