As soon as the battle was over, a guard was placed around the prisoners and all remained on the mountain that night.  On the next day, after the dead were buried and the wounded properly cared for, the cumbrous spoils of victory were drawn into a pile and burned.  Colonels Campbell, Shelby and Cleaveland then repaired, with as little delay as possible, to the headquarters of General Gates, at Hillsboro, and made out to that officer on the 1st of November, an official statement of their brilliant victory.  Col.  Sevier, Major McDowell and other officers returned to the mountains and to their own neighborhoods, ready at all times, to obey any future calls of their country.  The prisoners were turned over to the “mountain men” for safe keeping.  Having no conveyances, they compelled the prisoners to carry the captured arms (about fifteen hundred in number) two guns each being assigned to most of the men.  About sunset the Whigs who had fought the battle, being extremely hungry, had the pleasure of meeting the footmen, who had been left behind at Green river on their march to King’s Mountain, pressing forward with a good supply of provisions.

Having appeased the cravings of hunger, they all marched to Bickerstaff’s old field, in Rutherford county, where the principal officers held a court-martial over the “most audacious and murderous Tories.”  Thirty-two were condemned to be hung; after nine were thus disposed of, three at a time, the remainder, through mitigating circumstances and the entreaties of their Whig acquaintances, were respited.  Several of the Tories, thus leniently dealt with, afterward joined the Whig ranks, and made good soldiers to the end of the war.

In 1815, through the instrumentality of Dr. William M’Lean, of Lincoln county, a head-stone of dark slate rock, was erected at King’s Mountain, near the spot where Ferguson fell.  It bears this inscription:  On the east: 

“Sacred to the memory of Maj.  Wm. Chronicle, Capt.  John Mattocks, William Robb and John Boyd, who were killed at this place on the 7th of October, 1780, fighting in defence of America.”

On the west side:—­“Col.  Ferguson, an officer of his Brittanic Majesty, was defeated and killed at this place on the 7th of October, 1780.”

Incidents:  Among the captured Tories were Captain W——­ G——­ and his lieutenant J——­ L——­, both of whom were sentenced to be hung next morning at sunrise.  They were first tied separately, with leather strings, and then closely together.  During the night they managed to crawl to the waters edge, near their place of confinement, and wet their strings; this soon caused them to stretch so greatly as to enable the leather-bound prisoners to make their escape, and thereby deprive the “Mountain Boys” of having some contemplated fun.  Like the Irishman’s pig, in the morning “they came up missing.”