Battle of Cox's Mill
The battle of Cox's Mill was fought between Patriot and Loyalist militias in Randolph County, North Carolina on June 8, 1781.
Cox's Mill was the site of a base of operations for the Loyalists under the command of David Fanning. Loyalist scouts informed Fanning of a large force of 160 Patriots under John Collier who were about 10 miles away in pursuit of him. Fanning had decided to make a preemptive strike on the Patriot forces under the cover of darkness that night. Fanning's guide was captured and the Loyalists were discovered and fired upon by the Patriots. An exchange of fire was made between the two forces that lasted for 4 hours until the Loyalists withdrew to Deep River at dawn. Today a state historical marker can be seen along NC 22 denoting the Mill