The First Link:
The Overmountain Victory,
Battle of King's Mountain, South Carolina, October 7, 1780,

The Years from 1776 to 1781
The Park, the Trail, OVTA, Sources, Acknowledgements
Part 4 of 4 Parts

The Park & Trail and Hurricanes

On September, 25, 2024, Hurricane Helene came ashore in the Big Bend of Florida. It quickly passed north through Georgia, North and South Carolina, stalling over Tennessee and Kentucky. Heavy damage from rain and wind stretched from Florida up to Virginia. The trail corridor was heavily affected. Ironically, the 50th march reenactment was just beginning. But it ended at Sycamore Shoals.

The reports of damage along the trail are dumb-founding. Hundreds of roads and bridges were flooded out. Both Interstate 26 and 40 that cross the Blue Ridge, the Blacks, and Unakas into Tennessee were washed out in multiple places. At Marion, the McDowell House is likely unrepairable, although the Carson House survived with extensive damage. The parks at Cowpens, Kings Mountain, and Sycamore Shoals were closed to assess damage. Thousands of trees were down. Even the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed its complete length. Buildings of all sorts were destroyed. As of the middle of October, at least 230 people had died.

(The Visitors' Center for the park at Kings Mountain reopened in several weeks, but the Battlefield Trail not until November 14. Other parts of the park are still not open as of December.)

This was not the first time the trail corridor was severely affected by weather. In 1916 and 1940, hurricanes converged over the mountains, causing devastating floods. In 1916, over 80 died. A friend from Marion says Helene is now the measure for storm severity. The suspicion is that normality won't return for decades.

In 1989, just before the reenactment, Hurricane Hugo landed near Charleston, South Carolina and swiftly passed to the mountains and into Canada. But the Carolinas in the Coast and Piedmont were heavily impacted by the winds, with thousands of trees down. The park at Kings Mountain was closed with the park roads blocked. They worked the two weeks the marchers were coming down the trail. They'd cleared the road, so the October 7th commemorative could go on as if normal. Where the national and state parks meet, you could see that eight or nine tornadoes passed through, cutting paths that crossed the road from all directions, and leaving trails through the trees.

The first known commemoration on the battle site was in 1815 when several monuments were placed. Headed by local Doctor William McLean, they placed a marker where Ferguson fell. At the site of the graves of William Chronicle and three other Lincoln County, North Carolina, Patriots, they placed a marker and buried all the unburied remains they found. This is thought to be the second battle monument after Bunker Hill.

Another celebration was held in 1855.

As the centennial approached, the king's Mountain Centennial Association was formed by people from the Carolinas. They bought 39.5 acres that covered the battle ridge. They erected the Centennial Monument where the battle opened as Campbell's Virginians attacked the Provincials. When the KMCA disbanded, the ridge was deeded to the King's Mountain Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in York, South Carolina.

In 1906, Congress appropriated $30,000 for a national monument, a program that saw many such monuments erected to commemorate American battle sites. A ceremony on the 1909 anniversary saw the dedication of what is now called the U.S. Monument.

For the 1930 150th anniversary, President Herbert Hoover spoke to about 80,000 people locally and an unknown number over a nationwide hook-up on radio. On March 3, 1931, the National Military Park was established under the War Department. However, no staff was provided. In 1933, the park was transferred to the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. September 24, 1935, the DAR donated the battle ridge land to Interior.

Between 1936 and 1940, the National Park Service added almost 10,000 acres, preparing an historical park and a recreational park with two lakes and picnicking facilities. About 4,000 acres constituted the military park and about 6,000 acres were given to South Carolina to form the Kings Mountain State Park.

In 1975, under Superintendent Mike Lovelace, the current VC (Visitors' Center) was added, along with the paved trail circling the mountain. Under Superintendent Erin Broadbent the park's markers and the museum were updated. She was also instrumental in developing Liberty on the Mall that brought all aspects of the Revolution to the Nation's Capital one 4th of July. Most curious was that Northerners knew little of the Revolution in the South and Southerners proved equally ignorant of the Northern campaigns.

Under Chief Ranger Chris Revels and the Resource Management people, the area of the battle ridge was improved by opening up the views to more like in 1780. (Chris was also the project manager - and driving force behind the inprovement.)

