Battle of King’s Mountain
The Battle of King's Mountain, fought on October 7, 1780, was a significant confrontation during the American Revolutionary War, marking a turning point in the southern campaign. American militia forces, led by Colonel William Campbell and comprising troops from the Carolinas, Virginia, and Tennessee, decisively defeated British Loyalist forces under Major Patrick Ferguson. The battle took place on an open plateau, with Ferguson's troops initially leveraging musket and bayonet charges, but they ultimately faced overwhelming rifle fire from the American militia. The American forces effectively utilized the terrain to their advantage, resulting in heavy casualties for the British, who suffered around 200 killed and 700 captured. In contrast, American losses were considerably lower, with 28 killed and 62 wounded. This victory not only halted the British advance into North Carolina but also forced General Cornwallis to retreat, signaling a shift in momentum for the American patriots in the southern theater of the war. The battle is remembered for its strategic importance and the impact it had on the overall course of the Revolutionary War.
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Battle of King’s Mountain
Type of action: Ground battle in the American Revolution
Date: October 7, 1780
Location: King’s Mountain, South Carolina (forty miles west-southwest of Charlotte, N.C.)
Combatants: 1,100 British Loyalist militia and regulars vs. about 1,400 American patriot militia
Principal commanders:British, Major Patrick Ferguson (1744–1780); American, Colonel William Campbell (1745–1781)
Result: Americans destroyed Ferguson’s force
On October 7, 1780, British forces subduing the south suffered a major defeat when American patriot militia under Colonel William Campbell from the Carolinas, Virginia, and the Tennessee region combined forces at King’s Mountain. There, the Americans annihilated Major Patrick Ferguson’s Loyalists, protecting General Charles Cornwallis’s left flank as he advanced toward Charlotte, North Carolina. The American militia trapped Ferguson’s force atop King’s Mountain, an open plateau rising sixty feet with steep, heavily wooded sides. The rifle-armed Americans advanced up the mountain, using terrain well, and attacked about three in the afternoon. Ferguson’s troops, using musket and bayonet charges, drove attackers back only to face repeated assaults from regrouped riflemen. With his force steadily cut down by deadly frontier rifle fire and his position hopeless, Ferguson and a few followers attempted a breakthrough. A hail of bullets felled the British commander, ending the battle although Americans continued firing briefly at the despised, surrendering Loyalists. British casualties included about 200 killed, 160 wounded and about 700 prisoners. Americans lost 28 killed and 62 wounded.
Significance
American victory at King’s Mountain, which ended a string of British victories, forced Cornwallis to abandon his move into North Carolina and retreat to Winnsborough. It became a turning point of the revolution in the south.
Bibliography
Bailey, J. D. Commanders at King’s Mountain. Greenville, S.C.: A Press, 1980.
Draper, Lyman C. King’s Mountain and Its Heroes: A History of the Battle of King’s Mountain, October 7, 1780, and the Events Which Led to It. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1997.
Liberty: The American Revolution. Documentary. Middlemarch Films, 1997.
Lumpkin, Henry. From Savannah to Yorktown: The American Revolution in the South. New York: Paragon House, 1981.
Ward, Christopher. The War of the Revolution. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1952.
White, Katherine Keogh. The King’s Mountain Men: The Story of the Battle, With Sketches of the American Soldiers Who Took Part. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing, 1998.