Overmountain Victory

The Overmountain settlers live west of, or over, the Appalachian Mountains.

NPS Photo

 

Swear Allegiance or Die?

In the fall of 1780, during the Revolutionary War, the American fight for independence was going badly. British Major Patrick Ferguson demanded allegiance to the King of England from the people living in the Carolina backcountry and the Appalachians. Referred to as the Overmountain area, these settlements were west of, or "over" the Appalachian Mountains. At that time, this was the boundary dividing the thirteen American colonies from the western frontier. The Overmountain area included parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and what is now Tennessee.

The Overmountain Men were originally reluctant to pick up arms for the Patriot cause. But when British Major Ferguson threatened to bring his army across the mountain to "hang their leaders, and lay waste to the land with fire and sword" if they did not swear allegiance to the King, the Overmountain Men were outraged.

They decided to organize an attack against Major Ferguson. Troops were gathered in Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, an outpost on the Watauga River, near present day Elizabethton, Tennessee. They then rode to the mountains of North Carolina.

On the evening of September 28th, nearly 1,000 rifle-armed, mounted militiamen reached the fields along Grassy Creek, North Carolina. These Overmountain soldiers were under the command of Colonel Isaac Shelby, Colonel John Sevier, Colonel William Campbell and Colonel Charles McDowell. They had completed a hard 20-mile ride that day from the top of snow-covered Yellow Mountain, following Bright’s Trace along the North Toe River to the mouth of Grassy Creek, near the modern-day town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

At Grassy Creek, they found an excellent place to make camp with plenty of fresh water available for the men and their horses. Over their campfires, they prepared a simple meal of parched corn and finished off the last of their beef rations. The next morning the officers formed their men up, ordered them to mount their horses, and rode out of camp.

Half the men rode with Colonel Campbell across the Blue Ridge through Gillespie and Lynn Gaps into Turkey Cove to seek out intelligence from suspected Loyalist Henry Gillespie. They crossed the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. On the night of September 29, they camped near the present-day site of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals (Milepost 331) on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The other half of the men, under Colonel Shelby and Colonel Sevier, returned to the North Toe River and followed Roses Creek to Hefner Gap, where they crossed the Blue Ridge and descended into North Cove.

The battle between Major Ferguson's British troops and the Overmountain Men took place on October 7, 1780 at King’s Mountain, South Carolina. The Overmountain Men used silence and stealth as they ascended the ridge of King’s Mountain to surprise the enemy. The battle lasted only an hour. Afterwards, over 200 British soldiers lay dead, including Major Ferguson. Another 160 were wounded and roughly 700 prisoners had been taken.

The crucial Patriot victory at the Battle of King’s Mountain turned the tide of the Revolutionary War and the set nation on the road to independence.

Today, stretching 330 miles through four states (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina) the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail traces the route used by patriot militia during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. Follow the campaign on a commemorative motor route over highways marked with the distinctive trail logo or explore history by traversing 87 miles of walkable pathways. Learn more about the Overmountain Victory Trail at: https://www.nps.gov/ovvi

 

Overmountain Men- Blue Ridge Parkway

Download

Video Player is loading.

Play Video

Play

Mute

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration -:-

Loaded: 0%

0:00

Stream Type LIVE

Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE

Remaining Time --:-

 

Turn On Audio Description

1x

Playback Rate

Chapters

• Chapters

Descriptions

• descriptions off, selected

Captions

• captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
• captions off, selected
• English Captions

Open quality selector menu

• 720p, selected
• 480p
• 360p
• 1080p

Audio Track

Picture-in-PictureFullscreenVideo File Info

This is a modal window.

The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

Text

ColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-Transparent

Background

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparent

Window

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque

Font Size

50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%

Text Edge Style

NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadow

Font Family

Proportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall Caps

Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone

Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

Duration:

2 minutes, 11 seconds

The Overmountain Victory Trail crosses what is now the Blue Ridge Parkway at Gillespie Gap. This trail follows the route the Overmountain Men took on their way to the eventual Battle of Kings Mountain in October of 1780. This battle was pivotal in the completion of the Revolutionary War and helped secure victory for Americans.

 

Join us for a Virtual Overmountain Victory Celebration!

How would you react to a threat against everything you had worked hard to accomplish? A threat to kill your leaders and burn and destroy everything you own. Do you give in and do whatever is demanded of you? Or do you face the threat head on—as the Overmountain people did.

 

Overmountain Victory Celebration

Download

Video Player is loading.

Play Video

Play

Mute

Current Time 0:00

/

Duration -:-

Loaded: 0%

0:00

Stream Type LIVE

Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE

Remaining Time --:-

 

Turn On Audio Description

1x

Playback Rate

Chapters

• Chapters

Descriptions

• descriptions off, selected

Captions

• captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
• captions off, selected

Open quality selector menu

• 720p, selected
• 480p
• 360p
• 240p

Audio Track

Picture-in-PictureFullscreenVideo File Info

This is a modal window.

The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

Text

ColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-Transparent

Background

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparent

Window

ColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque

Font Size

50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%

Text Edge Style

NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadow

Font Family

Proportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall Caps

Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone

Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

Duration:

59 seconds

We hope you will join us here to experience videos and activities that will connect you to the history of Revolutionary America and the Overmountain Men, or in person at our event held in September.

 

Virtual Overmountain Day Videos

• 

  War and Weaponry

  Learn about the weapons used, the history and custom of military units at that time and much more in this series of videos.

• 

  Lifeways of the American Revolution Era

  Learn more about what daily life was like for the soldiers and their families during the time of the Overmountain Men.

• 

  Games and Activities for Families

  Try one of the games or activities in these videos for a glimpse into what life was like for kids during the American Revolution.

 

Test Your Knowledge to Earn a Badge

Now that you've watched the videos, see how you do on the Overmountain Victory Quiz!