Overview of the campaign at the battle of King's Mountain 1780 - Essay Example

The Battle of King’s Mountain. The Battle of King’s Mountain. The Battle of King’s Mountain, fought on 7 October, 1780, was a decisive American victory in the Revolutionary War or the American War of Independence (1775-1783). It was the first major patriot victory after the successful British invasion of Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1780 under Lord Cornwallis. As Cornwallis prepared to launch the invasion of North Carolina, British Colonel Patrick Ferguson was dispatched with a force of about 800 American Loyalists to subdue the ‘Overmountain Men’ west of the Blue Ridge, who were patriots and harbored retreating rebels from the Battle of Camden.

Ferguson sent a warning to the frontiersmen: if they did not “desist from their opposition to the British army, and take protection under his standard, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword”1. The patriots responded by gathering a force of about 1,400 militiamen, with no formal military training, belonging to ten counties. Under the command of Col. William Campbell, of Washington County, Virginia, the Overmountain Men pursued Ferguson’s forces to King’s Mountain on the afternoon of 7 October.

The patriots divided forces into four columns, encircled the mountain and attacked the defensive position of the Loyalist forces on the exposed, rocky ridge. Using their skill in sharpshooting and moving under cover, learned in the frontiers wars, the patriots overwhelmed Fergusons’s forces and decisively won the battle in a little over one hour of combat. Accepted figures give the casualties as 225 Loyalists killed, 163 wounded and 716 captured, while only 28 Patriots were killed, including Colonel James Williams, and 68 wounded.

 The Battle of King’s Mountain was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Cornwallis retreated from Charlotte, North Carolina and was forced on the defensive. The patriots gained time to recoup and went on to win the war. Bibliography.Hankla, Mel. “Kings Mountain and its Hero’s.” American Historic Services. Last modified 2010. http://americanhistoricservices.com/html/kings_mountain.html