The Battle of Rocky Mount took place on August 1, 1780 as part of the American Revolutionary War. 600 Loyalists commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Turnbull occupying an outpost in northern South Carolina withstood an attack by 300 American Patriots led by Colonel Thomas Sumter. After the American victory at Williamson's Plantation, American patriots of the Catawba District soon became encouraged by this success and decided to head to Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sumter's standard. Sumter was soon able to gather up enough forces to undertake offensive operations in support of Major General Johann Kalb's American advance from the North against the British. The Tories held a strong natural position. Their small fort was formed by 3 log cabins that had been loopholed and encircled by a ditch and abatis. Turnbull had learned from Tory spies that Sumter and his force was heading to this outpost. Turnbull prepared his men for this attack and they were ready for it. At the same time of Sumter's advance, Major William Davie was ordered to advance to Hanging Rock and engage the Tory forces there. Both Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock were known as Tory outposts which served to protect the vital British base at Camden, about 25 miles to the south.

On August 1, early in the day, Sumter appeared opposite of the Tory position. He sent a request to Turnbull for the Tory force to surrender. Without any artillery to soften up the post, Sumter had no choice but to make a direct assault on it. Sumter sent Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Neal to make a charge. Neal succeeded in pushing through the abatis and forced the Tories into the log cabins. In a brief fight, Neal and 5 of his men were killed. With the Tories inside their cabins, Sumter tried to burn them down. he tried unsuccessfully to set the log cabins on fire by having burning fagots thrown against them. Davie and his dragoons rode to the British outpost at Hanging Rock, where they surprised a company of Loyalists camped outside the fortifications, inflicting casualties and seizing 60 horses. The action happened so quickly that the British forces inside the fortifications were unable to respond. Sumter's attack went less well. Turnbull's work on the defenses at Rocky Mount paid off, and Sumter's men were unable to penetrate the defenses. After several hours of fruitless battle, they tried setting fire to the works, but this was frustrated by a torrential downpour that ended the battle. Sumter's forces suffered relatively modest casualties, and Sumter went on to successfully attack Hanging Rock a few days later.