Frederick Hambright Frederick Hambright ( May 1 , 1727 n . s . – March 9 , 1817 ) was a military officer who fought in both the local militia and in the North Carolina Line of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War . He is best known for his participation in the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 . Serving as a statesman early in the Revolution , Hambright joined the War in 1777 , ranked a lieutenant colonel in a local militia . His early actions were limited to occasional checks on ( and some minor skirmishes with ) Loyalist groups . This changed in 1780 with Hambright ' s important role at the Battle of Kings Mountain , which occurred near his lands in the newly formed Lincoln County , North Carolina . Hambright was commended for his bravery during the battle , though suffering a wound which forced him to permanently resign from military service . A native of the Duchy of Bavaria , Hambright immigrated to Lancaster County , Pennsylvania in 1738 . Between 1755 and 1775 , he moved several times , first to Virginia , and then to various areas in North Carolina . After the War , he lived the remainder of his life near Kings Mountain . Early life . Frederick Hambright was born to Conrad Hambrecht on May 1 , 1727 in Moosbach , Bavaria ( then part of the Holy Roman Empire and in present day Germany ) . He lived there for the first eleven years of his life , until the family immigrated to the Pennsylvania Colony on October 27 , 1738 , initially settling in Lancaster County . At the age of eighteen , Hambright left his father ' s home for Henrico County , Virginia . There he married his first wife , Sarah Hardin , sister of Colonel Joseph Hardin , who bore him 12 children , 6 of whom were raised to maturity . Along with several neighbors , Hambright again emigrated , in 1760 , to rural Mecklenburg County , North Carolina ( in the area which was to become Tryon County in 1768 ) , settling near the Catawba River close to a frontier fortification that ensured his family ' s protection from Indian attacks . This area was to become part of Lincoln County , North Carolina in 1779 , and eventually Gaston County , in 1846 . Revolutionary War . Before serving as a soldier , Hambright was a signer of the Tryon Resolves of August 14 , 1775 , a document which declared that the signers would vow resistance against the British for their actions at the Battle of Lexington . He was also a representative of Tryon County , at the Third Provincial Congress , which lasted from August 20 to September 10 , 1775 . When the war reached Tryon County in 1777 , Hambright joined the colonial cause as a lieutenant colonel of the Lincoln County troops , ( locally known as " The South Fork Boys " ) . Hambright was called the " Terror of the Tories " . Battle of Kings Mountain . On May 22 , 1780 , Major Patrick Ferguson was assigned as " Inspector of the British Militia " , and was promptly ordered to march to Tryon County , North Carolina to raise troops and to protect the left flank of Lord Cornwallis ' s main body which occupied Charlotte , North Carolina at the time . By September 10 , Ferguson had established a military camp at Gilbert Town , North Carolina and issued a challenge to the Patriot leaders to lay down their arms or he would , " " Lay waste to their country with fire and sword " . " After receiving this message , Patriot leaders Isaac Shelby and John Sevier quickly planned a preemptive campaign against Ferguson ' s army . They sent messages to military leaders William Campbell and Benjamin Cleveland to join them . The rendezvous at Sycamore Shoals on September 25 , brought to Campbell ' s army 200 Virginians and 160 North Carolinians . Another 1 , 100 " Overmountain Men , " volunteers from the Washington District , also arrived to fight for the Patriot cause . The army met with Cleveland ' s 350 men at Burke County , North Carolina , and the now 1 , 400 – strong force marched towards the South Mountains . When word of this force reached Ferguson , he sent a message to Cornwallis asking for reinforcements . This message did not reach Cornwallis in time , and on October 1 Ferguson retreated towards the Broad River , asking for local loyalist militia to join him . By October 6 , the Patriots had passed Gilbert Town and had reached Cowpens , South Carolina . Local sympathizers informed the Patriots that Ferguson had 1500 men camped on Kings Mountain . As they were pressed for time before Ferguson would continue on to Charlotte , Patriot leaders picked 900 men — including Hambright ' s — to ride to Kings Mountain . By the morning of the 7th , they had reached Kings Mountain , surrounded it , and attacked . When his militia ' s commanding officer , Col . William Graham , fell ill , Hambright took command . Hambright ' s group , along with six units , was positioned at the " ball " base beside the " heel " crest of the mountain , in position suited to attack the main Loyalist position . The objective was to catch the Loyalists by surprise . During the assault , Hambright was severely wounded from a musket ball shot to his thigh . Although bleeding badly , he continued fighting . Hambright ' s comrades were impressed with his bravery , and as fellow soldier , Samuel Moore , later put it : After the battle , Hambright was taken to his nearby log cabin for treatment . He survived , but had to resign from service due to his injury , which caused a permanent limp in Hambright ' s walk . Later life . After his first wife ' s death on July 17 , 1781 , Hambright married Mary Dover . Together they had ten children , eight of whom survived to maturity . He lived a quiet life on his homestead near Kings Mountain , until his death on March 9 , 1817 at the age of ninety . His remains were interred at Old Shiloh Presbyterian Cemetery in Grover , North Carolina .