The hornets' nest is an image associated with North Carolina's history, a symbol that dates to the American Revolution and represents defiance. In 1780 the commander of the British invasion of North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis, complained bitterly about the "damned rebellious country" in and around Mecklenburg and Rowan counties. That region gained a reputation for being a nest of hornets for British troops, who were ambushed repeatedly and "stung" by the gunfire of elusive North Carolina patriots. |
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