The Scotch-Irish and the Battle of Kings Mountain

[@u.s.militia7682]

Just found out yesterday that the man who owned my property in Saltville Virginia in the 1700’s was an Over Mountain Man. He’s buried in my backyard. Daughter’s of the American Revolution stopped by and wanted to mark his grave. I’m gonna attempt to research him as much as possible. Poor Valley is full of early American history. I’m very proud to live here. 🇺🇸

[@patriciajrs46]

Good for you.

[@davidpeters4129]

You is the soldier that lived there?

[@sandrasue44]

I grew up on Tumbling Creek in Poor Valley. My homeplace was beside one of the oldest cemeterys in the county. Dolans, Fields, Flint, Swift. Sands and many unknown. Don't know at the people, no markers. Moores. The old county road run through the place. During the Civil War, it was the Helen Henderson Highway!

[@sandrasue44]

Who was he ?

[@jamesmitchell8500]

Respect and honor

[@jerrywinters6914]

My 6 X Great grandfather Hezekiah Barker (Wilkes County NC and his older brother George Barker Jr. fought at Kings Mountain.

[@christopherjohnson2423]

Jerry Winters My 5th great grandfather Polsar Sigmon fought at KM as well.

[@BigRed2]

Christopher Johnson Sigmon was a cook and shoe shiner so stop lying

[@MECX3490]

My folks were there too...paid the price and passed along our FREE country!

[@danielgates6572]

The British were armed with the Ferguson rifle a breach loading rifle designed by Ferguson .

[@kdm187]

(6x )Col richard L allen Sr was at kings mountian also

[@int31cm]

Very good. We need not forget this important piece of history.

[@MichaelSSmith-hs5pw]

Kids don’t go to school to study these days, this history is lost for good. the kids are in school today to bust the teachers who won’t use their pronouns!!

[@mikeandrews1899]

In 54 yrs of my existence I had never heard of the overmountain men or the details of the relevance of this victory over the Brits on kings mountain......public school sucks. It is a very inspirational story and am honored and proud to have such history as an American scots-irish descendent .

[@peterpiper_203]

The web does have some benefits

[@mencken8]

I shall not address your epithet directed at the public schools, except to quote B.O. Stanley: “A democratic society gets exactly the public schools it deserves.” Now, as to what may actually be accomplished. In my state (which shall remain nameless), a year of high school U.S. History is required. In that year, there are 36 weeks of school, 5 days a week. The schedules may vary, but the time has to be equivalent. A typical school might have 5 x 52 minute classes per week. In that time, U.S. History is to be taught (presumably including the 150 years or so of Colonial America). Getting the picture yet? Over the past 50 years, this state has mandated certain subjects to be covered in the teaching of U.S. History (which I will not enumerate, lest there be a whole lot more huffing on that score), without providing a single bit of extra time to do it. Eventually, it appears that a public school U.S.History course will literally be required to cover EVERYTHING, right down to Dolly Madison rescuing the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington from the White House as the British Army approached bearing matches and kindling. On the other hand, if all you really mean is “You should tech all my favorite stuff, and to hell with the rest,” then, yeah, I get it.

[@mikeandrews1899]

@@mencken8 your presumptions are a problem 🤔 and I know the state in which you reside ..... The state of confusion 👌

[@sandrasue44]

There's a book in the library The Over the Mountain Men.

[@gavinmoore6407]

I'm teaching about it today.

[@teresateigue4287]

Born and raised not far from here. A trip to Kings Mountain is a yearly trip for the local schools. I have walked this entire battlefield and to stand at the top of that hill, where the monument stands and look out over the mountain is a powerful feeling. To see where Ferguson fell, you get a sense of pride in the men who fought there, know.ing it was your kin who helped turn the tide of the war. If you are ever near Kings Mountain, you should go

[@mirandawolff9341]

I'd like to stand atop that mtn someday, my 6x great grandfather is Robert Young Sr. and was the one who shot Ferguson in the head with ,"sweet lips" 😂🇺🇸

[@scott236]

I was just there recently. Great place. I've got family who fought there.

[@billwhite364]

My dad claimed Scotch -Irish ancestors. Many settled in Virginia and North Carolina!

[@scott236]

@@billwhite364 mine I'm pretty sure was of Northern English stock. Other relatives were of Scottish stock. That's about what I know.

[@Davidrcobb]

I was also born in Kings Mountain, my family settled there just after the war and remain to this day. At one time up until my great granddad they had 10k acres that included crowders mtn. Im very proud of what our ancestors did there.

[@SilveradoShootingAcademy]

Never underestimate a bunch of pissed off hillbillies.

[@onlythewise1]

hillbillys there better than you

[@paxwallacejazz]

@@onlythewise1 ah, you mean (they're) a contraction of (they are).

[@onlythewise1]

@@paxwallacejazz wow your so smart must made it past the forth grade. darn just think I spent years studying physics tiny particles came out with theories unknown and accepted by professors and you annoy me with there ,there are, they were wow

[@boweavil1063]

onlythewise1 I assume when you said "your so smart", you likewise intended the use of the contraction "you're" as a a contraction of "you are". As opposed to "your" as showing ownership. So much for your (not you're) knowledge of tiny particle theory.

[@onlythewise1]

@@boweavil1063 but im sorry im not a smart ass like you so go ahead keep being a dick head or is it a ass head you like being

[@americancowboyfromwyoming6720]

Proud of my Scottish and Irish heritage

[@patriciajrs46]

A woman from Chugwater, Wyoming. Where are you from cowboy?

[@americancowboyfromwyoming6720]

@@patriciajrs46 Cody 😁

[@patriciajrs46]

@@americancowboyfromwyoming6720 Okay. That's cool. I was also from Cheyenne for awhile.

[@americancowboyfromwyoming6720]

@@patriciajrs46 Nice area, I moved to Louisiana about three years ago and I've been very homesick. Hope to move back at some point.

[@christopherdavison652]

I'm a Davison. My dad's Scotch-Irish ancestors came over in the 1840's. Eventually settling in western P.A. Titusville.

