The Battle of Cowan's Ford was a battle in the Southern Theater of Cornwallis's 1780–1782 Campaign that eventually led to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

's surrender at Yorktown during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It was fought on February 1, 1781, at Cowan's ford on the

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

in northwestern

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wa ...

, between a force of about 2,400 British and about 800 Whig militia who were attempting to slow the British advance across the river. The American general William Lee Davidson was killed in this battle.

Background

After the British victory at the

Battle of Camden The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...

, General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

replaced

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battl ...

as Commander of the Southern Department of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. Rather than attempt to confront the much larger and better equipped British Army under Cornwallis directly, Greene attempted to wear down his opponents by engaging the British in a series of small battles. Of these battles, Greene stated of the

: "We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again." Following the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Kingdom of Great Britain, British for ...

, Cornwallis was determined on destroying Greene's forces. Cornwallis ordered his men to burn their supplies and pursued Greene in the "Race to the Dan" (The Dan River which flows through Southern Virginia and Northern North Carolina). During the preceding weeks, Cornwallis's army had swung to the left and approached the swollen waters of the Catawba in late January. For three days, the British forces camped at Ramsour's Mill, where they were joined by the remains of

Banastre Tarleton Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portu ...

forces. On January 28, 1781, General

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

reported to General Nathanael Greene from his camp in Sherrills Ford that his forces had observed the British army moving towards the Catawba River. Morgan reported that he was attempting to collect the militia and delay Cornwallis's forces from crossing the river. To this end, Morgan ordered General William Lee Davidson with 500 militia (two hundred and fifty of which were without flints for their muskets) to Beatties Ford. Cornwallis marched his forces eastward toward the river to Jacob Forney's, where they camped for another three days after he had determined that the Catawba river at Beatties Ford was impassable because of the raging current.

Battle

On January 31, Cornwallis began to move his army despite the heavy rain fearing any further delay would cause him to lose his chance of destroying Greene's army. Some six weeks after the engagement, Cornwallis wrote that he had ordered a detachment under Lieutenant Colonel Webster to "make every possible demonstration by cannonading and otherwise, of an intention to force a passage" at Beatties Ford while he would march down the river to Cowan's Ford. General Greene arrived and ordered General Davidson, who had placed his men at the various fords along the eastern bank, to slow the British Army's crossing of the Catawba River. Greene and Morgan then left to accompany the bulk of their forces towards

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

. Davidson dispatched a company of cavalry and infantry southward four miles to Cowan's Ford. The cavalry was to see that the British did not make a surprise crossing under cover of darkness. Toward nightfall Davidson joined the detachment at Cowan's Ford. Davidson evidently feared that Tarleton's troops might slip across the river in the darkness and, getting behind him, they could attack him as the British infantry began its crossing. He therefore set up camp a half mile from the river, with pickets watching Cowan's Ford from the water's edge. Near daybreak, after a difficult march in which the British lost some of their cannon, Cornwallis's army reached Cowan's Ford. Cowan's Ford was actually two fords; one, the horse ford, though shallower than the other, was longer, because it crossed the stream at an angle; the other, called the wagon ford, went straight across the river but was much deeper. With very little hesitation, the British began crossing the swollen stream straight across along the wagon ford. Soon the horses were over their heads in the raging torrent. Davidson's forces immediately began to confront the Redcoats. The militiamen were picking off many British soldiers as they struggled in the water to reach the far bank. After the first elements reached the bank and formed a firing line, they began to fire a volley at the now retreating militia. Shortly after arriving on the scene, Davidson was struck from his horse by a rifle ball through the heart. Oral tradition has it that a local Tory guide fired the fatal shot.Stonestreet, O.C. IV, ''The Battle of Cowan's Ford: General Davidson's Stand on the Catawba River and its place in North Carolina History'',(Createspace Publishing, 2012) .p.17 Late that evening Davidson's body was found, stripped and raindrenched. His wallet of papers, presumed taken by a British soldier, was discovered in the Public Records Office in London, in 1951. It was returned to the United States in 2001. General Davidson is buried at Hopewell Church in Mecklenburg county, NC.

