Есть что улучшить? Предложите правку.
In 1780, hundreds of Virginia Patriots gathered on a meadow in Abingdon, Virginia, before setting out on the march that led to the Battle of Kings Mountain. The Abingdon Muster Grounds is now the western and northernmost trailhead of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
The Muster Grounds include the Keller Interpretive Center, the Wolf Creek Trail and the site of "Dunn's Meadows." Photo by the National Park Service
September 24, 1780
Col. William Campbell commanded the Patriot militia of Washington County, Virginia. Patriot leaders in North Carolina kept asking him for help: they feared an attack by British Maj. Patrick Ferguson and his growing army of Loyalists — pro-British locals.
At first Campbell said no. He was needed at home, he argued, to defend southwest Virginia against local Loyalists and possible war with British-allied American Indian nations such as the Shawnee and Cherokee. In the end he agreed to take part of his county's militia and strike Ferguson before his army could reach Virginia and join other pro-British forces.
- Campbell set out with 200 militiamen for a planned rendezvous at Sycamore Shoals — today's Elizabethton, Tennessee.
- 200 more Virginians under Col. Arthur Campbell soon followed and caught up with them there.
A sign in the Keller Interpretive Center on the Muster Grounds' role in gathering local fighters. Photo by the National Park Service
What a muster ground was
The field here is a remnant of the original muster ground, then called Craig's Meadow or Dunn's Meadow. Every county had at least one. The law required each county's militia regiment to gather every few months — more often if needed — to drill. A good muster ground was easy to find from anywhere in the county, big enough for marching and shooting practice, and often near a leader's home, where the men might be treated to food and drink. "Musterings" were part training, part social event: families came along, and the day's drill was followed by celebration.
Visiting
| Address | 1780 Muster Place, Abingdon, Virginia 24210 |
| Grounds and trail | open dawn to dusk |
| Keller Interpretive Center | run by nonprofit volunteers; open by appointment and some weekends, with exhibits and artifacts on the American Revolution in southwest Virginia and the site's role in the Kings Mountain campaign |
| Wolf Creek Trail | a paved 0.75-mile trail along Wolf Creek — restored streambanks have made it a spot for urban trout fishing — from the Muster Grounds (or a gravel lot at Hagy Street and Fugate Street SW) to a small lot on Stone Mill Road |
| Passport stamp | available for the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail — see passport stamps |
The site is owned by the Town of Abingdon and operated under an agreement with the Overmountain Victory Trail Association; see the town's page for contacts.
Native plants and wildflowers restored along Wolf Creek help bring back an important example of its ecosystem. A wraparound panorama shown flattened. NPS.
Sources
Based on "Abingdon Muster Grounds," Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The Park Service's panoramas, lost when the page was imported, were recovered from NPGallery, where they are marked public domain (2026-09-26).
В изданияхKings Mountain National Military ParkOvermountain Victory National Historic Trail
Лицензия: CC0 1.0 (общественное достояние) · По материалам www.nps.gov
1
0
0
0
Комментарии
