South Carolina – Kings Mountain – Ready … Aim … Fire!

Bill and Ranger Adrian firing

The Battle of Kings Mountain is unusual in that the Loyalist side primarily used muskets and the Patriot side primarily used rifles. So part of the story of the battle is comparing these two weapons.

rifle & musket in Kings Mountain National Military Park’s museum

THE RIFLE

from Kings Mountain National Military Park brochure

Frontier men owned flintlock long rifles to hunt for food and kill varmints. These custom-made weapons were often the most expensive thing a man owned. They were rifled – grooves inside the barrel spun the lead ball – making them accurate to over 200 yards. They took about 1 minute to load. The steps were to pour black powder from a powder horn into a measure, then pour it down the barrel. Then cut a cloth patch, wrap it around the lead ball, and ram it down the barrel. That took time and effort, as it needed to fit tightly to catch the grooves. Finally, pour black powder from a powder horn into the pan.

THE MUSKET

The British Land Pattern Musket (aka “Brown Bess”) was a flintlock military weapon.

from Kings Mountain National Military Park brochure

It was mass produced and given to British soldiers and Loyalist militiamen. It was accurate to only 75 yards, as it was smoothbore and shot an undersized ball so it could fire many shots before cleaning. It used a premade paper cartridge with a lead ball and black powder, so could load and fire in 15-20 seconds. The steps were to tear the cartridge end with your teeth (yes, soldiers needed 2 opposing teeth!), pour some powder into the pan, drop the cartridge into the barrel, and ram it down the barrel. The musket could also mount a bayonet on the end of the barrel for hand-to-hand combat. More people were killed in the Revolutionary War with the bayonet than with a musket ball.

THE BATTLE

The Battle of Kings Mountain is often portrayed as a battle of musket versus rifle.

painting by Dan Nance

The Loyalists on the top of the ridge primarily had muskets. The Patriot frontier militiamen surrounded the Loyalists on the wooded slopes and primarily had rifles. The Patriots hid behind old-growth trees to load and during volleys picked off Loyalists silhouetted on the top of the ridge. The Loyalists tried several bayonet charges, but the Patriots just retreated and fired into the flanks, so the Loyalists had to reform lines at the top of the hill. The advantages of the musket – firing rate and bayonet – didn’t help the Loyalists due to the trees and formations, while the accuracy of the rifle did help the Patriots. So the Patriots won the battle.

CARTRIDGES

We learned all about guns starting with the cartridge – Barbara rolled hundreds of them.

For kids’ programs they put a gum ball and Kool-Aid in a cartridge reminiscent of a bullet and gunpowder. Bill and Ranger Lamar also filled hundreds of cartridges with just black powder (no lead ball!) for use in weapons demonstrations.

BULLETS

We also learned how to make bullets. They heated a pot of lead (we now use pewter) over a fire and poured the liquid metal into a mold. It cools in seconds; then they opened the mold and dropped the hot ball into a bucket of water.

Bill made bullets one day. Visiting children love when you give them a bullet they saw made. One visiting class of 9th graders actually made their own bullets, which they thought was cool.

GUN TALKS

Bill gave many gun talks, explaining about the guns and giving observers a chance to see them up close. They could hold them as long as Bill also had his hand on the gun.

 

WEAPONS DEMOS

With training by Ranger Leah and an assist from Ranger Lamar, Bill became Black Powder Certified in the National Park Service after taking a test and demonstrating safe firing. Now he too can fire in weapons demonstrations. In the picture below Bill and Ranger Lamar are firing, while Ranger Leah gives the commands. “Prime and load! … Make Ready! … Take Aim! … FIRE!”

South Carolina – Jones Gap State Park

Several state parks in the northwest corner of South Carolina offer some good hiking, so we decided to check out one of these parks – Jones Gap State Park in Marietta, SC.

Early settlers established farms in the backwoods and their places were practically inaccessible, but an enterprising individual named Solomon Jones constructed a road around the boulders through the gap in the 1850s. This opened the way for farmers to bring their livestock to market. To pay for the road the state legislature set tolls.