Order of Battle

Patriots

The Patriots were commanded by Brigadier General (Pro Tempore) William Lee Davidson, who was killed in action. Patriot units included the following: * Salisbury District Brigade of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Brigadier General (Pro Tempore) William Lee Davidson, with the following known units: * Mecklenburg County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Lt. Col. William Polk, with ten (10) known companies, led by: **Capt. William Alexander **Capt. William Cole (from Randolph County) **Capt. Joseph Graham **Capt. Conrad Hise **Capt. James Huggins **Capt. James Ligert **Capt. Samuel Martin **Capt. James Maxwell **Capt. Charles Polk **Capt. Thomas Ray * Rowan County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Maj. James Hall (killed), with thirteen known companies, led by: **Capt. Abel Armstrong **Capt. Daniel Bryson **Capt. David Caldwell **Capt. Thomas Cowan **Capt. James Crawford (mortally wounded) **Capt. Thomas Davidson **Capt. John Dickey **Capt. Richard Graham **Capt. Thomas Morrison **Capt. Jacob Nichols **Capt. Samuel Reid **Capt. Richard Simmons **Capt. William Wilson *

Lincoln County Regiment The Lincoln County Regiment was a local militia in Lincoln County, North Carolina during the American Revolutionary. It was created by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 on February 8, 1779 at the same time that Lincoln County was create ...

of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Maj. David Wilson, with six known companies, led by: **Capt. John Baldridge **Capt. Peter Forney **Capt. Thomas Lofton **Capt. James Lytle **Capt. John Weir **Capt. John Work] *

Surry County Regiment The Surry County Regiment was established on August 26, 1775 by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The regiment was engaged in battles and skirmishes against the British and Cherokee during the American Revolution in North Carolina, South Ca ...

of the North Carolina militia detachment of two known companies, led by: **Capt. Arthur Scott **Capt. John Morgan * Burke County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment of one (known company, led by: **Capt. Alexander Irvin * Johnston County Regiment ( New Bern District Brigade) of the North Carolina militia detachment of one known company, led by: **Capt. Thomas Culler * Montgomery County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Col. William Lofton, with three known companies, led by: **Capt. John Hill (Randolph County) **Capt. Jonathan Potts (Mecklenburg County) **Capt. William Twitty (Rutherford County) *

Orange County Regiment The Orange County Regiment was authorized on September 9, 1775 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. On April 22, 1776, the unit was split into the Northern Orange County Regiment and the Southern Orange County Regiment, which retained most ...

of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Lt. Col. Thomas Farmer and Maj. Archibald Murphy, with five known companies, led by: **Capt. William Greenwood **Capt. William Jamieson **Capt. Stephen Merritt (Granville County) **Capt. Shadrack Parish (Granville County) **Capt. William Nichols *

Caswell County Regiment Caswell may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Caswell, Swansea, a village in Wales ** Caswell Bay, nearby * Caswell, Northamptonshire, a lost settlement and technology park in England United States * Caswell, Maine, a town * Caswell Memorial Stat ...

( Hillsborough District Brigade) of the North Carolina militia detachment of three known companies, led by: **Capt. Spillsby Coleman **Capt. F. Lawson **Capt. Robert Park * Wake County Regiment ( Hillsborough District Brigade) of the North Carolina militia detachment of one known company, led by: **Capt. Etheldred Jones

British and loyalists

The British forces were commanded by Lt. General Charles, Lord Cornwallis. The following units were under his command: *

Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administering the guards regiments. After the Second Wor ...

, led by Brig. Gen. Charles O'Hara, with 690 men in the following known units: *1st Guards Battalion, led by Col.

Chapple Norton General Hon. John Chapple Norton (2 April 1746 – 19 March 1818) was a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and who later became a Member of Parliament for Guildford. Early life John Chapple Norton was born on ...

, with three companies, led by: **Lt. Col. Augustus Maitland - 1st Company **Lt. Col. Charles Horneck - 2nd Company **Lt. Col. Lowther Pennington - Grenadier Company *2nd Guards Battalion, led by Col. James Stewart, with two known companies, led by: **Lt. Col. Robert Lovelace - 3rd Company **Lt. Col. Thomas Swanton - 4th Company *Light Infantry, led by Col. Francis Hall, with three known companies, led by: **Lt. Col. Francis Hall - 3rd Scots Guards **Capt. William Maynard - Coldstream Guards **Lt. Col. Francis Dundas - 1st Guards * 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), with 279 men in two known companies, led by: **Capt. Forbes Champagne **Capt. Thomas Peter *Hesse-Kassel Musketeer Regiment von Bose, led by Maj. Chris du Buy, with 345 men in four known companies, led by: **Capt. Alexander Wilmonsky **Capt. Moritz von Stein **Capt. Johann Eichenbrodt **Capt. Herman Christian Rall *

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

, led by Unknown, with 180 men in two known companies, led by: **Capt. David Ogilvie **Capt. David Kinlock *Prince of Wales American Volunteers detachment of 10 men led by Ensign Patrick Garrett **Capt. Richard Hovenden **Capt. Thomas Sanford **Capt. Francis Gildart

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Cowan's Ford Cowan's Ford Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Cowan's Ford 1781 in the United States 1781 in North Carolina Conflicts in 1781