THE HISTORY OF

          MECKLENBURG COUNTY

                NORTH CAROLINA

 

A Timeline for The American Revolution:

1773:  The King’ Power

King George III is still unhappy with the colonists and their desire for independence. When he revokes the charter for Queens College, he also takes away the right of Presbyterian ministers to perform marriages. There is increasing ill will toward Britain …

1774:   Hezekiah Alexander’s Home

The home of influential leader Hezekiah Alexander is completed. The 2-1/2 story plantation house on 600 acres is home to Alexander, his wife Mary Sample, and their 10 children. The sturdy stone house will still survive more than 200 years later as the oldest dwelling in Mecklenburg County.

1774 March:  An Intolerable Situation

The British lawmakers, called Parliament, enact a series of laws designed to punish the American colonists, who want independence from their homeland. The colonists call the laws "the Intolerable Acts," and vow not to obey them.

1774 September 5:  The Will of the People

Delegates from the all 13 colonies (except Georgia) and Canada travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They form the First Continental Congress, and plan how they will respond to the Intolerable Acts. Still hoping to restore harmony with Britain, they send a petition to King George III.

1774 Winter:  Backcountry Politics

Colonists hold meetings and agree they will refuse to buy any more British goods. This refusal, called a "boycott," further shows the British rulers that the settlers are determined to win independence. In Charlotte, citizens select a "Committee of Safety," five men who will help carry out the boycott and inform citizens of its results. The men are John McKnitt Alexander, Abraham Alexander, Hezekiah Alexander, Thomas Polk and Ephraim Brevard.

1775 April 18:  The Shot Heard Round the World

The British are angry at the American colonists who defy orders to follow the monarchy's laws. Paul Revere rides his horse through the countryside and warns the "minutemen," who were ready to fight at a moment's notice, that the British are coming. British soldiers called "redcoats" because of their uniforms, fire upon colonists gathered at the village green in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Revolutionary War has begun.

1775 Early May:  Rumblings of War

Charlotte's "Committee of Safety," men who keep order among the citizens, learns that Britain's Parliament has decreed the colonists are in a "state of actual rebellion." The Crown will not tolerate this revolt against its authority and will send troops to suppress the uprisings.

1775 May 19:  Mecklenburg Militia

Colonel Thomas Polk is leader of Mecklenburg's citizen army, called a "militia." He has asked citizens to send representatives to meet at the Charlotte courthouse. They are planning ways to protect their freedom from British rule when a messenger arrives with news of the battles of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Furious, the citizens decide to cut all ties with Britain.

1775 May 20:  The Mecklenburg Declaration of Indepence

The Mecklenburgers announce their freedom with a proclamation called the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence." The document dissolves forever the colonists' bonds with Britain. In the anxious days that follow these emotional events, people will disagree when recalling exactly what happened. Some will doubt the "Meck Dec" ever existed. Even two hundred years later historians will debate these questions, but the May 20 date will be commemorated on North Carolina's state flag.

1775 May 31:  Mecklenburg Resolves

Since all laws imposed by England are suspended, the 27 signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence hurriedly meet again. They draft the Mecklenburg Resolves, which are new laws that will govern the now independent Mecklenburgers. Even those who doubt the existence of the "Meck Dec" cannot deny the Mecklenburg Resolves.

1775 June 3:  Captain Jack’s Ride

Captain James Jack arrives in Philadelphia. He has traveled from Charlotte to inform the Second Continental Congress of the Mecklenburgers' proclamation of freedom. But he never presents the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to Congress. Some believe he realized the "Meck Dec" was worded so angrily that it would hurt chances of regaining peace with Britain.

1775 August:  Strong Arm of the Crown

It becomes clear that no solution is possible for the bitter disagreements between the American colonists and the rulers in their homeland. The British monarchy sends 20,000 Hessian soldiers to America. But these men from Germany are not fighting because they are loyal to Britain -- they are soldiers who are paid to fight, called "mercenaries."

1776 Early:  Common Sense

Even among the delegates to the Continental Congress, there are disagreements. Some men, called "Loyalists," still want to remain faithful to Britain. Others, including North Carolinians, demand complete independence. The turning point comes when Thomas Paine writes a pamphlet entitled "Common Sense." His strong words convince the colonies to cut all ties with Britain. Finally, there is solid support for Independence.

1776 May:  Building an Army

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.

1776 July 2:  The Break

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.

1776 July 4:  A Declaration for Freedom

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.

 1776 December 18:  Establishing Order

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”.

1777 December 19:  Hardships of War

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.

1778 December 29:  War in the South

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.

