Following the British defeat at Kings Mountain, Charles, Lord Cornwallis dispatched Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton to suppress an American force under Lt. Col. Thomas Sumter. Sumter assumed a defensive position on William Blackstock's farm near the Tyger River. Tarleton attacked on November 20, 1780. The British launched two attacks and wounded Sumter but were unable to drive the Americans from the field. Tarleton withdrew while Sumter slipped over the Tyger to safety.