The engagement took place on either February 1 or February 2, 1781 immediately following the Battle of Cowan's Ford, and resulted in a victory for British cavalry units under the command of Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The British victory served to demoralize Patriot supporters in western North Carolina, and forced General Nathanael Greene, commander of the Continental Army in the southern theater, to withdraw his forces further east. This withdrawal allowed Greene to unite his army with several detached Patriot forces in the Piedmont prior to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. After the conclusion of the war, the site of Torrence's Tavern was commemorated by two state and local historical markers.