In 2005, ranger Robert Dunkerly organized a "tactical demonstration" as part of the 225th anniversary events. (The Park Service does not have reenactments.) This demonstartion showed how the conventional description of the battle is not likely.

Even the Eastern National bookstore's inventory was expanded under manager Wilma Scoggins.

Pat Ruff, retired Chief Ranger at Cowpens National Battlefield, and local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) worked to get a monument at Kings Mountain to the black veterans of the battle.

The National Military Park includes the battle ridge with a paved trail (one mile) that goes from the Visitors' Center (VC) in a loop up to the ridge and back down. (Unfortunately, the east or more rugged side of the ridge where Campbell's men opened the battle does not have a paved trail.) The trail passes Ferguson's and Virginia Sal's grave, the U.S. monument, the Centennial monument, the markers placed to commemorate people or events, and Park Service markers explaining the battle. Unfortunately, it has two very steep portions that limit wheel chair access.

The VC provides rest rooms, snacks, books, and other merchandise associated with the battle, the park, outdoors, and the National Park system. Lots of materials are provided for children. Lots of historical material is for sale. A wide selection of clothing is on hand. A selection of walking sticks, including a few canes, are in stock.

The museum imaginatively explains the campaign and battle. An exhibit explains how the Ferguson rifle works. Oh, yes, the rifle is explained with a replica. The famous diorama is on display, with several pieces of art, including a portrait of Campbell's grandson, since no portrait of his grandfather is known to exist. The highlight is a painting showing how the battle possibly looked.

A shortened version of the History Channel program is presented in a 135-seat theatre on a regular schedule.

Best of all, there's no fee for the park. Recreation is provided in the state park just down the road.

There are no bike trails in the park, although many bikers use the park road. There is car, truck, and motor home traffic through the national and state parks. Commercial trucks are prohibited.

Horseback riding is available on a trail that loops through the state and national parks. No stable facilities are provided.

For hikers, there's a 16-mile backcountry trail that loops through the two parks. Parts of this trail provide shorter hikes. The Brown's Mountain trail goes to a ridge where a fire tower was once located. It's a six-mile roundtrip. The trail to the state park is also about six miles. It's interesting in that it follows the stream where the rock strata are vertical and showing how streams traverse such terrain. A small canyon is found where two streams join. Registration is required for hiking these backwoods trails that close at dark. There is limited camping on the backcountry trail. There is camping at the state park.

The state park trail also accesses the trail to the Pinnacle of Kings Mountain and Crowder's Mountain State (North Carolina) park.

As mentioned previously, the OVTA began celebrating the trail in 1975. They created interest in a commemorative trail. Later, they carried scrolls with them, inviting citizens to sign the request for a nationally recognized trail. They also contacted Congressmen representing the trail corridor. North Carolina Congressman James Broyhill took a leading role in this effort. This was a difficult task, for there was no "national historic trail" at the time!

After creating a National Trail System, Congress first authorized the National Park Service to study the appropriateness and dimensions of such a trail. That was performed under the guidance of Mike Lovelace and Jim Anderson, then Superintendent and Chief Historian of Kings Mountain National Military Park. In September, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill creating the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. How appropriate, for Carter is a descendent of a King's Mountain veteran.

Congress did limit Federal funds available for trail development. While a trail manager was appointed in 1981, little progress was made until a planner from the Southeast Regional Office of the National Park Service, Rich Sussman, was appointed. He talked the trail up, got the OVTA to develop a brochure, certified the first segments as being on the trail corridor, coordinated with both the Forest Service and the Corps of Engineers (who operate properties included in the trail), started the marking of the Commemorative Motor Route. When Rich was promoted to head of planning, Paul Carson was appointed as the Superintendent of the trail.

Slow progress continues. A recent event at Kings Mountain National Military Park looked forward to establishing a hiking trail on the OVNHT from there to Cowpens National Battlefield.

