Lincoln County Men at Kings Mountain

Transcription

1 Lincoln County Men at Kings Mountain Copyright 2014 by EleHistory Research. All rights reserved.

2 Introduction Patriot Gravestones

3 Ferguson and American Troop Movements 24 September - 7 October 1780

4 3 Trails & 4 Groups to Kings Mountain approximate strengths, in battle, from (Draper 1881, 214) Overmountain Victory Trail Overmountain Men: total 880, 440 Campbell, Washington County, VA: 400, 200 Shelby, Sullivan County, NC: 240, 120 Sevier, Washington County, NC: 240, 120 Burke and Rutherford County Men: total 180, 90 McDowell, Burke County: 120, 60 Hampton, Rutherford County: 60, 30 Upper Yadkin Valley Victory Trail Wilkes and Surry County Men: total 240, 120 Cleveland, Wilkes County: 120, 60 Winston, Surry County: 120, 60 Lower Catawba Valley Victory Trail South Carolinian led men and Lincoln County Men: total 390, 260 Hill, Hawthorne, New Acquisition [York] District: 140, 70 Lacey, Chester District: 120, 60 Williams, Little River District, SC, and Caswell County, NC: 70, 70 Graham, Lincoln County: 60, 60 Total 1690, 910

5 Tryon County Resolves at Tryon County Courthouse 14 August 1775

6 Colonel William Graham s Commission Tryon County 9 September 1776 North Carolina, Hillsboro. In Congress September 9, 1776 this may certify that William Graham Esq. is appointed by act of Congress Colonel of the militia in the County of Tryon by order of Samuel Johnston, President Andrew Knox, secretary. (Graham, William, pension application 1832)

7 Lincoln and Rutherford Counties formed from Tryon County April 1779 Most Tryon County residents were recent immigrants or their children. They were mostly Scotch-Irish and German-speaking settlers, divided in political allegiance. In April 1779, Tryon County was divided and renamed Lincoln County and Rutherford County.

8 Colonel William Graham s Commission Lincoln County Militia 12 May 1779 State of North Carolina: to William Graham Esq., greetings, we, reposing special trust and confidence in your Valor, Conduct and Fidelity do by these presents Constitute and appoint you to be Col of the Lincoln [County] Regiment of Militia of this State. You [illegible words] carefully and diligently to discharge the duties of a Colonel by exercising and well disciplining the Officers and Soldiers under your Command and by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging and we do Strictly Charge and require all Officers and Soldiers under your Command to be Obedient to your Orders as Colonel and you are to Observe and follow such Orders and Directions from time to time as you shall receive from your Superior Officers according to the Rules and Directions of Military Discipline and the law of this State. Witness: Richard Caswell, Esq., Governor Captain General and Commander in Chief of the said State under his hand and the Great Seal of this State at Smithfield the 12th day of May Anna Dom 1779 and in the 3 rd year of our independence. By his Excellency commanded: [signed] J. Glasgow, Sec. [signed] Richard Caswell (Graham, William, pension application 1832)

9 Lincoln County Men (aka South Fork Boys) Summer 1780

10 Ramsour s Mill 20 June 1780

11 Lincoln County Men After Ramsour s Mill, Tory Suppression Summer 1780

12 Wofford s Iron Works 8 August 1780

13 Graham s Fort about 9 or 10 September 1780

14 Major Patrick Ferguson Summer 1780

15 Ferguson s Threat about 11 September 1780 If they did not desist from their opposition to the British arms, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword. (Shelby, Isaac, Kings Mountain Narrative 1823) (Draper 1881, 169)

16 Ferguson s Advance up Cane Creek 12 September 1780

17 Lincoln County Men to Tuckasegee Ford 5-15 September 1780

18 Colonel Thomas Sumter brigadier general, age 62, when painted by Rembrandt Peale, 1796

19 Sumter & Lincoln County Men Tuckasegee Ford to Sherrill s Ford September 1780

20 Williams vs. Sumter at Sherrill s Ford 29 September 1780 On 1 October, Cornwallis in Charlotte wrote: Sumpter has had a quarrel with Williams about command and is gone to Hillsborough to refer it to Gates.