Too costly to maintain, the road was abandoned in the 1950s and eventually became conservation land. Now it is hard to even imagine that parts of the trail used to be a toll road.

The first thing we saw as we entered the park was a bunch of boots and containers by the river. The park’s Learning Center has an aquatic ecology lab and it looked like they were ready to teach a school group.

We headed for the Jones Gap Trail which connects to another state park. We only took it as far as Jones Gap Falls – a 3.2mi hike total (there and back). We really enjoyed this walk through Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron along the gurgling river; we just loved the sounds.

The reward was the 40ft high Jones Gap Falls, which we had all to ourselves – a nice lunch spot.

About half way back, a spur trail leads to Rainbow Falls. It’s only 1.6 miles to the falls, but it’s a steep climb. Barbara opted to head back while Bill headed up the trail.

A trail book said “It’s a very steep elevation change, and you will be crawling over boulders. But it’s definitely worth it—the waterfall is the best in South Carolina.”

We’re not sure if it is the best, but this 120ft high waterfall was pretty impressive even during dry season.

We never make cairns, but we take pictures of them if we find some. We found some at both falls.

We had a great day at Jones Gap State Park.

South Carolina – Kings Mountain – Events

Kings Mountain National Military Park hosts a number of events throughout the year. We participated in several of them.

ENCAMPMENTS

Regularly throughout the year re-enactors with the Backcountry Militia set up camps demonstrating both 1780 militia life and Colonial culture. These events bring history to life as visitors experience the camp and talk to re-enactors who’ve studied the time period.

John from the Backcountry Militia teaching about fire

Rangers Lamar, Adrian and Leah at a weapons demo

NATURE & HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Mostly the park focuses on history, but in mid-September they put on their first Nature & Heritage Festival. This festival had a Revolutionary War era encampment as well as various activities focused on nature and the community. Booths included an orienteering club, REI, live raptors, nature crafts, land conservation groups, and community organizations. The orienteering group set up a course where participants used a compass to navigate through the woods. Music groups performed in the amphitheater and they had a nature walk. Bill helped with the encampment.

Barbara spent most of the day helping with nature crafts.

pinecone bird feeder

The park closes at 6pm, but that night the park stayed open late for stargazing. Big telescopes, brought in by local astronomers, provided great night sky viewing. We got a superb view of Saturn.

THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE

The big event at Kings Mountain is the anniversary of the battle – October 7th. The celebration includes ceremonies, an encampment, kids’ events, and other special activities.

images from Kings Mountain National Military Park's Facebook page

Attendance climbs above capacity requiring off-site parking. The park hires shuttle buses and the National Guard assists directing traffic. The main ceremony is on the ridge where DAR and SAR members lay over 100 wreaths at the largest monument. Many participants aren’t up to the ~200ft elevation gain to the top, so the park rents several 6-person golf carts. The tough part of the day was Bill got stuck with a broken down cart and then had to assuage some not-too-happy people. In the meantime, Barbara assisted at the kids’ craft area.

Barbara and a ranger help kids create wax seals

It rained the last several years – last year was Hurricane Matthew – and in 2013 the event was canceled due to the government shut down. As it turned out it rained again this year – midday during the ceremony. Fortunately it cleared by evening when they had lantern tours.

After dark, the park offered lantern tours along the 1.5-mile Battlefield Trail. Each group got 2 lanterns at the front & back of the group and lanterns marked 10 waypoints where re-enactors acted out part of the Kings Mountain story. It actually was pretty cool to see and hear the re-enactors in the dark playing out the scenes of the battle. Bill and Barbara each led groups and we gave some background between scenes.

EDUCATION DAYS

During the school year the park hosts field trips all the time, but they have several special days called “Education Days” with more activities available and more schools participating. On these days they had their typical battlefield walk, movie, & weapons demo, but also had twelve activity stations.

