Hometown: Mecklenburg County, NC 
Branch: Continental Army 
Unit: Salisbury District Brigade of Militia 
Date of Sacrifice: February 1, 1781 - KIA, Battle of Cowan’s Ford, NC 
Age: 34
Conflict: Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

General William Lee Davidson served as an officer in George Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge, then led Militia forces in his home state. A Revolutionary War hero, North Carolina’s Davidson College and Davidson County, along with Davidson County in Tennessee, are named in his honor.

A district constable since 1770 in his home of Rowan County, North Carolina, in 1775 Davidson pursued a career in the military. As the Revolution began, he enlisted in the Rowan County militia regiment as a captain.

By 1776 he was a major in the 4th North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Line, then later served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 5th, 7th, 3rd, and 1st regiments. By early 1780 he was serving as a colonel in the 2nd Mecklenburg County Regiment, while remaining a Continental officer. He later left the Continental Army to serve as Brigadier General of the Salisbury District Brigade of Militia.

He served as one of George Washington’s officers at Valley Forge and fought in the Patriot siege of Ninety Six, South Carolina, the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown in Pennsylvania, the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, and the Battle of Colson’s Mill, North Carolina—where he was severely wounded.

Contesting the Catawba River crossing of the main British army under Lord Charles Cornwallis, Davidson was killed by a sniper on February 1, 1781, in the Battle of Cowan’s Ford. Davidson and his Salisbury District Brigade were instrumental in the resistance to the British General Cornwallis.

General “Light Horse” Harry Lee later described Davidson as “a man of popular manners, pleasing address, active and indefatigable; devoted to the profession of arms and to the great cause for which he fought.”

Sources
Portrait image: Davidson College Archives
The American Revolution in North Carolina: William Lee Davidson
Davidson Archives: Death of a Great General
News of Davidson: William Lee Davidson
Burial Site: Find a Grave