John Dickey Gets Rewarded For Disobedience
John Dickey disobeyed an order at Ramsour’s Mill, and became a hero in the process.
John Dickey
By the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Irish immigrant John Dickey had made quite a name for himself in colonial North Carolina.
In 1776, Dickey was chosen as a Captain in the State Militia, an office he held for five years.
During this time, John took it upon himself to hide gunpowder in his house. When his suspicious (and Loyalist) Rowan County neighbors ratted him out, he quickly had the powder removed to a more secure location.
Ramsour’s Mill
On June 20, 1780, Captain Dickey was serving under Colonel Frances Locke, who was himself serving under General Griffith Rutherford.
Rutherford ordered his men to attack a Loyalist outfit by Ramsour’s Mill, North Carolina.
Though the Patriots were greatly out-manned, they struck early in the morning. Unfortunately, the tide turned against them and Locke ordered a retreat.
Dickey decided to disobey his orders…
Hero
Somehow, Dickey was able to lead his men to a hilltop where several excellent marksmen were able to pick off the Loyalist soldiers.
John’s daring move turned an obvious British route into a Patriot victory.
While most men would be chastised for disobeying orders, Dickey was instead hailed as a hero.
In fact, he had poems and songs written about him during his lifetime. One of these reads, in part:
"Old Colonel Locke kept pretty well back,
While brave Captain Dickey commenced the attack.
He, Colonel Locke, ordered us to retreat and reform,
Which made our old hero mightily storm."
To learn more about RAMSOUR’S MILL check out this article:
Pity in the Field - Daniel M’Kissick Trades Lives with a Loyalist
Ramsour’s Mill has several interesting stories like this.
‘Rifles at Ramsour’s Mill’ recounts most of the stunning tales from this one small battle.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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