1780:  Andrew Jackson Soldier Boy

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.

1780 August 16 Change of Command

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.

 1780:  Strange Deal

North Carolina's legislature offers a Negro slave to each soldier who will promise to serve for three years. Some slaves have run away and joined the British. These slaves believe they will have a better chance to win their freedom from the British than from their American masters. But most black men fight on the American side.

1780 September 26:  Cornwallis Comes to Charlotte

British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis arrives in Charlotte, seeking supplies. William R. Davie leads a band of men who hide behind buildings and fire upon the soldiers. Rather than furnish food and grain for Cornwallis' men and horses, some Mecklenburgers set fire to their barns. Some black soldiers serving under Cornwallis are ordered to loot and steal livestock and food from farms.

1780 October 3: The Legend of the Hornet’s Nest

Hungry British soldiers occupying Charlotte make their way to McIntyre's farm, seven miles toward the Catawba River. The men are looking for food to steal. Farmers raise their rifles and fire, driving back the invaders. In the commotion, soldiers knock over McIntyre's beehives, and the insects -- along with the Mecklenburgers -- swarm all over the fleeing Redcoats. This "Battle of the Bees" earns Mecklenburg new respect.

1780 Oct. 2:  Battle of King’s Mountain

On a long, low ridge to the west of Charlotte, frontiersmen from Georgia, Virginia, and both Carolinas are fighting a band of British militiamen led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Although they are evenly matched with about 900 men each, the determined Americans surround the British and trap them at the top of Kings Mountain. Twenty-eight Americans lose their lives and 68 suffer injuries, but they kill, wound or capture nearly all of the British troops in a stunning victory that helps bring about the end of the Revolutionary War.

1780 October 12:  Cornwallis Departs Charlotte 

The people of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County continue to vex General Cornwallis. Skirmishes such as the "Battle of the Bees" just nine days earlier have shown the British commander that a military victory won't be easily won. Cornwallis calls this place "a Hornet's Nest of rebellion," and leaves.

1780 December 2:  General Nathanael Green

Before the American Revolutionary War, Nathanael Greene was a blacksmith and farmer. Now a Major General, he takes over command of the Southern army, replacing Horatio Gates. Greene makes his temporary headquarters at Charlotte as he plans ways to keep Cornwallis' army from reaching the supplies the British army desperately needs. 

1781 February 1:  Battle of Cowan’s Ford

British commander Cornwallis advances back into North Carolina as American General Nathanael Greene's army retreats. At a crossing place, or "ford," on the Catawba River, the Battle of Cowan's Ford claims the life of beloved North Carolina militia commander General William Lee Davidson. In later years, a town, a county and a college will be named for Davidson. 

1781 March 15:  The Battle of Guildford Courthouse

Four thousand American soldiers meet half that number of British at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, near Greensboro. Three hours later when the fighting stops, neither side can claim victory. But this battle helps convince Britain's General Cornwallis to abandon the Carolinas.

1781 April 9: The Jackson Family Tragedy

The British are chasing him, but wily Andy Jackson escapes. His cousin, Thomas Crawford, is not as lucky. On the way to warn Crawford's family, Jackson is captured. So is his brother, Robert. Soldiers force the boys to march to a South Carolina prison. Their mother, Elizabeth Jackson, rides to Camden and demands their release. She succeeds. But both boys have fallen ill with smallpox, and Robert dies just two days after returning home.

1781 Fall:  The Beginning of the End

Dozens more battles have been fought throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. But the British have made a serious mistake. They have assumed that Southerners who are still loyal to the Crown will help them easily defeat the American army. Their strategy fails as the South continues to fight for independence.

1781 October 19:  Victory at Yorktown 

After a three-week battle, Britain's military commander, General Charles Cornwallis, surrenders at Yorktown, Virginia. The Revolutionary War has lasted more than five agonizing years. It will be two more years before diplomats, including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, will finalize a formal treaty that negotiates the official end of the war.

1781 November:  In the Service of Her Country

The British have allowed American nurses to care for wounded American prisoners, so Elizabeth Jackson travels to Charleston, South Carolina. Andrew Jackson is only 14 years old when he receives a small bundle from Charleston. The package contains his mother's belongings. Elizabeth Jackson has contracted the plague and died while caring for her country's fighting men.

1781:  Articles of Confederation

All thirteen states ratify the Articles of Confederation which calls for a "firm league of friendship between states. However, each state remains sovereign and independent. Congress continues to manage foreign affairs, determine currency, regulate the postal services and other services, but they could not regulate commerce or raise money or enlist troops directly. Eventually serious problems arise.