Long before Mooresville had stoplights and coffee shops, a muddy crossroads off what is now Langtree Road became the backdrop for one of North Carolina’s lesser-known Revolutionary War skirmishes.
It was February 1, 1781. Rain poured steadily from a gray winter sky, soaking the dirt roads and everyone on them. A crowd of Patriot militiamen, weary and waterlogged from retreating across the Catawba River, had gathered at Torrence’s Tavern, a rustic roadside stop run by Mrs. Torrence, whose husband had died earlier in the war. Alongside them were civilians—refugees carrying whatever belongings they could manage—hoping for safety in numbers as they fled north toward Salisbury.
But safety never came.
The British army, led by Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis, was close behind. Determined to crush resistance, Cornwallis had sent Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton and his cavalry ahead to cut off the fleeing Patriots. Tarleton, nursing his pride after a recent defeat at the Battle of Cowpens, was eager for a quick and decisive win.
As the soaked militia crowded the tavern grounds, some tried to prepare for battle. Others drank rum straight from buckets—likely the only containers left after mugs ran out. The atmosphere was tense, confused, and entirely unprepared for what came next.
Suddenly, cries rang out: “Tarleton is coming!”
Down the narrow lane we now know as Langtree Road, 200 British dragoons thundered forward on horseback, swords raised. In the chaos, Capt. Nathaniel M. Martin attempted to rally a defense behind a wooden fence, but only a few followed. Most scattered. Martin’s horse was shot from under him, and he was captured—though he would escape days later.
In minutes, the skirmish was over. Ten Patriots were killed. Others, including elderly civilians caught in the fray, were wounded or captured. The British lost seven men. Tarleton’s men tore through wagons with their swords, slashing supplies and bedding. Feathers from ripped mattresses drifted through the cold rain, coating the muddy road in a surreal white blanket.
That night, the British cavalry camped at the tavern. When Cornwallis arrived the next morning, he ordered the building burned to the ground.
Perhaps the most remarkable detail? General Nathanael Greene, commander of the Southern Continental Army, had ridden through the area just minutes before the ambush. If Tarleton hadn’t stopped to attack, he might’ve captured Greene—an event that could have changed the course of the war.
At the time, this area was known as Mount Mourne, named after a local plantation owned by Revolutionary War patriot John Davidson. Though now part of modern-day Mooresville, the Mount Mourne name still appears in historical references, road signs, and the name of the local post office. It’s this older designation that the Daughters of the American Revolution used when they placed the Torrence’s Tavern historical marker in 1914.
Today, a simple historical marker stands at 134 Langtree Road, placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1914 and rededicated a century later. It marks the place where local ground became a flashpoint in the fight for independence. Most drivers pass by without realizing a key moment in Revolutionary War history happened right there in their own backyard.
