In the predawn fog of February 27, 1776, battle-crazed Scots, like warrior clad berserks of old, shattered the night in a sudden roar. As many had done at Culloden, they charged with claymores (35-inch double-edged broadswords) and dirks. The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, 18 miles northwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, had begun. Scot Tories, militiamen loyal to the King, charged Moore’s Creek Bridge and forded the black water in a mad dash at patriot militiamen dug in behind entrenchments. Regulators and Highlanders, settlers and newly immigrants, they were part of a plot, hatched out between North Carolina’s royal governor and London, to link the colony’s Loyalists with a proposed British invasion. The plan might have worked, had not a thousand patriot farmers rose from behind their breastwork. The explosive volley cut down the screaming Scots like a scythe blade through a hayfield. In a matter of minutes, England’s hopes to drive a wedge into the heart of the southern rebellion through North Carolina was over. For good.
The importance of this battle was not the numbers involved, the length of the action, nor the number of casualties. This first major salvo of the war in North Carolina was the deciding factor that not only dampened England’s expectations to raise the colony’s large loyalist population, but in effect, put a lid on it – sealing the fate of North Carolina for the duration of the war. And when British Major General Charles Cornwallis marched into North Carolina, nearly five years later, hoping to draw thousands of Scottish loyalists to his banner, he stared out onto a depleted landscape; the memory of Moore’s Creek Bridge still branded on the minds of a reluctant loyalist population.
Early Clash of Arms by Regions
Early in the war, though united through Partisan Assemblies and Committees of Correspondence, each region of the thirteen rebellious colonies experienced their own clash of arms against the perceived British oppressors. New England, the caldron of patriotic zeal, saw the most explosive against England’s regular troops at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775, and two months later at Bunker Hill, June 17th. In Virginia, the Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775, also between patriot militia and mainly regular British soldiers, put an end to Royal Governor Dunmore’s hopes of retaining Virginia as a royal colony. Much further south, in South Carolina and Georgia, the Snow Campaign in December, 1775, between Tory and rebel militias, ended, for the time being, loyalist aspirations in the backcountry. The middle colonies would not feel the brunt of the war until the summer of 1776 with the invasion of New York City. And in North Carolina, the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, it was that colony’s answer to patriotic and loyalist saber rattling calls to arms.
As relations between England and thirteen of her North American colonies worsened, a form of organized propaganda found an active channel to the other colonies from Boston, the boiling pot of rebellion. Committees of Correspondence were established from north to south to connect the Provincial Colonial Assemblies so they could coordinate responses to England’s actions. These colonial assemblies became more radical as Royal governors tried to dampen or even cancel their effective governing legislatures. As such, the writing was on the wall so to speak and these Committees of Correspondence branched out to Committees of Safety which began to gather arms, ammunition, and even appoint their own militia commanders to oust any royal or Tory leaders. The result was a powder keg that just needed a spark to erupt into open warfare.
Things Go from Bad to Worse for North Carolina’s Governor
The year 1775 was not a good one for North Carolina’s Royal Governor, Josiah Martin. Nor for governors throughout the colonies. From August, 1774, local North Carolina provincial councils flexed their muscle to have more of a say in how they would legislate their own counties. However, Governor Martin was reluctant to relinquish his Royal powers. By 1775, the relationship between the executive and his fellow colonials, if it could be called such, had become unbearable. As England continued to enact legislation that the rebellious one third of colonials deemed draconian, Governor Martin did not help matters by announcing unpopular proclamations. His legislative powers were gradually drained off to county and then state assemblies. He was accused of undermining the citizens even to the extent of organizing slave revolts – most dreaded by southerners because of the labor-intensive needs of large agricultural plantations that resulted in a high ratio of African Americans to white owners.
