In February 1781, the Revolutionary War came through the land that would one day become Davie County.
The winter rains had swollen the Yadkin River and turned the roads muddy as two armies moved through the North Carolina countryside. General Nathanael Greene and his men were retreating, while British General Charles Cornwallis and his troops were following close behind, hoping to catch and defeat them.
Before the chase was over, Cornwallis and approximately 2,500 British soldiers would pass through what is now Davie County, traveling near places we still know today—including Mocksville, Dutchman’s Creek and Pudding Ridge.
But who was Charles Cornwallis, and how did one of the most famous British commanders of the Revolutionary War end up marching through our community?
Charles Cornwallis
Cornwallis is another person who remains famous for his role in the Revolutionary War.
Born into an aristocratic British family on December 31, 1738, Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, was educated at Eton, a very exclusive school for the upper class, and then at a military academy in Italy.
The military career that he had planned had to wait because of the death of his father. He had to leave and take his father’s place in the House of Lords. At that time, tensions between the colonies and the Crown were worsening. Cornwallis was one of only five members of the House of Lords to vote to repeal the Stamp Act, which the colonists despised.
However, he received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general in December 1775 and left his home to engage in the war between the British and the colonists. He took part in the British expedition against Charleston with Sir Henry Clinton and went on to defeat General Gates at Camden, South Carolina, in August of 1780.
Things began to change after the American forces were victorious at the Battle of Kings Mountain and again at the Battle of Cowpens in early 1781.
It was during the events that followed that Cornwallis made his way through what is now Davie County.
Cornwallis Comes Through Davie County
This part of the story comes from Mr. James Wall’s book about Davie County history.
Near the end of the Revolutionary War, in the winter of 1781, Cornwallis sought a way to defeat General Nathanael Greene’s army. Greene and his men were retreating at the time, and Cornwallis and his men were following them, hoping to engage them in battle and defeat them.
Much of this story happened right here in what is now Davie County.
Although the Yadkin was rising due to recent rains, Greene’s men crossed the river at Trading Ford, one of several fords in the area where the water was not as deep as in most places along the river.
Illustration from Benson J. Lossing’s The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, 1851.
The British army passed close to what is now Woodleaf and camped at Renshaw’s Ford on the Rowan County side of the river.
The very next day, Cornwallis and his troops began their march through Davie County, following Greene and his army. His men headed toward Mock’s Old Field, later known as Mocksville.
They traveled south of the present Highway 601, where there would have been several possible routes he could have taken to get here. Mr. Wall suggests probably at either the Jericho Road or the Sanford Avenue route, both of which led to what is now Salisbury Street.
It is believed that they continued north to the area that is now Highway 158, crossing Dutchman’s Creek at Rocky Ford, which was close to the present Pudding Ridge.
How Did Pudding Ridge Get Its Name?
Tradition suggests that the name “Pudding Ridge” came from Cornwallis himself because it was so muddy in that area as he tried to march 2,500 men during a heavy February rain.
They were in a desperate hurry to catch Greene’s army.
Both armies eventually met at Guilford Courthouse near Greensboro. Although the British claimed the victory, Cornwallis had lost about 25% of his men. It was really a Pyrrhic victory because his losses were so great.
After Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis decided to take the war north into Virginia. There he eventually surrendered to a combined Franco-American force at Yorktown in October of 1781.
He was a prisoner of war but was exchanged for the Patriot Henry Laurens, the former president of the Continental Congress.
After these events, Cornwallis continued to serve his country as Governor-General of India and as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He died in India in 1805.