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Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Commemorative Motor Route

81 Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail 19 Colonial US 11 Days of the March begins on Colonial Road in Abingdon, Road 11 Abingdon Virginia. March reenactors assemble here September 12, 1780, Charles McDowell battle expected soon. Unpopular Charles McDowell was persuaded to The two groups united the evening of each September 23rd. ambushed part of Ferguson's army at 9 Dunn's Cane Creek but was driven off and fled step aside as commander. William October 6th at Cowpens. Eating a hasty Meadow 58 to (Elizabethton, TN) Campbell, not from , was meal, the parties pushed on through a WASHINGTON CO. to await reinforcement by the chosen as a compromise replacement. rainy night. SCOTT CO. 75 Abingdon . McDowell rode to ask for a Continental officer to command. October 7, 1780, at dawn the Patriot 10 19 In late September, 1780, William and army successfully crossed the flooding cousin Arthur Campbell assembled 5 October 3, 1780, the army camped Broad River at Ford. 81 Washington County, Virginia, militia. beneath Marlin's Knob beside Cane VIRGINIA 58 58 Creek. Patriots under At about 3:00 p.m. the same day, the 11 Colonial Road September 25th, 1780,Shelby, Sevier, William Hill and Edward Lacey were Patriots found Ferguson's Loyalist army 11 1 11W Bristol 44 58 81 Dunn's and Campbell mustered the militia of camped nearby at Flint Hill (Cherry on Kings Mountain. The two sides Meadow the Watauga and Holston Valleys at Mountain). fiercely contested the wooded slopes 421 75 Sycamore Shoals of the until Ferguson was shot from his horse, 0 1/2 1 mile (Elizabethton) to join Burke County October 4, 1780, entering Gilbert Town, they killed with some 120 of his men. The 81 Pemberton 0 1 kilometer South 6 found Ferguson had left, possibly headed Patriots suffered 90 casualties: 28 killed Oak 421 militia under Charles McDowell. Fort September 24, Holston towards Ninety Six in South Carolina. 1780 Campsite Watauga is today reconstructed at the Lake Tennessee Historic Area. In 1780, this During the return, October 14, 1780, at 11E 12 iver October 5, 1780, reassured they were Biggerstaff's Old Fields (Bickerstaff's or R was North Carolina, later Franklin (or 7 19 on following Ferguson, the army Red Chimneys) 30 Tories were tried. Boone t SULLIVAN CO. Frankland), later . ls proceeded to the Green River, away Nine were hanged, the others spared. Lake o CARTER CO. H September 26, 1780, the army spent its from Kings Mountain. Small parties of Bristol 2 81 first night at Shelving Rock, storing their Georgians under William Candler and Many of the Patriot militia who fought at Commonwealth Rocky 11E North Carolinians under William Kings Mountain returned to Cowpens Ave. Mary St. powder out of the rain. Mount 19W Euclid Ave. Chronicle joined the Overmountain January 17, 1781, to help Daniel State Historic State St. September 27, 1780, snow fell on Roan men. Early the next morning, Edward Morgan defeat another brash young Site 11W Pennsylvania 3 Lacey rode in with news they were British commander, Banastre Tarleton. Ave. Mountain as the army crossed. Yellow Mountain Gap, at 4,682 feet, is the headed away from Ferguson. 11E Maple St. highest point on the trail. Here two men Sycamore 91 19 19E deserted to warn Ferguson of the October 6,1780, finally convinced Shoals S.H.A. 8 September 25, Patriot army. Ferguson headed east toward Johnson 1780 Campsite Elizabethton Charlotte, the men with the best horses raced off to meet with Lacey and Hill's City Carter October 1 and 2, 1780, the army Watauga 0 1/2 1 mile 421 4 67 stopped to dry out and prepare for South Carolinians. Mansion Lake 0 1 kilometer

91 Monument CO. SURRY TN 1 2377 362 181 67 21 Gap Creek Wilkes-Surry branch of the TN Monument 2495 North Wilkesboro/ Overmountain Victory National 18 C 361 Wilkesboro Elkin AR Doe River Historic Trail begins in Elkin, U T N E 36 IC R Gorge North Carolina. O 268 C 268 I C O

O . 18 Jonesville . Tory Oak 19E North TENNESSEE Wilkesboro NORTH CAROLINA Old 16 r 2 ive Shelving Rock 421 Wilkes R September 26, in 421 Tory Oak k 1780 Campsite d 3 September 27, Ya Yellow 268 1780 Campsite 77 Elizabethton Roan Mountain 194 16 Sycamore Elk Park 421 W. Kerr Scott 421 19E Mountain Gap 0 1/2 1 mile Shoals S.H.A. 91 18 Reservoir State Park Lenoir 0 1 kilometer Wilkesboro Broad er lk Ave. St. 143 Roaring Creek iv E R Wilkes

September 27, 321 268 Elkin WILKES CO. WILKES Elk WATUGA CO. in Community CO. YADKIN 67 321 Fort 1780 Campsite 18 k Ave. 90 ad Watauga 194 Y College WIL 67 KES Gardens Monument Bright's 90 CO 268 CAL . DW September 28, 77 Trace E 1 LL 1780 Campsite 18 0 /2 1 mile C 362 321A O 0 1 kilometer . AVERY CO. Gap 261 MITCHELL CO. 18A 16 321 Creek IREDELL CO. 321 Monument 67 19E

