5th child

James Chitwood was a Loyalist and Officer (Captain) during the Revolutionary War living in South Carolina.

As depicted in the book King's Mountain and its Heroes by Lyman C Draper;

The Battle of Kings Mountain (SC) was a decisive battle and turning point in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. British Officer Colonel Ferguson had taken up position on the top of the mountain with Loyalist militia from South Carolina but were overwhelmed in the battle on October 7, 1780 by Patriot militia "Over Mountain Men". Over 400 Loyalist were killed or wounded in the surprise attack by the Patriots. Ferguson was the only British soldier and he died in the battle that lasted about an hour. Over 600 were captured including 9 officers. One of those officers was Captain James Chitwood.

The Patriots retreated quickly with the prisoners north into NC. The set up camp and tried and sentenced 39 men to be executed in an infamous proceeding. Three at a time they were hung from a large oak tree known after as the Gallows Oak. Captain James Chitwood was in the first group of three to be hung. With nine hanging from the tree, and three more ready to go a disturbance occurred that caused the hanging to be discontinued and the remaining to be pardoned.

The men had been left swinging from the sturdy oak but as soon as the Patriot force moved off, the wife of Captain Biggerstaff (or Bickerstaff) who served under Ferguson and been mortality wounded at the battle, cut them down with the help of a farm hand. Eight were buried in a shallow trench and the remains of Captain Chitwood were taken to the Biggerstaff farm and interred on a hill there.

See this person's record on FindAGrave.com