Many of the present day counties were formed from larger counties which were broken up as the populations in the region continued to grow. Southwest Virginia is also the result of parts of Virginia which broke off or revolted, such as Kentucky and West Virginia. During the American Revolution, residents from southwest Virginia were among those who participated in the Battle of King's Mountain. As the story goes, when a British major threatened to lay waste to the mountain region, the men decided they'd take the battle to him instead. They marched over the mountains to confront him at what became a decisive battle in the Revolutionary War—a victory that remains important in the psyche of many residents of the region, who are still proud of their ancestors' contribution.