At King's Mountain October 7, 1780 , Major Patrick Ferguson is killed attempting to lead his loyalist force in a breakout through the surrounding patriots. Ferguson's entire force was either captured or killed resulting in one of the most important patriot victories in the South.

Major Ferguson (the only English regular on the field - the rest of his men were Tories recruited from the Carolinas and Virginia) had sworn death and destruction to all Patriots (and their families) living across the mountains. The "Over the Mountain Men", from the wilderness of Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina, took offense at this. They had a finely honed sense of vengeance, and didn't fight fair.

Our National Park at King's Mountain:  http://www.nps.gov/kimo/
(if you like history, there is no better book store than the one at a National Park - books now available online)

The story of the battle:  http://www.tngenweb.org/revwar/kingsmountain.html