Pyle's Massacre

Pyle's Massacre, (also Pyle's defeat, Pyle's hacking match, or Battle of Haw River), was fought during the American Revolutionary War in present-day Alamance County on February 24, 1781. The battle was between Patriot troops attached to the Continental Army under Colonel Henry Lee and the Loyalist North Carolina militia commanded by Dr. John Pyle. Due to the unique uniform design of his forces, the Loyalists mistakenly thought Colonel Lee was the expected British cavalry commander, Banastre Tarleton, who was known to be en route to reinforce Pyle. When Lee's men opened fire, they took Pyle's force totally by surprise. This resulted in an extremely lopsided victory for Lee, and Pyle's command was scattered and routed.