Memorial: William Wallen - Overmountain Man - Battle of Kings Mountain

~Overmountain Men at the Battle of Kings Mountain~

The Battle of Kings Mountain

The battle of Kings Mountain, fought October 7th, 1780, was an important American victory during the Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston, SC, in May 1780.

The Overmountain Men

The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Appalachian Mountains who took part in the American Revolutionary War. While they were also 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" refers to the fact that their settlements were west of, or "over," the Appalachians, the range being 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.

The efforts of the Overmountain Men helped to strengthen the existence of the fragile settlements in the Watauga, Nolichucky, and Holston river valleys. Many Overmountain Men went on to play important 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 the following decades.

William Walling (Wallen )

"Walling, William

b. c. 25 December 1759 (Old Style)

   While residing in Sullivan County, North Carolina (later Tennessee), William Walling volunteered during 1777 under Capt. Joseph Martin and was sent in September to the fort in Rye Cove, North Carolina, where he remained until February 1778. Soon after returning home he was ordered to a station at the mouth of Copper Creek on Clinch River in Virginia. During the spring of 1780 he served under Capt. Roger Topp at a fort near the mouth of Big Creek on the Holston frontier. Thereafter, he volunteered under Capt. James Elliot and Col. Isaac Shelby and was in the battle at Kings Mountain. He assisted in guarding the prisoners to Salem. Early in the spring of 1781 he was ordered out under Capt. Charles Morgan to guard the frontier and in September his unit was ordered to Yorktown, but somewhere in Virginia they received the news that Cornwallis had surrendered. He was allowed pension on his application executed 30 August 1832 while residing in Hawkins County, Tennessee."

Moss, Bobby Gilmer. The Patriots at Kings Mountain. Blacksburg, S.C.: Scotia-Hibernia, 1990. pg. 258. Print.

Pension Application Papers

State of Tennessee

Hawkins County

    On the 30th day of August 1832 personally appeared before the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for said County of Hawkins and state aforesaid William Walling a resident of said County and State, aged seventy-three years next Christmas day, old style, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the Act of Congress the 7th day of June 1832. That he was a volunteer in the year 1777 under Genl. Joseph Martin that he was ordered to Carter's Station in the Rye Cove, then North Carolina in the month of September 1777 shortly after he was enrolled where he remained until the last of February 1778 and remained in service about six months or more after which service he returned home in Sullivan County, Tennessee, where he remained a short time, when he was again ordered to a station at the mouth of Copper Creek on Clinch River in the State of Virginia where he remained in service about three months. This declarant further states that in the spring of 1780 he served three months under the command of Captain Roger Topp at a fort near the mouth of Big Creek on the frontiers of the Holston Settlements and was discharged after which he enrolled as a volunteer under the command of Captain James Elliot in the summer of 1780 and marched under the command of Col. Isaac Shelby for Kings Mountain. The troops under the command of Col. Shelby were joined by Col. Sevier, Col. Campbell and others. The army arrived at Kings Mountain on or about the 7th of October 1780 at which time Col. Ferguson was defeated after the surrender of the British and Tories, the principal part of Captain Elliot's company were sent on with the prisoners to Sullivan County, North Carolina from which place he returned home after being in the service of the United States about five months. And this declarant further states that early in the spring of 1780 he was ordered out under Captain Charles Morgan to guard the frontiers and remained in the service six months ending about the last of September 1781 shortly after which time Captain Charles Morgan and his company was ordered to Yorktown, Virginia with which company he marched and on their march somewhere in Virginia received information of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis and was ordered to return home during which time declarant was in service one month making altogether the time he was in service two years during the Revolutionary War and this declarant further states that after the Revolutionary War he served on the frontiers against the Indians from one year to eighteen months in addition.

    He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid:

W. Mitchell, Clerk

               His

William   X   Walling

              Mark

State of Tennessee

Hawkins County

   I William Snodgrass of the county of Sullivan and State of Tennessee being duly sworn according to law states he has been acquainted with William Walling the applicant herein named since the commencement of the American revolutionary war and he knows he did reside on the frontiers during the whole time in the year 1780 himself and also that the said William Walling was there and belonged to the regiment commanded by Col. Isaac Shelby who then understood.  And this deponent further states that the said William Walling was one of the inhabitants of the frontier that all the inhabitants residing on the frontier that were able to bear arms were frequently called out the times herein stated by him and further he has no doubt that the facts stated by William Walling in his declaration are true.

W. B. Mitchell D Clk.

William Snodgrass

State of Tennessee

Hawkins County

   I Henry Blevins of the county of Hawkins and the State of Tennessee being duly sworn according to law states he has been acquainted with William Walling since his first recollection that he was himself a private in the company commanded by Captain James Elliot in Col. Shelby's regiment at the battle of Kings Mountain on the guard the day of the battle and that William Walling was also a soldier in the same company and was in the engagement and went with the prisoners to Salem in North Carolina where the said Walling left the troops and returned for home and this deponent further states that he lived a near neighbor to said Walling during the whole of the revolutionary war and he knew of his being in service at different times as stated in his declaration and from his knowledge of all the circumstances at that time that he did perform the duty in the service of the United States as stated by him.

W. B. Mitchell DClk

            his

Henry   X    Blevins

           mark

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