In addition to the geology of the Kings Mountain range in the National and State parks, there are fascinating things in getting there:

• Near Abingdon, Virginia, where the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) begins are the Knobs and Great Knobs. These features are where molten rock pushed through fissures in the rock above. That rock above weathered away, leaving 30 to 40-foot "thumbs" of rock.
• On a county road, Virginia 670 or county road 670, there is Spoon Gap, where the folds in the rock are short enough to be readily apparent.
• At Hampton, Tennessee, is the Doe River Gorge narrow gauge railroad on the right-of-way of the original East Tennessee and Wester North Carolina Railroad.
• The OVNHT crosses the Yellow Mountain Gap and where the Patriots' muster took place crosses the Appalachian Trail.
• At Gillespie Gap, the motor route crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway. The North Carolina Museum of Minerals is located there, as well as a monument to the Patrtiot army.
• The OVNHT also crosses the Linville Mountain, with the Pinnacle (highest point) on a short trail off the old N.C. route 5. The area also includes the Linville Falls, Linville Caverns, and Linville Gorge.
• Lake James State Park is also on the trail outside Morganton.
• The trail crosses the South Mountains, although the state park is off N.C. 18, not the U.S. 64 of the trail. This is an outlier of the Blue Ridge and Black Mountains, but real mountain country. Try driving across Cane Creek road to get an idea. Within the state park is High Shoals Falls.
• Off of U.S. 64, at Bat Cave, is the Chimney Rock State Park that includes the "Edge of the Earth." All along the Blue Ridge from Roanoke south, the Piedmont east of the mountains is up to a thousand feet lower. The change is abrupt and startling: Drive I-77, I-40, or I-26. This escarpment is called the Edge of the Earth.

There are also wonderful historic places:

• In Virginia, the grave of William Campbell and John Broddy at Aspenvale near Seven-Mile Ford and in Abingdon, the Muster Ground where Campbell's men met (There is also a simple stone for the many dead and lost men inscribed: "Let Behind, Not Forgotten.")
• In Tennessee, the first "capitol" (the Territory Southwest of the Ohio River, later the state) at Rocky Mount State Historic Site at Bluff City, the reconstructed Fort Watauga at Elizabethton, and Roan Mountain State Park
• In North Carolina, the McDowell home at Quaker Meadows and the courthouse where Jackie Silver was tried and hanged in Morganton, in Marion, the Carson colonial House, and the County Museum in Rutherfordton. In the Government Annex in Rutherfordton, note the pictures of the 1916 flood in the area where Lake Lure was built by Duke Power. Thes show the power of the Broad River has been there before, foretelling the tragedy of Helene.
• In South Carolina, the grave of James Williams is outside the historic Carnegie library in Gaffney.

Tom Gray lived in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and worked the night shift at North American Rayon. He had some time, as the Bicentennial approached, to think about King's Mountain. He wrote letters to newspapers, some poetry, and dreamed of a trail over the route the Overmountain men took.

In 1975, a group of five, led by Tom, walked from Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton to the Kings Mountain National Military Park. (His wife, Alma, went along to provide the logistics.) A few more joined in each year. Starting in 1978, the march reenactment began at Abingdon, Virginia, where the Virginians mustered. (Although, in 1984, the Grand Marshal started the march in Tennessee at the Pemberton Oak.) In 1980, about 100 walked all the way, with thousands joining in for a stretch or the day.

Up through 1980, they walked the entire distance to Cowpens National Battlefield. (It was just too far from there to Kings Mountain.) Almost all the trail was along roads, with only the crossings of Roan Mountain and Linville Mountain being off road. The hardest day was from North Cove across Linville and into Morganton, North Carolina. That day was a minimum of 12 hours, with most participants requiring more.

The weather varied each year. In 1980, it rained frequently. The crossing of Linville Mountain often was in rain with the temperature in the 40's. One year Grant Hardin had his young son along. We were cold. Carl Hennessey, long-time Burke County marshal and City Manager, put us up in the National Guard Armory. Grant and his son were just arriving as the author left the shower room and remarked, "Let me show you the way to Paradise." Yet one year, the sky was so clear we saw the whole route to King's Mountain from the Pinnacle of Linville.

Leading up to the Bicentennial reenactment in 1980, the OVTA incorporated. Hugh Bennet convened a meeting at Morganton, North Carolina, saying, "Come and bring your enthusiasm." Bob Morrison of Mountain City, Tennessee, incorporated the organization in Tennessee. Others pursued IRS 501(c)(3) registration.

