Near Blacksburg in York County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Fighting in a Forest Primeval
Photographed By Stanley and Terrie Howard, March 29, 2009
1. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Kings Mountain...would have enabled us to oppose a superior force with advantage had it not been covered with wood which sheltered the Americans and enabled them to fight in their favorite manner.
Alexander Chesney, South Carolina loyalist
The woods you see around you today may look ancient, but they are only a shadow of the mature forest that stood here in October 1780. Hardwood trees like oaks, hickories, and chestnuts covered the slopes of Kings Mountain, their great trunks massive by today's standards. Each tree stood much farther apart than you see here. Nor was there as much underbrush. Both Whig and Tory accounts of the battle say they could see their enemies at long distances, and could move rapidly under the forest canopy. At the time of the battle, the top of the mountain was bare, open ground.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1780.
Location. 35° 8.567′ N, 81° 22.64′ W. Marker is near Blacksburg, South Carolina, in York County. Marker can be reached from Park Road, on the right when traveling east. Located along a 1.5 mile walking trail around the Kings
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Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Kings Mountain Battlefield Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Major Winston's (within shouting distance of this marker); God Save the King! (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Liberty! (about 500 feet away); Carolina Backwoodsmen (about 500 feet away); Colonel Patrick Ferguson Memorial (about 500 feet away); Americans Vanquished (about 600 feet away); Sacred to the Memory Monument (about 600 feet away); Col. Frederick Hambright (about 600 feet away); Major William Chronicle (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blacksburg.
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a depiction of a column of men advancing through the wooded slopes of the mountain.
The last time timber was cut off Kings Mountain was less than a century ago. Forest has been reclaiming both the side slopes and the crest.
Regarding Fighting in a Forest Primeval. The park is rightfully proud of its forests So much so, that the designers of the museum brought the forest indoors. The museum's displays and artifacts are shown in a
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
2. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Also see . . .
1. Kings Mountain National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service). Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success." (Submitted on April 2, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
2. Battle of Kings Mountain. The Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780, was a decisive Patriot victory in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. (Submitted on September 4, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
3. Biographical Sketch of Alexander Chesney (1756-1843) By Phil Norfleet. The Journal of Alexander Chesney is one of the most important eyewitness documents concerning the Revolution in South Carolina during the years 1775-1782. (Submitted on September 5, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
4. Kings Mountain National Military Park, Historic Resource Study (pdf file). National Park Service (Submitted on September 10, 2019.)
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
3. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
4. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
5. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2010
6. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 6, 2010
7. Marker on the Battlefield Trail
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
8. Fighting in a Forest Primeval Marker
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
9. Forests of Kings Mountain
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 14, 2010
10. Forests of Kings Mountain
Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 877 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 30, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 4, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 6, 7. submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 8, 9, 10. submitted on September 4, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
