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After Nathanael Greene's Retreat to the Dan, Loyalist David Fanning rode through the Haw and Deep River areas to tell the Loyalists of the enticements for any who would fight for the Royal North Carolina Regiment. Four hundred Loyalists under the leadership of Doctor John Pyle were able to be raised in that area. Colonel Pyle had been a Regulator who swore an oath of allegiance to King George after the Battle of Alamance. He became a Loyalist as a matter of conscience. After the war started Governor Josiah Martin commissioned him as a colonel in the royal militia. He raised 300 men and led them against the Patriot's at Moore's Creek Bridge. He was captured and sent to Virginia, because he was deemed dangerous to the Patriot cause. He was able to escape and Pyle returned to Chatam County, where he took an oath of loyalty to North Carolina.

When Cornwallis entered North Carolina, Pyle requested protection for the recruits. Cornwallis notified Pyle that he would meet them at John Butler's plantation, a few miles from Hillsborough. This was the same area where Pickens was in pursuit of Tarleton. With Pickens was "Light Horse" Harry Lee's detacment of cavalry and some Carolina militiamen.

In a lucky break for Lee, Lieutenant Edward Manning of Lee's Legion, had overslept while the rest of the Legion had left the camp. Manning was alone, with the exception of Stephen Craig, Captain Patrick Carne's attendant, who was carrying Carne's portmanteau. Manning and Green mounted their horses and pursued the Legion. Unfortunately it had rained throughout the night and the tracks of Lee's cavalry were obliterated. Manning took the wrong turn in a road and wound up in a house full of Loyalist militia. He rode up and asked a Loyalist rifleman if he had seen a regiment of horse and a body of infantry. The rifleman said, "I suppose you're one of Greene's men." Manning didn't lose his composure. He pointed to the portmanteau and told the Tory, "I have there what will ruin Greene. Point out the road to Cornwallis' army, for all depends upon early intelligence and its contents!"

The Loyalist rifleman told Manning that he had deserted the rebels at the right time, because in the morning the whole settlement would be joining Colonel Pyle. Manning joined the Loyalists in a drink, and toasted to the confusion of Greene, and to the success of the King and his friends. He then road off to the cheers of the Loyalists. Manning finally found Lee and told him of the Loyalist rendezvous.

Lee rode to the Tory rendezvous, where he was halted by two armed men, who mistook them for Tarleton's Legion. Lee's Legion wore green jackets just like Tarleton's Legion. Lee continued the charade, hoping to pass through the enemy without incident. He moved through the column of 400 Loyalists armed with rifles. The Loyalists stared at what they thought was the legendary Tarleton. Behind Lee's cavalry were Captain Graham's dragoons. General Pickens and his men had been told to move to the left flank of the column, out of sight.

Lee's men rode to the Loyalist's left, with their swords drawn and hidden by the sides of their horses. The Loyalists had their arms slung on their shoulders, not suspecting that the enemy was among them. Lee later claimed that he had intended to reveal his true identity to Pyle as soon as they came face to face. In the rear of the column, Graham did not know that they were passing through the Loyalists. He noticed the Loyalists by their cleaner clothes and the strip of red cloth on their hats. The red strip was to identify their loyalty to the King. Graham road up to Captain Eggleston and said to him, "That company are Tories. What is the reason they still have their arms?"

Eggleston was new to the South and was unfamiliar with the Whig or Tory badges. He also noticed the red strips of cloth and asked one of the Loyalists, "Who do you belong to?" When the man answered, "A friend to his Majesty," Eggleston hit him in the head with his saber. Eggleston's men quickly joined him in the attack. The Loyalists, believing the attack to be a mistake, continued insisting they were on King George's side, to no avail. With no cessation in hostilities, the Loyalists began firing back. Lee and Graham's horsemen instantly turned and began hacking away with their swords. Graham's men had swords made by local blacksmiths, and many of them were bent or broken while hacking away at the Loyalists. In the space of a few minutes, ninety-nine Loyalists were killed, and the rest fled in all directions.

One small group of Loyalists were determined to sell their lives dearly, and began firing in every direction. When they'd emptied their rifles, they threw them down and ran. The only casualy among Lee's forces was one of the horses being wounded. Pickens and Lee tried to rally their men, but the confusion was too great. Pickens knew that if Tareleton appeared right then they would be slaughtered. Lee ordered Major Rudolph to lead off, and have his dragoons fall in behind. Soon order returned to the ranks and Picken's column resumed the march in the direction they had gone before. Lee took one of the wounded Loyalists with him, to guide him through the area.

According to local legend, John Pyle was badly wounded in the battle, and crawled into a nearby pond where he concealed himself until he could be rescued. After recovering from his wounds, he surrendered to the local militia. Later they were pardoned as a result of Pyle's care for wounded patriots

Soon after the slaughter, Captain Edward Oldham arrived on the site of the massacre with a band of Catawba Indians. The Indians thrust their spears in the bodies of seven or eight wounded Loyalists, killing them as they lay on the ground. That night six prisoners were hacked to death by Lee's men with broadswords, in retaliation for the supposed massacre of Buford's men. Later that night Colonel Preston and 300 men from the backwoods of Virginia joined Pickens.

Tarlleton's force learned of the massacre, and took up the pursuit of Pickens. When Cornwallis learned of the force arrayed against Tarleton he ordered him back. Buford's massacre had inflamed Patriot passions, but Pyle's massacre devastated Loyalist morale. There was little hope of Loyalists flocking to Cornwallis' standard now.

From "Nothing but Blood and Slaugher,
The Revolutionary War in the Carolinas,
Volume Three, 1781"
by Patrick O'Kelley