19E 181 Gap Creek Rd. 361 18 0 1/2 1 mile 321A 0 1 2 mi Citizens' Trail Honoring 0 1 kilometer Fort Defiance ALEXANDER CO. 0 1 2 3 km a Citizen Army In 1975, local citizens, many descendants of 321 those Patriots and Loyalists, determined to 90 march the route again as part of the US321A American Revolutionary Bicentennial NC18 celebrations. From these first efforts came Spruce BYP 64 the Overmountain Victory Trail Association Pine Lenoir 19E September 28, 1780 (OVTA) which carried petitions along the Campsite route collecting thousands of signatures Linville Gorge 18 Gillespie Gap CALDWELL CO. requesting national trail status. In Mineral Museum Hefner September 29, September 1980, just before the October Gap BURKE CO. 1780 Campsite rkway 221 7th 200th anniversary of the battle, the route a 321 The commemorative motor route P was designated a national historic trail. e North Cove g 226 passes through mostly rural d September 29, i 1780 Campsite R countryside. Each year the Overmountain Victory National 181 McDowell House e march reenactment proceeds u Historic Trail l September 30, Rhodhiss both on foot and in cars, allowing B Turkey Cove Linville The Overmountain Victory National Historic September 29, 1780 Campsite Lake Overmountain Victory Trail follows the route of assembly of the those not wishing to walk to join. 1780 Campsite Mountain 126 National Historical Trail American Patriot army which decisively NC181 Old Courthouse 221 Lake (downtown) Map Area defeated an American Loyalist army at the James , South Carolina, in 64 70 the dark days of the fall of 1780. 40 80 Morganton The Overmountain Victory National Historic YANCEY CO. State Park Virginia 70 Trail covers some 220 miles from Abingdon, MCDOWELL CO. Virginia, through Eastern Tennessee, over Tennessee 18 North the high mountains of North Carolina, Marion Carolina 226 Marion across the of North and South 70 Carolina, to the Kings Mountain National South Military Park. A 70-mile branch from Wilkes- 226 Carolina 70 Surry joins the main route near its center at 70 40 State St. Quaker Meadows (Morganton, North Carolina). Three routes are designated: the Pilot 64 Morganton McDowell Baldwin Ave. true historic route, now often inaccessible, County Mountain Visitor's 18 the route used by OVTA each year, and the Center public motor route over highways. 226 4 221 Quakers 40 Bedford's Hill 181 Meadows 70 64 0 1/2 1 mile October 1 and 2, One Trail, Many Efforts 0 1 kilometer 1780 Campsite Part of the , the Cowan's Ford 226 126 (September 12 Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail MCDOWELL CO. battle of Cane Creek) Greenway is a cooperative effort of the National Park RUTHERFORD CO. Marlin's Knob 70 18 Legend Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.

Rutherfordton October 3, 1780 Campsite

BUNCOME CO. k Army Corps of Engineers, OVTA, local 64 Commemorative Motor Route . e d governments, local citizens' associations, Gilbert R e 5 221 r 1 k 0 /2 1 mile c Mountain local historical societies, and the states of Town C o 64 0 1 kilometer R Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and 64 e 74A 64 n Point of Interest a South Carolina. 6 C Brittain Church 77 Interstate Highway Gilbert Town 64 Flint Hill 74A October 4, 1780 S (Cherry Mtn.) 421 Campsite e US Highway c o RUTHERFORDB CO. n Red Chimneys 74B r d 226 State Highway Ð North Carolina 108 o (Biggerstaff's a d POLK CO. old fields) 12

R Rutherfordton 11 221 i B State Highway Ð South Carolina v US221 e r 18 o Gaffney r 0 1/2 1 mile a 143 d 85 State Highway Ð Tennessee 0 1 kilometer 329 108 AI 221 N 74B B 18 67 State Highway Ð Virginia T ro 150 o k N Alexander's Ford 7 11 29 (Green River) V 74 74 U October 5, 1780 alt Campsite 221 I 108 O C 221 26 74 29 18 150 T 8 9 M 0 1/2 1 mile 85 0 1 kilometer O Br R 26 oad 1343 Ri Crowders Mountain NORTH CAROLINA 9 ve 1102 r State Park E SOUTH CAROLINA R

SC73 V SC58 SC101 SC146 Y SC144 11

11 O 9 Kings Mountain Chesnee 29 1780 Chesnee/ SPARTANBURG CO. National Military Park 58 CHEROKEE CO. 11 Cowpens Cowpens and 221 N alt National Battlefield Kings Mountain L 11 221 SC329 A I October 6, 1780 Campsite SC30 SC66 State Park TI A TM Cowpens 18 O TR 55 NA C 73 National 5 L HI TORI YORK CO. S Battlefield US29 SC207

0 1 2 miles 110 11 85 Gaffney Cherokee 10 0 2 kilometers Ford