McIntyre Farm

On October 3, 1780, in the northern reaches of Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, Captain James Thompson's Patriot militia clashed with a mixed body of British regulars and Loyalists commanded by Captain John Doyle. This clash has come down through history under two other names as well, the "Battle of the Bees" and the "Battle of the Hornets Nest."

At the time, Lt. General Charles Cornwallis had been holding Charlotte since September 26, 1780. From there he dispatched a detachment to scour the surrounding countryside for provisions, consisting of 450 foot soldiers, 60 mounted troops, and roughly 40 wagons. A local boy caught sight of the approaching column and carried word to Captain Thompson. The foraging column halted at a place called McIntyre's Farm, seven miles along the road, unaware that Patriot militia had gathered unseen behind them. There, Doyle detached 100 men and 10 wagons to gather what supplies they could.

While the soldiers were busy loading the wagons, a few of them stumbled into some beehives, stirring up a swarm and general chaos. In that same moment, the militia began firing on them. Their shots found their marks with unsettling precision, and because the Patriots kept shifting positions, the British became convinced they faced a far larger force than was actually present. Local residents and men from nearby areas kept streaming in to join the fight, adding to that impression. Convinced he was up against overwhelming numbers, Doyle gave the order to fall back rapidly toward Charlotte. During the fighting, several horses pulling the supply wagons were killed, blocking the roadway and forcing the abandonment of most of the provisions.

The farmhouse at the center of this action, the McIntyre house, ranked among the oldest structures in Mecklenburg county. Marks left by musket balls remained visible in its walls until the private owner of the property tore it down in 1941.

When the British finally pulled out of the region after occupying it for sixteen days, they carried with them the memory of the place as a "Hornet's Nest." That label, born from the militia's fierce resistance, was later embraced with pride by both Charlotte and Mecklenburg county, becoming part of their official emblem. It appears today on the City of Charlotte's seal, on the identity of the city's professional basketball franchise, and among other local institutions.

Two markers commemorating the skirmish now stand near Charlotte, situated just off Beatties Ford Road where it meets McIntyre Avenue.