By the summer of 1775, committees across North Carolina and neighboring colonies assisted each other in rounding up suspected loyalist leaders. Pressures were applied to give oath to the patriot cause. Just showing friendship to a British government official was enough to be accused of Toryism and suffer a growing number of consequences from loss of land to imprisonment. In August of 1775, a state Provincial Congress was called to meet at Hillsborough(also early spelling of Hillsboro), 165 miles north of coastal Wilmington and 130 miles northeast of Charlotte. Local delegates were sent from all the counties.
Several resolutions were ratified at this Provincial Congress. The Committee of Safety was established as the military arm of the Congress. So too, the governor was basically stripped of his executive powers. Proclamations were issued to rein in all who shared Loyalist sentiments to the crown. As such, Governor Martin’s position was in jeopardy – not just politically, but personally. In July, 1775, he and his family fled their home at Tryon House in New Bern. He did as Governor Tryon of New York and Governor Lord Dunmore of Virginia; seeking refuge aboard ship. He boarded the sloop-of-war HMS Cruizer, anchored in the harbor at Wilmington. From there, he sent his family onward to New York City. Once safely in the hands of the British navy, Governor Martin began plotting how he could reclaim the colony and retain his position as ruling Governor of North Carolina.
Proposal to Unite Highlander Loyalists with a British Invasion
Governor Martin’s position on the Cruizer was little more than a prison. His fiery proclamations were ignored and messages to the interior were intercepted. But over the next several months, things began to look up for the embattled governor. The sentiment of North Carolinians was divided. He had ardent supporters among the Scot immigrants, Regulators and Highlanders, who had settled the spacious counties of Surry, Rowan, Anson, and Guilford, from the Virginian border down to South Carolina. Also, hundreds of Scottish families had recently arrived the past year and settled in Highlander communities. These newly arrivals also proved loyal to the crown. Because of numerous messages of support throughout the colony, Governor Martin was eventually mislead to believe that he could raise thousands of Tories who would flock to his banner. This was key to his next move.
The summer of 1775, Governor Martin wrote to the Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State to the Colonies since August 1772, claiming North Carolina was ripe in Tory sentiments. That Martin believed those loyal to the King greatly outnumbered the rebels in all the populous western counties. Dartmouth was pleased and informed the governor to announce that a general pardon would be extended to all the insurgents who had participated in the War of the Regulation. Patriots could come to consider the term ‘Regulators,’ mainly Highlander settlers, synonymous with Tory. In October, 1775, Lord Dartmouth wrote to Governor Martin promising to send ten thousand stands of weapons and a number of light field pieces to arm the masses of North Carolina loyalists. So too, a complete battalion of regular troops under an able officer would be sent to Cape Fear.
Disguised British Officers to Lead Tory Forces
To assure his legions of Scottish Tories would be properly led, Governor Martin had been busy commissioning loyalists to serve in King’s militias. Many were Scots Highlanders and or had been prominent in the Regulator Movement. But he needed British officers at the provincial army’s helm to assure military success. For that, two Scottish officers who could speak Gaelic from the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highlander Emigrants) were sent from Boston. Sixty-Five-year-old Major Donald MacDonald had fought at Culloden. He would receive the title of General and command North Carolina’s Loyalist militias. MacDonald’s assistant, Captain Donald McLeod received a commission as Colonel and appointed MacDonald’s second. Some sources site McLeod’s first name as Alexander while others confuse both in the same text! Governor Martin appointed the next in command from North Carolina’s militiamen, Major Allan McDonald, who was father-in-law to McLeod.
The two showed up in late fall 1775 at Edenton and immediately began organizing ‘upcountry’ county militias into regiments, mainly among Scottish Highlanders. Their arrival and activities did not go unnoticed by the patriots. When the two were interviewed by the Committee of Safety at Edenton, McDonald and McLeod confirmed that they were officers in the British army. However, they claimed that they had relinquished their commissions after having been wounded at Bunker Hill. They insisted they only moved to North Carolina to be among friends and family to start a new life. Needless to say, patriot leaders were not convinced of a story that conflicted with the two ‘former’ British soldiers’ actions since they had arrived and considered it a ruse.
Planned Invasion Takes Shape
By the end of October, 1775, Governor Martin was informed that seven regiments would sail from Cork, Ireland, on December 1st, bound for Cape Fear. They would be commanded by one of General Howe’s officers. In October, 1775, General Thomas Gage in Boston turned over command of the British Forces in American to General William Howe. As to the loyalist forces the governor was to raise, Martin himself would be placed in command. Dartmouth stressed that the success of the operation depended upon Martin producing the numbers of loyalists he had promised to meet the invading British fleet when it arrived. Dartmouth wrote, “…as soon as they [Tories] hear of the arrival of the troops [British regulars] upon the coast, bringing down with them horses and wagons for use of the army, for which they will be very liberally paid and rewarded.”
The British regulars sailing from Ireland to Cape Fear were under the Command of General Charles Cornwallis who still led his beloved 33rd Regiment. Commodore Peter Parker’s fleet would supply the approximately 2,000 regulars transport and offer his men-of-war as support. General Henry Clinton was to sail from New York City to Cape Fear with 1,200 regulars and be put in overall command of ground forces. Clinton had arrived in Boston much earlier in the summer of 1775 along with Generals Howe and Burgoyne. All forces were scheduled to rendezvous at Cape Fear in mid-February, 1776. Clinton would not arrive New York City until February 3rd and would not show up on the coast of North Carolina until March 12th, sixteen days after the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.
On January 3, 1776, Governor Martin received word that a British fleet and British army had set sail and all British forces were expected to arrive Cape Fear by mid-February. He was also informed the massive stand of arms would accompany the invasion. With this news, Martin decided it was time to call the expected thousands of loyalists to arms. On January 10th, he issued a proclamation in which he summoned all loyal subjects to “repair to the Royal Standard at Cross Creek,” around 90 miles northwest of Wilmington. The stage was set. The chosen Tory leaders would spread the news in the ‘upcountry’ and set the date for the rendezvous. When all were gathered, they would march to Brunswick, just south of Wilmington on the coast and greet the British fleet when it arrived.
Wrench in Works: British Invasion Delayed
Once properly armed from the expected weaponry, the Highlanders would join the British army and as Martin wrote, “put down the unnatural rebellion.” Early reports of loyalist musters were encouraging and the governor wrote to Dartmouth that soon, three thousand King’s men would march to meet the British fleet and “make victory all the more certain.” Great was Martin’s amazement when he learned later in January that the troops in Ireland had been delayed and had yet to leave port. In fact, General Cornwallis would not depart Cork until February 10th, two months behind schedule. His troops and Commodore Parker’s fleet took two additional months to make the passage, with stragglers sill arriving in May. Also, Lord Dartmouth was no longer in the picture, having been replaced by one not involved in the original planning, Lord George Germain. As such, the plot began to unravel early and did not come together until it was far too late for Highlander and Regulator loyalists.
Loyalists Continue to Gather
Now that the British fleet and regulars would not arrive in mid-February as planned, it was too late to postpone or call off the Royal Standard. Communication with the interior was so difficult that there was no stopping the loyalists from gathering. Governor Martin was also suspect that his messengers may have been intercepted and the patriots were cognizant of his plans. Therefore, fearing a disruption of the general call could crush the plan in its inception, Martin decided best to allow it to go ahead and hope for the best.
Upon receiving the governor’s summons to assemble arms, Tory leader Colonel Thomas Rutherford of Cumberland County’s Militia called a muster at Cross Creek for February 12th. Cross Creek, (presently Fayetteville) was located on the Cape Fear River in southeastern Cumberland County, ninety miles northwest of Wilmington. Loyalists from the counties of Cumberland, Anson, Bladen, and Guilford began their march to Cross Creek on February 5th, where they would gather men from other counties throughout the colony before marching to Brunswick to meet up with the expected British invasion.
Governor Martin was soon encouraged by Captain Alexander McLean (not to be confused with Colonel Alexander McLeod), Gael officer under MacDonald, that three thousand men were ready to march, half of them well armed. While Martin readied Wilmington for the arrival of his ‘army’, he received further good news from Captain McLean writing: “The loyalists are in high spirts and fast collecting…Six thousand strong, well furnished with wagons and horses…” He stated they would arrive at Wilmington on February 25th.
Patriots React and Militias Assemble
The Committee of Safety, the patriot’s military arm of its Provincial Congress, learned on February 9th that loyalists had called for their militias to assemble at Cross Creek on February 12th prior to marching onward to Wilmington and Brunswick. Disturbing to patriot leaders was news that they carried a Governor’s proclamation authorizing this body of troops to force the Sons of Liberty to join them or have them executed as rebels. Patriot militias collected to march towards Cross Creek included: Charlotte, Salisbury, Hillsborough, Dobbs and Craven counties. So too Guilford and Surry would provide men on both sides of the conflict. Colonel John Ashe, who commanded the New Hanover County Militia, led a group of 100 Partisan Rangers. He answered the call and picked up additional militiamen along the route.
Along the coast at Wilmington, the former commander of the New Hanover County Militia, Colonel James Moore, was now Colonel of the 1st North Carolina Continental Regiment. He and his troops had been in Wilmington throwing up breastworks to defend the city. When word arrived of General MacDonald’s loyalists assembling at Cross Creek, Moore began marching his 650 Continentals north. They chose a road along the south bank of the Cape Fear River, the most direct route to Cross Creek, with intent to intercept and disband the Tory gathering. Meanwhile, Colonel Richard Caswell, of the New Bern militia, 95 miles north of Wilmington along the coast, was ordered by the Committee of Safety to cross inland to intercept the Loyalists. In route, he would be joined by Colonel Ashe and his rangers. So too, Colonel John Alexander Lillington, who led the Wilmington District Minutemen, around 200 strong, marched north to hook up with Caswell. By the time Lillington and Ashe’s force joined Caswell’s men, just prior to the battle, they would number around one thousand men. These two main patriot forces, under Colonel Moore and Colonel Caswell would eventually force the loyalist forces under MacDonald into a trap between them.
Loyalists March South
On February 10th, just upriver from Cross Creek, 500 Tory Loyalists had answered the call to gather. General MacDonald, along with his commissioned subordinates that included wealthy planter Colonel James Cotton, met at the home of Dr. Alexander Morrison. They were encouraged by the reports of further troops arriving. Two days later, to the sound of bagpipes, General MacDonald and his entourage marched to Cross Creek, a few miles distant. Previous reports of the thousands massing to the loyalist banner proved to be little more than hopeful speculation. Many of the expected militiamen failed to appear at Cross Creek for the February 12th summons. Of those who did, a majority were in disarray, a third without weapons, and most fearful of marching south. In somewhat desperation and under MacDonald’s direction, Colonel Thomas Rutherford sent out a manifesto. He declared that those who did not repair to the King’s Standard at Cross Creek by February 16th would receive the resentment of their King and suffer the same consequences as those in rebellion. So too, McLeod and McLean were sent upcountry to encourage local leaders to rally men to march.
By February 15th, Highlander loyalists continued to arrive at Cross Creek. It was estimated their numbers were near or above 3,500. However, there were factors that discouraged the new arrivals. There was little or no discipline among the militias. General MacDonald and several of the older officers, Gaels or Highlanders who had fought at Culloden, argued with the younger and newly arrived Scots. Many had been told that Governor Martin along with 1,000 redcoats were waiting for them at Cross Creek as an escort to the coast. When it was discovered both the governor and British soldiers were not there, droves turned around and went home. As rumors persisted of patriot forces gathering between them and Wilmington, loyalist numbers dwindled rapidly, having no desire to fight all the way to the coast. By the time General Moore marched his army from Cross Creek toward Wilmington, around ninety miles distant, he had only 1,300 Highlanders and 300 Regulator loyalists in company. And as the march carried south, their numbers were further reduced as more and more men would desert the column.
Patriots Block Loyalist Column
On the first day of march, February 18th, the Loyalists made only four miles and camped for the night. Word arrived that General Moore’s Continentals were camped on the southern shore of Rockfish Creek just four miles distant. General Moore had reached Rockfish Creek on the 15th and with five field pieces behind breastworks, blocked the main road to Wilmington. Tory militiamen believed there would be an attack the next morning, causing two companies of Colonel Cotton’s regiment to desert. MacDonald knew there was a long march ahead with reports of another force beside Moore’s heading north, that of Colonel Caswell. With his numbers falling at the wayside, he could not afford a continuous fight to the coast. The next day there would be no battle to push Colonel Moore aside. MacDonald sent Moore a copy of Governor Martin’s proclamation calling on all patriots to lay down their arms. Moore responded with his own call for the loyalists to lay their arms aside and support the cause of Congress.
MacDonald decided he would sidestep Moore’s blockade. On February 20th, he retraced his steps and ferried across the Cape Fear River between Cross Creek and Campbelton, a Scottish trading post. MacDonald then destroyed the boats so to deny the patriots’ use. He marched his men southeast along the northern banks of the Cape Fear River along a sandy lane called Negro Head Point Road. This was an alternate route that would cross the South River and lead towards Corbett’s Ferry, some 60 miles distant, that crossed the Black River. From there he would continue on another 10 miles to Moore’s Creek which was about 18 miles from Wilmington and the coast. Once along the coast, MacDonald reasoned it was just a matter of waiting to greet the promised British forces.
When Colonel Moore’s scouts informed him of MacDonald’s movements, he sought to trap the Tories between his and those militiamen heading north. Moore immediately sent riders to Colonel Caswell to block the loyalists’ route at Corbett’s Ferry over the Black River. A rider was dispatched to Colonel Lillington who had been marching his 200 minutemen up from Wilmington to join Caswell. Colonel Alexander Martin and Colonel James Thackston were to remain at Cross Creek to prevent any retreat by Tory remnants. Moore then broke camp and on February 21st, crossed the Cape Fear River, and began his pursuit along the river’s north bank.
Loyalists Cornered and Decide to Fight
Over the next week, both loyalists and patriots felt each other out as they slowly converged; like players in chess, one side moved and the other countered. Moore had hoped to catch up with MacDonald and made Elizabeth Town, about 35 miles south on the Cape Fear River, on February 25th. That same day, MacDonald and his force were 20 miles further ahead and had already reached Corbett’s Ferry. He was surprised to find it blocked by Caswell’s force. Accounts vary as to MacDonald’s next move. He was either informed of the patriots blocking the ferry and veered his men four miles up the Black River where he constructed a quick bridge to cross; or, once learning Caswell’s force blocked his path, he decided to do battle; but, for a local slave who informed him of another passage of the Black River four miles upstream. While a small demonstration kept Caswell’s attention, MacDonald marched the main body upriver to the crossing. The result of either case was that on the morning of February 26th, Tories once more slipped past a fight to continue marching toward the sea.
Widow Moore’s Creek Bridge, about ten miles past the Black River, was the last passage needed before MacDonald’s force had a clear shot to the coast. Both sides knew this. Colonel Caswell was totally surprised and caught off guard by MacDonald’s upstream passage over the Black River. When Colonel Moore in Elizabeth Town was informed of this, he sent out riders to Colonel Lillington’s minutemen and Ashe’s Rangers to make for Moore’s Creek Bridge to block MacDonald before he could cross. A dispatch went to Caswell to rush his force to Moore’s Creek Bridge to reinforce Lillington’s men. Colonel Moore then began a forced march of over 20 miles, hoping to arrive in time to attack the loyalists in the rear.
Lillington’s men arrived at the bridge first and began to construct earthworks on the east bank of the creek with the bridge in front of them. Colonel Caswell arrived on the afternoon of Feb. 26th to join Lillington’s men in constructing the hastened breastworks. But he chose the west bank with the bridge behind. After initially digging entrenchments, Caswell saw his error and abandoned the half-dug trenches and crossed the bridge to the east side. There he and his men joined the minutemen to complete the barrier on the east bank. A couple of hours later, MacDonald’s advance guard was seen approaching the bridge from the northwest.
The stage was set. The Highlanders, their numbers reduced from the original 1,600 to around 800 would either fight or try once more to slip past the patriot barrier. A factor the Tory officers weighed was that more than half of their men did not carry muskets; they were expecting to be fully armed by the British when the fleet arrived. However, the decision to attack or not would have to be made by subordinates. General MacDonald, aged 65, was suffering from the strenuous campaign of the past few weeks and fell ill. While he lay in a sickbed at a nearby farmhouse, his second, Colonel Donald McLeod, would decide the loyalist’s fate.
Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
From the Black River to Moore’s Creek Bridge was high ground that eventually narrowed with marshes on both sides. Moore’s Creek was a tributary of the Black River that twisted through a dense swamp. At Moore’s Creek Bridge, the dark, slow-moving stream was five feet deep and fifty feet. The patriots worked feverishly to complete the entrenchments on the east side of the bridge. The planks from the bridge were removed and used to enforce the embankments. The bridge stringers along where the planks were removed, were smeared with soap and bear’s grease. Lillington’s men had brought along their two light field pieces which were mounted and aimed toward the bridge. By the time MacDonald’s loyalists came up, Caswell’s men, numbering around 1,000 strong were ready.
That evening, February 26th, James Hepburn, General MacDonald’s secretary, rode into Caswell’s camp under a flag of truce. He demanded the patriots surrender; however, he also noticed the entrenchments Caswell started to build on the west bank of the creek. He mistakenly reported back to the Tories that the patriots had set their defenses on the west bank and would have to fight with the creek to their backs. This was welcoming news. A council of war was held that evening in the Tory camp. The older officers, some of who had experience back to Culloden, were against attacking, at least until they knew there were no entrenchments across the creek. The younger men wanted an immediate attack. There was also concern that by waiting, it would give Colonel Moore more time to come down from Elizabeth Town and attack them in the rear.
It was decided that Colonel Donald McLeod and Captain John Campbell would lead the attack at dawn the next day. They, along with 80 hand picked men in long socks and kilts, armed with claymores (double-edged broadswords) and dirks, under cover of bagpipes would charge the bridge. They would spearhead the earthworks to be followed by the main body of troops. The entire Loyalist force broke camp at 1AM and plodded six miles through unfamiliar swamps, arriving at the bridge just before dawn. Surprised to find half-dug, empty trenches on their side of the creek, they immediately formed a battle line. In the half light, McLeod and Campbell could see that the bridge planks had been removed, but by then it was too late to reconsider the attack. The 80 broadswordsmen reached the bridgehead. With the peal of pipes and drums, they charged the bridge.
The patriots did not open fire as the Highlanders groped over the partially dismantled bridge. Several of the Scots fell off the greased railings while others waded through the creek. Most of the Highlanders reached the far bank. As Colonel Caswell and Lillington steadied their men, the Highlanders regrouped. In a blood-curdling cry, the swordsmen charged the entrenchments. It was then, when the crazed Scotsman were withing thirty paces, that Colonel Caswell gave the order to fire. The entire line of entrenchments opened up in a huge explosion of hot lead. A hail of musket fire and belching grape shot from the two cannon poured into the center of the Highlander formation and cut the men down like a massive scythe blade.
McLeod and Campbell were mowed down and mortally wounded along with all those around them. McLeod alone had 20 bullets in him. Those Scots who still swung their claymores were cut down. With the fire hot and now constant, those few who remained standing began to fall back to the creek. Many were shot as they ran for the creek. Others drowned in the water. The remaining body of Scots and Regulators on the west river bank fired toward the patriots with no effect.