Following 1980, the reenactment dropped to less than 200 miles. As time went on and road traffic along the way increased, the distance walked decreased. Joe Story developed a very attractive alternative to road walking along one portion, but it was only used once or twice. Today, there are portions of trail, but most are short, so the reenactment is mainly short walks with public programs. Wading the Watauga at Sycamore Shoals is still popular, although that depends on the river's level.

Starting from the first walk, community and school groups have joined in and walked along. In fact, prior to the 1980 establishment of the National Historic Trail, the marchers carried along scrolls that the public could sign, asking for the trail recognition. OVTA, also, has performed special programs for schools and community groups. Curiously, each year from the beginning, these programs have reached 3,000 to 4,000.

Those community and school programs were always a pleasure. In one school we stopped at, a single student led all the others in interacting with us, leading questions, encouraging the other students to participate. When we were leaving, the teacher stopped us. "I don't know how you reached her, but she's a problem student, near suspension." We always did third-person interpretation, so we did not represent ourselves as people of 1780. Still, we opened a window to the past. One program at North Cove was on a humid day. We closed by firing our flintlocks. Usually we ran about 20 minutes. That day we couldn't get a rifle to fire! The kindergartners were sitting near the author. They were never bored or fidgety.

We had some special programs just for the matchers. Just east of the Yellow Mountain Gap, we got to see a piece of the old trace next to the Sunnybrook story. We'd sit next to the stove as Myron talked about Avery County history in the time of the Revolution. Another piece of the road was also visible on Linville Mountain.

The daughter of one of the founders later worked for the Crossnore school that treated troubled, urban girls. She brought several along one year as we descended from Hefner Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway to North Cove. It's an easy walk, although that year the property owner had logged areas, creating new roads. We missed our usual route. Not to worry, for we just had to drop down the ridge. Go down and you can't get lost. We took it all in stride. There were calls to the leader, "Are we lost yet?" Or, referring to a quote from Daniel Boone, "Are we bewildered?" The real difficulty was crossing a field of kudzu up to our knees. That night the girls remarked how there was no anger, only cooperation. Sadly, they rarely saw that in their lives. They wanted to go the next day across Linville. They did, even learning to get on their knees to drink from a spring.

The reenactors did several programs at the North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton. This was challenging, since our talks were interpreted in sign language. We had to adjust our pace for the interpreter. We ended our program, as all programs, with a volley from our flintlock rifles. That, as always, really pleased the students, for, just like the hearing, they could "hear" us.

We frequently stopped in the Yellow Mountain Gap where the original army stopped and test fired their rifles. We fired a commemorative volley. One year that did not go down well. Some hikers on the Appalachian Trail feared we were firng at them! They survived and got a history lesson.

When one of our members, Charles, died, his widow asked us to fire a commemorative volley at the graveside funeral. Our eulogist mentioned that we always bugged him to keep up. But he was sure Charles would prepare the camp for us when we, too, joined him. We fired the volley. A relative had not smiled all through the service. Well, that was understandable, for we looked like something the cat dragged in. Period dress is not sparkling or really clean. But his aunt washed all that away, for her smile could lift a flight of ducks on their way.

The reenactors have always had community support. Many communities have entertainment or meals for the marchers. OVTA tries to reciprocate. Food is always important when you spend the day walking. The DAR at Elizabethton, Tennessee, always had suppers and breakfasts for the marchers. Alma Gray was famous for her meatloaf and biscuits (really rolls, for she used yeast to cut down on the sodium). One year she wasn't serving the supper and accused some marchers of eating someone else's meatloaf. She was so delighted when they identified hers from among the three or four offered.

But the community might misunderstand. One year they fired their usual commemorative volley over the Revolutionary War graves at Hall's Chapel. Later, after a neighbor complained, the game warden showed up, since it was the day before the black powder season. Fortunately, their paperwork showed their intentions! (And later, a retired game warden joined us!)

Food stories were often found along the trail. At one stop, we often were fed Brunswick stew. In some cases, we had favorite restaurants we stopped at. At other stops and other times, we were on our own and cooked. That might be spaghetti with bottled sauce cooked over a fire. Always popular was Orville Clayton's fried apples and onions. We were suspicious, but one taste settled it. The mayor of Dysartsville, Albert Dale, always brought us the local liver mush (similar to scrapple) for breakfast.

