The Turning Point of the American Revolution: The Battle of Kings Mountain Executive Auditorium of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon

Free for Everyone

Engraving of the death of Patrick Ferguson at the Battle at Kings Mountain by Alonzo Chappel

Sponsored by the Arts Array cultural outreach series at Virginia Highlands Community College

Garrett Jackson: “Life in the Backcountry in 1780” Thursday, September 2, 7:30 p.m.

In this first presentation of a four-part series on the Battle of Kings Mountain, Garrett Jackson and other area historians will talk about life in the “Backcountry” during the American Revolution and the prelude to the Battle at Kings Mountain: what life was like in this area in 1780; the extent of settlements; the political situation; and the divisions between Patriots and Tory Loyalists. Jackson is the Director of Planning for the town of Abingdon and the descendant of three Kings Mountain veterans.

****************************************************************************

Randell Jones: “ The Muster and the March— The Campaign That Created the Battle of Kings Mountain” Thursday, September 9, 7:30 p.m.

During the British campaign against the southern colonies in 1780, Major Patrick Ferguson threatened to destroy the communities in the overmountain region. Militiamen from Southwest Virginia, western North Carolina, and today’s Tennessee mustered and campaigned 200 miles across the Blue Ridge Mountains to track down and destroy the threatening army of Loyalists. Jones will tell the story of the two-week march and touch on the experiences during the previous six years which prepared these “Overmountain Men” for the challenge. His newest book is Before They Were Heroes at Kings Mountain.

Robert Dunkerly: “American Against American”: The Battle of Kings Mountain Thursday, September 16, 7:30 p.m.

Robert Dunkerly, who worked for many years as a park ranger at the Kings Mountain National Military Park, will lecture on the details of the actual battle itself which changed the momentum of the Revolutionary War, with a British defeat. Kings Mountain is also unique in that it involved Americans on both sides and thus illustrates the divided nature of the war--which many people don’t realize. It also stands out as one of the few battles of the war which was won by the rifle.

******************************************************************************

Paul Carson: “They came up with the enemy. . . and gave him a total defeat”-- The Legacy of Kings Mountain and Its Remembrance Thursday, September 23, 8:00 p.m.

Paul Carson, the Superintendent of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, will present a talk on the impact of the campaign and Battle of Kings Mountain. Considered one of the turning points of the American Revolution, the Battle of Kings Mountain had strategic consequences that led to the British loss of America. Since 1780 its legacy has evolved, causing historians to examine it closer, and resulting in the preservation of the battlefield and the patriot route of the campaign.