The Battle of Weitzel’s Mill, fought on March 6, 1781, in Guilford County, North Carolina, was a significant skirmish during the American Revolutionary War, occurring just nine days before the pivotal Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
General Nathanael Greene, commanding the Continental Army, sought to avoid a major confrontation with the larger British force under Lord Charles Cornwallis while awaiting reinforcements.
To monitor British movements, Greene dispatched Colonel Otho Williams with a detachment of approximately 700 men, including light infantry, riflemen, and cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, to reconnoiter south of Reedy Fork Creek.
Cornwallis, recognizing an opportunity to isolate and destroy this advance unit, ordered Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and about 1,200 troops, including infantry under Lieutenant Colonel James Webster, to intercept Williams and cut off his retreat across the creek at Weitzel’s Mill.
The engagement unfolded in the early morning under a thick fog, which the British used to mask their approach.
Williams, alerted by vigilant scouts, quickly organized a withdrawal toward the ford at Weitzel’s Mill, with Lee’s cavalry and Campbell’s riflemen providing a rearguard to delay the British advance.
Tarleton’s initial attempt to cross the creek was repulsed by American fire, but a subsequent assault succeeded, forcing
Williams to retreat northward after a brief but intense fight. Casualties were relatively light—estimates suggest around 50 killed and wounded on each side—yet the skirmish demonstrated the effectiveness of Greene’s strategy of harassment and mobility.
Although Williams escaped entrapment, the encounter heightened Cornwallis’s determination to force a decisive battle, setting the stage for the larger confrontation at Guilford Courthouse later that month.