It was a bold step taken by the founders of our country 250 years ago. They were standing up to their king, which didn’t usually have a good outcome. They were also planting a flag, so to speak, on a grand idea of self-governance based on principles contained in the Magna Carta and practiced in Greek democracy and the Roman Republic with sprinklings of ideas from the Age of Enlightenment.
This N. Currier hand-colored lithograph is from 1835-1856 and shows the scene of the Country's forefathers signing the Declaration of Independence. From the Library of Congress.
The founders were blessed with many wordsmiths and big thinkers with even bigger ideals. When you look at the grandiose language of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, you see some of their big ideas come to light.
Listening to Matthew Spalding in a scholarly discussion of the founding documents, he points out that the founders are looking at a broad sense of history. Look at the phrase, “When, in the course of human events, ...” That is not saying what happened yesterday or 100 years ago; it’s taking into account a long history. You can listen to the full discussion HERE.
We’ll be the first to admit that our memory of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and our Declaration of Independence is a little fuzzy. It has been a while since we’ve sat down with the document itself to do a little reflective reading and thinking, but golly gee, these fellers were doing something big, a grand experiment if you will. Reading these words with a little more real-life experience and understanding that these men were not perfect, they were flawed just like the rest of us, but they had ideas that were worth fighting for, and they came together in a united front to take a stand.
As we prepare to celebrate the semi-quincentennial of these United States, we are still taking part in the grand experiment of self-governance, and it warrants taking a little time to reflect on where it all started and the ideals behind it. There are several places in and near Mast Store communities where you can “step into” history at a park, on a trail, or at a performance.
Step Into History
Learning about the Revolutionary War doesn’t have to just come from a book or a lecture. There are lots of places close by where you can literally step into history. Some of the State and National Parks have interpreters, special events, and tours scheduled throughout the year to celebrate the 250th birthday.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park - Located at 2332 New Garden Road in Greensboro, NC, the park is the site where General Greene and Lord Cornwallis' troops faced off at a small courthouse community. The battle was important because it changed the course of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.
While you’re in the area, stop by the Old Mill of Guilford. Grits from this mill have been a staple on Mast Store’s shelves since its reopening in 1980. The mill was started in 1767 on a land grant to Daniel Dillon. Legend has it that General Cornwallis seized the mill before the Battle of Guilford Courthouse to grind grain for food for his troops. The original mill was moved 500 feet farther downstream to allow for a bigger millpond in 1819 by new owner Joel Sanders. The “new mill” was a merchant corn and wheat mill with an overshot wheel, which replaced the older tub mill.
Fort Defiance – The Fort Defiance today is different than the Fort Defiance of 1780. The home constructed on site in 1792 belonged to General William Lenoir. In 1780, a fort in the wilderness was established on these grounds to protect settlers from attacks by the Cherokees. Patriots spent the night there as they made their way along the Overmountain Victory Trail to Kings Mountain in 1780. After the war, Lenoir returned to the land where the fort was and chose to name his home in recognition and remembrance of it.
Visitors today can get a sense of what live was like in the 18th century. There are more than 300 pieces original to the site available to observe. Located at 4555 Fort Defiance Drive, Lenoir, NC, the park is operated by a non-profit group. It is open April-October, Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m.-4 p.m. A small admission fee is charged.
The Overmountain Men gather at Sycamore Shoals before continuing the trek to join the Battle at Kings Mountain. This is a reproduction of a work by Lloyd Branson's Gathering of Overmountain Men. From Wikimedia Commons.
Overmountain Victory Trail - The Overmountain Victory Trail (OVT) passes through four states on the way to Kings Mountain where Patriot forces defeated the troops under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson. You can walk – and drive – the approximate route taken by these patriots to the War’s most decisive battle via many routes.
The Abingdon Muster Grounds, in Abingdon, VA, is a 9-acre town park. Each county was required to maintain a muster ground in the 1700s to allow the local militia to practice marching, firing, and other drills. Patriots gathered on these grounds in 1780 to prepare for their journey to meet Ferguson under the command of Colonel William Campbell.