[@lpslover8627]

I love my Ulster Scots people. Love, from West Virginia.

[@mikeandrews1899]

From an Ulster Scots descendant of the North Carolina Piedmont .... We love West Virginia 👍

[@DavidBroadley-tw7ks]

@@mikeandrews1899 I hate u prody cunts

[@edmoundblack3739]

Thank you for getting the historic term right Ulster Scots right many in the US use the term Ulster Irish no such people many thanks again from Northern Ireland .

[@N4TCM]

A tribute to the Battle at Kings Mountain and the Overmountain Men is at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site in Elizabethton Tn built in 1976. A replica of Fort Watauga is also there plus an interpretive museum inside the visitors center. The Overmountain Victory Trail follows the banks of the Watauga River behind the park. A video telling a short story of Sycamore Shoals is on KZbin.

[@ThomasD66]

Pretty sure those fort scenes, and others in that video were filmed at the Park. Every weekend in June there is an outdoor drama/reenactment entitled "Liberty" that includes the Overmountain Men and the battle.

[@jimtomes1144]

My 4th Great Grand Father == Thomas Toms/Tomes was wounded in the Battle of Kings Mountain against Ferguson. He was one of the Over Mountain Men. He passed away in 1803 while residing in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky.

[@marciadiehl5733]

My Great Grandfather 6 times removed served the militia's that fought at King's Mountain as a pastor and took care of the wounded. Wouldn't that be something if my distant relative took care to bind up your distant relative's wounds from that battle?

[@karanhughes3756]

My ggggreat grandfather was a rifle maker.. his name was Matthew Gillespie. He made the Gillespie long rifles which many carried during the Battle of Kings Mtn.

[@jerrywinters6914]

Fantastic, were did he live?

[@karanhughes3756]

Jerry Winters he lived in Mills River, N C near Hendersonville.

[@Badrim4867]

Gillespie rifles were the “Cadillac” of southern Appalachian rifles for many years. My gg grandfather owned a Gillespie rifle, made for him by John Gillespie. It’s well preserved & been in the family for generations.

[@smc1942]

I had many family among these "Over the Mountain Men". I am proud to be their scion. For the record, they BOUGHT their land to establish their community. The Brit's picked a fight with the wrong people!

[@alexeubanks467]

My 6th great grandfathers were Doctor Johan “Martin” Shultz and Frederick emmert - both fought under John sevier at kings mountain. Martin was the only doctor at the battle of kings mountain and performed amputations with no anesthesia, only whiskey and manpower to complete these surgeries.

[@ralphraffles1394]

They were Brits at heart though. Just one generation.

[@thealandislands4061]

@@ralphraffles1394 yep they were “Brits at heart”. That’s why they fought against them, right?

[@shepglennon8760]

What evidence do you have that the land was bought? Everyone says the Scots-Irish were squatters

[@lordjazoijua94]

@@thealandislands4061 It was a civil war but you lot seem to have forgotten that.

[@joebauers8031]

I am a direct descendant of Joseph Winston, one of the heroes of King’s Mountain. Also the namesake of Winston Salem NC.

[@randyjordan5521]

I have Winstons in my ancestry, including one Isaac. My original American ancestor founded Jordan's Journey plantation near Jamestown.

[@francisebbecke2727]

I understand that Ferguson was the only Englishman (actually he was of Scotland) on King's Mountain. The "British" were American loyalists. This happened a lot more often than is currently noted. A lot of British in Britain supported the American revolutionaries, It was really another English civil war. A lot of American revolutionaries were the great grand children of the people who were given the boot from England after the restoration of King Charles II in the 1600s. I walked all over King's Mountain a few years ago. It is not an easy hike and nobody was shooting at me.

[@rayburton2934]

The 30 years prior to the Revolutionary War was a dark period in Scottish history known as The Clearances. Following the second Jacobite Rebellion in 1745, the king forcibly expelled thousands of Scots to Ulster and to the American colonies. Many of these Scots settled in the mountains of Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and Pennsylvania. They had a bitter hatred of the crown.

[@zacharyballif3212]

I read that John Crockett the father of Davy Crockett took part in this battle.

[@UncertifiedAttorney]

Yep. You are absolutely correct. Pretty cool, ain’t it?

[@zoologist1992]

@@UncertifiedAttorney hell no. That's hot.

[@davidpeters4129]

His father John Wesley Crockett was an Ensign under Col. Isaac Shelby, his uncles Joseph and William were also there and likely his uncles David Jr., Robert and James. Joseph was a Captain and William an Ensign. Joseph lost his arm in battle in Hawkins County, now Tennessee with Dragging Canoe and the Cherokee in that battle David Crockett's namesake and grandfather was killed. The Crocketts were French Huguenots via Northern Ireland

[@dunruden9720]

David Crockett. Apparently he hated the diminutive, 'Davey." It was a better fit for the song!

[@zoologist1992]

@@dunruden9720 what about the movies and tv series?

[@dvrmte]

The Patriots organized for the attack on King's Mountain on the farm of my ancestor, John Dover. One of his daughters, Mary, nursed the wounded Colonel Hambright back to health and eventually married him. John's son, Francis Dover, fought with the Thomas Sumter, and at the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse, before bringing the British to bay at Yorktown, Va. Yes, my people made the sacrifices and were active participants in winning our independence.

[@bozzskaggs112]

All by their lonesome?

[@dvrmte]

@@bozzskaggs112 No, but the video narrative implies the Over the Mountain Men did it by themselves. I will edit my previous post. Tell us what your ancestors did during the Revolution.

[@bozzskaggs112]

@@dvrmte I'm sorry that inflection didn't carry through. I didn't intend for the comment to come across as pithy. The Over there Mountain Men and Cowpens proved to be a monumental win both in the reality of the defeat and the shot in the arm to the psychy of the colonies. All I know about my family's involvement was one forefather as a 17 year old served in three short hitches. I think he was living on the west side of the Smokies at the time but I can't recall for sure. The next time I'm looking at genealogy I'll check dates and do the math. I wonder how the American assault would have turned out if the British had all been armed and trained with the Ferguson rifle.

