Benjamin Cleveland (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 of Kings Mountain. May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... Location in the state of Virginia Formed 1734 Seat Orange Area  - Total  - Water 889 km² (343 mi²) 4 km² (2 mi²) 0. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Oconee County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. ... Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker Militia is the activity of one or more citizens organized to provide defense or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... Surveying is concerned with the application of mathematics and physics in obtaining accurate measurements for the determination of the position of points on the Earths surface. ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Combatants Patriot militia Loyalist militia Commanders William Campbell John Sevier Joseph McDowell Benjamin Cleveland James Williams† Isaac Shelby Patrick Ferguson† Strength 900 (+500 nearby) 1,100 (+200 nearby) Casualties 28 killed (including James Williams), 62 wounded 157 killed, 163 wounded, 698 captured (nine of the captured were later hanged for...

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, North Carolina in eastern Wilkes County. Cleveland was very active in the early history of Wilkes County - at various times, he worked as a hunter, trapper, farmer, carpenter, and surveyor. By the time the American Revolution began in 1775, Cleveland was probably the wealthiest and most prominent citizen in Wilkes. A large, bulky man, he earned an early nickname from his size and his estate; he was called "Old Roundabout." May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... Events February 4 - Court Jew Joseph Suss Oppenheimer is executed in Württenberg April 15 - Premiere in London of Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... Location in the state of Virginia Formed 1734 Seat Orange Area  - Total  - Water 889 km² (343 mi²) 4 km² (2 mi²) 0. ... Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Ronda is a town located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies that...

Revolutionary War And After

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War Cleveland was appointed a Colonel in the North Carolina militia. 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. After one raid he captured and hanged several Tory leaders from an oak tree; the tree became known as the "Tory Oak" and stood for many years as a tourist attraction behind the old Wilkes County courthouse (now the Wilkes Historical Museum). In 1780 British General Lord Cornwallis led an invasion army into the Carolinas, and won several victories over the American forces. A group of mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today Tennessee) decided to attack a section of Cornwallis's 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. During the battle Cleveland's horse was killed, and he subsequently commandeered the horse that had been the steed of Major Patrick Ferguson, the commanding British officer. Ferguson had been shot off his horse and killed earlier in the fight. After the battle, Cleveland took Ferguson's white stallion as a "war prize", and rode it to his estate of Roundabout in Wilkes County. After the war, Cleveland sold his property (or gave up ownership due to a title dispute), and moved to the South Carolina frontier. He was a judge in the Pendleton District. He died at his home in Oconee County, South Carolina on October 15, 1806. Cleveland County, North Carolina is named in his honor. Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... Meanings of Patriot: Patriotism The Patriot, movie The MIM-104 Patriot missile system a code word used by Nazis to signify Nazi The United States Patriot Act In the American Revolutionary War, those who supported the American cause, were called Patriots. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (December 31, 1738-October 5, 1805) was a British general and colonial governor. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... Kings Pinnacle is one of the two main peaks located within Crowders Mountain State Park. ... Patrick Ferguson (1744–1780), British Army officer. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35... Oconee County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Cleveland County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ...

External Links

USGenWeb Cleveland Cemetery and Benjamin Cleveland's will

Benjamin Cleveland SAR Chapter Photo of the Cleveland Statue in Wilkes County, North Carolina

Wilkes County website Story of the Tory Oak in Wilkesboro, North Carolina