Summit Battle 200 Years Ago
Helped Put Patriots On Top
| by Donald J. Frederick
National Geographic Newt Service
i WASHINGTON ? Kings Moun
tain, a 60 - foot ridge rising from
the gentle farmlands of South
Carolina, looms especially large
this year.
On Oct. 7 thousands of people
will converge at the landmark in
Kings Mountain National Military
Park to celebrate the 200th anni
* versary of the crucial battle that
took place there during the Ameri
can Revolutionary War.
, Speeches, an outdoor drama,
reenactments, even a rocking chair
marathon will all be part of the
week - long festivities commemo
rating the event.
Americans vi. Americana
The battle was a bitter struggle
waged entirely by Americans --
Patriot against Loyalist, neighbor
9 vs. neighbor. The only professional
soldier involved on either side was
Maj. Patrick Ferguson, who com
manded the Loyalists, points out
James Anderson, the park histo
rian.
Appointed to lead all the Loyalist
militia he could muster in the
Carolinas, Ferguson had things
pretty much in control after the
newly formed Patriot army of the
ASouth suffered its disastrous defeat
at the Battle of Camden, S.C., in
August 1780.
But the "Bulldog," as Ferguson
was known, made a serious mistake
in late September, when he chal
lenged the "over - mountain" men
in the wild, rugged country west of
the Appalachians.
His message to them was un
equivocal. If they did not stop their
Cerrilla forays against British and
yalist forces, Ferguson promised
"march his army over the
."mountains, hang their leaders, and
Jay their country waste with fire and
sword."
The blunt threat backfired by
unifying the bands of fiercely
independent over - mountain men.
?Determined to take the offensive
before Ferguson could strike, they
gathered on the broad, open spaces
Jby the swift - flowing Watauga
0River near present - day Elizabeth
Jown, Tenn. Sympathizers from
other regions joined them.
* This makeshift army of men in
;rude hunting shirts lugging long,
; heavy rifles, has been described as
;*'composed of patriot riflenjgn of .
;4he farmer, hunter, and Indian' -
flighting class from the frontiers of
;'the two Carolinas and Virginia."
But even though less than half of
the 1 ,800 - man army was made up
?>f over - mountain men, it was their
leaders who kindled the spirit, laid
*.the plans, and raised the money for
?the long march against Ferguson.
.'Unforeseen Snagi
* The dogged backcountry force
' caught up with the Bulldog on Oct.
7. He had chosen to make a stand
on top of Kings Mountain and had
"written his commander. Gen.
'Charles Cornwallis, that it was "a
?post where I do not think I can be
forced by a stronger enemy than
that against us."
" The mountain's heavily forested
.slopes were to shade Ferguson's
'optimistic prediction.
' The trees and boulders on the
: mountainsides gave excellent cover
:"to the assault force. Moreover, the
Loyalist defenders on the open crest
. above were exposed to cross fire
from the deadly accurate long rifles
low.
The battle began about 3 p.m.
/when Ferguson's advance guard
I discovered Patriot forces trying to
. encircle the mountain. A deadly
'. barrage of fire interspersed with
; fierce bayonet charges disrupted
- the attack.
i To one hard - pressed frontiers
!;man, "the mountain appeared
Jlyolcanic; there flashed along its
?$ummit and around its base, and
'up its sides, one long sulphurous
'.blaze."
I. Fighting from tree to tree, the
^Patriots pushed their way to the
Itop. Before he was aware of it, 16 -
^year - old Thomas Young found
himself between his own regiment
vand the enemy, "as I judged from
?seeing the paper the Whigs wore in
their hats, and the pine twigs the
'Tories wore in theirs, these being
^the badges of distinction."
'Lean and Sinewy
A South Carolina Loyalist named
.Drury Mathis played possum after
"he was severely wounded. As he
"hugged the ground trying to survive
:the nail of bullets around him. he
;got a firsthand glimpse of his
tormentors, men "not over -
tburdened with fat. but tall, raw -
Jboned, and sinewy."
Cr Through it all a shrill whistle
Isounded above the crack of rifles
iand the desperate shouts of men
tcrashing through the underbrush.
".Blowing a large silver whistle to
tdirect his troops, Ferguson seemed
;to be everywhere.
i But astride his horse and clad in
1m checkered hunting shirt, he made
2a conspicuous target. Refusing to
Ijthe end to yield "to such a damned
Ibanditti," he was cut from the
i?*taddle bv a fusillade of shot.
fbel
'i-r
By Louis S Glanzman
SPRAYING LOYALISTS with deadly fire from their back, commander of the Loyalist force, was the only Brit
long rifles, Patriots stormed Kings Mountain in South ish soldier in the battle, which many feel was a crucial
Carolina 200 years ago. Maj. Patrick Ferguson on horse- turning point in the Revolutionary War.
His men propped him against a
tree, where he died.
