(voice-over) A production of... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (Mary Long) We are here at Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

It is here where, in 1780, the Overmountain Men started their 12-day march to South Carolina to engage British troops in battle at Kings Mountain.

The Battle of Kings Mountain is a very important story in the history of the American Revolution.

It is important to the people of South Carolina, because in 1780 the entire state, except one small portion, was completely dominated by the Tories under British officers.

The only area still fighting against the Tories and the British was known as the New Acquisition, which later became York County.

Groups of militia formed under elected colonels, and they were doing their best to harass the forces of the British army.

Help was coming, because men across the mountains in what is now Tennessee became very irritated by the proclamation of Patrick Ferguson, and in their own way, they responded.

(reenactor) This is a message from Patrick Ferguson... "Lay down your arms and cease opposition to the King, "or I'll march my army across the mountains and lay waste to your land with fire and sword."

Poppycock!

If he wishes a fight, then a fight he shall have!

(Long) Patrick Ferguson... an effective general with the British army during the American Revolution.

He intended to see that South Carolina, along with all other colonies in America, would return to the domination of the British government.

The war of the American Revolution gave birth to our nation.

Gradually, 13 British colonies became 13 American colonies.

They became self-sufficient by manufacturing... processing wheat, fish, tobacco, lumber, cloth, and other goods, which they traded with foreign countries.

Because of trade, the American colonies became less and less dependent on their mother country, England.

New freedom and economic growth were the result of their independence.

The British saw this as a threat and began to strengthen their control over the colonies economically and politically.

In 1775 began the battle for independence.

From Bunker Hill came the cry, "The shot that was heard around the world."

This war lasted for eight years.

From 1775 to 1779, many American forces fell to the British, but in 1780 the Battle of Kings Mountain marked a turning point in this revolution.

In this engagement, Patrick Ferguson and his Loyalist forces were defeated by the Patriot forces.

American soldiers and militiamen were thankful for this victory and grateful for the Overmountain Men who marched from Sycamore Shoals to Kings Mountain to aid in the fight for freedom.

(reenactor) The Scotch-Irish had settled on the western frontier, which this area was in the 1780s.

They were experiencing freedom and self-government that they had never dreamed possible.

When Major Ferguson's threat came that he would destroy them, their land, this freedom, that challenge was more than they could imagine not throwing back a challenge to.

(Long) They wanted to stop him.

I think that's the reason.

They were about to lose something they had no intentions of giving up.

So they walked or rode horseback for-- they began on September 25, 1780, I believe.

How long was the trail and how difficult?

The trail was approximately 185 miles from Sycamore Shoals, here on the Catawba where they mustered from.

If you add the distance from here to the Abingdon, Virginia, area, the men that marched from Abingdon to muster here, you're talking about, probably, 220 miles.

(Long) Was this Indian trails, or were they breaking trail as they went along?

(reenactor) These were primarily routes that were well known.

The trail from Virginia to this area was used commonly by settlers and people moving back and forth from this area.

The trail from here to Kings Mountain was the Bright's Trace trail.

This is a trail the settlers had used.

It was originally a buffalo trail.

The Indians had used it, and the settlers used it in coming and going from the Carolinas from the tidewater area back across the mountain.

This trail they used in going to Kings Mountain was a well established route known, probably, by most all the frontier people.

(Long) I see, but they were chasing Ferguson, so there was no intention to battle at Kings Mountain.

Is that correct?

They were just going to find him.

(reenactor) That's correct.

They had no idea until they were at the South Carolina line before they knew where Major Ferguson was camped.

At any point between here and there, as far as they knew, when they left Sycamore Shoals, they could have encountered Ferguson's army.

(Long) The Overmountain Men were frontiersmen... hunters, pioneers, farmers who cleared their land from virgin timber.

They laid down the plowshare for the sword...literally.

No uniformed army was this, but a battalion of volunteers wearing their own clothing of homespun and buckskin, fighting as they did in their mountains.

(Long) Mr. Stansbury, earlier you mentioned two points of military protocol that occurred here at Sycamore Shoals.

Please tell me about those.

(Stansbury) Well, it was really lack of military protocol, I think, because there was no United States Army military assistance of any kind.

This was something the men decided to do on their own.

They furnished their own equipment and decided to attack Ferguson rather than let him get into this part of the country and cause damage to the families.

