The Battle of Waxhaws was a military engagement which took place on May 29, 1780, during the American Revolutionary War between a Patriot force led by Abraham Buford and a British force led by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton near Lancaster, South Carolina. Buford's men consisted of Continental Army soldiers, while Tarleton's force was mostly made up of Loyalist troops. After the two forces sighted each other, Buford rejected an offer of surrender terms, and Tarleton's cavalry charged. An unknown number of Buford's men then attempted to surrender at the same time as Tarleton's horse was shot, pinning him underneath. An unknown number of Loyalists, angered by this apparent perfidy, continued their attack, killing several Patriots until order was restored.