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Southern Heritage Advancement Preservation and Education :: Forums :: General :: General Discussion
 
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230th anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain
Moderators: gpthelastrebel, Patrick, Ashlyn
Author Post
gpthelastrebel
Mon Oct 04 2010, 06:01PM

Registered Member #1
Joined: Tue Jul 17 2007, 02:46PM
Posts: 3173
As many of you may or may not know, the battle of Kings Mountain (during the Revolutionary War) occurred on October 7th, 1780. This coming Thursday, on Oct. 7th, the 230 anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain will be observed. The Sons of the American Revolution will conduct a wreath laying ceremony on that day. Details below:

http://www.sar.org/event/2010/230th-Anniversary-Battle-Kings-Mountain

Since many of the Marines and other Veterans on this list live a number of "klicks" away (especially y'all in the midwest and out west) I know that you will be unable to attend, including the encampment that is going on next weekend (Oct. 9th-10th) at Kings Mountain. However, for those who can make it, I'll be there Saturday morning from 0830 - 1300. That's 8:30 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. for you civilian types. Just look for the Culpeper and Gadsdens flags flying from my truck.

The history of the Battle of Kings Mountain, especially the tenacity of the "overmountain men" to defend home and hearth, has always captivated me. Their spirit, coupled with those of my Confederate ancestors, are the inspiration of the SOARR organisation. To borrow a term from that era, their boldness stands as an "interrogation mark" - can we stand up to such challenges today?

When the colonials were handed one of their worse defeats at Camden, SC, British officer Col. Patrick Ferguson (who was actually Scottish) sent a message out to the Blue Ridge areas of NC, TN, and Va. That message was simply this: 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.” That threat did not have the desired effect, as Ferguson did nothing more than sign his own death warrant.

The men in the mountains of NC, SC, TN, and Va were fiercely independent. They were mainly of Scots-Irish descent. They wanted no part of any ruling government. They did not want to be under British, Colonial, or "American" rule, whatever this "new" term meant. They wanted to be left alone - gee, let's count the times that has been stated throughout history.

The men from the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina met in Burke County, NC to discuss their plan to meet Ferguson at Kings Mountain. They had no provisions (except the land), no orders, no uniforms, no formal military training, and no flag. The only payment they could hope to get was knowing they defended their homeland.

They set out on Oct. 6th during a good rain soaking event - the rain aiding their advancement by silencing their footsteps over the water-soaked leaves. The next afternoon around 3:00 p.m., the men circled Ferguson's mountain encampment and charged. Just over an hour later, the mountain men had killed or captured all of Ferguson's Tories, and killed Ferguson himself. This was a major turning point in the first war for independence.

Join me Saturday and learn more. Bring your kids - they don't teach this history in schools anymore.

Semper Fi,

Jimmy Ward
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