New Britain herald., 1930-05-27
Hoover to Speak On Battlefield
Where Ancestors Fought In 1880

Gastonia, n. C.. May " - Inc
president of the United States and
some 100000 OF his fellow citizens
are coming to a mountainside near
here next October to celebrate Che
150th anniversary of one of the most
important conflicts ever waged. on
North American soil.
The occasion will be the s,saui-
centennial celebration of the Battle
of Kings Mountain. turning point of
the latter part of the Revolutionary
war the beginning of the phase that
hnally led to Corvallis surrender
at Yorktown. Though it was an en-
gagement of major Importance in
American history, not more than
$500 took part on both sides.
President Hoover has assured the
sponsors of the event that nothing
short of a national emergency will
prevent him from coming to Kings
Mountain 10 make the address of
the occasion.
In coming here, he will, in real
ity, he coming home - in a way.
Hooyer's Ancestor a Pioneer
pioneer in the Tar Heel state. An
Grew Hoover, an cmigrant from
Germany, married in Pennsylvania,
reared a large family in Maryland
and then came TO North Carolina
settling in what is now Randolph
county. A son, David Hoover. with
family of six children, later moved
westward into what is now Indiana,
and it was thence that President
Hoover's people found their way to
Iowa, where the president was born.
1t is believed that one or more
OF old Andrew Hoover's sons them
selves fought on the colonial side in
the battle of Kings Mountain.
Extensive preparations arc being
made for the celebration. Fully
100000 visitors are expected to at
tend. and parking grounds. camp
sites and SO on are already being
prepared.
Scene Little Changed
The scene of the battle looks very
much the same today. On the rocky
ridge of Kings Mountain there arc
only a few monuments 10 mark the
epochal conflict Standing on the
battlefield, one sees landscape that
has been changed very little since
the October day in 1850 when a
handful of backwoodsmcn defeated
a detachment of British regulars.
At the time the battle was fought
things looked dark for the cause of
American pendenCe. In the
north. Washington was almost help
less, faced by a larger British force
than anything he could get together.
In the south, Lord CORVALLIS had
defeated General Gates and his army
at Camden. Following this victory,
CORVALLIS sent one Of his most
trusted subordinates, Colonel Patrick
Ferguson, with 1900 men up through
the Carolinas to suppress the revo-
utionists and rally the kings sym
pathizers.
Ferguson got along Well for a
time. but at length he began to hear
gGmbling from the west. He sent a
Messenger into the mountain region |
cling the backWoodsmen that if
hey did not lay down thfir arms
d|ll GIHbOll Alt hllS NdbS' 4lC /
would go there, lay the country
waste and hang their leaders. The
messenger got chilly reception,
however, and when Ferguson heard
that the colonists were massnS
against him he withdrew his troops
10 the rocky spur OF Kings Noun
tain and boosted that al the devils
in hell could not dislodge him.
Had Battlefield Sweetheart
Ferguson was evidently dashlng
sort of officer. He had a reputa-
ton as a ladys man, and one or
more mistresses was usually in his !
train. One in particular, known /.
only as Virginia SAL followed him f.
10 Kings Mountain and died there /.
with him.
The mountaineers quickly accept /
ed Fergusons challenge. From as far /
west as Tennessee they assembled. /
gathering at the village Of Cow pens. |
on Oct. s. 1880, and pushing for /
ward to Kings Mountain through a
dark rainy night.
The next afternoon they came on |
the British. Spreading out, the pa
triots surrounded the mountain and .
began exercising their backWoods |
craftsmanship on the redCoats. The /
British charged repeatedly, but the |
Americans met them with Indian
style fighting, shielding themselves
behind trees and rocks and keeping
up a destructive musketry fire.
Effect Far Reaching