The Battle of Wetzell's Mill (the name may also be spelled ''Weitzell'', ''Weitzel'', ''Whitesell'', ''Whitsell'' or ''Whitsall'') was an

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

battle fought on March 6, 1781, between detachments of

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and militia and

Banastre Tarleton General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet (21 August 175415 January 1833) was a British military officer and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolutionary War. He lat ...

's Loyalist provincial troops in

Guilford County, North Carolina Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat and largest community is Greensboro. Sin ...

. Greene was trying to avoid encounters with the larger British Cornwallis' larger army while awaiting the arrival of additional troops, and had sent Williams and several hundred men on reconnaissance to watch Cornwallis' movements. Cornwallis learned where Williams was on March 4, and, realizing he could be trapped because he was separated from Greene's army by Reedy Ford Creek, sent Tarleton and 1,200 men toward the ford at Wetzell's Mill. Early on March 6 Tarleton's men tried to sneak up on Williams' position, then about ten miles south of the ford. After a brief skirmish, the two forces raced toward the ford. Williams kept Harry "Light Horse" Lee in the rear to cover their retreat, and reached the ford ahead of Tarleton. His army crossed, at which point he decided to make a stand at the crossing. Tarleton's first attempt to cross was repulsed, but the second succeeded, and Williams retreated.

Background

The British attempt to regain control of its rebellious colonies in the

through the "southern strategy" of gaining control over the southern colonies and moving north began in late 1779 with the capture of Savannah, Georgia. By early 1781,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

were nominally under British control, two Continental Armies had been captured or routed, and General

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

was chasing a third, under the command of General

, out of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Greene, with a smaller and more mobile army, had risked division of his forces at one point, and was rewarded with

Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 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 ...

's victory over Cornwallis' main cavalry force, led by Lieutenant Colonel

, at the

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot forces, estimated at 2,000 militia and reg ...

in January 1781. Cornwallis, realizing he could more easily defeat Morgan or Greene before their forces rejoined, stripped his army of all nonessentials, and gave chase. Greene and Morgan were able to join forces, but they were still relatively weak due to expiring enlistments, so Greene continued to retreat northward toward

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, avoiding full-scale battle, in what became known as the "Race to the Dan" (after the

Dan River Dan River may refer to: * Dan River (Virginia) * Dan River (China) * Dan River (Middle East) Other * Little Dan River * Browns Dan River * Dan Hole River See also * Dan (disambiguation) Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), inc ...

, which flows near the border between Virginia and North Carolina). Greene beat Cornwallis to the Dan, which, like many other rivers, was swollen by heavy rains, and crossed to relative safety in Virginia. After receiving additional supplies and some reinforcements, Greene recrossed the Dan with an eye toward finally forcing a confrontation after additional troops arrived. Criss-crossing Guilford County] with his main army, Greene detached Colonel Otho Williams with companies of

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

, riflemen, and the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

of Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee to maintain contact with Cornwallis' army so that he could continue to maneuver without a large confrontation. Cornwallis sent out Tarleton on expeditions to find Greene's army so that a confrontation could be forced. On March 3, Williams sent out a company of men to harass the British camp. They killed several sentries and took two prisoners before returning to Williams' camp at Wetzell's Mill, near a ford across Reedy Ford Creek. Cornwallis ordered Tarleton out on March 6 to go after Williams.

Order of battle

Patriots

The Patriot order of battle included:See Federal Revolutionary War Pensions S5728, W6178, W5787, R2176 and S30511. Pensions may be accessed at revwarrapps.org Approximately 700 men led by Col. Otho Williams - Commanding Officer * Lee's Legion, led by Lt. Col. Henry Lee of Virginia, with six known companies *

3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons The 3rd Continental Light Dragoons (CLD), also known as Baylor's Horse or Lady Washington's Horse, was a mounted regiment of the Continental Army raised on January 1, 1777, at Morristown, New Jersey. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Br ...

, led by Lt. Col. William Washington of Virginia, Maj. Richard Call, with three known companies * 1st Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons detachment of one known company, led by Capt. Griffin Fauntleroy * Washington County militia of Virginia led by Col. William Campbell, with two known companies. Under Campbell was Captain William Morton's Rifle Company. This company consisted of select riflemen from Virginia's Charlotte and Halifax Counties. * Boutetourt County militia of Virginia led by Col. William Preston, with 300 men in five known companies *

Salisbury District Brigade The Salisbury District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disban ...

of the North Carolina militia led by Brigadier General Andrew Pickens (a temporary position), with detachments from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina Militia in the following units: ** Upper Ninety-Six District Regiment of South Carolina detachment led by Maj. James McCall with unknown number of men ** Georgia militia, led by Unknown with unknown number of men **

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 C ...

of the North Carolina militia led by Lt. Col. Joseph Winston, with eight known companies led by: ** Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment of one known company ** Lincoln County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment of one known company ** Mecklenburg County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment of one known company ** Guilford County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Lt. Col. Robert Ralston with two known companies ** Caswell County Regiment of the North Carolina militia detachment led by Col. William Moore, with five known companies **

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 of two known companies

British and Loyalist

The British and Loyalist forces of about 1,000 men were under the command of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Units included: *

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British Charitable organization, charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. ...

, led by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, with 75 men *

33rd Regiment of Foot The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he ...

led by Lt. Col. James Webster, Capt. James Campbell, with 234 officers & men *III Feld Jäger Regiment Anspach-Beyreuth detachment of 97 men led by Capt. Friedrich Wilhelm von Röder *

23rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

(Royal Welsh Fusiliers) detachment of 258 men in two known companies, led by: * 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders), 2nd Battalion detachment led by Capt. Dugald Stuart, with unknown number of men *

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 Household Division, Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administ ...

led by Lt. Col. John Goodricke, with 200 men in three (3) known companies *Royal Regiment of Artillery, 3rd Battalion, Number 1 Company, led by Lt. John MacLeod with two 3-pounders and two 6-pounders

Battle

Williams was alerted to Tarleton's approach, and managed to withdraw most of his men across the ford, where they established a defensive line. Tarleton's men then drove the last of Williams' light infantry across the river. Tarleton sent a company of men from the 23rd Regiment under James Webster to storm across the ford. Williams' riflemen were ordered to target the officer, and Henry Lee reported that they "discharged their rifles at him, one by one", but "himself and horse were untouched".Pancake, p. 176 The British eventually succeeded in crossing the creek, and after several miles of pursuit, Tarleton gave up the chase and rejoined the main army.

Aftermath

Williams and his men rejoined Greene's army, which, following the arrival of 2,500 reinforcements, prepared to meet Cornwallis near

, where the key

Battle of Guilford Courthouse The Battle of Guilford Court House was fought on 15 March 1781 during the American Revolutionary War, near Greensboro, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis defeated Major General Na ...

was fought on March 15.

References

* * * * * William S. Powell, ed., Encyclopedia of North Carolina History (2006) * William H. Hoyt, ed., Papers of Archibald D. Murphey, II, 289-294 * Henry Lee, Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States (1827) * Walter Clark, ed., State Records of North Carolina, XVII, 1000-1001 * David Schenck, North Carolina, 1780-1781 (1889) * John Buchanan, The Road to Guilford Courthouse (1997)
GIS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetzells Mill Conflicts in 1781 1781 in the United States Battles involving the United States Battles involving Great Britain Wetzell's Mill Guilford County, North Carolina 141 1781 in North Carolina Wetzell's Mill