THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND GIDEON

Vol. 1                                                                 Issue 12 


This brilliant victory marked the turning point of the American Revolution.             Theodore Roosevelt

"My countrymen, you are about to set out on an expedition which is full of hardships and dangers, but one in which the Almighty will attend you The Mother Country has her hands upon you, these American Colonies, and takes that for which our fathers planted their homes in the wilderness - OUR LIBERTY... Will you tarry now until the other enemy carries fire and sword to your very doors? No, it shall not be. Go forth then in the strength of your manhood to the aid of your brethren, the defense of your liberty and the protection of your homes. And may the God of Justice be with you and give you victory…"O, God of Battle, arise in Thy might. Avenge the slaughter of Thy people. Confound those who plot for our destruction. Crown this mighty effort with victory, and smite those who exalt themselves against liberty and justice and truth. "Help us as good soldiers to wield the SWORD OF THE LORD AND GIDEON." "Amen"

With this prayer by Presbyterian Evangelist Samuel Doak, a ghost army of over the mountain men began a 330 mile march that would end at King’s Mountain and mark the beginning of the end of the American Revolution.   Common and hardy men from wilderness encampments across the eastern continental divide answered the call of their neighbors as they had countless time before.  A threat to their liberty, their way of life, their personal freedom, be it from Cherokee warriors or British Regiments had to be confronted. It was in the genetic makeup of these American settlers.  “If not now, when?” they asked. “If not us, then who?”   Rallying at Sycamore Shoals in what is now eastern Tennessee, these men and their families began a very personal fight for liberty.  

Their foe was British Major Patrick Ferguson, a man not so unlike those sworn his mortal enemy.  Ferguson, a proud a son of Scotland had distinguished himself as a brave and capable commander. His right arm disabled by wounds received in battle, Ferguson had taught himself to shoot, ride and fence with his left hand. He was known to lead his troops in battle riding a white stallion, wearing a checkered over shirt and issuing commands with a silver whistle while brandishing a Spanish sword. Lord Cornwallis, having defeated Benjamin Lincoln at Charlestown and Horatio Gates at Camden found there remained no organized army of Colonials confronting the British in the South.  The British southern strategy aimed to divide and conquer the rebels appeared to be a strategic success.  Placed in command of a Tory Militia regiment, Ferguson was General Cornwallis’s buffer against any threats to the west.  He was one of the King’s best young soldiers.  Smart and articulate his job was to persuade colonists to remain loyal to the King and to take up arms against their rebellious neighbors.

At that moment in history, the American Revolution was placed into the hands of some of the most unlikely patriots.  The Carolina backcountry was an unforgiving land. Over the western mountains were sparse settlements occupied by Americans who had carved from the wilderness a home. Fiercely independent, they lived in these areas in defiance to British law. They “tamed the rugged wilderness, they bid defiance to outside foes, and they successfully solved the difficult problem of self-government.” Forming the Watauga Association in 1772, they may have been the "first men of American birth to establish a free and independent community on the continent.”   These men were also experienced Indian fighters who for decades had banded together to protect their homes and preserve their liberty. They considered the words of Major Ferguson carefully and took seriously his threat.  Had Ferguson known more of the mountain ways, he would never have insulted them as “mongrels, dregs of mankind and barbarians”. Foolhardy and arrogant, he  believed that “a volley and a dash of cold steel was just the dose to cause the rebels to break and once on the run such troops would never rally,”  He  underestimated their response to his public challenge to their liberty:

If they do not desist from their opposition to British arms, I will march my army over the mountains, hang their leaders and lay waste their country with fire and sword. 

On a cold October morning in 1780, nine hundred backcountry patriots surrounded a hilltop known as King’s Mountain near the North Carolina border with South Carolina. Having ridden all night in a pouring rain, they were of bad humor and were looking for a fight. The previous day Major Ferguson wrote to Lord Cornwallis “I have arrived at King’s Mountain and have taken a post where I do not think I can be forced by a stronger enemy than that against us” He commanded a position he considered so strong “a place God Almighty can not drive us from."  A roll of British drums disturbed the morning calm, as Ferguson’s men deployed for battle along the ridge of the mountain.  Before them, the six foot six inch William Campbell astride his tired mount, raised his sword  As he readied his men for battle, he pointed to the mountain with his sword and shouted to his men “Shout like hell and fight like devil”.  In an hours time the battle was over with the entire British regiment either dead or captured.

After the victory, the backcountry army disbursed and returned home. The men who fought that day disappeared to history. It was the turning point in our war for Independence.  History notes that within the following year, Daniel Morgan was victorious at Cowpens, Nathaniel Greene fought a bloody stalemate at Guilford Courthouse and the siege at Yorktown ended the war.  Liberty was a concept that these backcountry patriots understood and for which they pledged their lives and honor to defend.  “The American victory at King’s Mountain,” wrote Sir Henry Clinton in his memoirs “was the first link in a chain of misfortunes that followed each other in regular succession until they ended in the total loss of America”. 

During his convalescence from wound received earlier in the war, Patrick Ferguson reflected upon his own the mortality.  He was never driven from King’s Mountain.  He is buried within feet of where he died.  His grave covered with stones.

“The length of our lives is not at our command however much the manner of them may be.  If our creator enables us to act the part of honor and conduct ourselves with spirit, probity, and humanity the change to another world whether now or fifty years hence will not be for the worse.”     Patrick Ferguson