Visitor Center - Kings Mountain National Military Park

In February 2017, I had the opportunity to visit Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina. The park is located in the upstate region between Spartanburg, SC and Charlotte, NC near the North Carolina border. To reach the park from Interstate 85, take exit 2 in North Carolina and head southeast on state route 216. The exit is marked as "Kings Mtn National Military Park." At one mile, the road crosses into South Carolina. At just over two miles, the road enters the park. The visitor center is located four miles from I-85.

The park commemorates what became the turning point in the southern theater of the American Revolution. Sir Henry Clinton called the battle "the first link in a chain of evils that followed each other in regular succession until they at last ended in the total loss of America." The fifth year of the Revolutionary War was an uninterrupted series of defeats for the patriot cause. Having been stalemated in the northern theater, British forces left Philadelphia and laid siege to Charleston, South Carolina. After about six weeks, General Sir Henry Clinton and his British and provincial troops captured 5,266 Continental troops on May 12, 1780. Part of the ensuing war strategy was to enlist and train local Loyalists into an effective militia force to reduce the financial and manpower demands on the British Empire. Major Patrick Ferguson, a Scottish officer in the British army, was ordered by Clinton to raise a militia of 4,000 Loyalists with 1,000 ready to fight. He quickly recruited and trained his force.

On August 16, British forces under Lord Cornwallis routed a numerically superior Continental force led by Major General Horatio Gates. This left no effective Continental army force in the southern theater.

By the summer of 1780, the back country of South Carolina had devolved into civil war as dozens of brutal and vindictive skirmishes were fought between former neighbors aligned with opposing sides in the war. Cornwallis marched on Charlotte, North Carolina with Ferguson guarding his left flank. At Musgrove Mill, South Carolina a Loyalist force of 500 provincial regulars and militia gathered to rendezvous with Ferguson and the rest of his forces. About 200 Patriot militiamen led by Colonels Elijah Clarke of Georgia, James Williams of South Carolina, and Isaac Shelby of Washington County, NC (the Overmountain region now part of Tennessee) were planning to attack the small garrison normally guarding the mill and the nearby ford of the Enoree River.

Learning from a local of the much larger opposing force and that their position was known to their enemy, the Patriots quickly built a breastwork and sent about 20 men across the river to lure the Loyalists into a trap. Even after facing a barrage of musket fire, the provincials mounted a bayonet charge. As part of the Patriot force, Shelby brought some volunteers with him. Held in reserve, the Overmountain Men with their rifles and Indian war cries stopped the British bayonet charge and helped hold the right flank. The Loyalists were driven from the field, leaving the Patriots with their first victory of the year. The Patriots had no time to celebrate as Ferguson and his militia were nearby and chased Shelby for about 60 miles before retiring to his camp. Summoning an Overmountain Man prisoner of war, Ferguson pardoned him with an ultimatum for his neighbors: “If you do not desist your opposition to the British Arms, I shall march this army over the mountains, hang your leaders, and lay waste your country with fire and sword.”

Upon hearing of the ultimatum, Shelby rode 40 miles from his home to consult with John Sevier. They decided to take the fight to Ferguson instead of waiting for him to cross the mountains. The two leaders sent riders throughout the region and into Virginia calling for a mustering of militia and volunteers at Sycamore Shoals on September 25. Colonel Shelby arrived with 240 men, Colonel Sevier arrived with another 240, and Colonel William Campbell arrived with 400 Virginians. An additional 160 men from Burke County, North Carolina were commanded by Colonel Charles McDowell. Realizing that all the colonels were essentially the same rank, Colonel Campbell was elected as commander-in-chief and Colonel McDowell was dispatched to General Gates to have a general officer appointed over the combined force. Gates did not appoint anyone in time to reach the battlefield. The Overmountain Men immediately mounted their horses and headed toward Ferguson's last known position at Gilbert Town, North Carolina. After six days of riding, the men rested their horses for a day at Bedford's Hill, North Carolina. Four more days of riding brought them to Cowpens, South Carolina and additional Patriot militia forces from the backcountry. Learning that Ferguson was about 25 miles east at Kings Mountain, the Overmountain Men rode through a rain storm arriving in mid-afternoon on October 7, 1780. Leaving their horses about a mile away, the men surrounded the 150 foot high hill.

Leading a mixed force of provincial regulars and militia, Ferguson was the only participant in the battle that was not born in the colonies. The battle began about 3 PM and lasted just over one hour. Using their more accurate rifles and hiding behind rocks or large trees while reloading, the Overmountain Men charged up the hill on all sides. Three bayonet charges were mounted by Ferguson, but the Overmountain Men kept returning to charge the hill. As the Overmountain Men neared the summit, Ferguson's 1000 troops were caught in a devastating cross-fire. Unwilling to surrender to a "band of banditti," Ferguson led a suicidal charge down the hill. Wearing a distinctive checkered shirt and riding a horse among the infantry, Ferguson stood out as an easy target and was shot numerous times. He fell from his horse, mortally wounded. The remaining Loyalists quickly surrendered.

With approximately one third of his forces dead, wounded or captured, Lord Cornwallis abandoned Charlotte and spent the winter in Winnsboro, South Carolina sixty miles south of Charlotte.

The spacious visitor center contains an information desk, bookstore and gift shop, theater, and museum. Adjacent to the visitor center are restrooms and drinking fountains. An edited 26-minute version of the History Channel film Frontier: The Decisive Battles, The Battle of Kings Mountain is shown in the spacious theater every 45 minutes. The parking area contains well over 50 paved spots plus several handicap spots for passenger vehicles. Bus and RV parking is also available.

Visitor Center from the driveway

View from the parking area

Bike racks and entrance walkway

The Patriot Victory at Kings Mountain by Richard Luce

Information desk

Three-dimensional map of the battlefield

Giftshop

Books and other souvenirs

Map and artifacts in museum

British forces used "Brown Bess" muskets instead of Ferguson's rifle

Lighting and scrim provide varying vignettes in a static cabin display

Another vignette of the cabin

Long rifle and tomahawk used by Overmountain Men

Musket and sword

Diorama of a bayonet charge

How a park was created to remember the Revolution

Entry to Kings Mountain National Military Park is free.

The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail website is https://www.nps.gov/ovvi.
The Kings Mountain National Military Park website is https://www.nps.gov/kimo.