Editing Caswell County, North Carolina (section)

===Creation===
Caswell County was formed from the northern half of Orange County and officially established on June 1, 1777, during a time of increased patriotic fervor.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=59}} It was created so that governance could be more localized and efficient.<ref name="auto3"/> The legislative act establishing the county ordered its first court to be held at the homestead of Thomas Douglas and appointed commissioners to find a permanent location to build a county courthouse and prison.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=59}}

Caswell County was named for [[Richard Caswell]], the first [[governor of North Carolina]] after the [[American Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] in 1776. He was also a delegate at the First and Second [[Continental Congress]]es and a senior officer of [[militia]] in the [[Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War|Southern theater]] of the Revolutionary War.<ref>{{cite web| title=Caswell, Richard| url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/caswell-richard-0| publisher=NCPedia.org|access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref> 

During the prelude to the [[Battle of Guilford Courthouse]] in 1781, [[Lord Cornwallis]] pursued General [[Nathanael Greene]] through Caswell County. Greene's retreat, called the "Race to the [[Dan River (Virginia)|Dan]]," was a calculated ploy. His objective was to extend Cornwallis far beyond his supply base in [[Camden, South Carolina]], so that his fighting power would be significantly diminished. Cornwallis and his troops marched through [[Camp Springs, North Carolina|Camp Springs]] and [[Leasburg, North Carolina|Leasburg]]. They continued on to the Red House Church area of [[Semora, North Carolina|Semora]].<ref name="auto6"/> It is unknown how many locally enslaved people fled to [[Kingdom of Great Britain|the British]] for safe haven before the [[Siege of Yorktown (1781)|Battle of Yorktown]] in 1781.<ref>{{cite web| title=African Americans and the Revolution| url=https://www.ncpedia.org/history/usrevolution/african-americans|access-date=August 11, 2021}}</ref>

By the war's end in 1783, Caswell County had made significant contributions of personnel and [[materiel]] to the war effort. Little fighting took place locally. County residents renowned for their Revolutionary War service include Lieutenant Colonel Henry "Hal" Dixon, John Herndon Graves, Dr. Lancelot Johnston, and Starling Gunn.<ref name="auto3"/> 

Following the war, the county experienced notable social changes. A small number of [[free negro|free Black]] families moved to the area. Most of the men had served in the [[Continental Army]] or [[Continental Navy|Navy]].<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Free African Americans in the Revolution: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Delaware|url=http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/revolution.htm|access-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref> Usually skilled in a trade, they farmed in a manner similar to yeoman farmers but did not have equal rights. They often faced barriers such as limited access to fertile land, fewer legal protections, and social discrimination, which constrained their opportunities for economic advancement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=African Americans - Part 2: Life under slavery {{!}} NCpedia |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/african-americans/life-under-slavery |access-date=November 11, 2022 |website=www.ncpedia.org}}</ref>

Caswell County's significant population growth during this period necessitated advancements in governance and infrastructure. In 1786, a special state census ranked it as the second-largest county with a population of 9,839—trailing only [[Halifax County, North Carolina|Halifax County]], which had 489 more inhabitants.<ref name="auto3"/> By the mid-1780s, no county courthouse had been built, prompting the [[North Carolina General Assembly|General Assembly]] to pass another act authorizing the construction of public buildings. As a result, a courthouse was established at Leasburg, which was incorporated in 1788 as the county’s first official seat of government.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|p=59}}

In February 1792, the eastern half of the county was legally separated to form [[Person County, North Carolina|Person County]]. Following this division, Caswell County's seat of government was relocated from Leasburg to a more central location. The community hosting the new [[county seat]] was originally called Caswell Court House. In 1833, the name was changed to [[Yanceyville]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943|url=https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/the-formation-of-the-north-carolina-counties-1663-1943/3692099?item=4798830|access-date=April 22, 2024}}</ref>