The Battle of Kings Mountain, fought on October 7, 1780, was a pivotal turning point in the American Revolutionary War when a force of American frontier militia defeated a loyalist army commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson along the wooded ridge of Kings Mountain near the Carolina–South Carolina border, halting a major British advance into the southern backcountry and proving that local patriot forces could overcome trained British troops, an outcome that shattered Loyalist confidence, boosted Patriot morale, and set in motion the chain of events that would eventually lead to American victory in the Southern Campaign.