[@dvrmte]

@@bozzskaggs112 No problem. I have ancestors that lived in East Tennessee but I haven't been able to find out exactly when they settled there. An ancestor from that branch did fight in the Civil War. I call him an East Tennessee Tory, he volunteered late in the war fought for the Union. I read my ancestors pension application. He had a hard time getting it approved because so many of the military witnesses to his service were long dead. He too was young, about 16, when he first joined the partisans of Thomas Sumter. I edited an earlier post that had my ancestor with Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. Instead, I found he fought under Thomas Sumter, in William Bratton's command. Shortly after Ferguson's defeat at King's Mountain, Tarleton's column arrived in the South Carolina backcountry and went after Thomas Sumter's men. Tarleton caught up with them at Blackstock's Plantation on the Tyger River, where Sumter had his men set in a good defensive position. My ancestor called it a skirmish. LOL They gave Tarleton his first defeat but retreated during the night, leaving their dead for Tarleton to bury. Sumter's command had 3 killed and 4 wounded, while Tarleton's casualties were estimated at 97 killed and 100 wounded. Regarding the Ferguson Rifle, I wonder if they had the rifle, would Ferguson choose King's Mountain as a defensive position? I would think a more gently sloping position, and open field of fire would favor the accuracy of the rifle opposed to the steep, wooded terrain of King's Mountain. The ideal position would be a slope that matched the rate of bullet drop. Yes, they thought of those things. With a perfectly matching slope, the bullet could travel for several hundred yards in the killing zone, between knee and the head of advancing soldiers.

[@dunruden9720]

@@bozzskaggs112 psyche

[@garylove5154]

My grandfather 9th generation Robert Young was the Patriot responsible for putting the first rifle ball in Major Ferguson. I visit Robert Youngs Cemetery in Johnson City, Tennessee on a regular basis.

[@pipsheppard6747]

Interesting that that Overmountain men get all the credit for the victory at Kings Mountain. The contributions of the local militias were essential in the battle.

[@hubertmichael1595]

When I was a child my immediate family visited a relative in Kings mountain;, the King family. We were related to the Blues, the Ferguson's, and the King family's. We climbed the rock face of Kings Mountain. Now as an adult I see this history on KZbin, and I did not know that Ferguson was buried there. Wow! What an amazing history. Thank you so much.

[@johnnygreer1725]

Lots of Blues in Union County S.C.

[@projectilequestion]

Ferguson was used to irregular warfare, he had been fighting against it for several years and the British had adapted their formations to suit North American conditions, by fighting with large intervals between the soldiers and advancing at a trot, to then chase the enemy with the bayonet. Also he designed a rifle that could be breach loaded to facilitate firing while lying down like the British light infantry did for most of the Battle of Brandywine.

[@veloway]

Chadd’s Ford in the house. If only Washington listened to his spies at Brandywine. Of course then the “malarial swamp” would still be my beloved Philadelphia. I’m quite fine with it being further south. I’m fine with how Philadelphia is rather than how it would be if Washington trusted that Howe had in fact split his forces on the western side of the Brandywine creek. I love the Valley Forge National Historical Park. And we probably wouldn’t even know there had been a forge there if he trusted his spies. Also at Brandywine on the original 9/11 Ferguson had his new rifle dead to rights on GW and felt it was wrong to murder him.

[@Quincy_Morris]

I believe the term is ‘light infantry tactics’ not ‘irregular warfare’

[@georgebeckydragan6389]

5:06 The commentator states the Major Ferguson was unfamiliar with the guerilla style warfare the Overmountain Men used. Not true. He was not only familiar with it, but was criticized by his peers as a rogue and a maverick because he was a proponent of these tactics. The breech loading rifle (not musket) he developed, the first successful one of its kind, lent itself to "Indian-style" fighting, of which Ferguson was a proponent. So, why, then, didn't he adopt those tactics at this battle? Well, you have to remember that the majority of his men were recently recruited Tory Loyalists, i.e.,militia, not professional soldiers, who were minimally trained and armed with smooth bore Brown Bess MUSKETS (not rifles), whose accuracy was only about 50 yards. To be effective with a smooth bore musket, you had to use them "in line" and en masse. Muskets did not lend themselves to be fired accurately from the prone position or from behind a tree. Ferguson had little choice but to revert to traditional tactics because those were the tactics that the weapons his men were issued lent themselves to. It was not until the rifled musket and the rifle was developed that tactics could begin to change with effective results on the battlefield. (Side note: In the American Civil War, though the standard Union weapon was a rifled musket with an effective range of 500 yards, Napoleonic tactics remained the standard method of attack due to the rifle's slow rate of fire. However, the accuracy of the rifled musket and improved artillery lent itself to appalling casualties not really remedied until long after the Civil War.)

[@mojo199]

+GeorgeBecky Dragan Ferguson didn't use traditional tactics in this battle. This is a very old video I can tell,. he used the tactics that were adopted by the british army in general at the time; which were loose order firing and bayonet charge, this worked to some degree as the patriots were driven off the mountain several times, which is not reflected in this video, however they managed reform. Ferguson's loyalists lacked the stamina and experience of regulars, which is probably why they could not finish the patriots off when they got them off the slopes. The video also makes no mention of the fact that most of the loyalist dead had been executed while trying to surrender

[@jmelius1]

Except Land Pattern Muskets WERE accurate beyond 50 yards. The British were firing aimed, accurate shots closer to 100 yards. Ferguson's Provincials were half armed with muskets and half with Pattern 1776 Rifles. The Loyalist militia who did not have guns of their own were issued French muskets which had been captured when Charleston was taken. See DeWitt Bailey's "Small Arms of the British Forces in America."

[@tomasgarcia6849]

Ferguson can be considered a pioneer in light infantry tactics.

[@jrt818]

The Ferguson rifle also took a long time to produce by craftsmen (100 in 6 months) and cost 4 times as much.

[@dough6759]

@@mojo199 Didn't the British also say they were going to arm the Indians to also kill and scalp the over mountain men's wives and children? I'm afraid I'd been shooting those trying to surrender, too. It's called no quarter and has been quite common over the ages in warfare - and well deserved at times. This being one of them. The men were probably just abiding by one of their rules. You asked for it, Ferguson.

