Existing comment:
Plaques on this memorial say a number of things:
To commemorate the victory of King's Mountain October 7, 1780. Erected by the Government of the United States to the establishment of which the heroism and patriotism of those who participated in this battle so largely contributed.
On this field, the patriot forces attacked and totally defeated an equal force of Tories and British regular troops. The British commander Major Patrick Ferguson was killed and his entire force was captured after suffering heavy loss. This brilliant victory marked the turning point of the American Revolution.
Various other signs:
Loyal Carolina Men
"So soon as Charleston fell, there was a proclamation for all to come forward... peace and pardon should be granted.... Vast numbers flocked in and submitted; some through fear, some through willingness, and others, perhaps, through a hope that all things would settle down and war cease." -- John Roberts, South Carolina patriot
Finding enemies on all sides, Major Ferguson called for a defensive ring facing outward along this quarter-mile-long ridge. Ninety percent of the Tories who fought here did not wear the King's redcoat. In the war-torn Carolina backcountry in 1780, allegiances were bitter, confused, and sometimes fluid. Some men did switch sides, even in the heat of the battle. After all, the foes firing uphill at them were their own neighbors -- and brothers.
Cross in a Crossfire
Hard pressed on every side, Ferguson's men fell back to their camp, which lay in the saddle of the ridge you see just ahead. As some Tories tried to surrender, bullets continued to pour into their ranks from all directions. Too late, they saw they were pinned down in a deadly crossfire.
Patriots rounding up Tory prisoners remembered how British Colonel Tarleton had ordered rebel prisoners taken at nearby Waxhaws to be killed in cold blood. Even as the heat of battle cooled atop Kings Mountain, few Tories were show mercy.
Ferguson's camp included tents and weapons for a thousand men, cattle, and horses, and 19 large baggage wagons. This encampment contained one-third of British military strength available in the South.
"The curses rebels Came upon us, killed and Took every Soul and So My Dear friends I bid you farewell for I am Started to the warm Country." -- Last entry in a loyalist's diary found on the battlefield |