page_title: Overmountain Men
hierarchical_section_title: Overmountain Men
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue at the entrance to the Sycamore Shoals State Park visitor center in Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA, commemorating the site as the mustering grounds for the so-called "Overmountain Men," the frontier militia that helped defeat British loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution. The plaque at the base of the statue reads: Dedicated to the Spirit of the Overmountain Men Heroes of the American Revolution A Project of the City of Elizabethton Bicentennial Commission Dedicated September 25, 1999 Artist: Jon Mark Estep
context_page_description: The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War. While they were present at multiple engagements in the war's southern campaign, they are best known for their role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. The term "overmountain" arose because their settlements were west of, or "over", the Appalachians, which was the primary geographical boundary dividing the 13 American colonies from the western frontier. The Overmountain Men hailed from parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and what is now Tennessee and Kentucky.
  The efforts of the Overmountain Men helped to solidify the existence of the fragile settlements in the Watauga, Nolichucky, and Holston river valleys, the legitimacy of which had been questioned by the British Crown for several years. Many Overmountain Men, including John Sevier, John Rhea, and Isaac Shelby, went on to play prominent roles in the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The foothold they gained on the frontier helped open the door to mass westward migration in ensuing decades.
context_section_description: The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War.  While they were present at multiple engagements in the war's southern campaign, they are best known for their role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780.  The term "overmountain" arose because their settlements were west of, or "over", the Appalachians, which was the primary geographical boundary dividing the 13 American colonies from the western frontier.  The Overmountain Men hailed from parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and what is now Tennessee and Kentucky.
  The efforts of the Overmountain Men helped to solidify the existence of the fragile settlements in the Watauga, Nolichucky, and Holston river valleys, the legitimacy of which had been questioned by the British Crown for several years.  Many Overmountain Men, including John Sevier, John Rhea, and Isaac Shelby, went on to play prominent roles in the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky.  The foothold they gained on the frontier helped open the door to mass westward migration in ensuing decades.
caption: The Overmountain Man statue, by Jon-Mark Estep, at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, in Elizabethton, Tennessee
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