Fort Watauga was established on the homestead of Mathew Talbot around 1776. In 1780, it was a muster site for over 1,000 mountain men led by Colonel William Campbell, Colonel Isaac Shelby, and Lieutenant Colonel John Sevier. Today, you can walk through a restoration of Fort Watauga along the Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton, TN.
Other places to access the OVT include Gillespie Gap near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Spruce Pine, the Orchard at Altapass on the Parkway (these trails are currently closed), and the OVT biking/hiking trails near Kerr Scott Reservoir in Wilkes County among other intersections.
The small community of Ninety-Six, South Carolina, was where one of the first major encounters south of New England occurred in November 1775. Control of a local weapons cache was at stake. There was a multi-day standoff that resulted in a truce before Patriot reinforcements arrived. The end result was Patriot control in the area for a time.
The second Battle of Ninety-Six was a siege in 1781. A large group of Patriots attacked the Star Fort held by 550 Loyalists and laid siege for 28 days. The operation included building two parallel trenches and a 30-foot sharp shooters’ tower to fire over the walls of the fort. In the end, the Patriots learned of reinforcements on the way from Charleston, so they abandoned the assault. Even though the Loyalists won, they realized there was little value in this isolated outpost, so they burned the town and abandoned the fort.
Today, the Star Fort in Ninety-Six is one of the best-preserved 18th-century earthen fortifications in the country.
Not too far from Downtown Columbia is Congaree National Park. It’s one of the smallest parks in the system, but it is filled with biodiversity and history. In fact, it is home to a champion tree named for one of the Revolutionary War’s greatest generals, Nathanael Greene. It is an old-growth cypress tree with a circumference at its base of 30 feet. It is said that Greene and Brigadier General Francis Marion (a.k.a. the Swamp Fox) met there after the Battle of Fort Motte.
Imagine the time before GPS, when the British were being harassed by Patriots who grew up in the backwoods and knew every turn and cove of the swamp like the backs of their hands. Marion’s hit-and-run tactics successfully prevented the British from their planned Southern Strategy to subdue South Carolina, then move north.
The Battle at Kings Mountain is another turning point in the war for independence. It takes place near the North Carolina and South Carolina state line in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is the first significant Patriot victory after the British invasion at Charleston.
The battle took place on October 7, 1780, and pitted roughly 1,100 Loyalists under the leadership of Patrick Ferguson, against a Patriot militia numbering 900. This group included the Overmountain Men, who had traveled across the heights of the Blue Ridge to help. Ferguson’s men were surrounded and taken by surprise. Within an hour of the clash commencing, he was shot from his horse as he was trying to rally his troops. Ferguson died, and his men surrendered.
Please note: Patrick Ferguson has the only identified grave at the battlefield. This site is unique in that the entire battlefield is considered a cemetery since the fallen remains of both sides were hurriedly buried in common graves after the battle.
The Battle of Cowpens was another significant encounter in the series of events leading to the surrender of the British. Patriot forces under the command of General Daniel Morgan were being pursued by the much-feared and hated leader of the Dragoons Banastre Tarleton. Gaining ground, Tarleton had Morgan’s troops trapped between two rivers and in open ground. But Morgan was well acquainted with his fighting style and laid a trap for him. Setting three lines with skirmishers up front, a second line of militia fighters who were instructed to fire two volleys then retreat, and the third line was the more well-trained and experienced Continental Army. Tarleton took the bait and fell for the ruse. Tarleton and his charges retreated to tell Cornwallis the bad news.
Many of these parks have reenactments, special demonstrations, bird walks, craft fairs, and historic interpreters scheduled throughout the semi-quincentennial celebration, as well as regularly scheduled events. Check their websites for more information.
Watch History Unfold
North Carolina is home to the nation’s three oldest outdoor dramas, and two of those are in or near Mast Store communities. Unto These Hills in Cherokee and Horn in the West in Boone both share stories of the mountains and are worthy of spending an evening to let history wash over and entertain you.
Daniel Boone is one of the central characters in the outdoor drama Horn in the West. Photo courtesy of Southern Appalachian Historical Association and by Kathleen Baker Photography.
Unto These Hills follows the Cherokee People from their encounters with Hernando de Soto through the Trail of Tears and the bravery of Tsali, who is the ancestor of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. The drama highlights the culture, rituals, and spirit of the Cherokees. While the Revolutionary War is not directly addressed in this drama, it covers part of the time period and is a great production. The show runs May 30 – August 22, Monday-Saturday nights. Remember to take a jacket.
Horn in the West brings together many themes of the Revolutionary times – the spirit of exploration, how hard it was to exist in the Blue Ridge Mountains, divisions within families with some choosing the side of the Patriots and others remaining with the Loyalists. The period covered by the outdoor drama is from the Battle of Alamance (1771) to the Battle of Kings Mountain (1780). A big part of the story centers on Daniel Boone – the Town of Boone’s namesake – and the role he and Cherokee allies played in the fight for freedom. “The gaze of man is westward, as if he could glimpse, somewhere beyond this uneasy world, the great reaches of eternity - as if he could hear, blowing in the distant sunset, the Horn of Freedom,” is a famous quote from the show, and it encapsulates the feeling of the play.
Before taking your seat for the show, be sure to tour through the Hickory Ridge Museum with its period cabins that help to further emphasize the hardships and fortitude of early settlers. The show runs Tuesday through Saturday nights, June 26-August 8. A jacket or a blanket will come in handy.
Revolutionary War Trivia
There is a lot to follow in our country’s war for independence - big happenings, potent alliances, trickery, misdeeds, valor, and more. We are also certain that there are many more trivia questions we could pose regarding the Revolutionary War, but these some that we sometimes talk about in the office.
Do you know what the “crescent” is on the South Carolina flag?
Sgt. Jasper raises the battle flag of the colonial forces over present-day Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776, during the Battle of Sullivan's Island. Note the crescent on the flag. Published in 1858, Johannes Oertel. From the New York Public Library.
If you said, “It’s a moon. Look at it rising over the Palmetto Tree,” you’d be in the majority of respondents. And, we’ll have to say, in some respects, the jury is still out. Some believe the moon-shaped crescent is actually a gorget, which is a piece of armor worn by soldiers around their necks to protect them from strikes. It can also be worn by officers on their caps as a symbol of rank. The design of the flag goes back to 1775 when Colonel William Moultrie added a white “crescent,” which was a badge his troops wore on their caps, to a field of indigo. Moultrie identifies it in his journal as a “crescent,” and does not mention moon.
Do you know why the Palmetto Tree was chosen as a state symbol for South Carolina?
Again, we go back to Moultrie. When he and his troops were stationed at Fort Johnson, near Charleston, the fort walls were built of palmetto tree trunks. Under a barrage of cannon fire, the fort remained standing with the cannonballs “bouncing” off the palmetto trunks.
Did you know that Waynesville has ties to the Revolutionary War?
No battles or skirmishes took place near the town’s location, but its namesake is “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The town was founded by Colonel Robert Love in 1810. As a Revolutionary War veteran, he named it after his former commander. General Wayne got the nickname “Mad Anthony” because of his headlong bravery in combat. He was also a strict disciplinarian with a fiery personality.
Did you know that Daniel Boone’s canine companion was a Plott Hound?
Yep! And did you know that the breed developer hails from Waynesville? They are the only coonhound that doesn’t have lineage from English foxhounds. Johannes Plott brought German Hanoverian Schweisshunds to the North Carolina mountains and refined a breed that has grit and endurance to hunt bears and wild boar. The area celebrates the Plott Hound each year with a festival in May. It is held in Maggie Valley.
We hope you find meaningful and memorable ways to celebrate this year’s semi-quincentennial and to reacquaint yourself with our history. It only happens once!