Battle Of King's Mountain Essay

This created a turning point during the war in 1777. They had triumphed over the British at the battle of Saratoga and by 1781, the American colonies gained victory. Washington forced the British to surrender at Yorktown Virginia.

At Ft. Ridgely, anger and fear festered after the first attack on the fort as to when reinforcements would come. This also held true for the town of New Ulm which was scrambling to defend itself under the leadership of Colonel Flandrau. While these towns were being attacked, Sibley had gathered an army of 1,340 troops, but still complained about the lack of supplies and training his men had. As the book aptly put it, however, “…neither were the defenders of New Ulm and Fort Ridgley, and they fought with determination, improvised when necessary, and made do without what they could not get and still they bested superior numbers of Indians” (177-178). Sibley’s delays in advancing his troops and attacking the Indians caused heavy responses from the people of Minnesota. Many called for

He goes on to explain the living conditions he had to endure and his lack of sleep. “It was utterly impossible to lie down and to get any rest or sleep on account of the mud” Martin recalls, “and can say in sincerity that I never lay down to sleep a minute in all that time” (Martin 77). The fighting at Fort Mifflin allowed Washington and his troops to withdraw to winter quarters at Valley Forge. It was too late in the season for the British to follow them.

This paper will examine the British and American Southern Loyalist defeat in the Battle of Kings Mountain and discuss the assumptions the British made including loyalist support, logistic support, and terrain advantage.

The weather on the day of battle was hot, in the mid 80’s to low 90’s, and humid. The heat had a negative effect on Union soldiers. The Union Army set out at 2 a.m. to avoid engaging in battle during the hottest part of the day. Many of these Soldiers were untrained in road marches and lacked discipline. They would break ranks to find water, rest or collect blackberries. For these reasons they reached Bull Run three hours late and consequently ended up fighting well into the day. Both sides went into the battle with high morale. They believed that over the course of a few days they would be victorious and the war would be won in this one battle. The terrain of the Battle was mostly rolling country side. Bull Run River was running through the battlefield, which is what the battle was named after. Soldiers had to

The Battle of Saratoga is considered to be the major turning point of the American Revolution. As The British were attempting to separate the New England colonies from the southern colonies, this battle proved to the world that the American army was capable of fighting and defeating the British forces. The American victory, and the capture of a majority of British General Burgoyne's army, convinced the French that America was a legitimate ally in the war. The Battle of Saratoga was very important because it gave America international recognition and new war tactics, such as asymmetric warfare. As a result of this successful battle, Saratoga turned the tide of the Revolution in America's favor.

The Battle of Yorktown gave General Washington the advantage he needed to win. General Washington, with the help of the French saw the opportunity to end the war by cornering General Cornwallis at Yorktown. (The History Channel Website, n.d.) Prior to the surrender of General Cornwallis to General Washington at Yorktown, the British were winning several battles. General Washington needed to do something before he had no other options left. General Washington’s forces were low in numbers and strength but knew the land to give them an edge in being rooted out by the British. (Lanning, 2005) General Washington used time and heavy militia to replenish his losses but did not have the troops to capture British Garrisons. (Lanning, 2005) The British in turn, could not pass the militia aiding General Washington. (Lanning, 2005)The militia, fighting alongside continental troops, had the land and the support of the people who aided their cause during the battle. The stalemate continued with no sign of either side budging. Guerilla-style operations were used to win many fights and battles that General Washington’s own troops could not. (Lanning, 2005) General Cornwallis, saw Yorktown in Virginia as a viable location to gather resources for future encounters with the Americans. General Cornwallis moved northward from the Carolinas toward Virginia and occupied Yorktown with an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 British troops. (Lanning, 2005) (The History

Leading up the battle of Yorktown, in February, 1781, Major General Marquis de Lafayette was ordered to take his Continental troops to Virginia. About a month later General Cornwallis and his army had entered Virginia believing that if the American forces had resistance, he would have victory against the Americans and the French. Later that year in August on 1-2, 1781 Cornwallis and his army set up at Gloucester point, hoping to use it as a base for supply and weapons. Couple of weeks later, Washington heard about the base and sent a large army to destroy Cornwallis base. A month later on September 14, 1781, French General Rochambeau and General Washington arrived, and sent 400 French soldiers and 400 American soldiers to storm the British redoubt. On October 19, 1781, being taken under heavy from the Americans and the French, Major General Cornwallis realized that he was short of troops and decided to escape Yorktown before surrendering. Making the move to escape, a sudden storm from the Americans and French ruined his evacuation plan and Cornwallis was forced to surrender, due to the lack troops and supplies.

     As the battle wore on, the superior numbers of the Union Army began to wear down the Confederate lines. At a critical point, as the Confederates began to fall back, an officer pointed out a line of rebels who were still strong. He said, “look at Jackson’s men standing like a stone wall”. He was talking about General T. J. Jackson’s men. Jackson would from then on be known as “Stonewall Jackson”, one of the most famous of all Confederate generals. This seemed to inspire the Southern troops at Henry

The American Revolutionary War took place from 1775 to 1783. The war made the thirteen colonies of the United States of America independent from Great Britain. One of the first major battles of the American Revolution was The Battle of Long Island. The Battle of Long Island was the first battle that took place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. The battle took place in August 1776 and proved to both sides that the upcoming war would be long and arduous, not easily won by either side. The British Army was victorious in this battle and forced the Continental Army to retreat leaving the entire state of New York under British control. This paper will provide insight and valuable information into the reason behind the American Revolution, and The Battle of Long Island, specifically details concerning the Continental and British Armies, strategies employed during the battle, and an alternate outcome through addressing failures in the American strategy. An alternate outcome to the battle would have a significant impact on the American Revolutionary War.

The Revolutionary War was a significant victory for the colonies that Britain claimed. The colonists won the war and declared their independence from Britain to start their own country called the United States of America. There were many battles won by the colonists that helped win the war, but some were noteworthy turning points of the war. Two victories that can be considered turning points during the Revolutionary War are the battles at Trenton and at Saratoga because they allowed the colonists to get more control, boosted colonists’ morale, and resulted in more support for the colonists. To begin, the battle at Trenton, New Jersey allowed the colonists to get more control.

“Many historians consider the Battle of King's Mountain on October 7, 1780 to be the turning point in America's War for Independence.” (hankla)

General Herkimer and his men were getting closer to the ambush area. As the oxen, horses, wagons and militiamen got more ground, they were getting close to each other due to the terrain. Everyone including General

The Battle of Kings Mountain took place on October 7, 1780 between the borders of Blackburn, South Carolina and Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Major Patrick Ferguson, a British commander, led a unit of American Loyalist

January 1, 1862, was deceptively warm, and the men left their coats and blankets for the supply wagons to carry. Jackson was leading four brigades, three of whom knew nothing of his ways. The soldiers knew nothing of their general plans. That combined with the turn in the weather, made for a grumbling group. By sundown, the wind was howling and the temperature was plummeting. The next day the temperature did not get above freezing, snow was falling and the highways became hard and treacherous— and the men were without their overcoats and blankets. At one point Jackson had a choice between three roads and unwittingly picked the one in the worse condition. They made seven miles by nightfall, but they had still not had any food and were still without warm clothing. The supply wagons did not arrive till late that