NORTH CAROLINA RESEARCH

 

“CORNWALLIS PLANNED HIS INVASION OF NORTH CAROLINA FOR EARLY SEPTEMBER, 1780.  LEAVING 6,000 MEN TO HOLD THE BRITISH BASES IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA , CORNWALLIS WOULD MARCH WITH AN ARMY OF ONLY 2,200 RANK AND FILE FROM CAMDEN , SOUTH CAROLINA , TO CHARLOTTE , NORTH CAROLINA , THEN TO HILLSBOROUGH , NORTH CAROLINA , GATHERING FOOD AND SUPPLIES FOR THE WINTER AND RECRUITING LOYALIST MILITIA ALONG THE WAY”.

SOURCE: ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG. 11,12

 

“THE BRITISH BEGAN THEIR NORTHERN MOVEMENT ON SEPTEMBER 9, 1780, BUT AN OUTBREAK OF FEVER IN THE ARMY FORCED CORNWALLIS TO DELAY HIS ADVANCE BY TWO WEEKS.  AS A RESULT, HE DID NOT REACH CHARLOTTE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 26”.

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG. 12

 

“AS IF ALL THIS WERE NOT ENOUGH, [Battle of Kings Mt. Everything inside bracket is mine] FEVER AGAIN BROKE OUT AMONG THE MEN OF CORNWALLIS’ ARMY.  RATHER THAN COURT FURTHER DISASTER BY PUSHING INTO AN INCREASINGLY HOSTILE REGION WITH AN ARMY DECIMATED BY DISEASE, CORNWALLIS CHOOSE TO POSTPONE HIS TROUBLE-PLAGUED INVASION OF NORTH CAROLINA , AND FELL BACK TO WINNSBORO , SOUTH CAROLINA ”. [This withdraw happened on Saturday, October 14, 1780]

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG.14

 

“ON JANUARY 8, 1781, CORNWALLIS RECEIVED ENOUGH REINFORCEMENTS TO BEGAN HIS PURSUIT OF MORGAN. [Daniel Morgan, after Cowpens]  THAT DAY THE REMNANTS OF TARLETON’S COMMAND, SOME 200 MEN, STRAGGLED INTO CAMP.  MORE IMPORTANT, THE 1,500 REDCOATS UNDER MAJ. GENERAL ALEXANDER LESLIE ALSO ARRIVED”.

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG.23

 

“CORNWALLIS THEN PUSHED ON TO THE EAST, REACHING RAMSOUR’S MILL ON THE LITTLE CATAWBA ON JANUARY 25.  THERE, TO HIS CONSTERNATION, HE FOUND THAT WINTER RAINS HAD FLOODED THE RIVER, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FORD.  LIKEWISE, THE AREA’S MISERABLE DIRT ROADS HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO QUAGMIRES”.

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG.23

 

“THE EARL [Cornwallis] CONCLUDED THAT THE BEST WAY TO SPEED THE MOVEMENT OF HIS COLUMN WAS TO ELIMINATE ALL BUT ITS MOST ESSENTIAL BAGGAGE.  HE ORDERED ALL OF THE ARMY’S WAGON’S BURNED, BEGINNING WITH HIS OWN.  ONLY THOSE VEHICLES THAT CARRIED SALT, AMMUNITION, OR HOSPITAL STORES WERE SPARED FROM THE FLAMES.  HIS ARMY’S BURDEN LIGHTENED, CORNWALLIS MOVED OUT ON JANUARY 27, FOR BEATTIE’S FORD ON THE CATAWBA.  MORGAN, MEANWHILE, WAS CAMPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER AT SHERRILL’S FORD”.

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG.24

 

“CORNWALLIS, MEANWHILE, HAD BEEN DELAYED TWO DAYS WHILE HE WAITED FOR THE SWOLLEN CATAWBA RIVER TO FALL.  FINALLY, AT DAWN ON FEBRUARY 1, THE BRITISH CROSSED THE RIVER AT McCOWAN’S FORD.  THIS CROSSING WAS CONTESTED FOR A TIME BY 300 NORTH CAROLINA MILITIA UNDER GENERAL WILLIAM LEE DAVIDSON.  IN A SHORT EXCHANGE OF MUSKETRY, THE CAROLINIANS INFLICTED ABOUT 35 CASUALTIES ON THE BRITISH.  WHEN GENERAL DAVIDSON WAS KILLED, HIS MEN FLED”.

SOURCE:  ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  PG.24

 

ANOTHER SUCH VICTORY, BY THOMAS E. BAKER.  EASTERN ACORN PRESS 1992