Benjamin Cleveland Benjamin Cleveland ( May 28 , 1738 – 1806 ) was an American pioneer and soldier in North Carolina . He is best remembered for his service as a colonel in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War , and in particular for his role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 . Early life . Benjamin Cleveland was born in Orange County , Virginia , the fourth child of John and Elizabeth Coffee Cleveland . He moved to what became Wilkes County , North Carolina in 1769 . He built his famous estate , " Roundabout , " near what is today Ronda , North Carolina in eastern Wilkes County . Cleveland was very active in the early history of Wilkes County ; he worked as a hunter , trapper , farmer , carpenter , and surveyor . By the time of the American Revolution , Cleveland was the wealthiest and most prominent citizen in Wilkes . A large , heavy set man - around six feet tall and weighing over 300 lbs in his prime , he was called " Old Roundabout . " Cleveland married Mary Graves , a sister of Susannah Graves , the wife of Revolutionary War patriot and frontiersman , General Joseph Martin , for whom Martinsville , Virginia , is named . Revolutionary War . At the beginning of the American Revolution , Cleveland was commissioned a colonel in the North Carolina militia . He was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1778 and to the North Carolina Senate in 1779 . Until Lord Cornwallis invaded in 1780 , the fighting in North Carolina consisted of guerrilla warfare between patriots and Tories . Cleveland became known as the " Terror of the Tories " for his treatment of Loyalists . In 1779 , two Tories looted the home of George Wilfong , a patriot and friend of Cleveland . The Tories used Wilfong ' s clothes line to chase away his horses . The marauders were captured by Cleveland ' s men , who had them hanged using the clothes line they had stolen . In revenge , a group of Tories led by Captain William Riddle kidnapped Cleveland . Cleveland ' s men rescued him and he captured Riddle and two others . All three were hanged from the same tree , which became known as the " Tory Oak " and was an historic landmark behind the old Wilkes County courthouse ( now the Wilkes Historical Museum ) . In 1780 , General Lord Cornwallis led a British army into the Carolinas , and won several victories over the Patriots . Major Patrick Ferguson , one of Cornwallis ' s most daring commanders , led an army of Tories into the North Carolina mountains to crush the rebels there . A large force of mountain men attacked Ferguson at King ' s Pinnacle , an isolated ridge on the North Carolina - South Carolina border . Cleveland played a key role in the ensuing Battle of Kings Mountain . According to legend , Cleveland climbed up Rendezvous Mountain and blew his horn to summon some 200 Wilkes County militiamen . He led them in the battle . Cleveland ' s horse was shot from under him , and Major Ferguson was himself killed in the battle . Cleveland ' s brother , Captain Robert Cleveland , is said to have rallied the militiamen during the heat of the battle of King ' s Mountain , contributing to the Patriot victory . Cleveland claimed Ferguson ' s white stallion as a " war prize " , and rode it home to his estate of Roundabout . Later years . After the war , Cleveland moved to the South Carolina frontier and was a commissioner in the Pendleton District . He died at his home in Oconee County , South Carolina in 1806 of heart dropsy . An obelisk monument to him stands on private property just north of U . S . Route 123 about 160 yds ( 145 m ) east of the Madison Baptist Church in the Madison Community of Oconee County . He was buried about 1 mi ( 1 . 6 km ) away in a private cemetery . First historically accurate depiction . In 2012 artist Don Troiani completed the first historically authentic depiction of Benjamin Cleveland , titled " Benjamin Cleveland ’ s War Prize . " Troiani teamed with experts from across the nation to ensure accuracy . The project was funded by Tennessee businessman and philanthropist Allan Jones and features Cleveland leading his troops back home to Wilkes County on Ferguson ’ s white stallion after the battle . Cleveland County , North Carolina , Cleveland , Tennessee , and Cleveland , Georgia are named in his honor .