Battle of Torrence's Tavern facts for kids
 Battle Site
Location in North Carolina
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The Battle of Torrence's Tavern was a small fight during the American Revolutionary War. It happened in what is now Iredell County, North Carolina. This battle was part of the larger Southern campaign of the war. During this time, the British Army and their American supporters (called Loyalists) fought against the Continental Army and American fighters (called Patriots).
The battle took place on February 1 or 2, 1781. It happened right after another fight called the Battle of Cowan's Ford. British cavalry, led by Banastre Tarleton, won the battle. This British victory made Patriot supporters in western North Carolina feel discouraged. It also forced General Nathanael Greene, who led the Continental Army, to move his troops further east. This move helped Greene gather more Patriot forces before the important Battle of Guilford Court House. Today, two historical markers remember the site of Torrence's Tavern.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
The winter of 1780–1781 was a busy time for the British Army in the Carolinas. General Charles Cornwallis was chasing the Continental Army, led by Nathanael Greene. On January 17, 1781, the Continental Army won a big victory at the Battle of Cowpens. This battle was against a part of the British army led by Tarleton.
After this defeat, Cornwallis decided to chase Greene into North Carolina. General Daniel Morgan, who won at Cowpens, wanted to leave his command. He was suffering from a leg pain called sciatica. But General Greene asked him to stay. So, Morgan started setting up defenses along the Catawba River. Cornwallis's army would have to cross this river to move into central North Carolina. Defenses were put at every river crossing, called a ford. By January 30, Morgan learned that the British were ready to cross.
On January 31, 1781, Greene and Morgan left the Catawba River defenses. They put militia General William Lee Davidson in charge. Greene and Morgan then rode to Salisbury to set up a meeting point for their troops. The Continental Army crossed the Catawba River before Cornwallis's army. At Cowan's Ford on February 1, 1781, General Davidson's Patriot militia fought the British. They slowed down the British crossing and caused many injuries. Davidson was killed in this fight. This left the militia without a leader.
The Battle and What Happened Next
When the Battle Happened
There is some confusion about the exact date of the Battle of Torrence's Tavern. North Carolina history books often say February 2. However, Colonel Tarleton's own writings say it happened at 2 PM on February 1. This was after the early morning fight at Cowan's Ford.
Tarleton Chases the Militia
Cornwallis's army took longer to cross the Catawba River. He wanted to stop Greene's forces from getting away and regrouping. So, he ordered Colonel Tarleton to chase the militia that Davidson had led. After the fight at Cowan's Ford, many people who supported the Patriots became scared. They quickly left their homes, taking what they could.
Tarleton's British Legion had different types of soldiers, including foot soldiers, cavalry (soldiers on horseback), and artillery (cannons). But heavy rains forced Tarleton to take only his mounted soldiers (cavalry). As he got close to "Tarrant's Tavern," Tarleton learned that the militia there were not ready for a fight. They were waiting for more soldiers to join them. Torrence's Tavern was on a road that went from the Catawba River directly to Salisbury. The same rain that stopped Tarleton's foot soldiers also made most of the militia's gunpowder useless. Many Patriot supporters who had fled their homes also met up at Torrence's Tavern.
The British Attack
Tarleton's cavalry attacked as soon as they arrived. They charged into the militia's camp. When the British appeared, the Patriots tried to get ready to fight. Captain Nathaniel M. Martin tried to gather the militia behind a nearby rail fence. Some reports say that Colonel Thomas Farmer and about 300 militia were also at the tavern as a backup defense. Tarleton told his cavalry to "remember the Cowpens" before they charged.
The British won quickly. They scattered the outnumbered militia before they could fully get organized. Captain Martin was captured right at the start of the battle. This left the Patriots without any real leader. With the Patriot forces confused, Tarleton split his cavalry into smaller groups. He ordered them to chase the militia and make them leave the area.
Even though it was a small fight, the battle at Torrence's Tavern helped Greene's main army. It gave them more time to cross the Yadkin River near Salisbury without being bothered. This allowed Greene's army to regroup and get more supplies. At the time of the skirmish, Greene was at a farm about 6 miles from the tavern. This farm was supposed to be a meeting point for the Patriot militia. But no militia gathered there after the fight at Torrence's Tavern.
After the battle, the tavern was burned down by the main British army. It was owned by Ann Torrence, whose husband, Adam Torrence, was a Patriot soldier killed in another battle.
What We Remember Today
The Battle of Torrence's Tavern did not have a huge impact on the American Revolutionary War. However, the failure of the Patriot militia to stop Cornwallis much at Cowan's Ford and Torrence's Tavern made Greene speed up his retreat. He wanted to reach Guilford Courthouse, where he planned to meet up with another group of soldiers.
Some historians say that Torrence's Tavern might have discouraged more North Carolinians from joining the militia. However, the number of people joining the militia in that state was already very low. One historian even said that if Tarleton had not written about the battle, it might only be a small note in history books. But Cornwallis himself wrote about the fights on February 1–2, 1781. He said that these battles "so effectively dispirited the militia, that we met with no further opposition on our march to the Yadkin."
In 1914, the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a stone marker near the battle site. It marks the location of the tavern and honors members of a nearby church who fought in the war. In 1939, the State of North Carolina put a historical marker on N.C. Highway 115 in Mount Mourne. This marker shows the approximate location of the battle.
