Benjamin Cleveland (May 28, 1738 – October 1806) was an

American pioneer American pioneers were European American and African American settlers who migrated westward from the Thirteen Colonies and later United States to settle in and develop areas of North America that had previously been inhabited or used by Nati ...

and officer in the North Carolina militia. He is best remembered for his service as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

Wilkes County Regiment The Wilkes County Regiment was authorized on December 9, 1777 by the Province of North Carolina Congress at the same time that Wilkes County, North Carolina was created from Surry County, North Carolina and Washington District, North Carolina. T ...

of the North Carolina

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

during the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

, and in particular for his role in the American victory at the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pla ...

Personal life and career

Benjamin Cleveland was born in

Orange County, Virginia Orange County is a county located in the Central Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,254. Its county seat is Orange. Orange County includes Montpelier, the estate of James Madison, the ...

, the fourth child of John and Elizabeth ee CoffeeCleveland, and was of English descent and

Irish descent The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...

. He moved to the area which would become

Wilkes County, North Carolina Wilkes County is a county located in the US state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western mountain region. As of the 2020 census the population was 65,969, in 2010 the census listed the population at 69,340. Its county seat is ...

in 1769. There, Cleveland built his estate, "Roundabout," near what is today

Ronda, North Carolina Ronda is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 417 at the 2010 census, and 413 at the 2020 census. Ronda was named after a nearby estate called "Roundabout", which was the residence of Benjamin Cleveland, a ...

. He was noted in the early history of Wilkes County, and is known to have worked as a hunter, trapper, farmer, carpenter, and surveyor. By the time of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, Cleveland was the wealthiest and most prominent citizen in the county. A large, heavyset man – around six feet tall and weighing over 300 lbs in his prime – he was called "Old Roundabout. Cleveland married Mary Graves, a sister of Susannah Graves, the wife of Revolutionary War patriot and frontiersman, General Joseph Martin (for whom

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, although ...

, is named.) Cleveland was elected to the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

in 1778 and to the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in 1779 and 1780.

Revolutionary War

Military service record: * Lieutenant in the Surry County Regiment of militia (1775-1776) * Captain in the Surry County Regiment of militia (1776-1777) * Captain in the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers (1776-1777) * Colonel over the

of militia (1777-1782) Cleveland was commissioned a lieutenant in 1775 and as a colonel in 1777 in the North Carolina militia. Until

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

invaded in 1780, the fighting in North Carolina consisted of

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

between patriots ("Whigs") and "Tories". Cleveland became known as the "Terror of the Tories" for his treatment of Loyalists. In 1779, two Tories looted the home of George Wilfong, a patriot and friend of Cleveland. The Tories used Wilfong's clothes line to chase away his horses. The marauders were captured by Cleveland's men, who had them hanged using the clothes line they had stolen. In revenge, a group of Tories led by Captain William Riddle kidnapped Cleveland. Cleveland's men rescued him and captured Riddle and two others. All three were hanged from the same tree, which became known as the "Tory Oak," and was for years an historic landmark behind the old Wilkes County courthouse (now the Wilkes Historical Museum).

Kings Mountain

In 1780, General

led a British army into

the Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...

, and won several victories over the patriots. Major

Patrick Ferguson Patrick Ferguson (1744 – 7 October 1780) was a Scottish officer in the British Army, an early advocate of light infantry and the designer of the Ferguson rifle. He is best known for his service in the 1780 military campaign of Charles C ...

, one of Cornwallis's commanders, led an army of Tories into the North Carolina mountains to crush the rebels there. A large force of mountain men attacked Ferguson at

Kings Pinnacle The Pinnacle, is one of the two main peaks located within Crowders Mountain State Park. The other peak is Crowders Mountain. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina between the cities of Kings Mountain and Gastonia. Ge ...

, an isolated ridge on the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Cleveland played a key role in the ensuing

. According to legend, Cleveland climbed up

Rendezvous Mountain Rendezvous Mountain () is a large mountain massif located in the southern Teton Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The highest point on Rendezvous Mountain is Rendezvous Peak (). The western and northern flanks of the mountain are in Grand Teton ...

and blew his horn to summon some 200 Wilkes County militiamen. He led them into battle. Cleveland's horse was shot from under him, and Major Ferguson was himself killed in the battle. Cleveland's brother,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, is said to have rallied the militiamen during the heat of the battle, contributing to the patriot victory. Cleveland claimed Ferguson's white stallion as a "war prize", and rode it home to his estate of Roundabout.

Later years

After the war, Cleveland moved to the

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

frontier and was a commissioner in the Pendleton District. He died at his home in

Oconee County, South Carolina Oconee County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 78,607. Its county seat is Walhalla, South Carolina, Walhalla and its large ...

in 1806 of heart dropsy. An obelisk monument to him stands on private property just north of

U.S. Route 123 U.S. Route 123 (US 123) is a spur of US 23 in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 23, US 441, SR 15 and SR 365 near Clarkesville, Georgia, north and east to Interstate 385 Business (I-385 Business) i ...

about 160 yds (145 m) east of the Madison Baptist Church in the Madison Community of Oconee County. He was buried about 1 mi (1.6 km) away in a private cemetery.

Legacy

Cleveland County, North Carolina Cleveland County is a county located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Piedmont, on the southern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,519. Its county seat is Shelb ...

and

Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...

are named in his honor. A historical marker dedicated to Cleveland reads: "Colonel in Revolution, Whig leader in battle of Kings Mountain, state legislator. Home was on 'The Round About,' one mile southwest."

First historically accurate depiction and statue

In 2012, artist

Don Troiani Don Troiani (born 1949) is an American painter whose work focuses on his native country's military heritage, mostly from the American Revolution, War of 1812 and American Civil War. His highly realistic and historically accurate oil and watercolo ...

completed the first historically accurate depiction of Benjamin Cleveland, titled "Benjamin Cleveland's War Prize." Troiani teamed with experts from across the nation to ensure accuracy. The project was funded by local businessman and philanthropist Allan Jones. The painting features a victorious Cleveland leading his troops back home to Wilkes County on Ferguson's white stallion. The research that contributed to the Don Troiani painting was used to create a 500-pound bronze statue of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland. On April 19, 2013, the statue of Cleveland, sculpted by local Cleveland, Tennessee artist, Joshua Coleman, was erected in Patriots Park in Cleveland. The statue was funded by the Colonel Benjamin Cleveland Chapter of the Tennessee Society of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

References

External links

USGenWeb
Cleveland Cemetery and Benjamin Cleveland's will *
Col. Benjamin Cleveland Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Benjamin 1738 births 1806 deaths Oconee County, South Carolina North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina state senators American people of English descent American people of Irish descent People from Wilkes County, North Carolina