Following his defeat at Cowpens in January, 1781, Charles, Lord Cornwallis was engaged in a relentless pursuit of Nathaniel Greene and his British prisoners. Bad roads, bad communication, bad weather, and uncooperative neighbors made travel slow and difficult, especially with all of the wagons and supplies required to service his troops.

Arriving at Ramsour’s Mill four days after Greene had left, Cornwallis was disheartened. To pick up speed, he needed to shed the encumbrances that were slowing him down. He ordered a fire. A big one. His soldiers were happy to oblige. Up in flames went the senior officers’ wagons, the hospital wagons, even the provision wagons, but not before he issued an extra ration of rum.

The rest, they say, is history.