Col. Andrew Pickens renounced his parole and led the Long Cane regiment back into the field after six months of inactivity. Even though located in the back country, the Ninety Six District was actually the most heavily populated district of South Carolina and Pickens was its most dynamic officer. They were an experienced and well directed militia brigade of several regiments and having them break parole dealt a serious blow to the British southern strategy. Consequently, Dunlap's first patrol as a newly promoted major was to be a visit to the Long Cane Settlement to deal out official retribution for Pickens's treachery. In an angry letter, Cornwallis ordered Pickens's slaves, cattle, and personal property taken and his "houses may be burnt, and his plantations, as far as lies in your power, totally destroyed, and himself, if ever taken, instantly hanged."[15] Major Dunlap carried out his orders with efficiency. "Captain Dunlap's dragoons, united with parties of Loyalists, made a general sweep over the country. Colonel Pickens house was plundered of moveable property, and the remainder wantonly destroyed. McCall's [Lt Colonel James McCall who now commanded a troop of South Carolina cavalry] family was left without a change of clothing or bedding, and a halter put round the neck of one of his sons, by order of Dunlop, with threats of execution, to extort secrets of which the youth was innocent."[16] At the time of Dunlap's raid, Colonel Pickens and Lieutenant Colonel McCall were marching with Daniel Morgan and unable to respond. They remained with the Continental army through February before returning to South Carolina in early March of 1781. Now promoted to brigadier general, Pickens took command of all the partisans operating in the district. His first thoughts on returning were of Major Dunlap who was "detached from Ninety-Six into the country, on a foraging party; Pickens detached Clarke [Colonel Elijah Clarke who commanded the Georgia Refugees] and M'Call, with a suitable force, to attack him."[17] Their orders were to leave the Loyalists alone except that "if they found any that needed killing not to spare them."[18] Clarke and McCall caught up with Dunlap at Beattie's Mill on Little River.