21 Williams to Burke County 30 September 2 October 1780 On 2 October, Williams wrote he was: In Burke County Seventy miles from Salisbury In the fork of the Catawba

22 Ferguson s Retreat Desperate Plea for Aid 1 October 1780 Denard s Ford, Broad River, Tryon County, October 1, 1780 Unless you wish to be eat up by an inundation of barbarians grasp your arms in a moment and run to camp The Back Water men have crossed the mountains If you choose to be degraded forever and ever by a set of mongrels, say so at once, and let your women turn their backs upon you, and look out for real men to protect them. Pat. Ferguson, Major 71st Regiment (Draper 1881, 204)

23 Graham Joined Overmountain Men at mouth of Camp Creek 3 October 1780

24 Williams to Flint Hills 3-5 October 1780

25 Williams Joined Overmountain Men at Cowpens 5-6 October 1780

26 Hill, Lacey, Williams, & Graham Men to Cowpens 6 October 1780

27 Cherokee Ford on Broad River dawn 7 October 1780

28 Forced March from Cowpens 6-7 October 1780

29 Kings Mountain Battleground 4:00pm 7 October 1780

30 Lincoln County Men Commanders at Kings Mountain Colonel William Graham called away. Major William Chronicle assumed command. Ordered Face the Hill. Killed. Lt Col Frederick Hambright assumed command.

31 Private Robert Henry Quote I was preparing to fire when one of the British advancing, I stepped back and was in the act of cocking my gun when his bayonet was running along by the barrel of my gun, and gave me a thrust through my hand and into my thigh. My antagonist and I both fell. The Fork boys retreated and loaded their guns. I was then lying under the smoke and it appeared that some of them were not more than a gun s length in front of the bayonets, and the farthest could not have been more than 20 feet in front when they discharged their rifles. It was said that every one dropped his man. The British then retreated in great haste, and were pursued by the Fork boys. William Caldwell saw my condition, and pulled the bayonet out of my thigh, but it hung to my hand; he gave my hand a kick and it went out. The thrust gave me much pain, but the pulling of it was much more severe. With my well hand I picked up my gun and found her discharged. I suppose that when the soldier made the thrust, I gripped the trigger and discharged her; the load must have passed through his bladder and cut a main artery at his back, as he bled profusely. (Henry 1850).

32 Robert Henry Daguerreotype Image, 1859

33 Kings Mountain Battle Major Patrick Ferguson Killed 5:00 pm 7 October 1780

34 US Obelisk Monument 1909

35 Military Unit of Killed and Wounded V V V V V C L S H R W X L V L V V V V V V S X L R C S M V Washington County, VA: Campbell L Lincoln County: Graham, Hambright, Chronicle W Recruited SC and NC: James Williams S Washington County, NC: Sevier B Sullivan County: Shelby C Wilkes, Surry Counties: Cleveland, Winston X mistake H New Acquisition, Chester: Hawthorne, Lacey R Rutherford County: Hampton M Burke County: McDowell S V L V L C R V L C C S C V C C V C V L V C L S B V W S L V L V V H V S R V

36 Historian Lyman Draper on Lincoln County Men The Lincoln County men, considering their small number, suffered considerably in the engagement Major Chronicle, Captain Mattocks, William Rabb, John Boyd, and Arthur Patterson [incorrect], killed, and Moses Henry mortally wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Hambright, Captain Espey, Robert Henry, William Gilmer, John Chittim, and William Bradley, wounded. There must have been other losses; for of Captain Samuel Martin s company of about twenty men, he relates in his pension statement, that four were killed, and two mortally wounded. (Draper 1881, 302).

37 Lincoln County Men Casualties Of 60 to 80 men: 4 killed 1 mortally wounded 6 wounded Thus, about 1 in 6 was a casualty.

