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History of Jeremiah in the Revolutionary War

Battle of Ramsey's Mill

[Gen] Greene followed [Cornwallis] to Ramsey's Mill, then ignored Cornwallis and proceeded southward to recover South Carolina and Georgia. Arriving in Wilmington on April 7, Cornwallis was humiliated at the cold disregard of Greene and distressed at the dilemma in which he found himself. He could not remain idle in Wilmington. To go to Charleston where he had started in 1779 would be a confession of defeat. To Virginia he would go, join General Phillips for the conquest of the State, and return for the subjugation of North Carolina. He proceeded northward from Wilmington on April 25. To Yorktown he went, where, hemmed in by the French fleet and by Washington's army, he surrendered on October 19. It was the virtual end of the War of American Independence.”

More Detailed Analysis

After the battle of Guilford Court House, Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis decided to take his army to Wilmington, where they could be rested and resupplied. A third of his army was sick and wounded and "the rest were without shoes." He stopped at Ramsey's Mill on the Deep River to tend to his wounded and to procure provisions from the locals.

While there, Lord Cornwallis ordered a bridge to be built across the river. Thomas Riddle and his riflemen occupied a house across the river and they fired on the bridge builders, inflicting numerous casualties.

When Lord Cornwallis had entered North Carolina back in January to pursue Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan, the governor ordered a regiment of two hundred mounted infantry to be raised. He gave command to Col. Francois DeMalmedy, Marquis of Bretagne. This regiment did not reach the rest of the Continental Army under Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene until after the battle of Guilford Court House.

Maj. Gen. Greene then ordered Col. DeMalmedy to move his dragoons between the Rocky River and the Haw River to intercept any supplies heading towards the British. He also ordered them to spread the word about the results of the battle of Guilford Court House to discourage any Loyalists from volunteering. Col. DeMalmedy then ordered Capt. Baron DeGloback to attack Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton's dragoons in order to draw them out and to lead them into an ambush manned by Maj. Pleasant Henderson with four other companies under his command.

Capt. DeGloback's company rode to within forty yards of two pickets, and when they fired the Patriots charged. About thirty sentries ran to support the pickets, but after seeing the charging cavalry they turned and ran. Capt. DeGloback captured three Jägers but soon became surrounded by the entire Jäger regiment. He could not return the way he came and instead charged towards the British camp and around their flank. He and his men escaped through a storm of buckshot with their prisoners - without a scratch.

Lt. Col. Henry Lee and his Legion were ordered to cross the river ten miles above the stream, make a night march, and attack the British at Ramsey's Mill from the rear. He learned that the British had been reinforced and thought that this attack was beyond his men's capabilities, so he called off the attack. Lord Cornwallis then learned that Lt. Col. Lee was on his way so he hurried his army across the Deep River and destroyed his newly-built bridge. Lt. Col. Lee arrived just afterwards.

Not long after Lord Cornwallis's departure, Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene arrived and remained at Ramsey's Mill for several days to replenish his supplies. While there, he contemplated what his next move should be. Lt. Col. Henry Lee recommended going back into South Carolina to destroy the many British outposts in the backcountry - now that Lt. Gen. Cornwallis was gone, these were now move vulnerable than before. On April 4th, Maj. Gen. Greene decided to return to Camden, SC.

Lt. Col. Lee's Legion was reinforced with the Maryland Continental company under command of Capt. Edward Oldham, and these two were ordered to march towards Cross Creek in Cumberland County, North Carolina to make Lord Cornwallis think that all of Greene's army was still in pursuit. At some point, Lt. Col. Lee turned south and marched his men for Fort Watson on the Santee River in South Carolina and joined up with Brig. Gen. Francis Marion of the South Carolina Militia.

Maj. Gen. Greene sent notice to Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter, Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, and Brig. Gen. Andrew Pickens in South Carolina that his army was returning to South Carolina to finish what they had started four months earlier.
Source: The American Revolution in North Carolina