Cowpens & Kings Mountain National Historic Sites,Gaffney, SC

     We came north from Florida with plans to stop in Gaffney, SC at the Freightliner Service Center and get Big Red serviced.  I generally get it serviced in Champlain, but we received glowing recommendations at the Tiffen Rally to come here.  We were unable to get a reservation with such short notice, so right now we're parked in their service area with 50 amp service, on a waiting list.  There are probably 10 other rigs parked here, and everyone is awaiting their turn.      The last 2 nights we stayed at the Spartenturg NE/Gaffney KOA here in town.  The KOA is a lovely park, nestled among  lots of tress providing wonderful shade from the afternoon sun.  It was a nice quiet park, with lots of open fields for people to excercise their dogs.  The front office ladies were quite friendly at check-in, and we noticed a very nice looking pool area, although we didn't check to pool temperature.

      In the immediate area, we found 2 National Battlefields which played significant roles in the Revolutionary War. The first battlefield we visited was Cowpens National Battlefield.  On January 17, 1781, Daniel Morgan led his army of Continentals and backwoods militia, against Banastre Tarleton's larger force of British regulars.  The militia's rifles were much more accurate than the British muskets, and the open area where the two armies met, known locally as the Cow Pens, proved much more advantageous to the militia.

      Morgan deployed his army in 3 lines, with the militia out front.  He asked them to fire 2 shots at the advancing British Army, then fall back to the next line of defence, approximately 90 yards away.  After they fired, they fled to the rear, and the British Army, anticipating a rout, charged headlong into the line of Continental regulars.  After firing their volleys, they also turned in retreat, but reloaded as they moved.  The British now sensed victory, and charged at the retreating militia.  Suddenly, Morgan turned his retreating line, and fired almost point blank into the British line.  In that confusion, the militia rejoined the fight along with Ferguson's Cavalry, and completely overwhelmed the British.  The battle lasted less than an hour, and British losses were staggering.  The Continentals captured over 600 prisoners, and the British Army suffered it's first defeat in their attempts to control the Carolinas and move into Virginia.

                                                                                       Next, we traveled about 20 miles, across the border into NC, and then back into SC, before arriving at Kings Mountain National Military Park.  In 1931, Congress finally gave this area and the men who fought here, the recognition they deserved.  In 1780, Britain continued it's brutal control over the Carolinas.  For the most part, Irish backwoodsmen living west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, had remained neutral in the fight.  But Major Patrick Ferguson, who was commading British Forces in North Carolina, issued a warning to these backwoodsmen, telling them to submit to British rule or be killed.  This enraged local militias, and they joined the fight, traveling east over the Blue Ridge Mts, and joining forces against the British.

     On Octorber 6, 1780, Ferguson moved his army of 1000 Loyalist militia and 100 British Provincials to the ridge on top of Kings Mountain, and waited for the backwoods militia. On October 7, 1780, nearly 900 of the militia's best riflemen arrived at the base of Kings Mountain, and closed in on Ferguson's forces.  Using guerilla style tactics, the militia used trees and rocks to cover their advance up the mountain.  Ferguson's forces were silhouetted against the sky on top of the ridge, and the marksmenship of the militia proved advantageous.  Twice Ferguson attempted a bayonet charge down the hill, but three times, the militia returned, and soon overran the hilltop.  Ferguson soon found his forces fighting back to back, completely surrounded and being massacered.

 In a little over an hour, the backwoods militia overtook the hill.  Ferguson was eventually killed as he attempted to flee on horseback. This decisive battle forced the British out of the Carolinas, and led to further Colonial victories in their fight for idependence.
     The battlefield remained unprotected until 1815, when a former Patriot doctor organized the first commemorative ceremony. After directing the cleanup of the site, which included reburying bones unearthed by years of erosion, a monument was dedicated to the Patriots killed in the fight, and to Major Ferguson.  In 1909, the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated an 83 foot high monument.

     In 1930, President Hoover came to the site of the battle, along with 70,000 people, celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Kings Mountain.  In 1931, Congress established the Kings Mountain National Military Park.    
     Both of these parks feature beautiful Visitor Centers, which is a must to completely understand what was happening in the Revolutionary War, and more specifically on the battlefield.  They also both offer a walking path around the battlefield which allows visitors to view everything firsthand.  The walking trail at Kings Mountain rings the ridge where the battle was fought, and includes steep inclines.  Be sure to carry plenty of water for this 1.5 mile hike.
     I apologize for turning this into a history lesson, but these little known battles were important, and played a major role in pushing British forces out of the south.  And these sites are exactly what Debbie and i are searching for as we continue Going to See America 2017.
     Hopefully, our visit to the Service Center will move along, and we'll continue our journey north.  And hopefully, this nice warm weather will come with us!