[@simonwiggins8570]

the weird thing is that the Ulster-Scots or Scots-Irish were proud British settlers some of the most Loyal British citizens you could find. They simply disagreed with the King/British elites at the time. This was very much a civil war. Many of the Scots-Irish British had been part of the British army and fought in their nations wars for many years previous.

[@fiddleback1568]

Many of the so called British Soldiers were actually American born Loyalists.

[@bigbird6039]

@@fiddleback1568why wouldn’t they be called anything other than British Soldiers? Even today the British Military is manned by personnel from the Republic and further afield. That doesn’t make them any less British Soldiers. Remember up until the declaration all 13 states were British subjects, the heavy tax burden placed on them was a result of protecting them from the Indians and French,. The Over Mountain men broke the treaty with the Indians that the government had brokered. They knew they’d lose their land if the British maintained control, that’s why normally fiercely British Protestants turned. Not for anything else but their own land.

[@fiddleback1568]

@@bigbird6039 They were locally recruited Loyalists.

[@jsmcguireIII]

My ancestor who received a military pension fought at King's Mountain - but many pensioners gave little detail about this episode in their service. The savage killing of Virginia loyalists by Virginia patriots was a dark secret for generations. Much of the Southern Campaign looked like a civil war. Many Virginians had economic and family reasons to stay loyal, but melted into the scenery after Yorktown.

[@johnshelton1141]

The dark secret that led to 80,000 people leaving the country after 1783. Most settled in Canada. They got a measure of revenge when they repelled our invasion during the War of 1812.

[@sandrasue44]

I heard the older people talk about Kings Mountain, they told that many of the British were hacked to death. The over the mountain men were farmers and didn't have time to be bothered with prisoners. My grancestor Bowman was a free black man , one of three blacks at Kings Mountain.

[@GilmerJohn]

I did know that a lot of Northern "Loyalists" decided to move to Canada. In Virginia, after the war the state seized the property of the Church of England. In the other states, the church property was turned over to the newly organized Episcopal Church. The Virginia Episcopalians got most of the property back c. 1850.

[@miguellogistics984]

@@GilmerJohn The US Franchise of the bloody Church of England. Tucker Carlson denounced the Episcopalian Church as not Christian on a Friday, and was fired on Monday. He impugned the Church that was to Crown King Charles 2 weeks before Coronation. Charles, the namesake of the Treacherous King that the Parliament beheaded.

[@miguellogistics984]

@@sandrasue44 They got three sound rounds of Hanging of the Virginian Loyalists in before Sevier and the other Captains moved in to halt it. But some began again after the Captains went to sleep.

[@mainerockflour3462]

The Scotch and Irish amongst them had bared the brunt of the British yoke, as did their ancestors. On King's Mountain, they sent a message to the Crown, through their agents: "Never again."

[@milorudge5110]

Who are the British? Idiot!

[@WHU63]

The Scotch Irish were the same people. They were the ancestors of Scottish Covenanters who moved to Ulster in the 1600s. They moved initially to escape persecution from the English. In Ireland however these Presbyterians experienced persecution from the Irish landed class who were mostly Anglican. So They moved en mass to America from the early 1700s onwards. They were a tough race who didn't simply settle on America's east coast. They moved south into the Appalachians and westward into what would become the Confederate States. Many of the early presidents were of Scots Irish ( Ulster) heritage.

[@mainerockflour3462]

@@WHU63 Thank you. That was most insightful. As a matter of consideration, please lookup the following: "Order 1997, No. 1778"

[@chrisschepper9312]

You need to Google Scots Irish. They are from Ulster. They are neither Scottish or Irish.

[@mainerockflour3462]

@@chrisschepper9312 That's like a cross between Guinness and Scotch whiskey🤣

[@rogerburnett7898]

Nathan Gann, John Clark and John Crockett are my 6th G Grandfathers. Also had many other uncles & cousin's in this battle. We are very proud of our people.

[@jonmeek3879]

Thanks for posting this , my ancestors fought here at this battle

[@raibeartmacghilleandrais3596]

Mined in Scotland. Forged in Ulster. Exported the world over!

[@raibeartmacghilleandrais3596]

david1966dc cheers David. See what you've started btw.lol

[@raibeartmacghilleandrais3596]

david1966dc​ I've always admired them, as you know David. Nowhere near as clued-up as your good self on the subject. But we all have to start somewhere bro'. A couple of vids appeared in my YT feed. And after watching, a history channel version of the over mountain men, defeating Ferguson at #KingsMountain. Then one about the plantation of Ulster. Which was no bad Davie. I had a browse over the comments. And as usual it was full of the #Obsessed . Like foking locusts the mhanks. But even worse was an American lad giving it. "When the CSA rise we'll take back our stolen land". I told him the score. And I await a reply.lol I can remember speaking to you, for the first-time. A good while back, or many moons ago. And that's what we spoke about. How the pira, and noraid had done a right propaganda job. On most Yanks. Even now in this day of the web. It still surprises me when guys like him. Know so little truth about their own history. #UlsterScots #Pioneers #GodOwn #Presbyterians #TruthDefenders

[@victory5959]

and northern England

[@raibeartmacghilleandrais3596]

victory5959 ?

[@raibeartmacghilleandrais3596]

Ahhh that's what it was about. True. Border Reivers. Some mob they were.

[@jchuggins4534]

From Saluda Green river cove and Tryon all in and around Mountains 250 + years for one side of the family. Bears,caves,canoes,stills-moonshine,dirtroads&winding mtn. Roads,tin roofs,one and two room cabins on hills or mtn.sides,apple trees,small churches,fresh mtn.air,lakes,ponds ,wildlife,deer etc..So much more music etc..

[@Dalriada468]

My 5th great grandfather, John Weaver and his brothers fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Proud of my Scots-Irish heritage and Appalachian roots!

