In response, the Patriot militias led by Benjamin Cleveland, James Johnston, William Campbell, John Sevier, Joseph McDowell and Isaac Shelby rallied for an attack on Ferguson.
Ferguson issued a challenge to the American militias to lay down their arms or suffer the consequences. Ignoring the participation of Ferguson, the battle has been described as ' the war’s largest all-American fight'.įerguson had arrived in North Carolina in early September 1780 to recruit troops for the Loyalist militia and protect the flank of Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis' main force.
The Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. The battle took place 9 miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, in what is now rural Cherokee County, South Carolina. The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots.