Kings Mountain: Patriot Militia Rout British Loyalists
Major Patrick Ferguson was the only British regular at the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780. His entire force of roughly 1,100 consisted of American Loyalists. The Patriot militia, about 900 'over-mountain men' from present-day Tennessee and Virginia, surrounded the forested ridge and attacked uphill from all sides. Ferguson refused to surrender, rallying his troops with a silver whistle. He was killed leading a breakout charge, shot from his horse by multiple riflemen. The battle lasted 65 minutes. Every Loyalist was killed, wounded, or captured. Cornwallis called it 'the first link in a chain of evils' and retreated into South Carolina, abandoning his invasion of North Carolina. Kings Mountain is often cited as the turning point of the war in the South.
October 7, 1780
246 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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