One year, Jack and Sharleen Stansbury bought a watermelon along the way to eat on our last night. Two nights before, we camped in a field that was also home to a pony. Jack put the watermelon on the ground so they'd have enough room to sleep in their camper. When they awoke, the pony had eaten the watermelon. "I wondered what all the noise was during the night," remarked Jack.

On the author's first march, he was overwhelmed by the support. He remarked to Ward Smith and his wife how guilty he felt, for this was the author's vacation. "But you are remembering our ancestors," they replied. Most reenactors have felt a deep responsibility to those communities. When the Pemberton Oak, possibly a witness to the Virginians' ride to Sycamore Shoals and on the first day, just inside Tennessee, Collapsed in a storm, Jim Stevens cut pieces and took them to people along the trail.

On the east (North Carolina) side of Roan Mountain, Roaring creek flows from Yellow mountain gap into the North Toe river. A World War I veteran lived along the banks, his porch facing up the mountain. For many years the marchers stopped to say hello. "I'm sure glad to see you boys," he always said.

The oldest reenactor was Dr. Howard Hayes, President Emeritus of Milligan College, 100 when he traveled down that road from Abingdon. That was the year that Grant Hardin was Grand Marshal and his son, Jamie, came along. Jamie picked up a puppy that "accompanied" us from Rocky Mount State Historic Site to North Cove. Howard gave up his day pack so the puppy could ride when tired. Jamie gave the puppy to a young man in North Cove. That dog either spent his life wandering off or would never leave the porch.

The reenactment attracts people from the local communities and all over. It's always a joy to review each other's years over the days as we go. William Hall of Valley Forge, born and raised on Roan Mountain, always said, "You can call me Bill, but my name is William." One year he was asked if round hay bales had made it to Tennessee yet. "Yes, but we outlawed them. The cows couldn't get a square meal."

Each march always had some unexpected, special moment. In 1980, for instance, they walked through the Doe River Gorge on the right-of-way of the former East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad. Then in 1987, they got to do it again. In 1980, plywood was laid down between the rails on the two bridges. That didn't occur in 1987, so all but one marcher bushwacked around the bridges and the intervening tunnel!

But the reenactment march was a true walk. Since most of the route was on paved roads, it was hard on the feet. Of course, we were out in the weather, whatever it was. I remember crossing a kudzu field on a day that reached 98 degrees. We stopped next to a house to rest. The folks in the house, a woman and her daughter, brought us ice water. Their kindness lives with me still.

One year we were camped below Marlin's Knob along Cane Creek. (We were very near to the actual camp site the night of October 3 - 4 in 1780.) We all sat around a fire as we got ready in the morning. What a mess our feet were. Hazel Monroe, an Appalachian Trail through hiker who completed three trips over the years, had covered her feet with Mole Skin. When we started out, we looked like the walking wounded. But a wonderful thing happened: after a half hour or so, we seemed to glide along, covering the rocky road like gazelles.

Non-fiction

Of course, the serious reader should start with Draper, available on line and in paperback through the Eastern National bookstores at Kings Mountain National Military Park and the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Tennessee: King's Mountain and Its Heroes (accessed May 2, 2024).

Less intense accounts that cover the whole summer include Robert D. Bass, Ninety-Six and John Buchannan, The Road to Guilford Court House (accessed 5-2-2024); John S. Pancake, This Destructive War (accessed 5-2-2024). Ninety-Six is out of print but should be available used on line or through interlibrary loan.

The Washington County, Virginia, Historical Society's issued a biography of William Campbell as a bulletin. Although the print is small, ikf you can find it, it's a good job. Biographies of the other Patriot leaders are out of print, but should be available used on line or through interlibrary loan.

Also out of print is Mary M. Gilchrist, Patrick Ferguson: A Man of Some Genius. The diary of Lt. Anthony Allaire is in Draper. Two other of Ferguson's officers kept diaries that were published by Dr. Bobby G. Moss (Scotia-Hibernia Press) and are available at the park. The author also found one online reference to his books (accessed December 10, 2024).

William T. Graves' study of the James Williams-Hill/Lacey controversy makes a good case that Williams was not the bad influence he's usually assumed Backcountry Revolutionary (accessed May 28, 2024).