(Long) I believe there was a roll call of men from Happy Valley, a part of this county a little to the south of us.

Would you tell me a little bit about that?

(Stansbury) Yes... it's in this county.

Every able-bodied man showed up ready to go to Kings Mountain.

They made every eighth man fall out and go back home to protect the families from Indians.

(Long) Would this be the first military draft in what is now the United States?

(Stansbury) As far as I know, it was, and the fact that it was in reverse was different than any draft we've seen since.

(Long) The men mustered here at Sycamore Shoals.

What path did they follow to arrive at Kings Mountain?

(Stansbury) Generally, they went over three ranges of mountains.

First, they went over Yellow Mountain, which was the highest altitude they went over, around 4,800 feet.

Then they went over the Blue Ridge, down into another valley, then over Linville Mountain.

When they hit the flats over Linville Mountain, it was pretty flat traveling the rest of the way to Kings Mountain.

(Long) I noticed they made this entire trek of over 100 miles in ten days.

Is that correct?

(Stansbury) Twelve days from Sycamore Shoals, although one of the days they didn't travel at all.

There were no wagons.

As far as we know, there were no tents.

Each man had his own bedroll, and they found what shelter they could all the way across.

Overhanging rocks, uh.... (Long) The trees, the large rocks?

(Stansbury) The trees, the rocks would be the main thing.

Other than any rock they could get under, there really was not much shelter.

(Long) On September 26, 1780, under the leadership of their elected officers, John Sevier, Isaac Shelby, and William Campbell of Virginia, the Overmountain Men left Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, and began a 150-mile trek over some of the most difficult mountain terrain in the Appalachians.

They encountered snow, icy mountain streams, slippery rocks that cut through their shoes and moccasins as they traversed muddy mountain paths.

They had one hot meal a day and followed it with scant hours of sleep under overhanging rocks, in hollow trees, or under whatever shelter could be found.

Along the way they were joined by troops from North Carolina under their elected colonels... McDowell, Winston, Chronicle, and others.

Through high mountain passes and narrow valleys they came to protect their freedom in a forced march that continued for 12 weary days.

Mountains are strong, enduring, challenging, but so were the mountain men who were determined to trap Major Patrick Ferguson in October 1780 and end the threat to their homes and families.

Crossing into South Carolina, they were joined by troops under the command of Colonels Lacey, Hill, and Williams.

Through a cold and rainy night, they silently advanced eastward toward their long-awaited encounter with Major Patrick Ferguson.

From the frontier of what is now southwest Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, came the Overmountain Men, trying to capture the position of Patrick Ferguson.

Scouts had gone ahead to inform the militia from South Carolina that they were on the march, and information came to all of the men that Ferguson had made an encampment on the highest point of the area, what is now known as Kings Mountain.

Patriot scouts were very clever in discovering information.

Prior to the battle two scouts intercepted a black servant who was taking Ferguson his breakfast.

They relieved the servant of the basket of food.

The servant cheerfully returned to his quarters, and the scouts, for the first time in many days, enjoyed a good, hot meal.

Major Ferguson went hungry!

In chasing him, the Patriots had faced a night of rain.

They had not stopped for food, and it was a very grim and determined group of men who encircled Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780.

I have a map here explaining the deployment of troops.

The Overmountain Men, Shelby, Sevier, Campbell, were in this general area.

The South Carolina Militia joined the troops under Cleveland, Lacey, Hawthorne, and Chronicle in the northeast area.

Finally, everything was ready.

Ferguson knew that they were there.

He drew up by blowing his silver whistle, his British and Tory troops in straight lines with bayonets pointed, but the Patriots fought the guerilla fight, hiding behind trees and rocks and whatever cover they could find.

(male reenactor) Something not often mentioned about the Battle of Kings Mountain was the unorthodox way that it was fought compared to other battles fought during the Revolution, especially on the part of the enemies of Ferguson.

Major Ferguson, as you say, had a group of hand-picked and hand-trained Tories, that were trained in the fashion of the British army.

They were trained and disciplined like the British army, like the regulars, the Redcoats, that were sent over here.

On the other hand, they were being attacked by these backwoods riflemen, which, as I said earlier-- primarily, their main training had been against Indians in skirmishes.