[@slantsix6344]

One of the reasons for breaking away from England was because every major decision on government matters had to be resolved in England. It took months for a decision on important matters to get back to the colonies. By that time the window of opportunity had been shut and opened again 15 times. Many decisions concerning us were not priority because of English issues coming first. So, We being proud Englishmen, Scots, Irish and Germans, we decided to make our own decisions without England calling the shots and you can see where that got us. Also, a large amount of us were not Anglican and paying taxes to a denomination that we had no part in didn't fly with us.

[@patriciajrs46]

Exactly!!

[@dvrn86]

We?lol talk like you were there.

[@rockymillwood3347]

Our family reunion was in Kings Mountain for years. I sure do miss those folks and the food!! Great times.

[@2ndarmoredhellonwheels106]

my granddaddy many generations removed was in that battle. he was of scot Irish decent. unfortunately he was in the British army. luckily he survived n became a p.o.w. after the war he stayed in America, settled down n got married eventually settling in Western Indiana where the small town to this day still carries our family name. McCutchanville.

[@tomcumby1118]

My 5 times great grandfather joeseph starnes jr came with the over the mt men to kings mt and fought guilford court house to. He is buried outside hickory nc. I am so proud of him.

[@OldestLady]

Joseph Starnes Sr is my 5x grandfather. I am decended from Leonard Starnes. Joseph Jr's brother.

[@robsargent4]

In the early part of James VI's reign, when he only ruled Scotland & when he was still a very young man, the Parliament of Scotland had a lot of influence, but once he came of age he asserted his dominance over Parliament & his dominance over the Parliament of Scotland only increased when he succeeded to the English & Irish thrones. From then on the Scottish Parliament met very infrequently & simply rubber-stamped his proposals. This state of affairs continued into Charles I's reign.

[@miguellogistics984]

1100 Men, 183 mountain miles in 8 days. These were motivated individuals. Half were unable to walk to engage. Over 500 Militia came out of Surrey and Wilkes Counties to re-enforce. 3 charges were pressed, thus, "third time's the Charm." Legend has it that the messenger sent from King's Mountain after the Battle rode all the way the York PA, where the Continental Congress was meeting (with Valley Forge and the Susquehanna River as their Protection from British Fast Attack). It was said that the messenger came into the Hall and announced 'Victory at King's Mountain", that Cornwallis after getting whipped at Cowpens had now lost his Western Flank. There was a Tabled Document before the Congress as the pronouncement was made, and it was promptly caste to the floor. It was terms of surrender, that they were about to vote upon. Patrick Ferguson is significant because not only did he create an accurate Breech loading rifle with a screw Breech Mechanism, he was also commissioned by the King to kill George Washington with it. He had his chance at the Battle of Brandywine, but considered it ungentlemanly. The Over The Mountain Men knew Indian Battle, and also Battle with the man later who would be the Mayor of New York City who would fight George Washington there. They met William Tryon the Anti-Christ at the Battle of Alamance in 1772, which was the First Battle of the War for Independence. Tryon had pronounced 5 Laws against the Baptists which emerged from the Preaching of George Whitfield, that "You Must Be Born Again!" They could not hold government office, could not gather for worship, could not operate a school, could not own land, and could not marry, After losing the Battle 9 Baptists were hung and drawn and Tryon ordered their intestines placed in fire as they were alive. There was a large bounty on the head of one Daniel Boone at the time, and as 6000 Families quit the Colony of North Carolina, he had already cut roads up the mountain sides for them to escape. Wards Gap Road which I know personally, was one of them, and not many miles from a Shot Tower around a bend from a town called Austinville VA, the birthplace of Stephen Austin. One man and his family helped up the mountain by Boone was the Grandfather of a President of the US. That man was Abraham Lincoln. Captain John Sevier, one of the three commanders at King's Mountain was a combatant at Alamance, and a founder and Statesman of Watauga. His plantation was called Marble Creek. The Curator of the Plantation told me that Sevier regularly met with 3 of his Cousins there on the Property, they were Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett. So one family founded the First Republic of Free White Men, Saved the Second, and Founded the Third. All because of George Whitfield preaching that You Must Be Born Again, and all because of the King James Bible keeping the Truth of CHRIST and GOD's Law in tact, that it is not a Church, and much less a Statist Church, which regenerates the Human Soul. The Trail of Liberty is the Trail of the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

[@sidgriffith1592]

John Griffith 1st NC Regt. My 5-G-grandfather He was wounded at King's Mountain.

[@frankthecrank7520]

Wow! What else have I not learned about in my history classes from days gone by. That’s was beautiful

[@coastalcarolinafishingnc5199]

I lived in Erwin, TN and Wataga river runs into NC. Beautiful country and awesome to learn some more history.

[@timmclaughlin5033]

I live near Gilbert town which is is where Ferguson and the mountain men all camped on their way to kings mountain. And up the road a short piece, they skermished at a place called cane creek. I'm lucky because I go to these places often as well as cowpens..

[@robertlyndon9510]

The drive of the Scottish and Irish settlers for independence from governance and tyranny rings true even today. Great facts of history. Cheers from 🇦🇺

[@DavidBroadley-tw7ks]

These same settlers that stole Northern Ireland from its rightfull owners

[@cnoc500]

Yeah our modern day drive from freedom of SNP/Green tyranny.

[@MrChristianDT]

Kind of fascinating. My ancestor fought as an Indian Scout in this battle. Never knew any specifics about it.

[@rogerdavies6226]

Just a note, Major Furgison invented a breech loading screw lock rifle. The story goes he gave it away to a young boy on his way to take command.

[@JD-8-1971]

My fathers family was part of this as well. I just did my family tree a couple years ago and found out. Funny thing is mom told me when I was young, "Johnny your the damdest kid I ever seen. When you get angry, You would chop your own arm off just to spite your hand." I always hated to fight never wanted to be trouble to anyone. I just wanted to be left alone. But I have never taken well to being told what to do. I can be asked to do something and I will break my back to help. Oh but try to bully me and the fight is on. I now believe our ancestors are never gone. They just become a part of the next generation.

