The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1880-10-14
Kings Mountain Centennial.

The CeEtennlal OF the Dattio OF King 8
Mount ain commenced on the 9th inst. and
continued, with various changes ofprogramme,
for three days. There were over twenty
thousand people present the first day and the
crowd did not diminish during the proceed
| ings. Maj. Daniels, of Virginia, delivered the
grafton. Many other prominent men from
| other States made speeches. Governor Jeter
of this State made the welcoming address and
everything passed off pleasantly and satisfac-
torily. The following historical sketch of the
battle is taken from the New York Sun:
"King's Mountain, indeed, was, with the
exception Of the gallant repuse of the feet of
Sir Peter Parker from Charleston Harbor; in
June, 177G the first victory of Importance
gained by the colonial forces at tie South du-
ring war which had been going on for five
years and a half In the winter of 1878 the
British overran Georgia and Florida, and Cap
turcd Savannah, which they held to the close
of the hostlitcs. The following spring, at
Brier Creek, on the Savannah, the Southern
troops under Lincoln were beaten by the
British General Provost, and lost about 1000
men. In June Provost defeated them again
at Stone ferry, near Charleston. In October
an attempt of the con bined French and Amer
lean forces to capture Savannah was repulsed
to fragments, Pulaski being among the slain.
In May, 1880, Sir Henry Clinton besieged and
captured Charleston, making prisoners its
5000 defenders, and taking 400 cannon aud
all its provisions and stores. Then he over
run South Carolina as he had Georgia and
Florida. The ontire Southern army hayinp
thus disappeared, except for few hundred
partisan rangers under Marion and Sumter,
'enseonsced in the swamps, Washington sent
m .hnrn in i
of his Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia
troops, under Gntes, who had the prestige Of
Saratoga to help him. CORVALLIS, with an
inferior force, met Gates army nj Camden, in
South Carolina, and routed il.
q Such was the prelude Of Kings Mountain
During two years the patriot forces Mt the
South had been defeated! wherever they ap-
pcared in the iield except, perhaps in minor
skirmishcs. Two armies, the army of Lincoln
and tho army of Gotes: had bcHn destroyed
aall the chief cities were in tho hands of the
Brhish,tandsn ms, much OF the interior as they
chose 10 occupy. CORVALLIS found nothing
more TO do with his troops except to invade
North Carolina, and deliver it into the hands
of tho Tories. While executing this purpose,
he detached Majo Ferguson with II force of
about 10 men, in advance. on the same cr-
rand, But in arousing the loynlsis Of the
mountain region, Cowlwallis more eifccually
| from all quarters, TO the number Of about two
thousand, and the best armed md best nouns
| ted half of these undertook to intercept Fer
| guson. Alarmed AZ tlie4uprising. that officer
wns fastening to jOinFCurnwallis. who had
| occupied Charlotte, In North Carolina.
Ferguson wasoycrinkcn Mt Kings Mountain,
| nm eminence in South Carolina close to the
northern border lie had now something over
| thousand men with him. mostly recruits from
| the i"yalist Inhabitants. These nlt cr accrn to
have been of little assistance to him, and in N
few hours fighting on tho afternoon Of Oct. I,
| 1850. nearly the whole bo.ly was surround Ell
and captured, about 450 Of them being killed
or Wonndcd' The American loss was twcni y
/ eight killed and sixty wounded.
4 The action at Kings Mountain, then, was
| an engagement of secondary ORDER, the cut
| ting off of detached body and not n pitch cd
battle of main armies. Nevertheless it had n
vast effect on the conduct of affairs in the
Carolinas. 1t gave check to that Tory en-.
lisment which was going on with rapdity
and threatened to swamp the patriot cause at
the South 1t caused tho postponement OF
Cornwallis's plans in North Carolina II
aroused the mountain regions to take part in
the conflict which had now been brought to
their ncighhorhood. Above all, it was the
first success at tho South after years of uni
| form disaster.