CornwallisCornwallis
Cornwallis from Salisbury to the "'hallow Ford.
Rumple's history page 167.
" Up the Wilkesboro road, crossing 'rant's, Liecond, 'h.trd and Iourth
Creeks.
Encampment on west side of south
Renshaw's ford.
Yadkin not far from
He left Salisbury Feb. 6th and crossed the main Yadkin at Shallow +`ord o
on the 7th."
Byerley's Ch%el- and the graveyard older than the Chapel, is on the
west side of Hunt flg Creek. Near this location is a deep gorgel.;knownnas
Cornwallis Gorge.
In Nocksville "a sunken roadway back of the T.B. Bailey house, known
as the Cornwallis road"
M.J. Heitman in Corner Cupboard Jan. 28, 1934•
On the road side between 'Looksville and Oak Grove, a spring on the
side of a hill referred to for many years as "'Cornwallis's "'pring".
Near Farmington, on east side of Cedar Creek, an old log dwelling
house was torn down in recent years.
There were slug holes in the logs and reportedly some Hessian soldiers
were buried in the yard.
Col. Daniel Hunt, in his application for a pension, related that his
father, Col. Jonathan Hunt,had been captured by the soldiers of Cornwall
army[ and forced to march with them for a short time, but being so old
and feeble, had been released and allowed to return to his home.
Jonathan Hunt's land, consisting of several hundred acres, lay along
Cedar Creek near Farmington, on both sides of the creek.
Adjoining Jonathan Bunt land on the west was the grant to '.organ I-'ryant
Jr., conveyed later to Peter Laton. Traditionally, Cornwallis soldiers
were said to have crossed Fryant uranch, just shove its mouth on iutchma
Creek.
Q"'F- CO. PUBLIC U13PARY
A4Oc"#. ISVILLF� n0
CORNWALLIS,�, ARMY MARC)iES A ;ROSS•: D►AVIE COUNTY, ' FEB.UA3:Yy 1781
; Frost Sali sbur to : t<he 'Shallowford `
:..
by ;
J p,: w. Wall. ,
On Januai* '28,-:1781, General Natbanael Green began his masterful. '
;retreat north across .North Carolina. in preparation for a showdown battle
w -.L th Cornwallis.' Greene was recruiting . and training an army as he :,.e-•
treated. Cu *a?'..i.s followed, hoping to catch an& crush Greene.
Or. February .3y 17819 Greene. reached .Salisbuxiy*"ind*"crossed the Y'adkir.
at the Trading rFord (Dukeville) Cornwelli s reached Salisbury. la -e ;rhe
same day. but decided against crossing at. ;night an already rising ri.•-er
By morning the Yadkin -was -too swollen to ford, and Cornwallis returnod to
-Salisbury to wait.: On:February 5 (or 6•-sourse materials differ as to th .s
date) Cornwallis decided not to wait for thq Yadkin'to recede at the
Trading Ford but to move up through the present Davie County (then Rowan)
and oroas the Yadkin at the Shallowford, near- the present Hllntsville• in
Yadkin .,CbLirity. .'`..
Cornwal1i's moved up the south side of the South Yadkin River through
Rowan County by the route known as the Wilkesboro Road passing near the
p..-isent Woodleaf. He camped on Beaver Dam Creek on the Rowan side of
South River. It was probably at'this campsite that Francs Neely, son of
Richard Neely, extensive landowner in the Byorlyts Chapel section of Davie
County, and one Carson Guffey stumbled into the British camp with 17 horses
which they bad acquired for American army use. The British are said to
have shot and killed Guffey. Francis Neely reportedly ran into the under•-
g1117,Wth *' the river bottoms and that night swam the river and ;returned to
:pis father ds home about 500 yards above , the Ratledge Bridge over Hunting
Creel: in Davie County.
The British crossed the South Yadkin at Renshawts Ford, approk.-:En.
ts=ee miles above where Hunting Creek enters the river and came int:. Davie
County in the Byerlyts Chapel sect4 on. His most direct route would' ha• -e
been to cross at Fisher's'For•d (the Shoals at the present Cooloemee),. No
doubt a swollen South Yadkin necessitated his going above the mov-"-b Of
Hunting Creek in order' t,'o• cross. Cornwallis ,then beaded for TMlocks C?.d
Field, doubtlessly wing :the road long known ' as tbe' 'tor nwalli s Gorge near
Byerly's Chapel. He continued on to Mocksvillo; traveling south! -,est of
the present Highway 601. Legend has said that he entered he cksville fron
the east behind the present Heritage Furniture Factory whera an old road
has been discernible. It would seem more likely however tha: he ontored
the town from either the Jericho Road?-4iardison Street approac"b e= the
County Home Road -Sanford Avenue route. Both of those roads led into the
present Salisbury Street, which was•part of the main road at that t?me.
