Kings Mountain
RETURN TO INDEXVictory: American
Troops: United States 900 - Great Britain 1,105
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took place on October 7, 1780, 9 miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina. In what is now rural Cherokee County, South Carolina, the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Regiment of Foot. The battle has been described as "the war's largest all-American fight". While Ferguson was en route to join Cornwallis, he learned that a large group of Patriots were following him. He turned the head of his command southward, making a deliberate hook maneuver onto a ridge line 36 miles west of Charlotte. There, he established his men in a defensive posture atop a ridge known locally as Kings Mountain. Ferguson sent out requests for reinforcements to Tarleton at Charlotte and Colonel Cruger at Fort Ninety-Six. Niether men were able to send any men to Ferguson. Ferguson was now isolated on Kings Mountain without any chance for reinforcements. On the morning of August 18, 1780, 200 mounted Patriot partisans under joint command of Colonels Isaac Shelby, James Williams, and Elijah Clarke prepared to raid a Loyalist camp at Musgrove's Mill, which controlled the local grain supply and guarded a ford of the Enoree River. Shelby's forces covered 60 miles with Ferguson in hot pursuit before making their escape.
The battle opened about 3 p.m., when the 900 Patriots (including John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett) approached the steep base of the western ridge. They formed eight detachments of 100 to 200 men each. Ferguson was unaware that the Patriots had caught up to him and his 1,100 men. No one in the Patriot army held command once the fighting started. Each detachment fought independently under the previously agreed-to plan to surround and destroy the Loyalists. After an hour of combat, Loyalist casualties were heavy. Ferguson rode back and forth across the hill, blowing a silver whistle he used to signal charges. Seeing their leader fall, the Loyalists began to surrender. Some Patriots did not want to take prisoners, as they were eager to avenge the Battle of Waxhaws or 'Tarleton's Quarter', in which Banastre Tarleton's forces killed a sizable number of Abraham Buford's Continental soldiers after the latter raised the white flag of surrender. The Battle of Kings Mountain lasted 65 minutes. The Patriots had to move out quickly for fear that Cornwallis would advance to meet them. 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 to die. Ferguson's corpse was later reported to have been desecrated and wrapped in oxhide before burial. Both victors and captives came near to starvation on the march due to a lack of supplies in the hastily organized Patriot army.
The battle opened about 3 p.m., when the 900 Patriots (including John Crockett, father of Davy Crockett) approached the steep base of the western ridge. They formed eight detachments of 100 to 200 men each. Ferguson was unaware that the Patriots had caught up to him and his 1,100 men. No one in the Patriot army held command once the fighting started. Each detachment fought independently under the previously agreed-to plan to surround and destroy the Loyalists. After an hour of combat, Loyalist casualties were heavy. Ferguson rode back and forth across the hill, blowing a silver whistle he used to signal charges. Seeing their leader fall, the Loyalists began to surrender. Some Patriots did not want to take prisoners, as they were eager to avenge the Battle of Waxhaws or 'Tarleton's Quarter', in which Banastre Tarleton's forces killed a sizable number of Abraham Buford's Continental soldiers after the latter raised the white flag of surrender. The Battle of Kings Mountain lasted 65 minutes. The Patriots had to move out quickly for fear that Cornwallis would advance to meet them. 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 to die. Ferguson's corpse was later reported to have been desecrated and wrapped in oxhide before burial. Both victors and captives came near to starvation on the march due to a lack of supplies in the hastily organized Patriot army.