[@patriciajrs46]

You're exactly right. I see myself as the same way. Ask me to do something and most likely I'll do it. Try and tell me what to do as in orders, I don't take kindly to that at all.

[@tomcolvin8199]

As a scotsman myself l salute them

[@MarkMooney...1958]

Here sitting on this mountain on the same day in East Tennessee I feel a great joy. Gotta enjoy life's little things ☘️🇺🇸🤙🏻

[@VladVlad-ul1io]

sounds like the Rebel yell at the middle

[@cosmo9925]

My ancestor, James Waldrop Sr., fought alongside the patriots in this battle. He survived this battle and went on to join the continental army and by the end of the war, he was promoted to the rank of captain in South Carolina. I cannot express how proud I am to learn I’m related to someone who fought in the American revolution!

[@philjones9339]

My ancestor was Major Jonathan Tipton III. A patriot hero among other patriot hero’s. So proud of my ancestors who built this nation.

[@randyjordan5521]

Is he the guy who had the feud with John Sevier?

[@shawnhierlihy3690]

If my ancestors had a hand in building that shithole I'd be embarassed.

[@dunruden9720]

heroes

[@trjengar]

My 5th great grandfather also fought here, William Garrison, was in Bowens’s Company

[@Peter-kk6rg]

Good on you Americans, brave boys,respect from New Zealand

[@redriver6541]

Descendant of the Campbell men from this battle. Makes me very proud....and ashamed of the current gen that has allowed America to become the way it is now.

[@and6669]

Cambells are hated in Scotland for working for England and killing the innocent. Should be ashamed of your past. Macdonalds would tell u that.

[@Anaris10]

@@and6669 The saying goes "Never trust a Campbell" to this day.

[@Anaris10]

@@and6669 The massacre of the MacGregors after being guested by the clan is still remembered.

[@michellepeoplelikeyoumurde8373]

​@@Anaris10massacre of McDonald's,get facts right

[@michellepeoplelikeyoumurde8373]

​@@and6669sorry not so,most people could not care less,highlanders were always killing one another

[@georgeparsons7338]

I read a book about kings MTN when in Jr high. I had always thought that when the British charged with bayonets the Americans fell back reloading until the bayonet charge died out then they turned and worked their way up the hill. Shooting from cover. Also did Ferguson invent a repeating flintlock. The Ferguson rifle.

[@STho205]

He did develop a breachloader for his light Infantry regiment and typical British light Infantry, with primary firing from prone. The narrators present a very simplified history here. As you notice on his memorial marker in front of his grave cairn in this film...he was a Colonel of Scots Light Infantry. He was quite familiar with the guerrilla style Indian fighting of this type terrain. That day he had a hodgepodge of Carolina Tory militia units, Crowne Regulars (line troops) and Lights. The Overmountain Men joined Patriot Carolina militia units from the Western Carolina piedmont...so it was not just them vs the redcoats. They just got the best of him with better surprise. I think he was shot by about 30 balls upon that horse. The horse is buried with him according to local legend.

[@Me2Lancer]

Thanks for sharing. One of my ancestors, William Voyles, fought against the British at Kings Mountain.

[@andrewmccaskill2704]

I wish they had spoken about their Presbyterian faith and their battle cry, "For the Lord and for Gideon!" in this documentary. That was a very significant reason for their distrust of the British.

[@jrt818]

Anecdotes from the British side in the Revolution and War of 1812 make it look as though it was a war against Presbyterianism.

[@ScottMiller-pr7ot]

Rev. Samuel Doak’s “Sword of the Lord and Gideon” sermon given at Sycamore Shoals, 26 September 1780.

[@Quincy_Morris]

This war was primarily regarding religious liberty but modern historians try to erase that fact.

[@joannleichliter4308]

Diana Gabaldon incorporates this battle into the ninth book of her Outlander series (Go and Tell the Bees that I Am Gone). She has done a good job of doing serious historical research for her fiction.

[@71superbee39]

Ferguson's forces represented the entire left flank of Cornwallis's army ... The Patriot victory at Kings Mountain altered the course of the entire war for independence..Thomas Jefferson called the victory, "the turn of the tide of success."

[@mooneypilotn201tm]

My Anderson ancestors mustered at Abington Va, their grandsons were in the CSA 37th VA

[@jrg7951]

The Southern Continental Line regiments were surrounded and captured in Charleston, South Carolina in 1780. So the war in the South had to be fought by militia troops while they rebuilt their Continental regiments. They gradually rebuilt their Continental regiments and fought the Battle of Eutaw Springs, SC. in 1781.

[@otmboverthemountainboys7113]

Fantastic!

[@coolguy7384]

i respect Americans so much

[@larpingastheduchyofburgund337]

Thanks but most people don’t respect us.

[@stevewalker4638]

Got to visit this battle field

[@LordWellington15]

I dont know why they keep referring to the British at this battle. Everyone here was British, there was only 1 regular British army officer, everyone else was either a rebel or loyalist colonist.

[@rjun67]

+LordWellington15 It would confuse the morons who watch it to explain such complexities!

[@raygon8]

@@rjun67 Tories were British in the most important sense

[@philipmcgee5202]

Aye lad, you forget that a lot of the Americans were Scots and Irish who wanted nothing to do with the English. They left their homes in the old world to escape the English and they sure as hell weren't going to stand for the English to rule over them here.

[@hanoitripper1809]

Dutch germans Swedes French Polish Russians

[@lordjazoijua94]

@Equality and Peace I wager they where a few englishmen among the mountain men.

[@Joewylie3]

The Wylie's landed in Charleston SC in 1795.. Lake Wylie NC. Wylie Texas (suburb of Dallas). One Wylie was a Doctor during the civil war. Another fought for South Carolina, surrenders and died in a POW camp in Illinois. We're still here.

[@brotjack]

"Lets see what Sweet Lips can do"... That is badass right there!

[@rayburton2934]

The History Channel took some creative liberties with the facts. Visit Kings Mountain National Battlefield and get the true story. The Over Mountain Boys were only a portion of the Colonial forces facing Ferguson on Kings Mountain there were militias from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina that made up over half of the Colonial forces. The Virginia contingent was commanded by Colonel John Campbell who later married Patrick Henry's daughter. An interesting bit of trivia is that there were Scots fighting on both sides of this battle.

