"Kings Mountain" or "Lynn walking in the footsteps of her ancestors"

5 generations ago, or is it 6 Lynn s Great, great, great, great, great Grandfathers fought in the revolutionary war battle of Kings Mountain. Lt. William Blackburn, and soldiers Black and Kusick all fought there. The battle took place in October of 1780 and it was one of the first defeats for the British in the war.

It's interesting that depending on what battlefield or city that you are in, each claims to be the turning point in whatever war was going on. Here both Kings Mountain and Cowpens Battlefield claim to be the turning point for the patriots in the Revolutionary war. Both have valid points, which you can google if you're interested. And each civil war battlefield can make a similar claim, and does. It's like which pizza is better, New York or Chicago. We all know that Chicago pizza is better, New York can claim whatever they want. :-) 

In the battle of Kings Mtn I found it interesting that the British held the high ground. Which, usually in war, is a good thing. Not so in this case. The patriots were comprised of various groups. Almost all of them Indian fighters. Lynn's ancestors were called the "Over the Mountain Men" Highly skilled Indian fighters who were used to fighting behind trees etc. And the British made a big mistake. They threatened to destroy all of the homesteads of anyone who didn't fight for them.  This really motivated the Patriots to beat the British for they were now defending their homes. Otherwise they might not have fought at all.   Here are a few photos. 

 This gives you an idea of what the terrain is like 

 One of the two monuments that show Lynn's great-grandfathers (w/5 greats) names

 The other monument

The battle at Cowpens was about a year later. No, Lynn's family was not in this one, to our knowledge. But you know us. If there is a battlefield nearby we're going. What is interesting is that they are in the process of restoring the battlefield to its original condition. Clearing trees and planting trees. One historical note; it's called Cowpens because that is where the area people would pen their cattle. And the patriot leaders recruited all of the local farmers and hunters to fight, but they needed a gathering place that everyone would know, so....... Cow Pens. Isn't learning fun. Ok, Lynn just slapped me for all of you, so I hope you're all happy. Ouch!! 

So why was this battle the turning point?  At Cowpens the patriots were now facing regular British troops. There were some at Kings Mountain but the majority were local people who were fighting for the British. At Cowpens they fought against British regulars, and won. After that it was a series of defeats leading to Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown.

How many of you saw the Movie "Patriots" with Mel Gibson?  Remember the final battle where the patriots retreated over the rise and the bad guy British Colonel Tarleton charged them, only to find the patriots in line waiting for them, and the patriots then kicked butt, and Mel killed Tarleton. This is that battle. Only in reality Colonel Tarleton didn't die. He lived a long happy life back in England. I forget where they said the battle took place in the movie but this is the battle the movie battle was based on. All the same things happened here.

Let me say that I don't know this for a fact, but everything fits. From Colonel Tarleton butchering everyone in his battles, to the retreat and trap that was set. Here are some photos.

 Visitor Center

 Gives you an idea of the numbers

 As you can see most of the battle field was open fields. However they are rolling hills so you couldn't see what was over the rise. 

Well that's it for now. See you down the road.