Patriots and Loyalists split the frontier community in 1780
It can become confusing when you hear the terms “Whigs/Patriots” and “Tories/Loyalists,” so I will provide you with a simple explanation of those terms. A “Patriot” or Whig” refers to a person who loves, honors, or defends “their country,” the one seeking independence from Great Britain.
The terms “Tories” or “Loyalists” on the other hand, were used to identify a person opposed to those seeking independence from their supreme monarch, King George III and his Church of England.
Your 1780 neighbors living here, on what was the western “frontier” at the time, were not initially involved in the rebellion started in 1776. When the British oppressors were virtually on their doorstep in the Carolinas from June 1780 on, they created hostile feelings when they raised taxes and treated the immigrant colonists like second-class citizens.
Contrary to what the British believed would be an abundance of loyal supporters to the crown here in the Carolinas, they found a population that heartily rejected British rule, to the point that the Patriots felt it appropriate to exact a “retribution from high above” to any Loyalists who still supported British rule.
It was British officers like Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, nicknamed “Bloody Ban,” who did his absolute best to terrorize Patriot families in the South. In addition to digging up the graves of deceased Patriot sympathizers, he had his Loyalist troops set fire to Patriot barns, their animals, and crops.
Tarleton certainly earned his nickname when he ordered his soldiers to kill any wounded Patriot found still alive. When our Patriot brothers heard of this brutish behavior, they would shout “Remember Tarleton’s Quarter,” meaning not to leave any captured enemy still breathing. The mere thought of engaging Tarleton in battle became an obsession held by every Patriot leader.
You may recall that on the evening of Sept. 30, 1780, 1,400 troops, many from the colonies south and north of our state and the specific group of Overmountain Men from across the Blue Ridge Mountains, met here at McDowell’s house that evening. Earlier that day, Shelby, Sevier, Cleveland, Campbell, Winston and the two McDowell brothers, Charles and Joseph, did their initial planning under our famous “Council Oak” tree.
After their meeting concluded, Joseph McDowell went around the immediate area and offered up his dry rails for those assembled so that they could start up fires to stay warm or cook on.
While there is consistent reporting about Joseph’s activities that afternoon, there is little revealed about his older brother Charles, other than the fact he was the one who coordinated the travel of the Overmountain Men to Quaker Meadows. I will say that of the two, Charles was more the “planner,” whereas Joseph was the “executer of action.”
As the evening soon approached, the regimental commanders made their way up to the McDowell house, described as both “magnificent” and “lordly.” The house overlooked a great field of blooming perennials, including ginger lilies, chrysanthemums, asters, goldenrod and bright yellow sunflowers. While they made their way, the evening skies were filled with the sound of crashing hoofs, gnashing teeth, and very impatient Overmountain Men.
The seven leaders took their place around the huge table in the house’s parlor. Their meeting was sparse on details about the journey quickly approaching them and they did not necessarily spend their time wisely, planning battle strategy. One personal topic did come up, it was about Benjamin Cleveland’s younger brother, who had been wounded earlier and transported there to Quaker Meadows for medical treatment.
There was no conversation about who would be the overall commanding officer of this highly diversified force of men. If you’d been there, you might have wondered why this issue was never brought up? Traditional military thinking was that command was automatically given to the senior officer, in this instance Colonel Charles McDowell. It is therefore very likely that our own Burke County Regimental Commander, Charles McDowell, went to bed that night anticipating the “obvious.”
It is speculation, but I would not be surprised if the McDowells offered the reward of a good bed that night to this cohort of senior officers. One could propose that none of these battle-ready leaders had a good night’s sleep, for they all understood that the very next morning they would begin their journey south.
The events that were to take place in the days to come would both shock and surprise all of our friends and neighbors here in Burke County.
Maj. (Dr.) John von Rohr is an academician and former military officer. He is a member of the Col. Alexander Erwin Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
