After the patriot's victory at the Battle of Camden, under the direction of Major Patrick Ferguson, British Provincials and Loyalist solders were sent to suppress Patriot activity in the mountains. Ferguson sent the Overmountain men a bold warning.
Captain John Sevier along with Colonel Isaac Shelby decided to combine their militia men and go after Ferguson at Kings Mountain.
"This force consisted of 240 Washington County militia commanded by Sevier, 240 Sullivan County militia commanded by Shelby, and 400 Virginians commanded by William Campbell." --- Wikipedia, Accessed February 17, 2017.
On October 7, 1780, almost a thousand patriots surrounded Ferguson and his army. A hail of patriot bullets hit Ferguson as he tried to break through Sevier's battle line. The Loyalist soldiers eventually surrendered.
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IMAGE CREDIT: The portrait of Captain John Sevier was painted by Thomas Kelly Pauley.
Standards
- 4.2.CE Examine the economic and political motivations for colonists to declare independence from Great Britain.
- 4.2.CX Contextualize South Carolina’s role in the development of the new nation.
- 8.2.CO Compare the motives and demographics of loyalists and patriots within South Carolina and the colonies.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the economic, political, and social motivations of the patriots and the loyalists in the era of the American Revolution.
- 8.2.CE Explain the economic, political, and social factors surrounding the American Revolution.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how the colonies began to unify to create a distinctive American identity over the course of events of the American Revolution.
- 8.2.CX Contextualize the roles of various groups of South Carolinians as the colonies moved toward becoming an independent nation.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the motivations of colonists during the American Revolution and the progression of conflict and failed compromise that ultimately led to revolution.
Resources
Major Patrick Ferguson | Kings Mountain
Major Patrick Ferguson was a Scottish officer who was trained loyalists in traditional British military techniques, especially the use of the bayonet. He earned the nickname “Bulldog” during his...
View AssetOvermountain Men | Kings Mountain
Overmountain men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains (now Tennessee) who fought in the Revolutionary War. When Major Patrick Ferguson led his amy into South Carolina, he...
View AssetColonel Isaac Shelby | Kings Mountain
Col. Isaac Shelby was from “over the mountain” in what is now Tennessee. He along with Elijah Clarke, leader of the Wilkes County, Georgia Militia and James Williams, leader of the Little River...
View Asset
