| Name |
Benjamin Cleveland |
| Title |
Colonel |
| Birth |
26 1738 |
Blue Run, Orange Co, Virginia  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Military |
1780 |
Battle of Kings Mountain, Cherokee Co, North Carolina |
- Revolutionary War... At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Cleveland was appointed 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 1780, the fighting in North Carolina consisted mostly of guerilla warfare between patriots, or those colonists who favored American independence from Britain, and Tories, or those colonists who remained loyal to the British crown. A fierce believer in the patriot cause, Cleveland became known as the ?Terror of the Tories? for his treatment of pro-British colonists. The Battle of Kings Mountain In 1780, British General Lord Cornwallis led an invasion army into the Carolinas, and won several victories over the American forces. When Major Patrick Ferguson, one of Cornwallis?s commanders, threatened to lead an army of Tories into the North Carolina mountains to crush patriot forces in the area, a group of mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today Tennessee) decided to attack Ferguson?s section of the British Army at King?s Pinnacle, an isolated ridge on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Cleveland played a key role in the Battle of Kings Mountain. According to legend, Cleveland climbed atop Rendezvous Mountain in Wilkes County and blew his powder horn to summon over 200 Wilkes County militiamen to fight in the battle. Cleveland led his men to the battlefield, and was one of the primary American commanders in the battle.
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/1028520/person/6252988973/mediax/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7CpgNum
|
| Death |
15 Oct 1806 |
Pendleton, North Carolina (now Oconee, South Carolina |
| Notes |
- Benjamin Cleveland
(May 28, 1738 ? 1806) was an American pioneer and soldier in North Carolina. He is best remembered for his service as a colonel in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War, and in particular for his role in the American victory at the Battle.
Marker: Benjamin Cleveland:
Colonel in Revolution. Whig leader in battle of Kings Mountain, state legislator. Home was on "The Round About" one mile southwest.
Headstone: Colonel Ben Cleveland
1738 - 1806
Wilkes County Militia
Monument
Benjamin Cleveland (1738?1806) was an American pioneer and soldier. He is best remembered for his service as a colonel in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War, and in particular for his role in the American victory at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. Early Life... Benjamin Cleveland was born on May 28, 1738 in Orange County, Virginia. His parents were John and Elizabeth Cleveland. He moved to what later became Wilkes County, North Carolina in 1769. He built his famous estate, called ?Roundabout,? near what is today Ronda, NC. At various times, he worked as a hunter, trapper, farmer, carpenter, and surveyor. By the time of the American Revolution in 1775, Cleveland was probably the wealthiest and most prominent citizen in Wilkes
http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/1028520/person/6252988973/mediax/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7CpgNum
|
| Person ID |
I68684 |
Roots |
| Last Modified |
27 Nov 2014 |
1738 - 1806
