Posted on 05/06/2013 7:15:50 PM PDT by Pharmboy
Bert did a wonderful job on this, and look forward to seeing his future historical treks on his blog!
I’ve got four ancestors who fought at Kings Mountain. I’ve always wanted to visit.
Cool! I wish I was along for the trip.
Thanks for letting us come along vicariously.
Wow...that is quite impressive! I cannot believe you never told me this in all these years! The Parks Service did a very nice job here...definitely worth a trip there.
Now I know where you get your grit from...HA.
I bet the Dogwoods were magnificent.
Mt Laurel..
Got Pics?
I can get in the DAR 30 DIFFERENT ways.
Also have 2 ancestors that fought with the Swamp Fox.
Bert did not include any pics of the dogwoods, but click on the link then click on the pics for enlargements. Bert writes well and has a very good eye with the camera, too.
Thanks.
I would guess that you have a lot of Scottish Presbyterian blood flowing through your veins.
A few details to add: Ferguson and his Loyalist forces left Gilbert Town just ahead of the Overmountain Men because he’d been warned by two Loyalist spies who had disappeared, they were under suspicion as such. Due to the threat posed by this, Campbell, Cleveland and other leaders decided to split up and take separate routes down from Quaker Meadows, a risky move.
At Kings Mountain, Ferguson was quite the target, he was a dandy and a fop, that red feather. Many were trying to blow that infernal whistle out of his mouth, they hated it. The war as fought in the south was brutal and fairly barbaric, and there was something of a repayment in kind for Tarleton’s Quarter that isn’t talked about much. Ferguson swore he was king of that mountain and it would never be taken while he was alive. He was right.
Ferguson directly threatened these men because they’d been harrying and harrassing his forces in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina for some time. That, and many were former Regulators with a grudge going on a decade old. He knew who they were. Ferguson threatened by letter to come after them and burn them out and they believed he would do it, a fatal bit of bravado since they took the fight to him.
Thank you for filling in these facts. Excellent.
My fifth great grandfather was next door neighbors with Joseph Winston who commanded about 150 men from the Yadkin River area. I had four greats at King’s Mountain and two who guarded Loyalist prisoners of war who were imprisoned for a time in the fort at Moravian Old Town (Bethabara) while on the way to Hillsborough to stand trial.
Wow! a lot of memories here. I got my old photo album from up in the attic. Dated 1960, I have my record of the monument put up by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is of Patrick Ferguson, the redoubtable commander of the British forces. Adversary though he was, these good women saw fit to at least commemorate the man.
British myself, one has to accept this decisive battle in good grace. I was well versed by a kindly park authority on the results of the battle. He mentioned the charge of the British forces with fixed bayonets down the slope. It was a tactical mistake. I was surprised to learn that the British forces consisted of militia from Canada and and from New Jersey - forces loyal to King George.
Happily in once instance, the officer who took over on the death of Ferguson, Colonel De Peyster survived. He handed over his sword to the American commander. He found his way back to Scotland eventually. I am told the British were treated with civilized consideration. Sadly about nine local farmers were hanged for siding with the British, so I was told.
I was pleased to see the complete memorial list to the American dead and wounded on a monument. Very fitting. I believe 28 dead and 64 wounded. Ironically one of the wounded Americans bore my own surname.
Ah well, so it goes and thanks for reviving my memories of my excursions into the Southern United States.
The DAR, bless them, always gracious and honorable, even to those who were once enemies.
Ferguson was blown out of his saddle, his foot was caught in a stirrup and his panicked horse dragged his dead body around for a while, gaining quite a few more bullet holes in the process. The war had long since gotten ugly by then.
Not fitting material for a memorial, I suppose.
You’d guess correctly.
The last immigrant in my family tree arrived here in 1803. Indentured servant through the port of New Orleans. Everybody else was here before the Revolution.
More than a few watched the ‘boat people’ arrive...
The section you document near Lake James is just a couple of miles from my weekend retreat! In fact, it looks like the picture just above the bridge crossing Paddy Creek might have been taken within the “1780” community, where this home is located. A neighbor and friend in our lake community is an avid Revolutionary War historian, and extremely active in the group that builds, maintains and promotes the OVT.
SC ping
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