38 Casualty Ratio at Kings Mountain Total Casualties Ratio % 0

39 Lincoln County Men at Kings Mountain James Alexander Matthew Armstrong Robert Barkley Andrew Barry John Boyd, killed William Bradley, wounded Samuel Caldwell John Chittam, wounded William Chronicle, Major, killed James Conn John Dellinger David Dickey Joseph Dickson, Major James Espey Samuel Espey, Captain, wounded Hugh Ewin? Andrew Floyd Abraham Forney James Furgason Enoch Gilmer William M. Gilmer, wounded James Glenn William Graham, Colonel Frederick Hambright, Lt. Col., wounded John Hardin Hambright, Captain Charles Hamilton James Henry Joseph Henry Malcolm Henry Moses Henry, mortally wounded

40 Lincoln County Men at Kings Mountain [continued] Robert Henry, wounded James Hill, Lieutenant Thomas Hill George Hofstalar James Johnson, Captain William Johnson, Captain Matthew Leeper Thomas Lofton, Captain William Logan Jacob Martin Samuel Martin, Captain Charles Mattocks John Mattocks, Captain, killed Alexander McLaen Charles McLean William McLean? William Newton Arthur Patterson Sr., not killed Arthur Patterson, Jr. Thomas Patterson William Patterson William Rabb, killed Philip Sailors Robert Shannon John Tubb William Twitty John Weir, Captain Isaac White, Captain Joseph White, Major Thomas White, Lieutenant

41 Link to 1775 Tryon County Resolves Five years separated to two events. Many signers became Whigs. Others became Loyalists. In particular, 5 of the 49 signers fought at Kings Mountain. They were Frederick Hambright, Andrew Hampton, William Graham (although called away immediately before the battle), John Dellinger, and Charles McLean. All of these were Patriots (Moss 1990). Other signers had sons who fought at Kings Mountain. They were Thomas Espey s sons Samuel Espey and James Espey; and Jacob Forney s son Abraham Forney. Other possible relationships exist between signer Charles McLean and fighter William McLean; signer Robert Alexander and fighter James Alexander; and signer George Dellinger and signer/fighter John Dellinger. It is possible that fathers and sons with the same first name are confused. Signer Moses Moore s sons John and Patrick were staunch Loyalists. There is no known relation between signer James Logan and the four Logan brothers who fought on opposite sides at Kings Mountain. William and Joseph Logan fought as Patriots. John and Thomas Logan fought as Loyalists (Moss 1998, 50). At the time of the battle, William Logan was a resident of Rutherford County (Moss 1990, ). He is included among Lincoln County men because he fought under Colonel William Graham.

42 Significance of Lincoln County Men s Contribution at Kings Mountain Led the way from Cowpens to Kings Mountain Blocked escape road Suffered high casualties Essential to success If not but for tests: If no Lincoln County men, Ferguson might have escaped, no complete victory. If no Kings Mountain victory, Cornwallis captured NC.

43 First Battleground Marker Lincoln County Men Monument erected 1815

44 Hill and Lacey to Bullocks Creek 8-9 October 1780

45 Biggerstaff s Trials 14 October 1780

46 Lincoln County Men at Tuckasegee Ford during Cowan s Ford Battle 31 January 1 February 1781

47 Lincoln County Men under Dickson & Pickens at Cowan s Ford, Pyle s Defeat, Clapp s Mill, Weitzell s Mill February March 1781

48 Lincoln County Men at Flat Rock near Greene at Rugeley s after 25 April 1781

49 Lincoln County Men on Rutherford s Wilmington Campaign October November 1781 German-speaking residents participated. Independent sources: Jacob Plunk pension application Christian Arney pension application

50 More Details For details, read:

51 Conclusion The American Revolution remains the great epic story that occurred in the Carolinas. Nothing like it occurred before or since. It defined our nation. Its noteworthy sites are all around us. We should do our best to protect what we can.