Footsteps for Freedom

One of the more confusing aspects of American Revolutionary War History is how different individuals may have the same name and even fight in the same battle. Such is the case with “Quaker” Joseph McDowell, a major who led one of the forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain and “Pleasant Gardens” Joseph McDowell who was Quaker Joe’s second cousin, and served as a major under him at the battle.

Benjamin Cleveland was one of the more colorful characters that fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. He led forces organized in Wilkes County as part of the Patriot army gathered to battle Patrick Ferguson.

Today, we are discussing Joseph Dobson who, while not a leader of men at the Battle of Kings Mountain, had a significant role in the campaign and exerted substantial influence in the Toe River Valley after the war.

We begin preparations for the Battle of Kings Mountain by presenting brief biographies of military leaders and significant local individuals over the next few episodes. Today, we begin with one of the main organizers of the Overmountain Men: Isaac Shelby.

The name Dragging Canoe struck fear in the hearts of early settlers in what was then Western North Carolina (now Eastern Tennessee). Considered by historians to be the greatest Cherokee military mind; he led raiding parties that attacked settlements for over a decade following the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals that granted lands to white settlers near modern-day Johnson City, Elizabethton, and Greeneville, Tennessee.

The threat of Native American attacks on the Southern Appalachian region's settlers was of great concern as the American Revolution began. Following the Declaration of Independence in 1776, tribes began to choose sides in the conflict. The Cherokees cast their lot with the British, and they began brutal raiding parties in which they destroyed settlements, raided crops, and killed and scalped settlers. That summer, the colonies began to fight back. Today, we discuss the Cherokee Wars and the brutalities inflicted by both sides, along with the start of the decline of Native American influence in the region.

Learn more at mitchellnchistory.org/ovm.

While there were many individuals, groups, and policies that led to the American Revolution, the figurehead that many pin the strife to for starting the war would be King George the Third, also known as George William Frederick. He ruled England from October 25, 1760 until January 1, 1801, after which he became the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death on January 29, 1820. George was a complicated figure and we share his biography on this episode.

Life in the mountainous region of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and Southwestern Virginia was fraught with peril in the American Colonies in the 1700s. In addition to small settlements and danger from disease, attacks on the settlers by Native Americans were a constant threat. Today's episode takes a look at the practice of scalping in the region, including the reasons behind the attacks, who instigated them, and the reasons for the undeclared war between the two groups.

Visit the Mitchell County Historical Society's Overmountain Men page to learn more about them and the famous Battle of Kings Mountain.

Today, we explore the beginnings of the American Revolution by discussing King George III's Proclamation of 1763, one of the overlooked triggers that helped provoke hostilities 12 years later.

The Revolutionary War in the American Colonies was just over 5 years old in 1780 and things weren’t going well for the British. With the loss at Saratoga, New York and concerns with the French entering the Patriot side, the Redcoats turned their attention to the south, which they considered to be a Loyalist stronghold.

As Lord Cornwallis commenced his Southern Campaign, Major Patrick Ferguson attempted to quell anti-British sentiment in the western parts of North and South Carolina in a heavy-handed way. We introduce the subject of our program by setting the stage with events that would cause a backlash among the mountaineers that would lead to a battle in October, 1780, one that totally changed the complexion of the war in the south.