Battle of Charlotte

Cornwallis's army entered Charlotte, North Carolina, meeting resistance from Patriot dragoons under Colonel William Davie who fought a disciplined delaying action before withdrawing. Davie positioned his men at the courthouse steps and maintained a stubborn fire on the British advance guard, killing and wounding several before retreating in good order.

Cornwallis occupied Charlotte but found it so hostile that he called it a 'hornet's nest' in his dispatches — a phrase that became Charlotte's proud nickname. The surrounding countryside seethed with partisan resistance. British foraging parties were constantly harassed. Officers could not move safely outside the town. Cornwallis could not pacify the region despite having the largest army in the South.

The Charlotte occupation illustrated a fundamental British strategic problem throughout the Southern Campaign: occupying towns was easy, but controlling the surrounding countryside against a determined, mobile, and locally supported Patriot partisan movement was nearly impossible. Cornwallis's experience at Charlotte convinced him that a more aggressive campaign was needed — leading to the push that ended at Kings Mountain.