Shortly after Lord Cornwallis captured Charles Towne, he focused on North Carolina. The first engagement in his North Carolina campaign occurred at Ramsour’s Mill in what is now Lincoln County.
Major John Moore led his Loyalist men to face N.C. militia under the command of Colonel Francis Locke. During the morning of June 20, in the cover of fog, Patriot forces advanced and attacked. Neither side had standardized uniforms, so it was sometimes confusing and chaotic.
In the end, both sides lost approximately 150 men. Although outnumbered almost four-to-one, the Patriots drove the Loyalists from the field. As a result, a beleaguered Patriot force’s morale increased. This morale boost, no doubt, helped the Patriots to victory at the subsequent Battle of King’s Mountain.
