from sixty to two hundred and twenty wide, offering a commanding view of the surrounding country. On this summit Ferguson camped; his intention evidently was to await reinforcements and to let the enemy find him if he could. This decision, judged by European standards of warfare, was a wise one; the shrubbery and underbrush on the sides of the mountain made an assault en masse difficult, while Ferguson's troops, well trained in the use of the bayonet, could repulse those who might reach the summit. On the other hand, the mountaineers were skilled marksmen, and the top of the mountain was "so narrow that a man standing on it may be shot from either side." The patriots also fought individually, not collectively. These facts, with alternate charges on either side of the mountain, gave them an immense advantage.

In the meantime Campbell and his men, believing that Ferguson had retired to Ninety-six, had started south in pursuit. On the evening of October 5 they reached the ford of Green River. As some were discouraged and many exhausted, a band of 700 picked men, well mounted, was chosen to continue the pursuit. The next morning news was brought by Col. Edward Lacey of Ferguson's relative position and that a body of North and South Carolina militia was moving southward from Cherry Mountain and might be met at Cowpens.* By a hurried march a junction of the two forces was accomplished. A council was held, Campbell was again chosen leader, and two hundred and ten recruits were added from the militia. A few footmen probably increased the entire number to 993 men. Then, on the night of the 6th, the march in the direction of King's Mountain was begun. Rain and darkness caused the guides to lose their way, and by morning the army had advanced not more

*There was dissension among these militia about joining the mountain army. See McCrady, South Carolina in the Revolution, pp. 764-775.

than five miles. The rain continued until noon; but by straining every nerve King's Mountain was reached about three in the afternoon, October 7.

Leaving the horses one mile from the base, a plan of attack in keeping with the methods of frontier warfare was adopted, viz: to surround the mountain and make alternate charges and retreats, fighting individually, each man for himself. Accordingly troops were arranged as follows: On the north side were stationed Shelby with Lacey's and Williams's militia; on the south Campbell, Sevier and Joseph McDowell, while Cleveland and Winston, with South Carolina militia under Hambright, were across the N. E. part of the hill. So quickly were these plans effected that Ferguson knew nothing of them until the fire of the attacking party was heard. The loyalists were then quickly arranged into two battle lines along the height, one to resist attack by volleys of musketry, the other to charge the enemy under the leadership of Ferguson. The patriot attack was led by Campbell's men, who ascended the most difficult part of the ridge, creeping from tree to tree and making targets of Ferguson's troops. They received the volleys from the firing line and when near the summit a bayonet charge. Before this counter attack they retreated down the mountain. But before Ferguson could regain the summit Shelby's men had ascended the opposite side of the mountain; they, in turn, retreated before a bayonet charge. When Ferguson had once more regained the summit, not only Campbell had returned to the fight but the right and left wings of the patriot army were in action. The engagement thus became general. Among the loyalists Ferguson was the commanding spirit. Riding along the ridge, making his presence known by a silver whistle, he led charge after charge against the mountain men, who simply continued the tactics with which the battle was begun. Finally, while leading an attack on Sevier's men, Ferguson

THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.

fell, pierced by half a dozen bullets. Capt. Abraham DePeyster, of New York, attempted to take the place of the fallen leader. In vain, for white flags were displayed at different points and DePeyster himself soon despaired and raised the symbol of surrender. Unfortunately not all the mountaineers seem to have understood the meaning of the signal and continued their fire. Campbell deserves most credit for ending the needless slaughter; he rushed among the troops exclaiming, "Cease firing; for God's sake, cease firing!"

Thus after an hour's engagement the loyalists were thoroughly defeated. The battle had important results. It was the first decisive check to the British invasion of the Carolinas, for Cornwallis, hearing of Ferguson's defeat, concluded that the patriot army numbered several thousand and therefore fell back from Charlotte to Winnsboro, S. C. Equally important was the time thus gained by the patriots in which to rally the militia and secure aid from the Continental army for resistance to invasion. The moral effect also should not be overlooked, well summarized by Bancroft: "The victory at Kings Mountain, which in the spirit of the American soldier was like the rising at Concord, in its effects like the success at Bennington, changed the aspects of the war. It fired the patriots of the two Carolinas with fresh zeal. It encouraged the fragments of the defeated and scattered American army to seek each other and organize themselves anew. It quickened the North Carolina Legislature to earnest efforts. It encouraged Virginia to devote her resources to the country south of her border."

The story of Kings Mountain does not end with the victory. The spontaneous and individualistic character of the campaign have given rise to several controversies. claims for honors and leadership among the patriots stand Of these foremost, and this controversial spirit still survives. The