Battle of Kings Mountain. A distinguishing characteristic of this battle is that it was fought entirely by irregular, Loyalist and Patriot militia forces; the only regular soldier involved was the British commander Major Patrick Ferguson. General Cornwallis of the British was planning on flanking a Patriot camp. The battle went badly for the Loyalists positioned high on the mountain ridge, and during the fighting, Ferguson was shot from his horse. After tying up the horses, the soldiers formed in a horseshoe around the base of the mountain behind their leaders, who remained on horseback. Before leaving, he sent a message to the American militias on the other side of the Appalachian Mountains ordering them to cease their attacks or he would cross the mountains and "lay waste to … The Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, occurred on the 7th day of October, 1780, and resulted in the defeat of Lieutenant Colonel Ferguson, who commanded the royal forces, and the loss of his command, not one man escaping from the battle field. Banastre Tarleton suffered an 86% casualty rate and his brigade was almost completely wiped out. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston, SC in May 1780. A victory of Patriot militia over their Loyalist counterparts at the Battle of Kings Mountain in October had bought time, but most of South Carolina was still under British occupation. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780: With Fire and Sword (Classic Reprint) at Amazon.com. When Greene took command the southern army numbered only 2307 men (on paper, … Historian Jack Kelly wrote, “The small, but decisive Kings Mountain victory could not be attributed to … Overmountain Men and their families will come to life at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. Patriots heard about Patrick Ferguson and his camp on top of what we call Kings Mountain, and sent all kinds of militia to attack them. In the battle of Kings Mounty, he led the rear guard, as one of ten captains. The Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, was a decisive Patriot victory and a turning point of the war in the South during the American Revolution. Battle of Brandywine, (September 11, 1777), in the American Revolution, engagement near Philadelphia in which the British defeated the Americans but left the Revolutionary army intact. The battle at Kings Mountain was a Patriot victory! Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. The British general Sir William Howe was lured to Philadelphia in the belief that its large Tory element would rise up when joined by a British army and thus virtually remove Pennsylvania from the war. British leaders believed there was a very large number of Loyalists in the South, and they wanted to help them. On 7 October 1780, the two armies clashed during the Battle of King’s Mountain. Historians consider the Battle of Kings Mountain to be the "turning point in the South" in America's War for Independence. His name was Charles Word, Jr and he was a private in the North Carolina Militia. New Orleans3. My 6th great grandfathers is shown as dying at the Battle of Kings Mountain, but I cannot find him in the lists on other websites. By Peggy Beach. The Battle of Cowpens was a big victory for the Americans. King's Mountain and Its Heros: History of the Battle of King's Mountain, October 7th, 1780, and the Events Which Led to It, by Lyman C. Draper, LL. The rendezvous preparatory to this ever-memorable engagement was at Quaker Meadows, a plantation owned by the McDowell family in Burke County, near the present town of Morganton. I have seen a copy of the probate of his estate and it lists his place of death as Kings Mountain … Hear ye! Upon arriving at Kings Mountain, the Patriot soldiers dismounted. The Battle of King’s Mountain was a unique battle in the American Revolution. The Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, occurred on the 7th day of October, 1780, and resulted in the defeat of Lieutenant Colonel Ferguson, who commanded the royal forces, and the loss of his command, not one man escaping from the battle field. They sent an expeditionary force to Cape Fear, NC which would be under the command of Gen. Henry Clinton. A decisive patriot victory.This episode is one of the four of the "Decisive Battles : Frontier" series. The cause of the Battle of Kings Mountain was Robert Ferguson's loyalist group threatening residents of Kings Mountain. Thomson, 1881. Everyone else was an American, and those who chose to fight for King George III had chosen the losing side. Patrick Ferguson, a leader of the battle, was there to protect the flank. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Battle of Kings Mountain Establishing himself at Gilbert Town, North Carolina on September 7, Ferguson moved south three days later to intercept a militia force led by Colonel Elijah Clarke. Dated 1997. Kings Mountain2. The Kings Mountain museum tells the story of the Revolutionary backwoodsman and his place in the scheme of Americanism. The battle in which Col. Benjamin Cleveland gained his greatest renown was that fought at Kings Mountain, SC, on the 7th of October 1780. Here also is presented the story of the cultural, social, and economic background of the Kings Mountain patriots, as well as the details of the battle and its effect on the Revolution as a whole. Battle of Sullivan’s Island. This rear guard consisted of about 90 men, under his command. Collins and his fellow Americans received their orders before charging the mountain: “Fresh prime your guns, and every man go into battle firmly resolving to fight till he dies.” About 900 Overmountain Men assaulted Kings Mountain, where about 1,125 of Ferguson’s Loyalists encamped. The plateau of the mountain is in Cleveland County, NC. With the exception of one lone British officer, it was fought entirely between Americans; no British troops fought at King’s Mountain. 1. The American troops took minimal casualties, while the British suffered 110 deaths, 200 wounded, and over 700 captured soldiers. People. The battle of Kings Mountain was fought October 7th, 1780 and was an important American victory during the Revolutionary War. He was called into the battle within the first 20 minutes. Fallen Timbers4. King’s Mountain was a requiem for Tories throughout America. Following the Battle of Kings Mountain, he led an invasion that destroyed several Chickamauga towns in northern Georgia. He and his fellow captains had a complete victory over the British and Tory forces. Cincinnati: P.G. The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War.While they were present at multiple engagements in the war's southern campaign, they are best known for their role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. Battle of Bunker Hill Battle of Long Island Washington Crossing the Delaware Battle of Germantown The Battle of Saratoga Battle of Cowpens Battle of Guilford Courthouse Battle of Yorktown. The battlefield and park are in York County, SC. Citations The list from William Sevier's handwritten muster. Above the monument, King’s Mountain rises steeply, its rough terrain and tangled timber appearing all but impenetrable–particularly against volley-firing defenders and bayonet charges. It became known as the turning point of the war in the South, part of a chain of events leading to Patriot victory at Yorktown With his foot still in the stirrup, he was dragged to the rebel side. The Battle of Kings Mountain was fought October 7, 1780, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). For the reality of the Revolution played out on that Carolina ridge: The only British subject in the battle was Ferguson. Having shifted their focus south, the British achieved a decisive victory in May 1780 when they captured Charleston, SC.As the British pushed inland, the Americans suffered a string of defeats which allowed Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis to secure much of South Carolina. When the attack on the northwestern slopes opened against Ferguson, however, he … The basic facts about The Battle of King's Mountain speak for themselves, and need no interpretation: About 1,000 militiamen, the majority of them rough-hewn frontiersmen from "Overmountain" (west of the Blue Ridge) set out to bring down English Col. Patrick Ferguson and his troops, and on October 7th, 1780, and accomplished their goal—in only one hour. The Battle of King's Mountain was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in North America during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). And all correspondence from vistors to this website who have sent documentation of their ancestor's participation in the Battle of King's Mountain… The Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781, took place in the latter part of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution and of the Revolution itself. THE BATTLE BEGINS. King's Mountain and Its Heroes: History of the Battle of King's Mountain, October 7th, 1780, and the Events Which Led to It. October 7, 1780, near the North and South Carolina border. The year and date that the Battle of King's Mountain took place on Saturday, October 07, 1780. A summary of the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780. Hear ye! In the 1780s, Sevier served as the only governor of the State of Franklin , an early, unsuccessful attempt at statehood by the trans-Appalachian settlers. Kings Mountain proved to be another stinging defeat in the British attempt to secure control of the Southern colonies. D., copyright 1881. Their banking on Loyalist support once more failed. The victory achieved by brave fighting patriot frontiersmen, known as the Overmountain Men, This event will highlight the importance of the Washington County, Virginia militia and the Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780. 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