The Known Provincials & Loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain October 7, 1780 “Death of Maj. Ferguson at King’s Mountain” – a Painting by Alonzo Chappel (c.1859) © 2015 – J.D. Lewis www.carolana.com Dr. Bobby Gilmer Moss (1998) • The “definitive work” on identifying the Loyalist participants at Kings Mountain • Culmination of over 25 years of research on both sides of the Atlantic Brief overview (10 pages) of events that led up to the battle of Kings Mountain 885 confirmed men identified in alphabetical order. +25 men possibly at KM. Regiments identified for the most part, a few exceptions. • Primary sources include: Draper Manuscripts Cornwallis Papers British Treasury Payrolls and Muster Rolls Public Archives of Canada County Court Records from NC, SC, and GA Lt. Anthony Alliare’s Diary (1780) • Said Patriots had 2,500 men at KM; Loyalists had 800 men at KM. • Ferguson had 18 Provincials killed on the spot; 100 Militia killed (including officers) • 32 Provincial privates wounded; Militia had 90 wounded (including officers) • 92 Provincials captured (including officers); ~600 Militia captured (including officers) Lt. Alexander Chesney’s Journal (1775-1820) • Moss had him as a Lieutenant. He asserted he was a Captain of Light Horse. • Asserted the Patriots attacked KM with 1,500 men., • Asserted that Maj. Ferguson, himself, shot Col. James Williams of SC. 2 Loyalists at Kings Mountain 5 Provincial Detachments Commanding Officer 5 Militia Regiments Maj. Patrick Ferguson 4 Militia Detachments - 10 Wagoners American Volunteers Old Tryon County Regiment Burke County Regiment Rutherford County Regiment (Provincials) (NY/NJ) of Loyalist Militia (NC) of Loyalist Militia (NC) of Loyalist Militia (NC) Maj. Patrick Ferguson Col. Ambrose Mills Col. Vezey Husbands Maj. William Green - 5 Known Companies from - Maj. William Mills - 4 Known Companies five Provincial Detachments - 2 Known Companies Fair Forest Regiment Spartan Regiment Little River Regiment of Long Cane Regiment of of Loyalist Militia (SC) of Loyalist Militia (SC) Loyalist Militia (SC) Detachment Loyalist Militia (SC) Detachment Maj. Daniel Plummer “Unknown” Maj. Patrick Cunningham “Unknown” - Maj. Jonathan Frost - 11 Known Companies - 8 Known Companies - 2 Known Companies - 11 Known Companies Steven’s Creek Regiment of Dutch Fork Regiment of Loyalist Militia (SC) Detachment Loyalist Militia (SC) Detachment “Unknown” “Unknown” - 9 Known Companies - 3 Known Companies Documented Numbers: Estimated Numbers: Provincials 103 < Somewhere Between > Provincials 116 Militia 782 Militia 1,166 Total 885 Total 1,282 3 American Volunteers (Provincials) (NY/NJ) aka Loyal American Volunteers. Earlier, a Major in the 71st Regiment of Foot Killed at the battle of Kings Mountain. Maj. Patrick Ferguson √ 1744-1780 √ - Adjutant (Lt.) Anthony Allaire (captured) √ - Virginia Paul (captured) √ - Virginia Sal (killed) Patrick Ferguson King’s American New Jersey Volunteers Loyal American Prince of Wales King’s Carolina Rangers Regiment Regiment Regiment American Regiment Regiment Detachment Detachment Detachment Detachment Detachment - 1 Captain - 4 Captains - 1 Lieutenant - 1 Sergeant - 1 Lieutenant - 1 Adjutant - 2 Lieutenants - 1 Sergeant - 16 Rank & File - 1 Ensign - 2 Sergeant - 16 Rank & File - 1 Sergeant - 2 Corporals - 2 Drummers - 48 Rank & File - 16 Rank & File General Henry Clinton authorized Ferguson “to form into a corps all the young or unmarried men of the provinces of Georgia and the two Carolinas as opportunity shall offer, to serve under Lt. General Charles, Lord Cornwallis or other general officers commanding these provinces.” Clinton also provided Ferguson with blank commissions for four Majors, twenty Captains, twenty Lieutenants, and twenty Ensigns. Documented Nos. Field Officers 2 Captains 5 Lieutenants 4 Ensigns 1 Officers 12 “The Provincials” NCOs 7 Privates 96 5 companies with ~100 privates Total 103 96 ÷ 5 = 19.2 ~116 Total Men per Company 4 [This number represents my guestimate] [These are documented] King’s American Regiment Detachment Col. Edmund Fanning not at KM. Only officer known to be at KM was DePeyster. From New York Capt. Abraham DePeyster √ (captured) Captain Not Named* √•Asa Blakesly (Sgt) √•Daniel Blue (Adjutant) √•Samuel Casey √•Jonah Cass √•John Crookshank (Ensign) √•John Dalton (captured) √•Francis Good (Drummer) (captured) √•Francis Guth (Drummer) (captured) Probably the same man as above. *Moss did not name these men’s Captain, √•Patrick Headen (captured) but most likely under Capt. Abraham DePeyster √•Henry Von Horston √•Silas Howe (captured) √•David Jones (captured) √•Duncan McDonald (captured) √•Charles McLeroy (captured) Documented Nos. √•Cornberry Merritt (captured) Field Officers 0 √•William Miller (captured) Captains 