The Battle of Summerfield was a skirmish, in the area that today is Summerfield, North Carolina in present-day northern Guilford County, between Patriot forces under the command of Col. Henry Lee III and British forces of Banastre Tarleton on February 12, 1781. One month prior to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the armies of Col. Otho Williams and Col. Henry Lee stopped to dine at the home of a Patriot supporter, Charles Bruce. While they were encamped at the home of Bruce, a farmer and supporter of the Patriot cause, Isaac Wright, appeared to inform the soldiers that a group of British Dragoons was on the march and not far from their location. Col. Otho Williams directed Lee to investigate this finding. Lee dispatched a division of his men under the command of Captain James Armstrong, to follow him and to see if they could verify Wright's report. Informed by a local countryman that Cornwallis army had changed its route of march, Col. Otho Williams directed Lee to investigate. Lee, in turn, sent out Capt. Armstrong of the Legion cavalry, to reconnoiter. When Armstrong returned he apprised Lee of the British position, who moved to prepare an ambush. Capt. Armstrong with a small number of cavalry were sent in the path of Tarleton's horsemen.

Some British Legion cavalry, under a “Capt. Miller,” then galloped in pursuit only to be charged in the flank by Lee and his dragoons, who had lain concealed along the road. It was in this encounter that Lee's bugler Gillies, who was made to take a poor mount in order that the local guide could be better horsed, was savagely killed by some British Legion dragoons. It was at that point that Lee's dragoons, in view of the sight, swiftly retaliated. Though Tarleton speaks of Lee being finally repulsed, it would seem, tactically speaking, the Americans got the better of this action. According to Lee, British lost 18, Americans 1, with Miller being made prisoner. Seeing that the battle was losing favor with the British, Captain Miller attempted to escape from the area but was captured by Lt. Stephen Lewis along with three of his men. Handing him a pen and a sheet of paper, Lee told Miller to write down his last words to his loved ones, as he held Miller responsible for the death of the young Gillis. Just as Miller was about to be executed, Lord Cornwallis's army was spotted not too far near their location. Lt. Col. Lee was in no condition to engage Cornwallis and had no choice but to return to Col. Otho Williams camp. Evading death, Capt. Miller was escorted to Major General Nathanael Greene as a prisoner of war.