Overmountain Men

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The Overmountain Men were American colonial militiamen in the American Revolutionary War from west of the Appalachian Mountains, what is now eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia. They played an important role at the Battle of Kings Mountain, and also fought at the Battle of Cowpens and elsewhere.

[edit] Kings Mountain

After the defeat of Horatio Gates's army at the Battle of Camden, British General Cornwallis was convinced that Georgia and South Carolina were under British control, and he began plans to move into North Carolina. However, a brutal civil war between colonists continued to rage in South Carolina. The Whig frontiersmen, led by a group of self-proclaimed colonels of the rebellionâ€”Isaac Shelby, Elijah Clarke, and Charles McDowellâ€”conducted hit-and-run raids on Loyalist outposts. To protect his western flank, Cornwallis gave Major Patrick Ferguson command of the Loyalist militia.

Cornwallis invaded North Carolina on September 9, 1780, and reached Charlotte on September 26. Ferguson followed and established a base camp at Gilbertown and issued a challenge to the Patriot leaders to lay down their arms or he would, "Lay waste to their country with fire and sword." But the tough-talking words only outraged the Appalachian frontiersmen, who decided to bring the battle to Ferguson rather than wait for him to come to them.

They met at Fort Watauga in what is now Carter County, Tennessee and other locations and crossed over the Appalachians. They formed about half of the colonial forces at Kings Mountain, which was a victory for the colonials.

Colonel John Sevier, who later became governor of the State of Franklin and Tennessee, commanded a group of Overmountain Men from Washington County, Tennessee at Kings Mountain.

After the battle, Joseph Greer of the Watauga Settlement undertook a 600 mile (950 km), month-long expedition to notify the Continental Congress of the British defeat at the battle; he arrived in Philadelphia on November 7, 1780.[1][2] Greer's report of the American Patriot victory at Kings Mountain "re-energized a downtrodden Continental Congress."[3]

They are the subject of the play The Wataugans as well and the subject of the book "The Overmountain Men" by Pat Alderman.(ISBN 0-932-80716-X)