The Battle of King’s Mountain

On October 7, 1780, in the rolling hills of northern South Carolina, a small army of men under the command of a British officer, Major Patrick Ferguson, was overtaken and defeated by a group that had been assembled from the farms and fields of southwest Virginia, North Carolina and the area that would become Tennessee. The American colonists had been waging a revolution against the crown of England for four years but victories had been few and far between. Had the British left well enough alone and let this struggle grind on a while longer, the colonists might soon have abandoned their dream of an independent nation. But they wanted to hasten the end of the conflict and decided upon a strategy that called for bringing the southern colonies under complete submission and rapidly pressuring the remnants of the rebel army from all sides. Maj. Ferguson had orders from Lord Cornwallis to lead his army of British trained Tories in a conquest of the inhabitants of the western Carolinas. Ferguson sent out the word that he was on his way and if the settlers wished to save their homes from his torch they would have to pledge their allegiance to the British crown. Having learned of this threat, the settlers prepared for action. They mustered their militia units and sent out a call for volunteers. Then having gathered their little army together and not being content to wait for trouble to come to them, they set out to look for it, and Ferguson. They caught up with him on that day in October of 1780. He had positioned his army along the top of a long wooded hill known as King’s Mountain. The colonists surrounded the hill and launched a fearless attack up the southern slope. Their courage was met by deadly musket volleys and bayonet charges into their ranks as they scaled the hillside. But they were able to use the high ground held by the enemy against them by keeping the Tories in a crossfire and they soon were swarming over the enemy encampment. Maj. Ferguson was killed along with many of his troops and the remaining Tories were taken prisoner. It was a total and decisive victory. The victory at King’s Mountain not only put an end to the British conquest of the western colonies but it breathed new life into the revolution. As people learned of what took place on that long, wooded hill out on the frontier, they rallied once more around their leaders and renewed the struggle for independence.

18 year old Frederick Fisher was part of the Virginia Militia from Washington Co. He was “severely wounded” at King’s Mountain. One account stated that he was shot in the leg as he was charging the hillside. He was unable to run to escape the bayonet charge that followed the rifle volley and tried to hide by rolling into a thicket of brush. One of the charging Tories discovered him and he was stabbed with a bayonet as well as shot in the leg. These wounds resulted in a state of disability for the remainder of his life and a pension from the state of Virginia and later the United States.

John Loggins had already served in the Continental Army from Virginia and been wounded at the battle of Hanging Rock in the Waxhaws region. He had been allowed to return to his home in Halifax Co. Virginia while his wounds healed. A short time later a call for volunteers was issued and John found himself marching under the command of a Col. Cleveland. Their objective was to join forces with other companies and go after Ferguson.