Existing comment:
This is marker indicating where Major Ferguson fell. The top of it says: "Here Col Ferguson Fell Oct 7 1780".
Another sign:
Major Ferguson Falls
The chaos of battle roared along this ridge top. Piercing the din of gunfire and wounded men's groans, Ferguson's silver whistle shrilled, rallying his Tories. Two horses were shot out from under him; Ferguson seemed to be everywhere at once.
While he was charging and slashing at the advancing Whigs, eight or nine rifle balls struck the major at the same time. His unusual "checkered duster" had made him an easy target. Ferguson fell from the saddle, his boot caught in the stirrup.
Fierce fighting continued as Captain Abraham DePeyster assumed command, but not for long. Minutes later, the King's men were laying down their arms as white flags fluttered here and there amid the swirling gunsmoke.
Four stunned loyalists untangled the major's boots from the stirrup, and propped him again a tree out of the line of fire. There men of both sides gathered to watched a legend die.
Patrick Ferguson, age 36, served his King with professional distinction as a soldier for 20 years in Europe, the West Indies, and North America. Renowned as the best marksman in the British army, he was a dynamic military recruiter and trainer in the Carolinas. His defeat here signified the end of any British hopes to win the war using Americans loyal to the Crown.
The son of Scottish gentry, Major Ferguson was the only Briton to fight at Kings Mountain. |