British forces won battle near Mooresville
Author Chris Stonestreet points to a map showing where Torrence's Tavern was located. The area is near the langtree road exit off interstate 77 in Mooresville.
A soldier's telescope, research, maps and Chris Stonestreet's revolutionary War book lay on a table at lake Mountain Coffee in Statesville.
A retired history professor discovered that a Revolutionary War battle fought in what is now Mooresville was significantly larger than told in generational stories.
Chris Stonestreet heard the stories of a skirmish at Torrence's Tavern over the years. The tavern was located near the intersection of Langtree Road and Interstate 77 in Mooresville.
Stonestreet penned three books about Revolutionary War battles in North Carolina around the Catawba River. The three books are "The Battle of Cowan's Ford: General Davidson's Stand on the Catawba River, and its Place in North Carolina History," "The Battle of Colson's Mill," and "A Quick and Bloody Affair: The Skirmish at Torrence's Tavern."
"Out of all the books (the Torrence's Tavern book), this was the one that I'm proudest of," Stonestreet said. "Because I basically blew a small battle from 40 to 50 guys to about 700."
Stonestreet said the general narrative of the battle passed around to Iredell County locals was told by Gen. Joseph Graham, who was not at the battle.
"As I delved deeper into the various pension narratives, it became clear that, unlike General Davidson's final moments, the actions surrounding the retreat and the stand at the tavern varied greatly," Stonestreet said in his book about the Battle of Torrence's Tavern.
Pension narratives are records and applications submitted by veterans and their families after the Revolutionary War to claim military pensions. Many included narratives and accounts of war experiences, according to the National Archives.
The Battle of Torrence's Tavern began shortly after the Battle of Cowan's Ford. Patriot Gen. William Lee Davidson was killed in the Battle of Cowan's Ford, along the Catawba River near the McGuire Nuclear Station in Stanley.
After the Battle of Cowan's Ford, the soldiers led by Davidson retreated to what is now Exit 31 on Interstate 77 at Langtree Road. Torrence's Tavern was a rallying point for Patriot soldiers, Stonestreet said.
The Battle of Cowan's Ford happened on Feb. 1, 1781, and the Battle of Torrence's Tavern took place between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, 1781. The British won both battles.
The Battle of Torrance's Tavern also included men who retreated from the Battle of Beattie's Ford along the Catawba River, according to Stonestreet's book.
Torrence's Tavern is spelled in multiple ways in historical pension records. Stonestreet went searching through digitized records for Torrence's Tavern, Terrence's Tavern and Tarrant's Tavern.
Through this research, Stonestreet found out that the battle was larger than initially recognized, and it was more than just some men drinking at the bar when the British showed up with Loyalist cavalrymen.
The tavern was a staging place and a second line of defense if British Gen. Charles Cornwallis' men were able to successfully cross the Catawba River. According to Cornwallis' own accounts, he sent men led by British Col. Banastre Tarleton to hunt down the retreating Patriot forces and to attack Torrence's Tavern, according to Stonestreet's book.
"We have pushed the rebels back from the ford to Tarrant's Crossroads which lies ahead of you. We have killed their general, now let's stab their hearts and their hopes! For King and Country. ... REMEMBER THE COWPENS!" Tarleton said to his men as they pursued the Patriots, according to Stonestreet's book.
Tarleton was referencing a major loss to the Patriots on Jan. 17, 1781, during the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina.
Cornwallis said his men killed or injured 40 to 50 Patriot soldiers during the battle of Torrence's Tavern, according to Stonestreet's book.
Cornwallis and Tarleton gave accounts that Patriot Capt. Nathaniel Martin's horse was shot out from under him during the fight. Martin was captured and held prisoner along with several others, according to Stonestreet's book.
Stonestreet's book cites personal stories from multiple people on the Patriot and British sides of the war about Torrence's Tavern. Each varies in the number of men involved in the battle.
Multiple accounts put the Patriots at 300 to 400 men stationed at Torrence's Tavern. The men overturned wagons and used fencing to barricade the rallying point at the tavern, according to Stonestreet's book.
Tarleton claimed 50 Patriots were killed or injured. An account from a Patriot said 30 Patriots were killed or injured, according to the book.
Tarleton said his troops had 20 horses and seven men on their side killed in the battle, according to the book.
Stonestreet said Torrence's Tavern was among many small skirmishes that tallied up and impacted the war by whittling down British troops, which "eventually convinced Lord Cornwallis to alter his plans in the American South," Stonestreet writes.
Patriots from Torrence's Tavern headed out to join forces under Gen. Nathanael Greene, who led his army at the Battle of Guilford Court House.
Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Statesville record & landmark.
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