Battle of King's Mountain

The Battle of King's Mountain was fought on October 7, 1780 in present day Cherokee, South Carolina. The battle was part of the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. The British Army had been in the Southern Colonies for many days, leading up to the battle. The Patriots, however, marched to Sycamore Shoals, in present day Elizabethton, Tennessee, where they mustered. Benjamin Cleveland and William Campbell were the leaders of the militia. They were joined by Campbell's cousin, Arthur, and his "Overmountain Men." The Patriots thought they could surprise the British, but two deserters found the British commander, Patrick Ferguson, and let him know what was happening. The Patriots wanted to get to King's Mountain first, so that they would have the strategic advantage of being in an elevated position. As a result of the deserters filling the British in on their plans, the British were first in getting to King's Mountain. They made their camp on the highest point, known as King's Pinnacle. The Patriots, thinking that they could get there first, marched all night. Once they got there, they found the British had already arrived. They decided to surround the ridge, therefore trapping the enemy on the mountain. The numbers for each army were fairly even. The Patriots had 900, where the British had 1,100. The British had no idea that the Patriots had caught up to them. Cleveland and Campbell divided their men into eight detachments of 100-200 each. Just after three o' clock in the afternoon, they charged up the mountain. No single man in the Continental Army was ever in command. The goal was simply to assault the British. British accounts state that the "men did not know that anyone was near, until the first shots were fired." By the time the British knew what was happening, it was too late. The Patriots were able to use trees, bushes, and rocks to their advantage. As a result the British had a hard time taking effective shots. After approximately an hour of fighting, the British casualties were so high, that they were forced to surrender. Among the casualties were British commander Patrick Ferguson. There were some Patriots that refused to accept the British's surrender. They shot at the white flags, and simply shot men just because they wanted to take no prisoners. By the time all the chaos was over, the British had 290 killed, 163 wounded, and 668 taken prisoner. The Patriots only lost 28, with 60 wounded. The Battle of King's Mountain was a very lopsided affair. Historians today firmly believe that this battle was the turning point in the American Revolution, as it led Britain's Lord Cornwallis to, throw out his plans to invade North Carolina. The following battle at Cowpens further weakened the British forces in the Southern Colonies. Without victory at King's Mountain, the American Revolution could have gone much differently.

King's Mountain Battle Map

In 1931, the United States Government created the King's Mountain National Military Park, in Blacksburg, South Carolina. The photo shows the monument at the top of King's Mountain. 

The author is proud to have a relative who fought at the Battle of King's Mountain. His name is Thomas Gribble, and he was a private in Benjamin Cleveland's regiment. He is the author's fifth great grandfather.

Come back next week for another Throwback Thursday blog post courtesy of Moore Historical Consulting. Put me to work for you!!