[@jeannet7443]

"We'll see what Sweet Lips can do." :-)

[@SophisticatedBob]

My 5th Grandfather fought here too. I was born and raised about 15 minutes from the Military Park. Been there many, many times, including last week.

[@thejewelrycabana3057]

I am a descendant of Elizabeth Young, Robert Young's daughter, and her husband Robert Gilleland.

[@solafide9903]

Any relation to Enoch Young in Oklahoma?

[@ashleycheeksz8745]

Robert young is my 8th great grand father so cool finding out history in my family

[@thejewelrycabana3057]

@@solafide9903 No, I have not seen that name on my tree.

[@JudyDuduks-gm4rb]

My family is from the west of Cumberland Gap. We crossed to Kentucky with Daniel Boone.

[@HarryHollertheWolf]

This is a very oversimplified account leaving out many important details. First of all, the "Red Coats" fighting for Ferguson were Tory Loyalist militia men, not trained British Soldiers from England. Patrick Ferguson was the master of guerilla warfare, and a designer of a bored rifle in which he believed strongly over the balled musket. Ferguson had been wounded about a year earlier. Ferguson lost command of his group of highly trained camouflaged guerrilla fighters, and the use of his right arm. The group he commanded later at King's Mountain were poorly trained Tories. The video also leaves out the battles that proceeded the one at King's Mountain, and how they affected the attitudes of the Patriots and "Over the Mountain Men".

[@malachy1847]

Karma for "Tarleton's quarter"

[@richardschoenmakers171]

At last the truth 💥

[@projectilequestion]

+malachy1847 'Tarleton's quarter' came into being, because it is very hard for attacking cavalrymen to ascertain if enemy infantry have surrendered, due to the chaotic nature of a cavalry among broken infantry.

[@projectilequestion]

+Harry Holler Ferguson was not a master of guerrilla warfare, his achievements only seem impressive when compared to 'ridged' and 'inflexible' style of tactics 'used' by other British officers of the war. Most historians who get selected for tv docs don't know that the British abandoned the close order standard time formations during 1776.

[@jmelius1]

Tarleton's Quarter was the result of an incompetent commander (Buford) who had his men hold their fire in the face of a cavalry charge until it was too late, and the Rebel propaganda machine. Many of the survivors of Waxhaws passed through Salem, NC. In the Moravian diaries, they recorded that these men basically said they deserved slaughter: Buford held their fire, then men who surrendered picked up guns and started firing again. It's hard to argue with the words of the participants. It wasn't a massacre.

[@richardglady3009]

Great video. Thank you.

[@americaubberalles4289]

This was my family, these are my people. This is our America.

[@TheodoreDaridMauro]

america ubber alles remember America has many people who make it, out of many We Are One

[@perfectfan2006]

right on,, this was great video

[@robsargent4]

I realise that the majority of the people who settled in Ulster were Scots, but a significant number of them were English as well. Scottish Presbyterian culture was dominant among these people, so a significant number of English nonconformists went to Ulster, presumably because they felt hemmed in by Anglicanism in England. In fact apparently a few of these English Puritans in Ulster went to Scotland to sign the National Covenant! Therefore, I would say individual Scots, but not the Scottish

[@paxwallacejazz]

I used to love camping on Kings Mountain as a child.

[@philiproutledge3027]

The reason that the ‘ Scots Irish ‘ have English surnames is that they were neither Scots , nor Irish. The families originate from the border between Scotland and England. When James 6 of Scotland assumed the throne of what then became the United Kingdom he set about destroying the power of the riding families of the border by sending some of them to the Northern part of Ireland . Some of them migrated South to the newly developing industrial centres of England , and some to North America . These were fiercely independent warrior families with no respect or fear of the Establishment , whether they be of American or British provenance. Their loyalty is to family.

[@myradioon]

Not fully true. It was a mix. Some Original Ulster Irish, Scottish Lowlanders, English Soldiers and people brought to work in Ireland. Further, in Ulster, Scots and Irish had been going /attacking across the Channel for hundreds of years. The DNA and genealogy is mixed. Some Scots Irish and English intermarried once in Ulster. My last name is McElhiney - a prominent name at Kings Mountain (my family are Scots-Irish from Nova Scotia though and I'm from Boston). That name is fully Ulster Irish, very prominent there till this day (a department store chain). They'd been there since before the English even showed up - and we are Protestant Methodist Irish.

[@TheArchesIsleofMan]

@@myradioon I think the point that I was trying to make is that , the natives of the borders were bound by family ties rather than of nation or labels such as Scots and Irish and English. They would change sides in mid battle to suit their own ends. I’m sure you would find it very interesting to research the history of the border Reivers. The family names were important to them and many emigrated to the American Colonies. Surnames such as Nixon, Johnson, Rutledge , Armstrong , Graham have all figured in the history of the USA !

[@myradioon]

@@TheArchesIsleofMan Gotcha, your history obviously right on. Just pointing out because here in the Southern United States many people still are murky on what the history and term "Scots-Irish" means. Many think Kilted Highlanders etc. And as we know in the U.S./Canada the term became Bastardized to "Scotch-Irish" which they laugh at over in the Isles. Cheers.

[@patriciajrs46]

Okay. That's intersting, sort of.

[@grannyfisher3863]

I used to live not far from Petersburg, Tennessee, which is over 400 miles west of Kings Mountain. But a monument stands in the center of the small town commemorating the Battle of Kings Mountain, and Joseph Greer, the courier who carried news of the victory to the Continental Congress. For his service in the war, he received a land grant near where Petersburg stands.

[@robcochran6213]

Ferguson did not march north with British redcoats and he was the only Brit involved, he led an all American Loyalist militia. The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias, the battle has been described as "the war’s largest all-American fight. How do you get something so basic so wrong?

