Thesis
This paper will examine the British and American Southern Loyalist defeat in the Battle of Kings Mountain and discuss the assumptions the British made including loyalist support, logistic support, and terrain advantage.
Introduction
The Battle of King’s Mountain between the American Loyalist and American Patriots took place on October 7, 1780 near Blackburn, South Carolina and Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Major Patrick Ferguson’s American Loyalist augmented to the Ninety-Six District, South Carolina, totaled 1,200 men. (Hickman, 2015) Ferguson’s 1,200 men included, “Tories from the King’s American Rangers, New Jersey Volunteers, and the Loyal American Regiment.” (Wicker, 1998)
The American Patriots totaled 900 men under the leaderships of William Campbell, James Johnston, John Sevier, Benjamin Cleveland, Joseph Winston, Joseph McDowell, Frederick Hambright, James Williams, and Colonel Isaac Shelby. (Hickman, 2015) These American Patriots referred to as the “Over the Mountain Men” (Jones, 2009) most from the backcountry of the Appalachian
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Some came on horseback while others walked. They wore doeskins, carried large knives around their waist, and had long rifles. (Wicker, 1998) They were skilled hunters and all sharpshooters. They men organized, but lacked military discipline. They did not follow any protocol. They chose among themselves, whose leadership they would follow. (Wicker, 1998) The British dismissed them to be no threat. (Jones, 2009) While waiting for other men to arrive, the patriot militia prepared for the cross-country march. They prepared their clothing and equipment. They packed food such as corn and jerky for the journey. They tended to the horses and cleaned their rifles. They mined lead from near hillsides to make ammunitions. Their local populace supplied them gunpowder. (Jones,
“Many historians consider the Battle of King's Mountain on October 7, 1780 to be the turning point in America's War for Independence.” (hankla)
The Non-Fiction Historical Book 1776 By David McCullough is a historically accurate and in depth view of The American Revolution; starting from The Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Fort Washington, and ending its Analysis at the Battle of Trenton in 1776. There are many fascinating features, trends, themes, and characteristics used in 1776 that make the book a fluent and enjoyable read. Also the book gives a very detailed and informative account of the battles and military life from the Battle of Boston to the Battle of Trenton. Finally the author, David McCullough, of the book as many other works and experiences that tell the reader why and how 1776 is such a credible source
Composed of successful farmers and traders, the nation’s members participated in key battles such as Oriskany and Saratoga. Having heard of the unfortunate event of the soldiers at Valley Forge, Oneida Chief Shenandoah sent a group of his tribe’s members with food to help feed the starving troops attending under General George Washington during the hard winter of 1777-1778. The Oneidas, including Polly walked four hundred miles from central New York to Valley Forge in the bitter cold, carrying with them nearly six hundred bushels of white corn to feed General George Washington’s starving troops. Even so, Polly Cooper did much more for the American troops then carry corn, she also carried pails of water, and poured amounts into the soldier’s throats, to quench their thirst across the
General Howe add/give to Burgoyne's defeat at Saratoga because he had about 300 regulars and was supported by 650 Canadian and Loyalist group of armed citizens. One thousand Native Americans, led by John Butler
On one side of the siege, were the Patriots who made up the young and scrappy Continental Army, a mixture of untrained northern militias, southern auxiliary infantry units, and the occasional group of Native Americans, who all joined together in their hate of the British. The hate alone was not enough to give the Patriot’s victory and a wide range of shortcomings and failures made this body of men ineffective. This ragtag group of individuals had very little equipment to start with. Most of the men would bring their own firearms from home, but they had little in terms of normal materials for an army camp,
In the early 20th Century, West Virginia was a place where coal barons held immense power. Coal companies owned towns, mayors and governors. Miners were forced to live on coal camps and rent houses from them, as well as purchase all of their coal and other items required to survive from the companies. With this control, mining families where forced to live and work in brutal conditions. In 1921, after a generation of violent suppression, miners erupted in the largest class war in US history. For 5 days miners fought the coal barons, over 1 million rounds of ammunition were fired, this is known as the Battle of Blair Mountain.
Have you heard of The Battle of King’s Mountain? This small battle is considered by many “the turning point in the American Revolution”. This battle has many causes, leaders, events, and effects that make it an important and significant.
