Kings Mountain National Military Park

Kings Mountain National Military Park

After crossing the Broad River at Cherokee Ford, the mounted patriot militiamen gathered information from locals about where Major Ferguson and his loyalist army might me. A young woman shared that she had just that morning taken eggs to the major's encampment atop Little Kings Mountain. Major Chronicle knew the site well, having hunted there. The men rode on, arriving at the foot of the small promontory. The night's rain had softened the ground to reduce the sound of their horses's hooves. Neither did they raise a cloud of dust to warn of their approach. The men dismounted, tied up their horses and took with them only what they would need in battle--their rifles, their powder and shot, their tomahawks and their hunting knives. The final command went out: "Put fresh prime in your guns, boys, and every man go into battle resolved to fight until he dies." The parties broke into two columns and encircled the mountain. At 3 o'clock they turned and faced the mountain.

Randell Jones, A Guide to the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail