Capitalising on the success, the Revolutionary forces quickly replaced the bridge planking and gave chase. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge Kindle Edition - amazon.com Many leaders were still estate holders in Scotland and/or reserve army officers.[7]. The Patriots seized much-needed supplies and imprisoned the officers as prisoners of war. North Carolina was not militarily threatened again until 1780, and memories of the battle and its aftermath negated efforts by Charles Cornwallis to recruit loyalists in the area in 1781. Encyclopedia of North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press. After passing inside a low ridge, take the right fork toward the woods. McLean saw some men on the other side of the bridge. A lock icon or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. From there they marched down to the confluence of the Black River and Moore's Creek, and began entrenching on the east bank of the creek. The national military park was established on June 2, 1926, and was redesignated as a national battlefield on September 8, 1980. As part of the event, a number of nature and wildlife . When asked by his commanding officer, General Peter Horry, however, why he had abandoned his father's party and joined "the rebels", Sgt. However, park historians say the Patriots also have larger six- or nine-pounders. Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. William S. Powell, ed. Coordinates: 34.4579, -78.1090. Copyright 2006 by the University of North Carolina Press. Many or most of the remaining Highlanders turn and run. Thousands of historians will be gathering for the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26, for one of the most significant Patriot victories in the south. The wing on the left side of the road, from your viewpoint, sends forward scouts when it spots the fires of Caswells campsite. No doubt the Kings promise of 200 acres of land taken from rebels, and twenty years of no property taxes, helped entice others. How a 17-year-old from Southwest D.C. found confidence 2,000 miles from home and 13,000 feet in the air. The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia force over British governor Josiah Martin's reinforcements at Moore's Creek marked the decisive turning point of the Revolution in North Carolina. This southern victory by patriots ended British rule in the colony and influenced Great Britain's military strategy in the early years of . It may seem strange that Scots, traditional enemies of England, would be fighting for the English King. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service. The men asked McLean if he was a friend. the first colony to vote for independence. Combined with the capture of the loyalist camp at Cross Creek, the patriots confiscated 1,500 muskets, 300 rifles, and $15,000 (as valued at the time) of Spanish gold. Program will include virtual wreaths presented by SAR, DAR, and CAR chapters. These . In one case it is hand-to-teeth, as a Whig resorts to biting a Loyalist before the latter surrenders. We also have a page of videos and activities just for kids! Labeled the "Lexington and Concord of the South" by many historians, the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge marked the first battle between Patriots and Loyalists in North Carolina during the American Revolution. [11] Amount, ibid. And now these are the people I love and will fight for as long as I live.". 'Here now', I said to myself, 'is parcel of people, meaning my poor father and his friends, who fled from the murderous swords of the English after the massacre at Culloden. This page was last modified on 17 June 2023, at 13:05. A Division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Early accounts of the battle often misstated the size of both forces involved in the battle, typically reporting that 1,600 loyalists faced 1,000 patriots. In a brief early morning engagement, a charge across the bridge by sword-wielding Loyalist Scotsmen was met by a barrage of musket fire. Pursuant to resolutions of the Second Continental Congress, the provincial congress had raised the 1st North Carolina Regiment of the Continental Army in fall 1775, and given command to Colonel James Moore. 12 They have cannons. In the pre-dawn mist, a company of Loyalist Gaels approached the bridge. This forced the Loyalists to cross the bridge in single file. Moores Creek National Battlefield is a battlefield managed by the U.S. National Park Service. ?>, Sign up for updates from the North Carolina History Project. Col. Alexander Lillingtons 150 Patriots from around Wilmington have been quickly finishing the ridge of dirt called earthworks you saw before the boardwalk, which surround his campsite on the other side of the creek. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Timeline Imagine the Scene Charge of the Doomed Walk to the start of the History Trail behind the Visitor Center. Their arrival was expected in mid-February. To learn more, view our full privacy policy. Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge - Kids - Britannica Kids 200 years after the tribe was forcibly removed, the National Park Service, the tribe, and other partners are conserving over 1,000 additional acres of ancestral land. The mile-long History Trail this page follows is paved (mostly rubberized) or uses a boardwalk. The men had started another trench at a right angle to the road between you and the bridge, to the left as you face the bridge, but for unknown reasons stopped. They were confused because the campfires were left burning. PDF Ambush, North Carolina Style: The Battle of Moores Creek - Army Some of the Tories return fire from across the creek,[a] However, less than half an hour after their arrival, three minutes or less since the first gunshot, the battle is over. As the Loyalist forces finalized preparations for their march toward Wilmington, Col. James Moore, commander of the Patriot army in southeastern North Carolina, masterminded a strategy to foil MacDonald's rendezvous with the British regulars. The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War fought near Wilmington (present-day Pender County), North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. Eventually 850 were captured as well as\r1,500 muskets, 300 rifles, and $15,000 worth of Spanish gold!\r\rThis dramatic victory greatly influenced North Carolina to become the first colony to vote for liberation from British rule. While we wish you all could be at the park with us, the health and safety of our park staff, volunteers, and visitors is our number one priority. The rest of McLeans wing follows them. The cannon and a wall of muskets fire with a deafening blast. From February 15 to 21, 1776, the days leading up to the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, Whig forces under commander Colonel James Moore camped on Rockfish Creek. their commanders. It is likely many sunk into the swamps, making an exact count impossible. Josiah Martin is living on a ship off the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Rankin, Hugh F., The Moores Creek Bridge Campaign, 1776. Gen. Donald MacDonald of the British Army. Duration: 12 minutes, 35 seconds Join Moores Creek National Battlefield staff, volunteers, and members of the DAR, SAR, CAR, and the Scottish Society of Wilmington as they present the "virtual" wreath-laying ceremony. Revolutionary militia and Continental units mobilized to prevent the junction, blockading several routes until the poorly armed loyalists were forced to confront them at Moore's Creek Bridge, about 18 miles (29km) north of Wilmington. On February 20 he crossed the Cape Fear River at Cross Creek and destroyed the boats in order to deny Moore their use. When word arrived in January 1776 of a planned British Army expedition to the area, Martin ordered his militia to muster in anticipation of their arrival. The historic bridge site is located along the trail. While the Patriot forces assumed their defensive positions, MacDonald convened a council of war with his officers at his camp about six miles from Caswell on the same side of the creek. Daniel W. Barefoot, Touring the Backroads of North Carolina's Lower Coast (1995). The current ones are not as large, however. This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. with cannons and muskets poised to fire. Cross the bridge before the Whigs finish tearing it up! Commanding the troops was Brig. Battle of Moores Creek Bridge February 27, 1776 [6] But they do bear traditional Scottish broadswords called claymores. McLeod leads one column, and Capt. Many of the Loyalists surrender immediately. The creek was named for Elizabeth Moore, who had inherited a large amount of land by it from her husband. Loyalist recruitment efforts in the interior of North Carolina began in earnest with news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and patriots in the province also began organizing Continental Army and militia. (accessed January 16, 2011). Moore, as a precaution against Caswell being defeated or circumvented, detached Lillington with 150 Wilmington militia and 100 men under Colonel John Ashe from the New Hanover Volunteer Company of Rangers to take up a position at the Widow Moore's Creek Bridge. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. 4) Tories flee, Patriots follow and capture most. The battle is commemorated every year during the last full weekend of February. Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge - North Carolina History Project The following units participated in this battle: Historian David Wilson, however, points out that the large loyalist size is attributed to reports by General MacDonald and Colonel Caswell. Let us know! Within three minutes, the battle was over. ", According to tradition, as the Loyalist Gaels gathered around the Royal Standard in the Public Square of Cross Creek, the formerly Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald, "made to them an address in their own Gaelic tongue that excited them to the highest pitch of warlike enthusiasm", a tradition known among the Highland clans as a, "brosnachadh-catha" or an, "incitement to battle.". Febuary 27, 1776 at Willmington, North Carolina. Volunteer Our volunteers are, without a doubt, Very Important People! Other maps: Bing, Google, MapQuest. Just beyond the bridge nearly a thousand North Carolina . After struggling through the wilderness for hours, the Highlanders caught sight of Caswell's camp, which had been abandoned during the night. Tory Militia: 3070 killed, at least 20 wounded and 850 captured. \r\rThe battle at Moores Creek Bridge ultimately led to the thirteen colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776. Plan your trip today! The American Revolution Tour of North Carolina, https://www.ncpedia.org/moores-creek-bridge-battle, http://archive.org/details/revolutionaryinc00caru, https://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120107/News/605026859, http://www.saltmagazinenc.com/the-1776-battle-of-moores-creek-bridge/, https://www.carolana.com/NC/Revolution/revolution_battle_of_moores_creek.html, https://www.lcfhs.org/uploads/1/1/9/8/119823026/bulletin_jan_1981.pdf, https://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.php/document/csr11-0146, http://npshistory.com/publications/mocr/master_plan/sec3.htm, https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm, https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12305023, https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/mary-slocumb-moores-creek. But instead of murdering the prisoners as the English had done at Culloden, they treated us with their usual generosity. Learn about the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, the American Revolution, and more. MacDonald, his preferred road blocked by Moore, chose an alternate route that would eventually bring his force to the Widow Moore's Creek Bridge, about 18 miles (29km) from Wilmington. Caswell meets with Lillington on the far side of the bridge, and they apparently hatch a plan. Connor Doherty. Flora MacDonald died on March 5, 1790. About 800 men from the New Bern area under Col. Richard Caswell are camped on this side of the creek. The rest of the recruits were paroled, meaning they were released upon swearing not to take up arms for the king again unless exchanged for Whig prisoners, among other terms. 1776 to instruct North Carolina's delegation to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to vote for independence, and it prevented the British from seizing control of the South at the onset of the war. MacDonald sent one of his men into the patriot camp under a flag of truce to demand their surrender, and to examine the defences. As the Loyalists advanced across the bridge, Patriot shots rang out and dozens of Loyalists fell into the creek below, including their commanders. To receive these updates automatically each day, subscribe by email using the box on the right and follow us onFacebook,TwitterandPinterest. The person on the other side was McLean, ahead of his wing of the Loyalists. During the night, Caswell decided to abandon that position and instead take up a position on the far side of the creek. British commander Donald MacDonald began to move his 1,600 men from Cross Creek towards his rendezvous point at Brunswick, only to find his way impeded along the Black River by Caswell's blockade. Here facing the bridge they are the most formidable: roughly four feet high, seven feet wide, with a two-foot ditch along the outside. The battle dashed the hopes of British provincial governor Josiah Martin for regaining control of North Carolina for the Crown. They are probably up the road out of sight, prepared to defend the bridge. The remaining Loyalists scattered, and some were captured and imprisoned. However, many survivors stay together for mutual protection and move toward Smiths Ferry (modern Smithfield), only to be caught at another creek along the way. Although the battle lasted only a short while, Patriot forces were able to prevent British soldiers from taking Moore's Creek Bridge in present-day Pender County. Published: March 11, 2022 at 7:02 am. The patriot forces were also underreported since Caswell apparently casually grouped the ranger forces of John Ashe as part of Lillington's company in his report. Search. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge was the catalyst for North Carolina's state independence. February 27, 2016 Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, 1776 On February 27, 1776, Loyalist forces commanded by Colonel Donald McDonald discovered a Patriot encampment near Moores Creek that, unbeknownst to them, had been abandoned.
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