Helen Norman published an interesting book on the route followed by the Patriot army to the McDowells' place Bright's Trace or the Yellow Mountain road (accessed April 11, 2024).

Robert Dunkerly, a former ranger at the park has a volume on women. We feature very few in this account, so this adds some interesting female participants of the Revolution.

Robert Dunkerly also has a collection of eyewitness accounts.

Now available on line are several National Park Service reports on the battle and the Kings Mountain National Military Park:

• Kings Mountain National Military Park, South Carolina, by George C. Mackenzie, Historical Handbook Series No. 22, (accessed March 6, 2024). This was the earliest park material and is interesting, although some material is misleading.
• Kings Mountain National Military Park, https://archive.org/details/kingsmountainnat00vinc/mode/2up"> Cultural Landscape Report, Southeast Region, 2003, (accessed march 6, 2024) provides an interesting history of the park and the area's history up to the time of the battle.

OVTA for a few years published a small almanac that detailed their schedule and the progress in 1780 of the Patriots. Copies may still be around in homes and schools.

Fictional Accounts

The noted South Carolina author, William Gilmore Simms, who wrote eight novels of the American Revolutionary War wrote not one on King's Mountain. He explained that King's Mountain was a national, not a South Carolina battle!

The earliest novel the author has found is the wonderfully named Toil of the Brave by Ingliss Fletcher, well known for her colonial stories. (There is an article by the University of North Carolina on her Carolina series (accessed December 10, 2024)). She praises Draper, but creates a story that is totally opposite to the situation Draper documents. She deals with a fictional series of events that has the Piedmont people waiting to light signal fires on the Pinnacle - the highest point in the range (today part of North Carolina's Crowder's Mountain State Park) - to cause the mountain people to rise and strike against the British.

She, perhaps, falls into the trap several historians and authors have, assuming the battle took place on the Pinnacle, since Draper includes a picture of the Pinnacle in his book. However, Draper makes clear the battle does not occur on the Pinnacle, but on a nearby, lower ridge.

Cameron Judd, in his Tennessee Frontier trilogy, covers King's Mountain: The Overmountain Men, The Border Men, and The Canebrake Men (accessed April 9, 2024).

Many accounts are written to explain how so-and-so is really THE hero of Kings Mountain. In the most recent case, a well-known author celebrated for her two mystery series, science fiction, and her stories of the Blue Ridge, fell into the trap of relating modern Tea Party politics to 1780. At one point, John Sevier says, "There's too much government." Since the Regulator movements in the Carolinas was for more government, that's clearly wrong. Sevier was a government official from an early age and was the first governor of two states! (He is best known as Tennessee's first governor, but he was also the first and only governor of the "Lost state of Frankland/Franklin.")

The only good fictional account is the late Joe Epley's Passel of Hate (accessed April 9, 2024). His characters are based on real people and shows the conflicts, even within families, the Revolution caused. The book is available at Kings Mountain National Military Park. He also wrote the story of a Loyalist Passel of Trouble: The Saga of Loyalist Partisan David Fanning (accessed March 6, 2024).

Curiously, a Civil War novel opens with the grandfather recounting the story of King's Mountain. Theirs Be the Shame (reprinted in the 1960's as Manassas), by the muckraker, Lincoln Steffens (Shame of the Cities), tells the stories of the cousins, some of whom go north, some south. What is astonishing, the role of William Campbell is not mentioned. This is a holdover from the charges, long after Campbell's death, by Sevier and Shelby that he wasn't there. This was refuted by some of Sevier's men.

Even more curious, Louis L'Amour wrote a western novel featuring the Ferguson rifle.

A recent mystery novel by Louise Penny, Three Pines, is the fictional name of a town in Canada where Loyalists settled. The pines indicated their support for the crown. That referred, likely, to the pine sprigs displayed in their hats.

There have been no formal plays or movies (fictional) about King's Mountain. The park has had two presentations, the current version being edited from a show done for the History Channel. Searching for this online, the author found numerous items, although not the History Channel version (searched "History Channel's Kings Mountain video" (accessed April 11, 2024)).

A group (possibly Western Piedmont College) in the 1980's did a short play about Charles McDowell. Possibly the same group did a video about Benjamin Cleveland.

The National Geographic (?) did a program at the time of the Bicentennial on King's Mountain.

