For 100 years, the National Park Service has preserved America’s special places “for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Celebrate its second century with the Find Your Park GeoTour and explore these geocaches placed for you by National Park Service Rangers and their partners.
geocaching.com/play/geotours/findyourpark
Kings Mountain National Military Park is a fee free park open 9-5 daily except for federal holidays.This cache can only be completed during park hours. The coordinates given on the cache page will take you to the main gate of the park. From there, travel to the Visitor Center where you will find parking and the beginning of the 1.5 mile Battlefield Trail. You will not need to walk the entire trail for this cache but it is highly recommended as the best way to immerse yourself in the history and militia perspectives of the battle. There is no need to leave the pavement or sidewalks for any part of this cache. To find the information needed to sign the log you will walk a short section of the 1.5 mile Battlefield Trail and find the answers to the questions below. When you have the answers, enter the visitor center and give them to one of the Rangers who will present the log book to you for signing.
1. At the back of the visitor center is a sign titled Liberty. What did the Patriot fighters wear in their hats to distinguish themselves from their Tory foes?
2. At another sign behind the visitors center find the depth of the snow that the Carolina Whigs rode through.
3.At N 35° 08.494 W 81° 22.728 find how long it took for news of the battle to reach Philadelphia?
4. At N 35° 08.553 W 81° 22.750 find the two words used to describe the soldier memorialized here?
The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Parks Group encompasses Cowpens National Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Ninety Six National Historic Park, and the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. After the Battle(s) of Saratoga, the American Revolution was essentially a stalemate. The British devised a new plan to end the war. The new plan was called the Southern Strategy, or Southern Campaign. The Campaign did end the war, but not in the manner the British had expected. Key events, specifically in South Carolina, tipped the favor of war to the Americans. Fun Fact: There were more battles and skirmishes in South Carolina than in any other colony during the American Revolution.The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Parks Group encompasses Cowpens National Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Ninety Six National Historic Park, and the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a significant battle of the Revolutionary War that occurred on October 7, 1780. This fierce battle was fought between nearly 1,000 Patriot militia and Loyalists of roughly the same number. The only regular soldier on the field was British Major Patrick Ferguson. Brother fighting against brother, and neighbor against neighbor; the Battle of Kings Mountain truly was a civil war and highlights just how conflicted the backcountry was during the American Revolution. After nearly an hour and a half of intense fighting, Ferguson was shot from his horse which created confusion among his Loyalist troops and led them to surrender. The Battle of Kings Mountain knocked Cornwallis’ left flank out of the war and started to turn the tide of the Revolution to favor the Patriots. At Kings Mountain National Military Park, visitors can view the park film which is documentary- style and was developed by the History Channel; peruse the interpretive museum and gift store; and walk the 1.5- mile interpretive trail that runs through the battlefield. Fun Fact: Legend has it that a man named Thomas Young used his “Sweet Lips” to knock Ferguson from his saddle. Young had named his rifle after his wife, whom he called “Sweet Lips.” To learn more about Kings Mountain National Military Park, visit the park web site at www.nps.gov/kimo.