Some came on horseback while others walked. They wore doeskins, carried large knives around their waist, and had long rifles. They were skilled hunters and all sharpshooters with the long rifle. The mountain men lacked military discipline, but organized. (Wicker, 1998) The British dismissed them to be no threat. While waiting for other men to arrive, the Patriot militia prepared their equipment, cleaned their rifles, packed food such as corn and jerky, and tended their horses. They mined lead from nearby hillsides to make ammunitions, while the local populace supplied them gunpowder. (Jones, 2009)
On 19 April 1775, the battle begun. The colony protected by local militiamen was vastly outnumbered, armed with only 77 men including “minutemen,” named for their ability to be ready to fight in a minute’s notice were
In the first battle at Saratoga, occurring on September 19 of 1777, General John Burgoyne attacked the American forces with cannon fire. Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold, the leaders of the American army, responded by leading an infantry into the woods to block a British flank. The battle lasted most of the afternoon. It finally ended when Gates became nervous causing him to pull away from the battle. This left the British in possession of the land known as Freeman’s Farm.
The British enrolled about fifty thousand American Loyalists and enlisted the services of many Indians, who though unreliable, who fair-weather fighters, inflamed long stretches of the frontier”(135). This extra help from colonists, Loyalist, hessians, and the Indians only add to the army creating a bigger advantage towards the colonists. Even though they did not win it can said that the British seemed to have a bigger lead on the colonists. Colonists presented themselves as weak and disorganized, where one would presume that they wouldn’t win at all, “Yet the American rebels were badly organized for war. From the earliest days, they had been almost fatally lacking in unity, and a new nation lurched forward uncertainly like an uncoordinated centipede”(136). Organization is important for the colonists because they are competing against a well-developed and trained army.
In the year 1775, British troops under the British General Gage launched attacks on the towns of Lexington and Concord. These attacks, coupled with the colonists already seething rage over the many taxes and laws that had been placed on them, caused a chain of events that led to the Revolutionary War. During the beginning of the war, soldiers went around recruiting more men to fight for them. A man by the name of Joseph Martin was ecstatic to join the fights against the British, his problem was that he was a year to young to join the army. However, a year later he was old enough, so when soldiers came around looking for new recruits, Joseph was one of the first to volunteer. (Hart, pg.119) Even though the Americans were outmatched in
The defeat of the first United States army by a coalition of Native Americans is the focus in Collin Calloway’s The Victory with No Name. In this historical account, Calloway addresses what occurred on November 4th, 1791, when an Indian army consisting of a variety of Indian tribes, led by Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, ambushed the first American army near the Wabash River to protect themselves from American expansion of the Northwest Territory. The American army, led by Revolutionary War veteran Arthur St. Clair, was ill-equipped with men, horses, and weaponry, and ignorant about Indian whereabouts and tactics. Calloway organizes his argument by describing America’s desire for land, the invasion and settlement of Indian land, and the resistance formed by Native Americans. Calloway continues by illustrating the defeat of the American army and the aftermath of the battle between Native Americans and the U.S. By drawing on extensive historical evidence that illustrated the events before, during, and after the battle, Calloway presents a detailed historical narrative that challenges the idea that “winners write the history…even when they lose” and offers a narrative that shows both the Native American and the U.S. perspective, ultimately giving credit to the Indians for their victory. However, Calloway provides information that is irrelevant to his argument and the book, which makes it difficult to follow along throughout the story.
Battles in the Desert, written by Jose Emilio Pacheco, tells a story about how a young man named Carlos encounter social and political changes. Carlos narrates his own experiences during his childhood when social and political problems are happening. The time period is during the regime of the government of Miguel Aleman. Carlos’ experiences demonstrate the changes of his own personal life, and the impact of the American culture on Mexico. I believe Carlos is reflecting his personal childhood lived at México, and also the unwilling changes of his personality. How Carlos enjoys a moment that is never happening again, and how Carlos feels about his society.
Those in support were often called Jacobites, and planning for revolution was done in utmost secrecy. At the beginning of the revolution, the Highlanders did well defending themselves against the English brutalities. In the Battle of Prestonpans, Highlanders captured nearly one thousand English soldiers and wounded hundreds, which gave them Jacobian pride to continue the revolution (Forty-five, 2014). However, all ideals of revolution ended at the Battle of Culloden. Leading up to the Battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746), the Highlanders hadn’t been fed for days and had little protection or shelter from the harsh Highland weather. Due to the underwhelming force of the Highland Jacobites, the battle lasted less than an hour. There were over 1500 Highlander fatalities, a striking difference to only fifty English fatalities. On their way home from the tremendous victory, the English stopped by any Highland villages on the way and rid of each Highlander they saw. Houses, barns, and memories were burnt to the ground in the reigning terror of the English on their way back from Culloden (Magnusson, 2000, p. 617). This, the last pitched battle on British soil, remains a haunting reminder to the Highlanders to this