[@jamesmitchell8500]

I'm a son of the American revolution on both sides of my family we arrived here in 1680 and we fought in the Carolinas

[@elliottcrews4997]

One correction, The Overmountain men weren't fighting British troops. Ferguson was the only British officer or soldier there. These were Tory (Loyalist) troops that Ferguson had assembled and trained at Ninety-Six, SC.

[@davidburns3203]

Agreed. A lot of people don't realize that it was as much a civil war as a Revolutionary War. A lot ,if not the majority of people , especially those along the Atlantic coast who made their living trading directly with England sided with England. I had ancestors (Irby) at Hays Station SC in the American Militia killed by their neighbors, Torys led by Bloody Bill Cunningham.

[@slantsix6344]

It was against their own fellow citizens that stayed loyal to the King, More of a Civil war.

[@jrg7951]

Some of these Loyalist Regiments were veterans from New York and New Jersey. They were Uniformed and equipped, not just militia as many assume.

[@butterfly.933]

The toughest people in America, always have been.

[@michaelgilbreath7696]

My greatx5 grandfather Hugh Galbraith was one of the "over mountain" men.

[@eddiemclean7011]

Never underestimate men who just want to be left alone.

[@jeremyrobinson7919]

I have a ancestor who fought in this battle ...

[@nickdial8528]

Just found out through genealogy that my 7x Grandfather was Captain Edmudson, who was killed in action at Kings Mountain. Interesting.

[@vestty5802]

Weird how Irish and scotch Irish fought on both sides

[@herbie70philip]

They won’t Scots and Irish. They where Ulster Scots One entity not two. Look up Ulster Scots not the Irish Who went to America. When they forgot where Planted the potatoes.

[@brucecollins4729]

@@herbie70philip many of these ulster scots families would have still been full scots having lived in ulster only for a few years then leaving for america. not forgetting the earlier scots who have been settling in the carolinas since the late 1500s

[@VTPSTTU]

I think I saw this movie at the Sycamore Shoals visitor center in Elizabethton.

[@stephenyoung2742]

Not all the Patriots combatants were over the mountain! My Ancestor lived 13 miles from Kings Mountain and his militia unit formed up to go fight! Originally from Pennsylvania where his father along with a brother had immigrated to after serving in Canada Highlander Regiment with the brother later going to South Carolina and family trade business brought him into contact with future wife and had moved down south were raising a family plus business while being older kept him from full time service!

[@cathylarkins9949]

I used to live in TN and this story is still told …brave men…

[@andygortonacoustic9632]

As a child I was introduced to a Woman from Scotland. I said, “Oh, you are Scotch”. She answered briskly, and with a frown, “No Laddie. Scotch is a drink. I am Scots”. So, Wikipedia and other sites have it wrong. The correct term is Scots Irish. So say the Scots.

[@dunruden9720]

It's an exception held very proudly by that particular group.

[@davetherave7279]

I can confirm this is true, from a scot.

[@fishaddict2]

I'm also of Ulster-Scot (Scots-Irish) heritage and my American forebearers largely settle in Virginia and what is now West Virginia. Have been to Kings Mountain many times.

[@1Rotorwing]

One side of my family was from Scotland, joined the British Army to get to America, then switched sides to fight with the rebels. Scottish men didn't really have much use for the British, so going up against the "Red Coats" seemed to feel pretty good..... Ret. 82nd AirBorne,

[@2anthro]

My ancestor William Owen Cawlfield, County Tyrone, also "caught a ride" with the British Army to the American colonies and promptly deserted. His commanding officer in his report described him as "a well-dressed and likely fellow" those words had a wistful tone. He married Sarah Jean Snodgrass in VA whose grandparents who were also from County Tyrone.

[@gulfwinds94]

absolutely correct, Scotland county , N.C. is a good example of an Ulster settlement in America.

[@davemccracken6436]

Scotch is a drink of whiskey spread world-wide by the Scots. They were moved to Ulster because England was getting no revenue from it's Irish territories. The Scots worked, and soon had something, while the Irish were stubbornly resisting anything to do with the English. So, the Scots became the "lace Curtain" Irish, or those who had, and the Irish were poor and yet envious of what the Scots had. So the divisions were really economic, and not religious. The Scots led most of the rebellions against the crown (Belfast and the Easter Uprising, etc.). Then, when the right to be free came, the Scots realized they would be swallowed by the "Papists" (Catholics) and separated from Eire for their safety. Thus there is a Northern Ireland, and an Eire.

[@jerrymyphone5849]

What are you drinking? I'm Scottish of Irish decent and your trying to tell people that the Easter rising was led by the Ulster Scots against the British and then after independence they changed side's?🤪 The only Scotsman involved in 1916 was James Connolly !

[@LKerrTxn]

Whisky

[@georgerohrberg4279]

We did what is called a Staff Ride when i was in the Marine Corps. We went to Kings Mountain, Cowpens, and Guilford Courthouse. I knew of these battles but was not aware of dramatic impact it had on the very outcome of the Revolution.

[@vestty5802]

I counted many Irish names of men who fought in this battle including but not limited to Coffey,Connelly,O’Brien,Doherty,McGuire,McDonough,Bryan, Callahan, fagan, Delaney

[@vestty5802]

Tim McGuire where are you from ?

@@vestty5802 North Carolina.

[@vestty5802]

Tim McGuire your Irish ancestors most likely fought in this battle then especially if you are from western North Carolina

[@xlcline]

@@vestty5802 To be fair though its also a smaller chance due to the fact it was only mounted volunteers and officers that fought at the battle.

[@jeffreyflynn5746]

My great grandfather william henry Sr and his sons fought in this battle and lived not far away on henry's knob.

[@markmathews6876]

the boys did well & help swing the whole show , & just to show their gratitude Washington showed up after it was over with 13 thousand troops to enforce the new whisky tax they dreamt up , & it's been down hill from there i spose , more taxes more wars

[@beneficent2557]

Typical landed aristocracy.

[@rickgarcia7334]

New history to me. Thank you.

[@darryldunmore5184]

No matter what kind of "Patriotic Hero" story you try to make this into, it all started with squatting on land that rightfully belonged to Native Americans.

[@2anthro]

Whatever.