The PBS station in Charlotte and Dr. Dan Morrill of UNC Charlotte did a program, Cornwallis in the Carolinas, that featured some of the OVTA reenactors.

In 1986, the Bobby Duncan, that year's Grand Marshal of the OVTA march reenactment, took 40 hours of video of the reenactors. He also asked all the participants how they got involved, their favorite part, etc. He then edited the tapes to a total of 10 hours. Whether any copies are still available is not known.

At the time of the Bicentennial, OVTA offered to radio stations a script of their day-by-day activities and the associated history. Are any copies still available? That's a good question.

Before the Pandemic, there was a proposed major movie, but it was not made. The key question is the script: Is it accurate? Critics say the Revolution does not sell, but, commonly, the versions are too Hollywood. (Curiously, a recent cartoon has a couple going to a movie that the wife says is interesting, if not quite accurate. The husband replies it would be more interesting if more accurate.) The Patriot is an example, having Tavington die. Would an accurate movie sell? Here's hoping any King's Mountain movie is accurate, and we'll see.

In the first 100 years of the celebration of King's Mountain, there were numerous poems, but few recently. The old poems are not easily accessed. At least one OVTA reenactor recorded a song about the march and battle. What title, the label? The author doesn't know.

Around the Bicentennial, The Sword of the Lord and Gideon was presented at the Kings Mountain National Military Park. At Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 'Chucky Jack covered the campaign, although John Sevier didn't live on the Nolichucky river at the time of the battle. (He moved there the following winter.) The long-running A Horn in the West at Boone, North Carolina, was updated in the 1990's to include King's Mountain. Curiously, Daniel Boone never participated in the Revolution!

Currently running is Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals (formerly the Wataugans) each summer at the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton, Tennessee. This deals with the formation of the Watauga river settlements, John Sevier, and the events in the Overmountain country that led to the King's Mountain campaign. Many of the OVTA reenactors of the 1980's got their interest in the reenactment being members of the cast!

The author has relied on Draper for the bulk of the information. He also consulted the books in Recommended Reading. Other sources are mentioned in the narrative. Much information is from the author's own observations along the reenactment march and at Kings Mountain National Military Park. The Handbook No. 22 was very useful in understanding the creation of the Kings Mountain National Military Park.

When the author began volunteering as an interpreter at Virginia's Frontier Culture Museum on the Irish (Ulster or Northern Ireland) farm, Eric Bryant assigned a reading list. Patrick Griffin's The People with No Name (accessed December 10, 2024) was particularly useful, although the story, after they arrived in America, gets bogged down. They were treated like all immigrants. They were "dirty, drunks, womanizers, lazy," etc. The author's German family came in the 1850's to Baltimore. They were accused similarly. When World I occurred, they stopped speaking German, even at home.

Clayton Gearhardt, while superintendent at Rocky Mount State Historic Site, wrote a booklet on the Pattons' powder making. Interestingly, she was the powder maker. She often traveled alone delivering to frontier customers. She reportedly talked loudly to herself to keep away unwanted attention.

Colonel Hank Weaver (USMC, Retired) pointed out David Preston's Braddock's Defeat. This firmed up my views on British-colonial relations and the strengths and weaknesses of the militia. Hank also insisted I see the new version of A Horn in the West.

Albert Dale and Anne Swann took me to see the wonderful play the community created to celebrate the formation and development of McDowell County, North Carolina.

Being a Virginia student, my ideas of George Washington were shaped by Douglas Southall Freeman's biography.

The history of Virginia's counties and governors comes from the Library of Virginia's Hornbook of Virginia History (unfortunately, no longer available according to the library's book store).

Wikipedia supplied the date the Revolutionary War soldiers' pensions began.

Dedication

To all those who over the years have kept alive, or will in the future, the idea of the value of King's Mountain.

To the late Joe Epley, who did not see the finished work that he encouraged.

Those Who Were There When I Needed Them

I must start with the staff of the Augusta County Library in Fishersville, Virginia. When I learned there was a recent account of the battle, Jennifer tracked it down and got it through interlibrary loan. When I wanted to complain to the authors, she tracked them down, too. When I decided to turn my "17 points" (Some NPS people will understand.) into a book, I was encouraged. (Later, Jennifer encouraged me to develop the material for OvermountainVictory.org instead.) The reference librarians time and again showed me how to overcome Word. Keith figured out how to capture what I needed from Google Earth. (Subsequently, I decided not to use that material.) Matt was my go-to for technology issues. Thanks to all, Doug.

