Battle of Torrence's Tavern

Battle of Torrence's Tavern
Part of the American Revolutionary War
The historical marker located near the site of the battle in present-day Mount Mourne.
Date 1–2 February 1781 Location Iredell County, North Carolina Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain Loyalists	Patriot militia
Commanders and leaders
Banastre Tarleton	Nathaniel Martin
Strength
Unknown	Approx. 500
Casualties and losses
7 killed Wounded unknown[1]	10 killed Wounded unknown 1 captured[1]

Battle Site

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Location of the Battle of Torrence's Tavern

The Battle of Torrence's Tavern (also referred to as the Skirmish at Torrence's Tavern or the Battle at Tarrant's Tavern) was a minor engagement of the American Revolutionary War that took place in what was the western portion of Rowan County, North Carolina, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the Catawba River near modern-day Mooresville in Iredell County. Torrence's Tavern was a part of the larger Southern campaign of the American Revolution, which, by 1780–1781 involved a series of clashes between the British Army and Loyalist militia and the Continental Army and Patriot militia in the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina.

The engagement took place on either February 1 or February 2, 1781 immediately following the Battle of Cowan's Ford, and resulted in a victory for General Daniel Morgan and a defeat for units under the command of Colonel Banastre Tarleton.^[2] The American victory served to demoralize Loyalist supporters in western North Carolina. General Nathanael Greene, commander of the Continental Army in the southern theater, moved his forces further east. This move allowed Greene to unite his army with several detached Patriot forces in the Piedmont prior to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. After the conclusion of the war, the site of Torrence's Tavern was commemorated by two state and local historical markers.