The American Revolution was filled with campaigns and battles which the American colonists lost to the British but the great triumphs that the patriots did win were great indeed. They were the decisive battles: Trenton, Saratoga and Yorktown, etc. Another decisive battle which deserves mention alongside conflicts such as Saratoga and Bunker Hill, is King’s Mountain, fought in 1780. The Southern colonies: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia were embattled in the later part of the War for American Independence. The British had invaded Georgia first and their campaign through the South would eventually lead them to Yorktown. Savannah had fallen, Charleston had fallen, the Americans had been routed at Camden and massacred at Waxhaws in South Carolina and now Lord Cornwallis was prepared to move his army into North Carolina. He counted on the support of Loyalists and these were commanded by Patrick Ferguson. Ferguson’s Loyalist militia were tasked with defending the flank of Cornwallis’ army around Charlotte.
Another militia was also forming. A group of North Carolinian and Virginian patriots were gathering a fighting force in western North Carolina consisting of American militiamen from the North Carolina and Virginia piedmonts, as well as “Overmountain Men” from what is now Tennessee. The combined force was commanded by William Campbell. The American force set out to track down Ferguson’s Loyalist army. They found Ferguson and his Tories camped out on King’s Mountain, on the border between North Carolina and South Carolina.
Suddenly, without any warning, the Americans attacked. Ferguson was caught completely off guard. The British were unaware of the very presence of the Patriot militia until they were being fired upon. The surprise attack shook the Loyalist forces decisively. The Americans charged up the mountain on the Loyalist positions, being driven down the slopes with bayonet charges. However, the fate of Ferguson’s force was sealed and he and his army was surrounded. Ferguson was shot and his men attempted to surrender. Their white flags were met with cries from the Patriot lines to give the Tories “Tarleton’s Quarter”, that is, no quarter. Many Tories were killed trying to surrender but eventually the Patriot commanders accepted the surrender and took the remains of Ferguson’s army prisoner.
The battle of King’s Mountain made Cornwallis think twice before invading North Carolina. He retreated back into South Carolina for some time before attempting another attack on North Carolina. The tide in the South turned at King’s Mountain and the road to Yorktown was opened up. The Patriots had routed the Loyalists and had revenge against the British. The victory at King’s Mountain was decisive in the course of the American Revolution.