The fight continued even though
Ferguson's second - in - command
ordered a white flag hoisted.
Patriot commanders could not
immediately stop their men from
shooting down the terrified, dis
organized enernv.
When the carnage was halted,
225 Loyalists lay dead, 163
wounded; 716 captured. The
Patriots had lost only 28 men.
Shaken by the disaster at Kings
Mountain, the British began to
have serious misgivings about the
campaign in the South. More
importantly, they realized they
could no longer count on Loyalists
in the hinterlands to sustain them.
Many historians are convinced
that Kings Mountain marked a
turning point in the war. Thomas
Jefferson described the victory as
"the joyful annuciation of that turn
of the tide of success, which
terminated the Revolutionary War
with the seal of independence."
32 IN FOUR YEARS ?? Trophies the Hoke County High School bund has won in competition in the past four years
are shown in the picture. There are 30. The hand also won two plaques, equivalent to trophies, in that time. All
are in the Hoke High Band Room. The plaques are on a wall out of camera range. Jimmy James is the band
director. [Staff photo hy Bill Lindau].
This sign in front of Raeford United Methodist Church gives the message.
PICK-A-DEAL SALE
10% ? 50%
OFF
DRAW TICKET FOR DISCOUNT
All Merchandise On Sale at
DeVane's
Main St. Raeford, N.C.
Your helmet will help you
head off trouble? if you keep
it in top condition In case of
a really severe impact, the
hard, outer shell should be
partially destroyed That's
because it absorbs part of the
shock before it gets to the
inner lining? and your head!
So don't reuse your helmet
after any impact.
LAW For
Laypersons
In earlier time in North Carolina
and other states, a man or woman
had to have a good reason before a
court would grant a divorce. Cer
tainly, you are aware of such
reasons as adultery, impotency,
and abandonment by one's spouse.
In each of these reasons, and in
others listed in the General Sta
tutes, fault was usually assigned to
one of the parties and only the
innocent party could ask for the
divorce.
You can still obtain a divorce on
those grounds, but now there is a
much easier way, and you do not
have to assign a "fault" to either
arty. North Carolina's General
tatutes 50-6, sometimes referred
to as the "no-fault divorce," pro
vides that if a husband and wife
have lived separate and apart for
one year and either one of the
parties has lived in North Carolina
for six months, then a divorce may
be granted upon the application of
either party. Neither husband nor
wife has to show that he or she has
been injured, and the separation
does not have to be by mutual
agreement or under a court order.
Separation, of course, means that
there must be a physical separa
tion, and an intention at least on
the part of one of the parties to end
the matrimonial cohabitation. If,
however, a couple begins to live
together again during the one year
period, whether or not sexual
relations have been resumed, the
requirement of the one year separa
tion will be interrupted and a
divorce will not be granted until a
full year of separation has passed
without interruption.
The purpose for the enactment of
the "no-fault divorce" in North
Carolina was presumably to enable
a husband and wife to end their
marriage without the sensationa
lism and public airing of dirty linen
which necessarily went along with a
divorce in which one party had to
assign fault to the other. Obviously,
if the husband or wife has only to
show that they have lived separate
and apart for one year and that one
of the parties has lived in North
Carolina for six months, there is
not need to talk about who is at
fault and why.
"This article is written as a matter
of general interest only. It is not to
be construed as legal advice, and
you should not rely on the state
ments made in the article to govern
your actions in any specific case. If
you have a particular question or
problem, you should contact an
attorney. "
News-Journal Has
'Story Of Month'
An article published in The
News-Journal of September 4 has
been named "Story of the Month --
Non-SCS Writer" by the state
office of the U.S. Soil Conservation
Service.
The report, illustrated with
photos, was of the August 27 Final
Acre ceremony in McLauchlin Park
in Raeford. The ceremony formally
observed the completion of the
eight - year soil survey of Hoke
County. The survey was made by
the SCS. 3
Cross Creek Railroad Show
The Cross Creek Mall Railroad
Show will be presented by the Cape
Fear Railroaders November 1.
This will consist of table displays
of Operating and static HO model
trains 027 and Ogange (Lionel.
Marx and American Flyer) model
trains, photographs and slides of
past and present railroads, a
display of railroad artifacts
(lanterns, timetables, switch locks,
etc), and toy trains, past and
present.
Imu>TT~TovfiT~7!a*ii+T
tmii ?* "THf si*tm Time ,
IVf HAf -it) stXPT
//f/lll ) I HlV\.\XX>C\\xv.C ( '
Vicuna wool is so fine that 2,500 strands placed side
by side will not equal an inch.
i Big savings or small,
make yours work harder.^
Choose
TO RE ELECT
MINFI
TBWnsend
HOKE COUNTY
BOARD of EDUCATION
? Concerned ? Informed ? Dedicated
Vote November 4, 1906 ?
PAID POLITICAL AO