(Long) With shrieks and shouts and much musketry, the battle began.

(reenactor) Colonel Sevier made a statement at this point.

He made a statement just before it started.

He said, "When the battle starts, boys, each of you is your own general."

He knew that these men were expert at fighting in the woods.

He knew there was no reason to command them to do anything or tell them anything once it started.

(Long) Colonel Edward Lacey of South Carolina yelled the command for the battle to begin.

He was accorded this honor by Colonel Campbell because he had organized the South Carolina regiments and had been first to give Colonel Campbell the exact location of Ferguson's encampment.

It was a very bloody battle.

Sometimes the Patriots had to rush up mountainsides, equal to 100 feet, others 200 according to the lay of the land that they were deployed about.

(reenactor) They surrounded the hill, and when they opened fire on the British, of course, the British reverted to their standing linear tactic, firing volleys just like a machine, one volley right after another.

In this case, these men were behind trees, behind rocks, behind any cover they could find.

(Long) In a highly vulnerable position, Ferguson's men were easily shot down by the Patriot forces.

Tory troops encircled the top of Kings Mountain, and from the lower slopes, the mountain men could see them framed against the October sky.

The battle tactics employed by the Patriots and their excellent marksmanship with the frontier rifle gave them an added advantage.

(reenactor) The American Revolution was fought with a smoothbore musket That was the standard military weapon of that day.

Rifles were used few times in the American Revolution, but at Kings Mountain practically all of the men from the backwoods were carrying rifles.

They were hunters and frontiersmen, rather than regular soldiers, or even regular militia.

(Long) The battle was a bloody but brief affair, lasted one hour and five minutes.

Though the Tories attempted to surrender a number of times, Major Patrick Ferguson refused to accept defeat, and the end came only after he was shot.

(reenactor) He was trying to muster his men.

His Tories had attempted to surrender several times.

Some tied bandannas to their bayonets on their muskets, and Ferguson would ride along and kick the musket from their hand.

He would not tolerate defeat.

He ran to the end of the hill and spun his horse around blowing his silver officer's whistle to rally his men, and he fell from the saddle with approximately seven rifle bullets in his body when he fell.

They removed him from the saddle where he had fallen part of the way, with one foot caught in the stirrup, propped him against a tree, and there, Major Ferguson expired.

The rest of his men stacked their weapons, put their hands on their head, and surrendered to the Patriot backwoodsmen.

(Long) After the battle was over, the area was covered with the dead and wounded.

There was a doctor with the Tory troops.

He remembered his Hippocratic Oath as being more important than political commitments and he tended the wounded on both the Patriot and the Loyalist, or Tory, side.

There was a man from the frontier, a Mr. John Moore, who unfortunately was so wounded that a leg had to be amputated.

The people of the area came to help the wounded.

Mr. Moore was taken to a home of a nearby farmer.

When the Overmountain Men went back, Mrs. Moore was informed that her husband was wounded but still lived.

On horseback she came to this area, found him, bought a wagon, took him home, nursed him back to health, and Mr. Moore lived to be a very elderly gentleman.

Nearby on a farm lived the McDowells, and a Mrs. McDowell and her daughter were known to come to the battlefield to help the wounded, to bring water and foodstuffs so that the men of the Patriot forces could recoup themselves and begin the long march home.

Ferguson was found at the top of Kings Mountain with seven bullet holes in him.

He had worn a checked hunting shirt over his uniform.

Records say that at the very end on his white horse, he was left-handed so his sword was in his left hand-- he led a charge down the mountain and in this charge, he was killed.

It's not known to this day whether he was trying to escape or to lead his troops in that general area.

After the white flags went up and the bullets stopped, Ferguson and almost all of the Loyalist troops had been wounded or killed.

After his death, Ferguson's silver whistle, his watch, and pieces of his clothing were taken as souvenirs by the men of the Patriot army as a small memento of that terrible, terrible day.

We are at the grave of Colonel Patrick Ferguson, by the cairn which covers the mass grave.

It's covered with rocks, a suitable monument to a gentleman born in Scotland.

In front of it is a beautiful stone monument in his honor, which calls him a gentleman "of military distinction and of honor," and indeed, he was.

He was a good servant of the Crown, had served in many military campaigns, but unfortunately, he was an unhappy man.

