Existing comment:
God Save the King!
A battalion of loyal Americans stood battle-ready on the spine of Kings Mountain above you. Lord Cornwallis' powerful army had ground its way north from Charleston with an unbroken string of British victories. Throughout the summer of 1780, His Majesty's Inspector of Militia, Major Patrick Ferguson, had successfully convinced thousands of Carolina men to take up arms to defend the government under which they had been born and raised. Now Ferguson and 1,000 loyalists - one third of the King's army south of New York - had taken their stand on this ridge, primed to finish off the rebels gathering around them.
In the background of the marker are depictions of the Tory soldiers.
Most of the Tories who fought here came from the Carolinas. Just like the Whigs, they had no military uniforms. A green sprig of pine in their hats was their only identification.
Loyalists militia trained long hours to master handling Brown Bess muskets. Like their redcoat instructors, they expected their bayonets to carry the day on any battlefield.
Nine-tenths of Ferguson's force here were Carolina Tories.
Only about 120 provincial soldiers wore the redcoat here. These troops were men from Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey who had joined the British army early in the war. |