Colby, Will, Rowland, and Sharyn at stations

Barbara’s station had kids sing a fun song where 2 students dressed up and Bill taught kids about rifles and muskets.

These days required a lot preparation and volunteer help, but the kids all seemed to have a great time.

South Carolina – Historic Brattonsville

We visited yet another Revolutionary War battle site – the site of Huck’s Defeat, which can be seen at Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, South Carolina.

This county museum area preserves 18^th and 19^th century structures and the land where the battle took place. It also has a visitor center where we watched a short video on the battle.

First we’ll share the story of Huck’s Defeat, also known as the Battle of Williamson Plantation. The battle occurred on July 12, 1780 – two months after the British took Charleston, SC and three months before the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Loyalist Captain Christian Huck brutally ravaged the area, forcing allegiance to the king. On July 11^th Huck caught some Patriots with weapons and sentenced them for execution the following day. He also threatened Martha Bratton, trying unsuccessfully to ascertain the location of her Patriot husband, Colonel William Bratton. Martha later alerted her husband with a message sent via a slave and then William Bratton and about 150 other militiamen headed to attack Huck. They snuck up on Huck and his 115 men at night. A battle ensued, Huck was killed and his forces were mostly killed, wounded or captured. As for the Patriots – only one was killed and one was wounded. Those set for execution by the Loyalists were released.

A short trail through the woods leads to the battle area. The interpretive signs along the way help explain the battle.

Next we explored the area that preserves 18^th century buildings. This included the Bratton house and some other period structures. We learned a bit about Colonial textiles from an interpreter who was sewing a linen shirt.

blacksmith shed

Then we went to the area with 19^th century buildings which included an antebellum plantation home owned by William Bratton’s son, slave quarters, and a farm with live animals. This successful plantation produced large quantities of cotton through the labor of many slaves.

the farmer interpreter leads a chicken to the coop

gin house (for producing cotton)

After visiting Brattonsville, Musgrove Mill, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, Ninety Six, and, of course, Kings Mountain we were surprised at how many portray themselves as the pivotal turning point in the war. Our assessment is that they are ALL links in the chain that changed the sentiment of the South and contributed to the success of the Patriot cause.

North Carolina – Gorges State Park

In the mood for some mountains and a good hike, we took a long drive to Gorges State Park in Sapphire, North Carolina.

The park is located near Brevard pretty close to where we were in May. In fact we passed the campground, grocery store, and laundromat we used. The park is North Carolina’s western most state park, abutting Pisgah National Forest. We heard of the place on our friend, Karen’s blog and thought we’d check it out.

We first stopped at their Visitor Center, an award-winning, energy-efficient building situated on a vista on the Blue Ridge escarpment. Its main room serves as both an inviting fireplaced lounge and a kid-friendly mini-museum.

falling water on a Visitor Center wall (apologies for the sun rays)

Then we hiked to Upper Bearwallow Falls. This 0.4-mile (0.8 miles round trip), well-groomed trail descends 213 feet through rhododendron and mountain laurel to a viewing platform of the distant falls. We took pictures and chatted with a couple from the Pittsburg area exchanging ideas on other things to see in the area. Then we hiked back up.

Upper Bearwallow Falls

We went back to the Visitor Center for a picnic lunch on their veranda overlooking the distant mountains. The views were spectacular.

After lunch we headed down the 1.5-mile trail (3 miles round trip) to some other falls. The trail descends for the first mile, then climbs. So you can say “It goes uphill both ways.” One hears the cascading river for much of the last half mile. The trail heads to the park’s main attraction, the 150ft tall Rainbow Falls – which is actually located in Pisgah National Forest, but accessible through Gorges State Park. The trail leads to a nice view of the falls and Bill scrambled to areas below and next to the falls.

Rainbow Falls

Barbara headed back at this point, while Bill continued a little further to the 25ft Turtleback Falls.

Turtleback Falls

This is one of the wetter regions in the east, but this year has been particularly dry. Despite the dry climate, the falls looked great and we had a gorgeous day exploring Gorges State Park.