OverMountain Men

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Overmountain Men

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The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War. While they were present at multiple engagements in the war's southern campaign, they are best known for their role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. The term "overmountain" arose because their settlements were west of, or "over", the Appalachians, which was the primary geographical boundary dividing the 13 American colonies from the western frontier. The Overmountain Men hailed from parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and what is now Tennessee and Kentucky.

The efforts of the Overmountain Men helped to solidify the existence of the fragile settlements in the Watauga, Nolichucky, and Holston river valleys, the legitimacy of which had been questioned by the British Crown for several years. Many Overmountain Men, including John Sevier, John Rhea, and Isaac Shelby, went on to play prominent roles in the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The foothold they gained on the frontier helped open the door to mass westward migration in ensuing decades.

External links

• Roan Mountain Citizens Club, who celebrate the Overmountain Men
• Gorp.com hike about the Overmountain Men
• The Battle of the Kings Mountain
• The OVTA Home Page, keeping the story alive of the Overmountain Men and their victorious campaign to the Battle of Kings Mountain, September 24 through October 7, 1780
• Bowen Family Hisotry, Accounts of the Battle of Kings Mountain and the overmountain Men, October 7th,1780
• The Revolutionary South, The OverMountain Men, September 1780
• LearnNC Revolutionary North Carolina, The Overmountain Men and the Battle of Kings Mountain
• TN Encyclopedia, Overmountain Men
• Overmountain Men