With approximately 2500 men and the necessary teams and supply wagons. he
likely spread over the entire town for a short',time.
He followed the..present North Main Street, than known as the Salem
Roads into the present Higbway'158 crossing Elisha Creek on the "old" road.
The "Cornwallis Spring" on the north side of the creek where it is said he
stopped to rest; still flows. While there are no extant sources that
rocord his ronto, i t is believed that ho 'continued north. traveling to the
left of the present Highway 158 crossing Dutchman Creek .at the well-known
'pocky Ford near the present Pudding Ridge. Traft tion has said that Corn-
wallis gave the name Pudding Ridge to this place. It has also been said
that people watched the British army fr.on. this place and that the British
cut trees as tray passed. It is not known for Whs.t purpose this was done.
Cornwallis then turned east probably'o*ler the present Cedar.Creok.-,
Road to the present Farmington Road•and't:hen•north toward Farmington.
He crossed Cedar Creek a short distance above tha present bridge where a
ford was then located. Two large piles of rocky near the c�"ossing on the
northeast side of the creek are said to be graves of two of his Hessian
(German) soldiers: who died there.
Jonathan Hunt, a very prominent a tizon and Patriot leader'in the
Rowan Committee of Safety, lived on the left of the present road near
Farmington (probably the former Britain Brock, Blake. Lakoy horaesitos,• now
'
owned by Dr. Graham Weathers) . Daniel Hunt, Jonathan Hunt!d pr son in an
application for a pension for his own services in the Revol;tionary War
states that Cornwallis came to his father's /Jonathan Huntds% house and
killed and destroyed all the property except the dwel?ing house....''
He stated further that the British took his father prisoner but that he
-:_
ane. nfirri. nor. and Tina to to gra.-:�� �? '::,o cneri.- ' - .�".:_U:.rr
r-'er.d/ wes discbsrged in '
the course of one or two dews. V)1 en this ve.l]-
y _
bu-%14- 1•g i1oi�5Z vdS tol-K churl 45e..ver41. bullets we;d.'e.� �'ov►n� b�.��e1 i�h the. 1��$•
�..�...�_._��._.�._.J ✓rL •i i:...a ..._r....�_ .._�... Y._.:��.r..�..�]:::�..aL't..w'+�^. *...-. ''{�_"� t,Y-X�i�'' �/( ,/'( p1j r: (i✓:U
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Cornwallis and his army are believed to have marched over a route a
' short distance west of theresent Farmington p g going toward the Shallowford
Tradition says that they used an old road still visible through the "Brock
Woods" about lk miles northwest of Farmington. Differences in recorded
dates are confusing, but it is likely that the British camped in the
Farmington -Huntsville area the-night'of February -7.• Huntsville residents
recall having heard stories '.*of the finding of pots, -pans, and supplies los
or discarded by the British'there.
The Moravian Records, day-by-day accounts written by the Moravians,
state that the British crossed the Shallowford about 3:00 P.M. on
February 8, 1781. However, General'Jos.eph A. Graham, in 1820 and in 1832,
stated that his company skirmished with -Cornwallis between Shallowford and
Salem on February 7, 1781. This is the-seoond "Battle of the Shallowford.
T4g.Sjrst a Wb��T2rj en a e t known as "Battle. Branch," near
Huntsvz le, October178 .
Cornwallis was in a desperate hurry to cross the present Davie County
Except for the damages at Patriot leader Jonathan Hunt's home,. so far as i
known no other destruction or trouble was caused by his army.
io A*j
Huntsville -- Shallowford
Crossing
Ced �
Cree t, . !�
O ock Woods` I Farruin ton`
Fol
Jonathan Hunt
�'uddingfe Cedar Creel''"" `
f.Dutchmarls ahs. . �ree
Rocky Ford,. 58
r ` Elisha� -,
Bear Cr'' ek Creek,
! `\ ? 0orrm7allis Spring '
Mocksville _
.Jericho Church�- �
l �Ye`r"I3ta Chapel _.— s 4:—
Cornwalris- ,�-YRatlddge Brid a ,.
Gnrge
Renshaws Fcrd-•�� � r ��
s 01-
Coolee e
$o�r� A✓��s..r Cis .
CORNWALLIS ! ARMY MARCHES �Q1
ACROSS DAVIE COUNTY
February, 1781
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