The battle took place at the Mecklenburg County Court House; which is now the site of the Bank of America tower at Trade and Tryon Streets in uptown Charlotte.

An advance guard of General Charles Cornwallis' army rode into town and encountered a well-prepared Patriot militia under the command of William R. Davie in front of the court house.

The small Patriot force, which had not intended more than token resistance, withdrew north toward Salisbury upon the arrival of Cornwallis and the main army.

The southern facade of the courthouse had a series of pillars, between which a stone wall about 3.5 feet (1.1 m) high had been constructed to provide an area that served as the local market.

[1] As his column approached Charlotte, Cornwallis would normally have sent Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his British Legion to investigate the town.

When the cavalry hesitated to charge again, he shouted “Legion, remember you have everything to lose, but nothing to gain.”[8] By this time the main army's light infantry had also begun to arrive, and Davie withdrew his forces.

Cornwallis' left flank, commanded by Patrick Ferguson, were nearly all killed, wounded, or captured on October 7, 1780 at Kings Mountain.