[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20538]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, THE HORNET'S NEST

  (Mrs. MYRICK asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, while Charlotte is proud of its 
professional basketball teams, the Hornets and the Sting, I would like 
to share with Members how the area first became known as the Hornet's 
Nest.
  On October 3 of 1780, hungry British soldiers, coming off victories 
in South Carolina, were driven away by our local farmers. In the 
commotion, the soldiers knocked over the beehives at McIntyre's farm, 
and the insects, along with the Charlotteans, swarmed all over the 
fleeing Redcoats.
  Four days later, frontiersmen from Georgia, Virginia, and both 
Carolinas destroyed the left wing of General Cornwallis's army in less 
than 1 hour of battle.
  News of the victory revived hopes, and soon patriots like Thomas 
Sumter, Elijah Clarke, and Francis ``the Swamp Fox'' Marion stepped up 
their harassment of the British troops.
  As they say, the rest is history. Cornwallis referred to Charlotte as 
a ``hornet's nest of rebellion,'' and his stay lasted there only 16 
days.
  I encourage Members to join me and my fellow Carolinians in 
celebrating the 220th anniversary of both the Battle of the Bees and 
the Battle of Kings Mountain.

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