When I started the reply to the author of that recent book, the late Joe Epley and Scott Withrow were my go-to experts to check my thoughts. They've been hearing me say I'd write a book someday. They never stopped encouraging me. Joe was a Green Beret and a member of the Board of Directors of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association that originated the idea of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. Joe died during the summer of 2024, so he never got to see the result. Scott Withrow is a retired interpretive ranger at Kings Mountain State [South Carolina] Park and Cowpens National Battlefield. He grew up in the Flint Hill area where the South Carolinians camped. Yes, his family played a part in those events of 1780.

So many people in OVTA and along the trail have encouraged me over the years. I cannot in justice mention most, for I've forgotten or never knew their names! The songsters always pleased people with their rendition of Cool Water: Grant Harden, William Hall, Orville Clayton. Jack and Sharleen Stansbury, that legend of the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club - Dave Thomas, Blair Keller, Lester Carrier, Page McClelland, Alma Gray, Grant Harden, Andrea Kaiser and her son, Albert Dale, Rodger Byers, Ruth and Frank Christian, Bobby and Nancy Duncan took me in all along the trail. Jim Preske was a lawyer from Indiana. Hazel Monroe was a retired teacher from North Carolina. Both were quiet, but good companions on the trail.

So many people welcome travelers on the Trail. One year the day was around 98 degrees. We stopped to rest after crossing a kudzu-filled field (a short-cut, of course!). A family brought us ice water, a kindness that lives with me still. We were welcomed by so many of the towns along thtrail. The small city of Watauga was always a joy, for we got to have lunch with the seniors at the center in town. Our souls probably resided at Dysartsville, because of their kindness. The Burke County REACT often met us on the other side of Linville Mountain to shuttle us back to our cars at North Cove. Camp Bethlehem in Polk County was our host many times. Later, Hall's Chapel took their place.

Millie Harbison gave the author a small American flag that flew one Fourth of July over Charles McDowell's grave.

R.G. Absher, a manager at the Kerr Scott Reservoir operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers tried to get a bike-riding contingent of OVTA. It was hard carrying a flintlock rifle on a bike!

I've been fortunate in the friendship and intellectual challenge of Dr. Bobbie Moss, Nancy Ellen Ferguson, Momma Mae Murph, and Anne Swann (McDowell County historian).

So many people in the National Park Service have helped and encouraged me.

In addition, the staff, volunteers, and visitors at Virginia's Frontier Culture Museum were a constant source of ideas, facts, and discussions. Joan Bowman took me under her wing to teach me about the Ulster technology and family life.

The Author

I was a member of the OVTA and for 15 years a reenactor of the Patriot army's assembly over the two weeks before the battle. I worked on the first iterations of the brochure for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. I've volunteered at both the Kings Mountain National Military Park and the Cowpens National Battlefield.

• Part 1: covers the campaign and the battle of King's Mountain.
• Part 2: more information on the two armies and various ideas on the battle
• Part 3: deals with controversies of the battle
• Part 4 of 4 parts explains the development of the National Military Part, the National Historic Trail, OVTA, popular materials on the battle, acknowlegemens, and source materials
• The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (accessed 6-21-2024) The certified sites along the trail (accessed 8-12-2024) (Unfortunately, many of these segments are short or ill-defined.)
• Kings Mountain National Military Park (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Cowpens National Battlefield (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Ninety-Six National Historic Site (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Overmountain Victory Trail Association (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Sycamore Shoals State Park (Tennessee) (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Rocky Mount State Historic Site (Tennessee) (accessed 6-21-2024)
• Roan Mountain State Park (Tennessee) (accessed 6-21-2024)
• American Revolution.org A site for essays & original material on the Revolution, including its beginnings and conclusion. There are a wealth of source documents and links to interesting Web sites.
• Royal Provincial.com's page for Loyalist Americans is another gem.
• Moore's Creek National Battlefield where Loyalist Highland refugees from the Jacobean rebellions rose to support the Crown and were soundly defeated.