Battle of Kings Mountain

Background. Ferguson was appointed Inspector of Militia on May 22, 1780, and in early September entered North Carolina to recruit Loyalists and shield the flank of Lord Cornwallis's main army. He issued a challenge demanding that Patriot militias lay down their arms or face the consequences, provoking the frontier settlers west of the Appalachians.

The Overmountain Men Muster. About 1,100 volunteers from southwest Virginia and the region now in northeast Tennessee—called Overmountain Men for settling west of the Appalachian ridgeline—mustered at Sycamore Shoals on September 25, 1780. Led by Benjamin Cleveland, James Johnston, William Campbell, John Sevier, Joseph McDowell, and Isaac Shelby, they marched to answer Ferguson's threat.

The Pursuit to Cowpens. Ferguson marched west on September 2 in pursuit of Shelby, then on October 1 reached the Broad River, issuing a scornful public letter urging local militia to join him. The Patriots, now 1,400 strong, found his Gilbert Town camp deserted on October 4, and on October 6 reached Cowpens, South Carolina, learning Ferguson was east of them, heading toward Charlotte and Cornwallis.

Aftermath and Significance. Coming after the fall of Charleston, the destruction of an American army at Camden, and defeat at the Waxhaws, the surprising victory greatly raised Patriot morale. The destruction of Ferguson's command and the threat of mountain militia led Cornwallis to cancel his invasion of North Carolina; he did not return until early 1781, while pursuing Nathanael Greene after Cowpens.