He felt that he had been passed over in rank by others who were not as competent as he, and it is recorded that he was thoroughly disgusted with his Tory troops, feeling they weren't as well disciplined and as well trained as the regular British troops.

During his lifetime he did many interesting things.

He invented the Ferguson breech-loading rifle, which was very important as a military instrument.

Here at the Battle of Kings Mountain on the crest of the hill, there were three women within the British encampment... Virginia Sal, Virginia Paul, and a woman from Burke County.

Virginia Sal had accompanied Ferguson on his latter campaigns, and she was killed during the battle.

She was buried in the common grave with Ferguson and his men.

It's recorded that Virginia Paul, the day after the battle, went around the encampment singing and doing her work as if nothing untoward had happened the day before.

The woman from Burke County had a very sharp tongue.

As Ferguson and his men passed her home, she let them know exactly what she thought of them, and of the British and Tory forces.

In order to hush her up, they simply kidnapped her and brought her along so she would help with the work around the camp.

After the battle was over, she returned to her home in Burke County and, we hope, had a long and happy life.

Now, not far from here in this general direction, the volunteer militia of South Carolina, men from York and Chester County, were deployed under Colonels Lacey, Hill, and Williams, and in this general direction was a detachment of men from the south fork of the Catawba River in Lincoln County under Major William Chronicle.

Chronicle was a very dashing officer.

His men adored him.

They would have followed him anywhere.

They fought brilliantly in this engagement, but unfortunately, Chronicle was killed, one of the few fatalities among the Patriot forces.

He was buried here on Kings Mountain.

He was 25 years old.

The colonels of the South Carolina Militia are very interesting men.

Edward Lacey, born in Pennsylvania, ran away from home and joined the army when he was 13 years old.

His father brought him back, but at 16 he again ran away from home, came to Chester, bound himself to a bricklayer, and received a very good English education.

He was married 1776, and he and his wife made a home six miles west of Chester.

He was a brilliant leader.

He fought in every campaign of the Patriot forces, and we find him a magnificent leader at Kings Mountain.

William Hill was an ironmaster whose ironworks, foundry, and forge were not far from here.

He made articles for the farm and for the home, as well as casting cannon and cannonball.

When the British came through under Christian Hook, everything he possessed was burned by the British, but that didn't stop him.

He kept fighting in every campaign.

He was wounded in his sword and rifle arm in the Battle of Hanging Rock.

Unfortunately, with his arm in a sling, he was not able to participate personally in the Battle of Kings Mountain, although his leadership was very, very apparent.

James Williams...interesting gentleman from Ninety Six, a very peaceful farmer whose area saw the first blood of the Revolution in South Carolina.

He and his wife, with a wagon and a few possessions, had to flee for their lives.

Unfortunately, Williams never forgot the burning, the theft, the terrible moments when the British came through Ninety Six.

This must have influenced his desire to send men, horses, material back to that area, because, through some of his ideas, he and Lacey never liked each other.

When the Battle of Kings Mountain was approaching, Lacey and Hill assumed leadership of Sumter's army.

Williams had been made a brigadier general in North Carolina by Governor Rutledge of South Carolina and insisted that he be the leader.

The men would not follow him, so Williams, in a huff, led a small group of men near here and encamped alone.

Hill realized that they needed organization.

He and Lacey invited two groups of North Carolinians to join them, then Lacey went to the encampment of the Overmountain Men.

On the way, he was captured as a spy, blindfolded, taken to their camp, where he had to prove that he was a loyal Patriot.

He was able to give them the precise location of Patrick Ferguson so that they were able to come together at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Unfortunately, Williams was shot just as Ferguson died.

As the first flags went up for the surrender, Williams, saying, "For God's sake, boys, don't give up the hill," realized before his death that the battle had been won.

In our history books, this battle is considered to be the turning point of the American Revolution, but the men who fought here didn't know that.

Our South Carolina colonels-- a bricklayer, an ironmaster, and a farmer-- all wanted to go home, look after their businesses, tend to their property, care and protect their families.

The Overmountain Men were needed again in the Watauga settlements.

These men were not paid, they were cold, they wore their own clothing, they were volunteers, but they came together here because the British must be defeated in order to preserve a few simple words... freedom, liberty, democracy.

We take these words for granted, but here at Kings Mountain they were fought for... and won!

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