Benjamin Cleveland - Revolutionary War

Revolutionary War

At the beginning of the American Revolution, Cleveland was commissioned a colonel in the North Carolina militia. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1778 and to the North Carolina Senate in 1779. Until Lord Cornwallis invaded in 1780, the fighting in North Carolina consisted of guerrilla warfare between patriots and Tories. Cleveland became known as the "Terror of the Tories" for his treatment of Loyalists. In 1779, two Tories looted the home of George Wilfong, a patriot and friend of Cleveland. The Tories used Wilfong's clothes line to chase away his horses. The marauders were captured by Cleveland's men, who had them hanged using the clothes line they had stolen. In revenge, a group of Tories led by Captain William Riddle kidnapped Cleveland. Cleveland's men rescued him and he captured Riddle and two others. All three were hanged from the same tree, which became known as the "Tory Oak" and was an historic landmark behind the old Wilkes County courthouse (now the Wilkes Historical Museum).

In 1780, General Lord Cornwallis led a British army into the Carolinas, and won several victories over the Patriots. Major Patrick Ferguson, one of Cornwallis's most daring commanders, led an army of Tories into the North Carolina mountains to crush the rebels there. A large force of mountain men attacked Ferguson at King's Pinnacle, an isolated ridge on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Cleveland played a key role in the ensuing Battle of Kings Mountain. According to legend, Cleveland climbed up Rendezvous Mountain and blew his horn to summon some 200 Wilkes County militiamen. He led them in the battle. Cleveland's horse was shot from under him, and Major Ferguson was himself killed in the battle. Cleveland's brother, Captain Robert Cleveland, is said to have rallied the militiamen during the heat of the battle of King's Mountain, contributing to the Patriot victory. Cleveland claimed Ferguson's white stallion as a "war prize", and rode it home to his estate of Roundabout.