Overmountain Men

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The Overmountain Men were American colonial militiamen in the American Revolutionary War from west of the Appalachian Mountains, mainly in areas that now comprise parts West Virginia, northeastern 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.

Americans settlers of largely Scotch-Irish descent settled west of, or "over," the Appalachians, and were thus so known as the "Overmountain Men." They united into a semi-autonomous government called the Watauga Association in 1772, about four years before the United States Declaration of Independence.

[edit] Kings Mountain

John Sevier

Isaac Shelby

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 rebellion—Isaac Shelby, Elijah Clarke, and Charles McDowell—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 Elizabethton, Tennessee and other locations and crossed over the Appalachians near the present day location of Roan Mountain, Tennessee. After marching over the mountains, they met the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The Overmountain Men formed about half of the colonial forces at Kings Mountain. The total forces numbered about 1000 men on each side with the British having the strategic hilltop position. Due to "Indian" style guerilla fighting tactics versus assembled, synchronized firing lines, and the use of more accurate (though slower-to-load) rifles than muskets, the battle was a resounding victory for the colonials. One hundred and eighty British men were killed while 28 Overmountain men were killed. The remaining British surrendered and the British commander was killed while attempting to escape through the battle lines.

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 Liberty: The Saga of Sycamore Shoals as well and the subject of the book "The Overmountain Men" by Pat Alderman.(ISBN 0-932-80716-X)