Col. Patrick Ferguson, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Blacksburg (SC)
The Colonel Patrick Ferguson monument is a Gothic style granite tablestone. The edges are rusticated with a smooth front face recessed into the stone. The inscriptions are incised but the Ferguson family coat of arms appears in relief, filling the top quarter of the marker. The memorial was placed to symbolize the bonds of friendship and peace between the United States and Great Britain.
TO THE MEMORY OF / COL. PATRICK FERGUSON / SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT. / HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.
BORN IN ABERDEENSHIRE, / SCOTLAND IN 1744. / KILLED OCTOBER 7, 1780 / IN ACTION AT / KING'S MOUNTAIN / WHILE IN COMMAND OF / THE BRITISH TROOPS. / A SOLDIER OF MILITARY / DISTINCTION AND HONOR.
THIS MEMORIAL / IS FROM THE CITIZENS OF / THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / IN TOKEN OF THEIR APPRECIATION / OF THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND / PEACE BETWEEN THEM AND THE / CITIZENS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE / ERECTED OCTOBER 7, 1930
National Park Service, Kings Mountain National Military Park
October 7, 1930
35.142700 , -81.381320
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"Kings Mountain: National Military Park, South Carolina," National Park Service, nps.gov, (accessed February 7, 2017) Link
“Colonel Patrick Ferguson Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 6, 2017) Link
“Kings Mountain National Military Park: Touring the Battlefield,” National Park Planner, npplan.com, (accessed February 7, 2017) Link
“Tablet in Honor of Slain British Leader Unveiled,” Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC), October 8, 1930
“Thousands Expected to Attend Big Kings Mountain Celebration; President’s Address to Be Featured,” The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, SC), October 7, 1930
“Throngs Covering Slopes of Kings Mountain Hear President Speak On Field Where Tide of Victory Rose,” The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, SC), October 9, 1930
“Warns Against Radicalism at Battlefield,” The Greenville News (Greenville, SC), October 8, 1930
Yes
Granite
R.E. Scoggins, Charlotte, N.C.
In a simple ceremony Justice Heriot Clarkson, NC Supreme Court, presented the memorial saying, “Standing today upon this solemn spot, sanctified by the blood of patriot and loyalists, all differences vanish, all misunderstandings perish and all strife is hushed, because we are assembled in the presence of heroic death.” Accepting the marker on behalf of the British government was Ronald Campbell, chargé d’affaires with the British Embassy in Washington. The maker was draped with the Union Jack prior to it being unveiled.
The Ferguson dedication on the sesquicentennial of the battle was part of a three day event that featured an address broadcast nationally by President Herbert Hoover before a crowd that was reported to be in the “tens of thousands.” A host of dignitaries to include the governors of
North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia were also on hand. Although Hoover did not speak he was present for the Ferguson memorial dedication ceremony which took place after his speech and was the closing act of the celebration.
The marker is located, along with numerous other memorials, along a 1.5 mile walking trail around the Kings Mountain Battlefield on the eastern side of the park. The Kings Mountain National Military Park address is 2625 Park Rd, Blacksburg, SC 29702.
The marker is located in the heavily forested landscape of the park.
Every October 7th, the Park honors those who fought at Kings Mountain by holding a morning wreath laying ceremony at the US Monument and a program in the amphitheater at 3:00, the time the battle began. There are different events scheduled in the park throughout the year.
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