With the main attack force decimated and a heavy fire to their front, the remaining Tories had no choice but to retreat back through the swamp to their camp. In one massive volley and literally minutes of continuous musket and cannon fire, the battle was over. Caswell’s men did not pursue the retreating Loyalists. It was not until Colonel Moore’s men arrived after the battle that a pursuit was organized.
Casualties and Capture
The entire battle, from the broadswordsmen charge, the devastating volley, and retreat, lasted only three minutes. Dead were Colonel Donald McLeod, Captain John Campbell, with 48 other Highlanders dead and wounded, all cut down in a wall of withering fire. Only two patriots were wounded; one dying from his wounds, John Grady of Duplin. When Colonel Moore’s militia arrived from the north, both patriot forces pursued and captured the loyalist camp without opposition, including General MacDonald taken from his bed. Besides 350 muskets and 150 swords, along with 13 wagons of goods, the loot included an astounding £ 15,000 in Spanish gold. It took another two weeks to round up hundreds of Tories who had marched with MacDonald. Around 900 were eventually captured of the original 1,600 who began the march towards Wilmington.
At the junction of the Little and the Cape Fear Rivers, 850 privates and subalterns were paroled after taking an oath to never again take up arms against the patriot cause. An oath that was kept throughout the war, almost to a man. Among those not released and held in jail at Halifax were the leaders and officers of both Highlanders and Regulators. Eventually, some were released on parole or exchanged. Some escaped while being transported to Philadelphia. And some retained in Pennsylvania until exchanged the following year, escaping to British held New Yor City and or Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Aftermath
Captain Alexander McLean escaped the patriot dragnet and rode all night to Wilmington. He boarded the HMS Cruizer on the 28th and informed the governor of the battle. He put a positive spin on his report telling Martin that the North Carolina people “would assemble on seeing proper military force.” Martin in turn pooh-poohed the complete defeat of North Carolina’s loyalist forces to his superiors in London writing that “the little check the Loyalists have received will not have any extensive consequences. All is reversible by a body of troops penetrating into the country.” Martin’s ‘doctored’ report did convince London’s ministry…at first.
But over time, the governor’s rosy dispatches ripened like a steaming pile of compost, proving a total catastrophe for all future British ventures into North Carolina. Loyalists in North Carolina, particularly the Highlanders, were broken. They would never rise again in such large numbers to England’s banner. Those who gave their oath for parole kept them for the duration of the war. Others who were threatened and faced the hardships of lost homes and farms went into hiding or left the country. The victory at Moore’s Creek Bridge had a profound effect on morale and confidence. It helped persuade the North Carolina Provincial Congress meeting at Halifax in April to concur with the delegates of the other colonies in the Continental Congress. Drafting the Halifax Resolves, a declaration for independence. North Carolina would establish 10 Continental regiments and 35 militias in eight distinct districts throughout the colony. They would play an active role in nearly every major and minor engagement in both the middle and southern colonies.
As to the British invasion, General Henry Clinton did show up with his promised 1,200 regulars from New York City. He landed at Cape Fear, North Carolina, but not until March 12, 1776, sixteen days after the Highlanders were decimated. Commodore’s fleet, which also transported 2,000 regular British troops under Major General Charles Cornwallis, did not begin to show up until April 18th. Because of rough seas battered and scattered the fleet, it was not until May 31st when all had arrived.
Clinton and Parker met with the governors of North and South Carolina. Due to the loss of the Loyalist army, they decided that disembarking in North Carolina at this time would be unwise. Instead, Parker suggested a direct assault from the sea on Charleston. His scouts had learned that the fort at the opening of Charleston’s harbor was only partially complete and he believed it would be easily taken, giving them complete control of the harbor. And as they say, the rest is history. Clinton and Parker would be soundly defeated at the Battle of Fort Sullivan. Their fleet limped back north, in time to join Commanding General William Howe in his more successful invasion of New York City.
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