1 √•Christopher Nichols (captured) Adjutants 1 √•Noah Pangborn (captured) Ensigns 1 •John Perry (captured) √ Officers 3 √•Peter Simpson (captured) √•David Travis (captured) NCOs 1 Privates 18 1 company with ~20 privates Total 22 18 ÷ 1 = 18.0 ~24 Total Men per Company 5 [This number represents my guestimate] [These are documented] New Jersey Volunteers Regiment Detachment Lt. Col. Stephen DeLancey not at KM. No other officers known to be at KM. From New Jersey Capt. From Capt. From Capt. From Capt. From 3rd Battalion 1st Battalion 3rd Battalion 1st Patrick Joseph Samuel John Battalion Campbell Crowell Ryerson Taylor √ √ √ √ (wounded/captured) (captured) (wounded/captured) (captured/escaped) √ Lt. Martin Ryerson (wounded/captured) √ Lt. William Stevenson (wounded/captured/escaped) Captain Not Named √•John Brown (captured) √•Samuel Babcock √•Laurence Kerr √•Zopher Hull √•Malaciah Bowham √•Henry Burger (captured) √•John Boyles (wounded, captured) √•Robert Thompson √•John Campbell (Sgt.) √•Robert Ervin (captured) √•Charles Brown (Sgt.) √•Noah Killohan (wounded, captured) √•Ebenezer Darvin √•Dr. Uzal Johnson (captured) √•Ralph Burrows (wounded, captured) √•William Thompson √•John Evins (Corporal) √•Joshua King (captured) (Corporal) (wounded) √•Patrick McGuire (wounded, captured) √•Levy Hall (captured) √•Clement Masters (captured) √•Francis Costello (wounded, captured) √•John Troy √•Robert Hamilton √•Daniel McCoy (captured) (wounded) √•Thomas Mulvain (wounded, captured) √•Peter Hawn √•Elijah Quick (captured) √•Walter Coppinger √•Joseph Pryor √•William Van Skiver √•Jesse Tabor √•Christopher Sheck (Corporal) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (captured) √•James Crab √•Ezekiel Pulsifer √•William Vaughn √•Boltas Snider (captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) √•John Crane √•John Shetler √•Jacob Westervelt (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) Documented Nos. √•Casparures Degrau √•Peter Spear √•Joseph Westervelt (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) Field Officers 0 √•George Dickerson √•Richard Terhune √•Thomas Wilkins Captains 5 (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) Lieutenants 2 Ensigns 0 √•David Dobson √•Benjamin Furman √•Martin Woolihan (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) Officers 7 √•Sylvester Ferdon √•John Hayes √•Samuel Young (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) (wounded, captured) NCOs 5 Privates 47 4 companies with ~80 privates Total 59 47 ÷ 5 = 9.4 ~92 Total Men per Company 6 [This number represents my guestimate] [These are documented] Loyal American Regiment Detachment Col. Beverley Robinson not at KM. No other officers known to be at KM. From New York Captain Not Named √•James Campbell (captured) √•Nathaniel Chambers (captured) √•Stephen Chapple (captured) √•Daniel Ellison (Sergeant) (captured) √•Duncan Fletcher (Lieutenant) √•John Fratingburg (captured) √•William Kemp (captured) √•John Main (captured) √•Charles Muckleroy √•Daniel Mulhardy √•Jordan Norris (captured) √•Samuel Roan (captured) √•Samuel Sharp (captured) √•Hendy Skedgel (captured) √•John Strong (wounded/captured) √•Aherous Terwilliger (captured) √•Francis Turner (captured) √•Stephen Williams (captured) Documented Nos. Field Officers 0 Captains 0 Lieutenants 1 Ensigns 0 Officers 1 NCOs 1 These men were most likely Privates 16 folded into the five (5) companies Total 18 16 ÷ 1 = 16.9 described in the Slides 5 & 6 Men per Company 7 [These are documented] Prince of Wales American Regiment Detachment Lt. Col. Thomas Pattinson not at KM. No other officers known to be at KM. From New York Captain Not Named √ •John Banack √ •Gilbert Boodle √ •Alexander Cain √ •James Cocks √ •Frederick Cronckite √ •John Gibbs √ •Noah Gildersleeve √ •John Gleron √ •John Hevaland √ •George Innis √ •Frederick Nichols √ •Moses Olmstead √ •John Sharpe √ •John Sherman √ •Henry Townsend (Sgt.) √ •George Weekly √ •Paul Wooster Documented Nos. Field Officers 0 Captains 0 Lieutenants 0 Ensigns 0 Officers 0 NCOs 1 These men were most likely Privates 16 folded into the five (5) companies Total 17 16 ÷ 1 = 16.0 described in Slides 5 & 6 Men per Company 8 [These are documented] King’s Carolina Rangers Regiment Detachment Col. Thomas Brown not at KM. No other officers known to be at KM. From South Carolina and Georgia Captain Not Named √ •Lt. Richard McGinnis (killed) Documented Nos. Field Officers 0 Captains 0 Lieutenants 1 Ensigns 0 Officers 1 NCOs 0 This officer was Most Likely Privates 0 assigned to one of the five (5) Total 1 0 ÷ 1 = 0.0 Captains shown on Slides 5 & 6 Men per Company 9 [These are documented] Old Tryon County Regiment of Loyalist Militia (NC) aka Tryon Loyalists Regiment Col. Ambrose Mills (captured/hanged)√ √ - Maj. William Mills Capt.