Major Patrick Ferguson | Kings Mountain

Major Patrick Ferguson was a Scottish officer who was trained loyalists in traditional British military techniques, especially the use of the bayonet.  He earned the nickname “Bulldog” during his military career.  At the Battle of Brandywine in the North, he lost the use of his right arm so Ferguson used a whistle to drill his troops. 

Ferguson’s army consisted of 120 well-trained British Provincial soldiers, formed from Northern volunteer units, along with about 800 loyalist militiamen recruited from the Carolinas. As Ferguson led his amy into South Carolina, he sent the Overmountain men a bold warning. 

Unfortunately, Ferguson had isolated himself from the main British army by establishing an elevated position at Kings Mountain.

On October 7, 1780, almost a thousand patriots surrounded him and attacked. A hail of patriot bullets hit Ferguson at the same time, and he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

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IMAGE CREDIT: The portrait of Major Patrick Ferguson was painted by Thomas Kelly Pauley.

Standards

• 4.2.CE Examine the economic and political motivations for colonists to declare independence from Great Britain.
• 4.2.CX Contextualize South Carolina’s role in the development of the new nation.
• 8.2.CO Compare the motives and demographics of loyalists and patriots within South Carolina and the colonies.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the economic, political, and social motivations of the patriots and the loyalists in the era of the American Revolution.
• 8.2.CE Explain the economic, political, and social factors surrounding the American Revolution.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how the colonies began to unify to create a distinctive American identity over the course of events of the American Revolution.
• 8.2.CX Contextualize the roles of various groups of South Carolinians as the colonies moved toward becoming an independent nation.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the motivations of colonists during the American Revolution and the progression of conflict and failed compromise that ultimately led to revolution.

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