Footsteps for Freedom

Join Jonathan Bennett, David Biddix, and Rhonda Gunter, three of the contributors to the Footsteps for Freedom podcast, as they hold a roundtable discussion on the Battle of Kings Mountain and the Overmountain Men. The discussion will explore topics not featured in the regular program and also the three presenters will share their thoughts and opinions on their findings. There is a discussion of items not covered in the podcast plus trivia, and we close the discussion with a topic dangerous to most historians: a "what if" about the battle and those who fought it.

The questions discussed include:

Now let’s flex our historical imaginations a bit and discuss some alternate histories. If some key characters in the story took a different course of action, how would that have changed history?  While we can never know for sure how these what ifs would have panned, I think it’s a useful exercise to think about just what was at stake.

As we conclude our series on the Battle of Kings Mountain, we thought we would take some time to note a couple of veterans of the battle that ended up in the Toe River Valley, along with ones from other battles that are buried in our area.

There will be one more special episode available in the podcast feed only. A roundtable discussion featuring Jonathan Bennett, David Biddix, Rhonda Gunter, and Chris Hollifield will discuss the research behind the series, our picks for the most misunderstood character, those who weren't at all like we expected them to be, and other tidbits of history and trivia that we couldn't work into the program. Stay subscribed to our feed to receive this special episode which is coming very soon.

Sometimes the dead are the lucky ones. The weapons each side in employed during the Battle of King’s Mountain inflicted grievous and dreadfully painful wounds that the comparatively primitive state of medicine at the time could not always heal. There was no such thing as germ theory and pain-relieving anesthetics largely lay to a future generation to invent. Bleed, blister, vomit and purge were the four treatments employed by most doctors for basically all that ailed you. Today, we will learn that a famous name doesn't save you in battle and much, much more.

The thick clouds of black powder smoke that obscured Kings Mountain's battlefield began to lift revealing a scene of horror. Dead and dying men littered the ground. The groans of the wounded were heard in every direction causing one of Lieutenant Colonel William Chronicle’s men, James Potter Collins, to tear up and exclaim, “Great God! Is this the fate of mortals?” Learn more about the aftermath of the battle and the fate of Patrick Ferguson in today's episode.

Night had fallen at the Cowpens on October 6th, but the camp of the Patriot army bustled with activity. Scouts had finally confirmed the location of British Major Patrick Ferguson’s army. It lay on King’s Mountain roughly 35 miles away to the northeast with Cornwallis’ main British army camp in Charlotte just an additional 30 miles beyond. They mount up 900 of their best riflemen and they ride through the night, arriving at Kings Mountain shortly aftern 2:00 p.m. on October 7, 1780 and the battle commences.

Our podcast feed features a combined episode so listeners can hear the entire battle in one sitting.

The morning of October 5, 1780 finds the Over Mountain Men breaking camp at Gilbert Town and preparing for their date with destiny. Officers and volunteers both are beginning to feel the moment. This is IT. Ferguson and his troops could appear at any time and battle would be given.

During the time in camp, both Patriot and Tory forces had scouts looking for the enemy, but neither side had luck in locating the other. The rain had finally let up on October 3, 1780, and the combined army prepared to move from Bedford Hill southward toward Gilbert Town, some 15 miles away. *SPOILER ALERT* Ferguson is not there. So the Overmountain Men set out in pursuit.

October 1, 1780, a Sunday, the combined army of Patriot militia broke camp at Quaker Meadows. We have followed and discussed the militias of McDowell, Shelby, Sevier and Campbell extensively as they made their way across the Blue Ridge Mountains to this rendezvous at modern-day Morganton. Now we will meet troops from Northwestern North Carolina and begin moving out toward Gilbert Town, North Carolina, the last-known location of Patrick Ferguson's forces.

The Overmountain Men arose on September 29th, 1780 at Cathey’s Plantation just south of present-day Spruce Pine. They break camp and prepare for the next leg of their journey. Their leaders, William Campbell, Isaac Shelby, and John Sevier met to discuss the best route to take off the mountain that would ensure protection for the force from Ferguson. They were concerned with the narrow trails heading down the Blue Ridge Escarpment, fearing that Ferguson could set up an ambush at a narrow point and take out the army as it tried to descend, attacking from above. So, the decision was made to split the force in two, taking two paths down the Blue Ridge at Gillespie Gap.

The first crisis of the Overmountain Men’s march to Kings Mountain occurred on the morning of September 28th. As the men fell in for roll call, it was discovered that two of their party, Samuel Chambers and James Crawford, were not in camp. John Sevier immediately became suspicious that the two had deserted to warn Major Patrick Ferguson of the impending attack upon him. But, the march must go on. So, the leaders decide to take a more southerly route, through the Toe River Valley as they head to the Blue Ridge Escarpment to descend to Quaker Meadows in Burke County, the location of a meeting of many militia going to fight Patrick Ferguson.