Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

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Revolutionary War 1776-1781

1778 - War in the South

December 29, 1778 - After three years of fighting, the British still cannot defeat the Americans in the northern states. They have pushed south to attack, and capture Savannah, Georgia. Soldiers battle their way through South Carolina and will soon make their way to North Carolina.

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1780 - Cornwallis in Charlotte

September 26, 1780 British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis and his Legion march into Charlotte expecting to be greeted by loyal followers of the Crown. Instead, he is met by Major William Davie and a band of 150 soldiers who are hiding around the courthouse on East Trade Street. Although the “Battle at Mecklenburg Courthouse” ends quickly as the rebels disperse, it sets the stage for Cornwallis’ short and disappointing stay in Mecklenburg County.(Pancake, John S. This Destructive War: The British Campaign in the Carolinas, 1780-1782, p.116.)

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1777-78 - Hardships of War

December 19, 1777 - Twelve thousand troops under the command of George Washington begin a brutal winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Mecklenburg's William Lee Davidson is one of the soldiers who helps protect the American Congress, in session nearby, from British attack. But there is a terrible price to pay. Lacking food, shelter and clothing during the harsh winter, many soldiers will freeze or die of starvation.

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1776 - Building an Army

May 10, 1776 - The Second Continental Congress sends orders to all 13 colonies, instructing them to form their own local governments and fight off any attempts at control by the British.

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1776-05-10

1776 - Declaration: Freedom

July 4, 1776 - The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. It proclaims freedom forever from British rule for all 13 colonies, including North Carolina. But the colonists' struggles are just beginning. Freedom will come at a terrible price as bloody battles will be fought throughout the new United States of America. North Carolina will pay, too, with the lives of its citizens. It will be more than five long years before the fighting ceases.

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1776 - Establishing Order

December 18, 1776 - Now that the 13 American colonies have as a nation declared their independence from Britain, each individual state must decide what kind of laws it will have. As the fight for freedom continues throughout the colonies, today North Carolina adopts its first set of state laws, called its Constitution.

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1776 - The Break

July 2, 1776 - More than a year after citizens of Mecklenburg declare their freedom from British tyranny, the Second Continental Congress approves a resolution that will unite the colonies in their battle for liberty.

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1780 - Battle of McIntyre's Farm

October 3, 1780 - Dwindling supplies force Lord Cornwallis to send a foraging party out into the Mecklenburg countryside. Three hundred British troops make their way up Beatties Ford Road toward the Hopewell Presbyterian Church. They meet fierce resistance at McIntyre’s Farm from a band of fourteen local men led by Captains Thompson and Knox. The British troops flee back to the safety of Charlotte and the British headquarters at Thomas Polk’s house. (Legette Blythe and Charles Raven Brockman.

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1780 - Change of Command

August 16, 1780 - More than four years after colonists proclaimed their independence from Britain, fighting continues. Soldiers in the Southern American army, commanded by General Horatio Gates, are defeated by British troops at Camden, South Carolina. Soon Gates will be replaced by Nathanael Greene, who will spend time in Charlotte.Gen.

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1780 - Andrew Jackson

April, 1780 - Andrew Jackson is just 13 years old, but knows how to find his way through the tangled trails surrounding his home at Waxhaw on the North-South Carolina border. Revolutionary War Major William R. Davie needs help, and enlists young Andy as his scout and messenger.

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