During our recent road trip in the United States, my partner and I planned to spend a few days at Kings Mountain State Park in South Carolina. On the way there, we realized that the state park was located right next to a historic battlefield and we decided to stop there to visit it.
It must be said that we enjoyed visiting the Fredericksburg National Military Park in Virginia last year. Plus, I had never heard of Kings Mountain before, and I was curious to learn more about the battle that took place there.
Like the Fredericksburg Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park is managed by the United States National Park System. The visitor center was closed when we arrived (it is open Wednesday through Sunday), but the site itself was open, and we decided to follow the 4.5-kilometre (2.8-mile) interpretive trail which allows you to learn a bit more about the battle.
The Battle of Kings Mountain took place in October 1780 and was an important turning point in the American Revolutionary War. During this battle, Patriot and Loyalist militias clashed, with the Patriots eventually achieving victory. It was one of the first major patriot victories after the British invasion of Charleston, South Carolina.
The battle was short and bloody. It lasted just around an hour, and more than 300 men were killed (the majority on the Loyalist side). This surprise victory came after a series of defeats and humiliations for the Americans in the South, and it reinvigorated Patriot forces.
The trail allows you to go deeper into the forest and to walk around the rocky hill on which the Loyalists had established their camp, before being taken by surprise by the Patriots. Several interpretive signs give details about different moments of the battle.
For example, it is interesting to learn that this battle represented one of the only ones in the Revolutionary War that was fought entirely between Americans (no British troops participated). Or that the Patriots mainly used hunting rifles, but that they were still able to obtain victory against the Loyalists and their military muskets.
In 1930, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the battle, President Herbert Hoover visited the site to give a speech. More than 70,000 people came to hear him, which at the time was the largest gathering ever to take place in the eastern United States.
The forest is very peaceful today, so it’s hard to imagine that a battle took place there, or that tens of thousands of people gathered there more than a century later. But there was a somewhat solemn atmosphere along the trail, especially near the monuments built in honour of the victims of that battle.
I’m so glad I was able to visit Kings Mountain National Military Park and learn more about this battle. Because as President Herbert Hoover summed up well: “It was a little army and a little battle, but it was of mighty portent.”
Visiting the site is free, and the trail is accessible (although there are some slight climbs and descents). The trail also connects to the nearby Kings Mountain State Park trail system.
Thank you for the tour, Vanessa, I’ve never heard of this place. The landscaping is really beautiful.
It was a lovely forest, and it was interesting to learn about this battle, on which I knew nothing. Thanks for reading John, happy Saturday!
You too, Vanessa. 😊😊
Nature and history. So glad that it has become a more peaceful place to contemplate. Thanks for sharing Vanessa. Allan
I like visiting these beautiful places, that are also significant on a historical perspective. Thanks for reading, Allan!