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Beattie's Ford was a public ford on the Catawba River in the Piedmont of North Carolina, and it was originally named for John Beatty one of the first European settlers in the region.[https://perry1644.wordpress.com/tag/beatties-ford/][ Many historians agree that he was the first white man to cross over to the western banks of the Catawba River, and made his land claim with a recorded deed to 944 acres on July 17, 1749. There were several islands in the path of the Beattie's Ford river crossing, and one big island too that is on an early map drawn by General Joseph Graham. ][{{cite book |last= Rankin |first= Hugh F. |title= Greene and Cornwallis: The Campaign in the Carolinas |edition= Second |year=2003 |publisher= Office of Archives and History North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources |location= Raleigh, North Carolina |isbn= 0-86526-119-9 |page= 48}}] These islands made the journey across Beattie's Ford easier as there was some dry ground, and then shallower water from bank to bank as well. The reason that these group of islands are important is that they are physical landmarks that help to locate the location of Beattie's Ford even before there were maps. In the times before maps originally the Catawba River crossing at Beattie's Ford was an Indian trading path used for centeries both by animals and Indian tribes like the Catawba people [https://www.ncpedia.org/catawba-indians][ and Cherokee Indians ][http://webtest2.cherokee.org/About-The-Nation/History/Facts/Our-History][ that were common to the regional area. Therefore, it was common knowledge of the ford here.] As the North Carolina Piedmont opened up to more settlers looking to find more land at lower prices there was a flood of migration of predominately Scot-Irish and Germans traveling down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania into this western region of North Carolina. [https://www.ncpedia.org/great-wagon-road][ Once the Piedmont bewteen the Yadkin River and the Catawba River filled up in the early Mecklenburg and Rowan counties the settlers followed these old Indian trading paths to the various fords like Beattie's Ford, and started to cross over the Catawba River. ][http://www.catawbacountync.gov/library/gen/Yoder--Condensed%20History%20of%20Cat%20Co.htm] Several of the roads on the eastern side of the Catawba River were named Beattie's Ford Road, and they went is different directions east and west as well as north and south. Today there is still one road in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina that directionally goes north to south from Lake Norman[https://www.ourstate.com/the-history-of-lake-norman/][ at Highway 73 down to the Queen City of Charlotte named for Queen Charlotte the wife of King George III, and Beattie's Ford Road goes by one of the earliest colonial churches named Hopewell Presbyterian Church in a Scot-Irish community. ][http://www.hopewellpresbyterian.com/][ Also, McIntyre's Farm is on Beattie's Ford Road, and there was a local Revolutionary War Battle of the Bee's that took place there in which the British Army was defeated by the honey bees and a dozen militia soldiers. ][https://www.ncpedia.org/mcintyres-farm-battle] Additionally, still called by this name "Old Beattie's Ford Road" it is over in Rowan County, North Carolina starting near China Grove and Landis at Interstate 85 then heading east in the diretion of the Yadkin River, and goes by one of the earliest colonial churches previously called Grace Evangelical and Reformed Church now called Grace Lower Stone Church in the German community.[http://www.gracelowerstonechurch.org/about-us/our-story] At China Grove the Great Wagon Road goes north a short distance into Salisbury, North Carolina. In Iredell County, North Carolina there was a name change for the Beattie's Ford Road into the Brawley School Road, and it dead ends at Lake Norman that was created between 1959 and 1963 when it was flooded by Cowan's Ford Dam also known as Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station four miles to the south. Today everyone uses these once famous roads named after Beattie's Ford to go to Lake Norman for the lifestyle, and they are unaware of the original Beattie's Ford crossing that is 90 feet below the surface of the waters that once was the main road to western expansion into the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina.[http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Appalachian_Mountains] During the American Revolutionary Era the military leaders and Generals all identified Beattie's Ford as a vital ford and crossing of the Catawba River. There are several battles that in order to get to them the milita and regular troops crossed and/or were stationed there to defend Beattie's Ford and prevent the British Troops and Loyalist Militia from crossing. The Battle of Ramsour's Mill, Battle of King's Mountain, Battle of Cowpens, Battle of Cowan's Ford and Battle of Torrence's Tavern all had Beattie's Ford in common, because either going to or coming from these various battles there is documented pension records by Revolutionary War Veteran's who say in their applications and eyewitness accounts that they crossed or fought at Beattie's Ford.[http://revwarapps.org/] Yes there was a battleground at Beattie's Ford, because it was part of the strategic attack by the British Army in a two pronged approach on February 1, 1781 when half of the British Army was at Beattie's Ford while the other half marched under the command of General Lord Cornwallis down four miles to the south arriving at the Cowan's Ford crossing on the Catawba River. According several pensioners there are accounts of American soldiers being killed at Beattie's Ford by cannon fire using grape shot which has a killing zone of 600 yards distance, and the Catawba River was about 400 yards wide at Beattie's Ford. Therefore, the American Troops were within 200 yards of the banks, and were direct targets of the best British Artillery. Everyone expected there was going to be a battle just one day prior on January 31, 1781 as there was a War Council being held at Beattie's Ford with these American Officers, and there names were General Nathanael Greene, General Daniel Morgan, General William Lee Davidson and Lt. Col. William Washington. At the same time that this meeting was taking place the whole British Army arrives on the western side of the Catawba River on the bluffs above the river banks at Beattie's Ford crossing, and it is believed that including in the group of British Officers was General Lord Charles Cornwallis with a spyglass in his hand looking across at the American troops to assess their strenght to wage battle soon.[https://www.southerncampaign.org/] References |