Battle of Kings Mountain

"Fight Like Demons"
Before his men went into battle
at Kings Mountain, an American
officer urged them to "Shout like
Hell and fight like demons!" That
is exactly what they did, virtually
annihilating the British force of
Major Patrick Ferguson.

The Battle of Kings Mountain in South
Carolina was the beginning of the
end for British hopes of winning the
American Revolution.

The stage for the battle was set when
British Major Patrick Ferguson was
sent to defeat Patriot militia in the
Western Carolinas. As part of his
campaign, he warned the so-called
"Overmountain men" from today's
Tennessee to stay in their homes or
face "fire and sword." The strong-
willed frontiersmen took these as
"fighting words" and set out to take
care of Ferguson before he could take
care of them.

They cornered him and his command
of Tories (Americans fighting for the
British cause) on the crest of Kings
Mountain. Surrounding the mountain,
the Overmountain men attacked from
all sides and overwhelmed
Ferguson's force in less than two
hours. The major and 225 of his men
were killed. Another 163 were
wounded and 716 captured.

The American victory destroyed the
left wing of Lord Cornwallis' army on
the verge of his planned campaign
north to Virginia and his ultimate
defeat at Yorktown.

Kings Mountain National Military Park is
located between Spartanburg, South
Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina, just
off Interstate 85. To reach the park, turn off
the interstate at North Carolina Exit 2 and
then cross back over the state line following
South Carolina Highway 216.

The park includes a museum, monuments,
interpretive displays, walking trail around the
base of the mountain, the cairn covering the
grave of Major Ferguson and a large
monument atop the mountain.

Additional facilities are located at the
adjacent Kings Mountain State Park.