Lots going on in this discussion and it could take off in a lot of directions. So I’ll throw some thoughts into the mix based on things I came across when working on the article.
Certainly there were other types of weapons than rifles in use at King’s Mountain – probably just about any form of flintlock longarm or pistol you can imagine. But what strikes you when you start reading through period accounts and documents regarding the war in the southern back country is that: 1) by the time of the war there was a well-established regional and cultural tendency toward rifle guns – and they are very clear in distinguishing between rifles and other longarms in most period accounts; 2) Based on period accounts most of the patriot troops at King’s Mountain were carrying rifles; and, 3) a sizable part of Ferguson’s force – some accounts say most – were also carrying rifles – keep in mind they were mostly from the same culture and region as those they were fighting.
Most of the Patriot troops there came from the Carolina backcountry, (that includes the overmountain areas of what is now Tennessee) and southwest Virginia. Some of these people had been residing in the region for a full generation or more. So you could carry that idea to expect these troops to most likely be using guns of regional manufacture – and there was extensive manfucture by that time in the region and those areas surrounding the region – from the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley, southward to the Carolina piedmont, and even likely westward over the mountains in what is now East Tennessee. And points between.
However, other troops were from families that had come in more recently, and of those who did, most would have come south via the Great Wagon Road, so actually a rifle from anywhere between Pennsylvania and piedmont North or South Carolina would be appropriate, as well as some locally made pieces from the deep backcountry or mountain areas. What I am getting at here is that you likely have a wide range of options.
What did such guns look like? Well, that depends which angle you want to take with your idea. Should it be iron or brass mounted? From what I have found, the answer is “yes.”
Based on surviving examples of pre-1780 rifles it is likely that you would have seen a lot of brass at Kings Mountain. Really any brass mounted rifle of the pre-1780 era would be a candidate. Take a look at the famous “Haymaker” rifle, the “Free Born” rifle, or other such pieces if you want to keep it southern. Or maybe RCA-42, the Brass Barreled Rifle, etc. Or, a piece from farther north along the Great Wagon Road – even a Dickert or a Shroyer, etc.
A local or regional iron mounted rifle? Again, I think yes. We know there were gunsmiths working in the Appalachian region – including what is now upper east Tennessee - before the Revolution. And we know one of William Campbell’s (Virginia) troops lost an iron -mounted rifle – with a small bore and a small lock - in Williamsburg in 1776. The Old Holston gun is an iron mounted example thought by many to be a possible piece from the region made prior to 1780.
And iron does not have to mean Appalachian – piedmont North Carolina makers and makers as far north as Rockbridge County VA made iron mounted rifles and likely were making them by the time of Kings Mountain. The top gun on the two page spread on iron mounted rifles in American Tradition (attributed western Catawba Valley), although tough to date and likely a later piece, does show the hand of a maker trained in the pre-Rev War style one might expect to see at the time of King’s Mountain – i.e. the open bow guard, short squared Germanic style tang, carving, strong triangular architectural lines and flat buttplate typically indicate early features. And there are other iron mounted piedmont Carolina pieces in Bill Ivey’s book that appear to plausibly date to the 1780s – including a piece with a triggerguard that was replaced with brass that was reportedly used at Guilford Court House (1781).
As to how iron mounts became preferred in some areas – probably a variety of reasons that depended on the area and timeframe. We need to be careful about overgeneralizing – there were some regions where they made a lot of both types of rifles – like piedmont Carolina and some areas of Virginia – and both types were popular – and regions where there was a preponderance of, if not a preference for, iron mounts. So the reason for why an iron mounted gun was made in Rockbridge County in 1780 might be different from the reason an iron mounted rifle was made in East Tennessee in the same era – as well as different from the reason for why an iron mounted rifle was made in that same area of East Tennessee in 1820. Different times, places, customers, resources and limitations….
Fun to think about this stuff!
Guy
