Battle of Colson's Mill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Colson's Mill
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Date July 21, 1780 Location Stanly County, near present-day Norwood, North Carolina Result Patriot victory
Belligerents
Patriot militia	Loyalist militia
Commanders and leaders
William Lee Davidson	Unknown
Strength
250 militia	400 militia
Casualties and losses
2 wounded	3 killed 4-5 wounded 10 captured

The Battle of Colson's Mill was a small but important fight during the American Revolutionary War. It happened in North Carolina on July 21, 1780. In this battle, a group of American fighters, called Patriots, faced off against colonists who supported the British, known as Loyalists.

The Patriot militia was led by William Lee Davidson. They managed to break up a large gathering of Loyalists. This event took place near Colson's Mill. This area is close to where the Rocky River and Pee Dee River meet. Today, this spot is in Stanly County, North Carolina.

Why This Battle Happened

After a defeat at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill, many Loyalists were trying to regroup. General Griffith Rutherford, a Patriot leader, was chasing them. He wanted to stop them from joining other British forces.

General Rutherford had some success at first. But many of his soldiers' enlistments were ending. This meant his army quickly shrank to about 200 men.

On June 22, Rutherford learned that Colonel Samuel Bryan had gathered several hundred Loyalists. They were about 75 miles (120 km) away, near the Yadkin River. Rutherford decided to go after them. He called for more men to join his force.

As he got closer, his army grew to 600 men. Bryan knew Rutherford was coming. So, Bryan started to move his Loyalists away. He marched them down the east side of the Yadkin River. His goal was to meet up with British regular soldiers on the Pee Dee River.

Rutherford chased Bryan, but he couldn't stop Bryan's retreat. At Salisbury, Rutherford sent Colonel William Lee Davidson and a special group of soldiers. They rode down the west side of the Yadkin. This was in case Bryan tried to cross the river. However, Bryan kept moving and reached the British forces.

The Fight at Colson's Mill

Two days into the chase, Colonel Davidson got new information. He learned that several hundred Loyalists had gathered. They were near Colson's Mill. This mill was not far from where the Rocky and Pee Dee Rivers joined.

Davidson and his men moved very quickly. They wanted to surprise the Loyalists. They tried to surround the farm where the Loyalists were. But their front line was seen before the other soldiers were in position. This meant the fighting started earlier than planned.

Colonel Davidson was the only one in a military uniform. Loyalist sharpshooters targeted him. He was badly wounded by a bullet to his stomach. But his men did not give up when he fell. Colonel Francis Locke quickly took command.

The Patriots then scattered the Loyalist group. They killed three Loyalists and wounded several more. They also captured ten prisoners. The Loyalists knew the local area well. This helped some of them escape.

After the Battle

One other Patriot soldier was also wounded during the fight. Colonel Davidson spent two months recovering from his injuries. He continued to serve in the war afterward. Sadly, he was later killed in the Battle of Cowan's Ford in February 1781.

The victory at Colson's Mill was important. It happened after the Patriot win at Ramsour's Mill the month before. These two victories greatly reduced support for the British. Many Loyalists stopped actively helping the British. This was a key moment in the Southern Campaign of the war. It's thought that Lord Cornwallis, a British general, lost about 3,000 Loyalist helpers because of these events.