The Battle of Alamance

North Carolina's War of Regulation unfolded when residents of the Piedmont, predominantly farmers,

organized to resist soaring taxes and oppressive government officials. Frustrated by arbitrary seizures of property and possessions, as well as the inability to communicate with representatives or petition for redress, they voiced their grievances.

 

These grievances, crucially, became key causes of the American Revolution four years later, and the rights of representation, due process, and petition are among the liberties we cherish today.

 

The Regulators initially sought these liberties through peaceful appeals to their colonial assembly and Royal

Governor William Tryon as early as 1768. However, their pleas were met with indifference. As frustrations mounted, so did violence.

 

Appointed officials faced confrontation and occasional assault, court proceedings were disrupted, and when

two prominent Regulation leaders were arrested, threats emerged to burn the town of Hillsborough to the ground. The detainees were released to prevent escalation.

 

Considered a rebellious mob by the colony's elite, the Regulators faced accusations of rebellion. In March of 1771, Governor William Tryon mobilized the militia to suppress their movement.

 

The Governor's strategy involved two militia columns converging on the Regulators. General Hugh Waddell's

column, marching from Cape Fear via Salisbury to Hillsborough, found itself outnumbered and retreated.

Tryon, leading a larger force, reached Hillsborough on May 11, 1771, and marched towards Alamance Creek.

 

On May 16, 1771, Tryon's force of approximately 1,000 men faced around 2,000 Regulators, many poorly armed. Attempts to negotiate failed, leading to the Governor's ultimatum. When the Regulators defiantly responded, the militia, hesitant to open fire on fellow Carolinians, was coerced into action by Tryon, marking the onset of the battle.

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The Battle of Alamance lasted roughly two hours, with the militia steadily advancing. Many of the unarmed Regulators fled the field when the battle began, a number of them Quakers whose religion forbade violence.
Those who remained fought "Indian style" from behind trees and other cover, but stood no chance against the cannon and superior arms and coordination of the militia troops.

Tryon won the battle, but at a heavy price. Nine of his men were killed and 61 wounded. Regulator losses were much heavier, but the final tally is unknown. At least twelve were captured, six of whom were later hanged.

The governor followed the Battle of Alamance by unleashing a fury of devastation across the Piedmont region. Homes and farms were burned, men arrested and families left hungry and destitute. His horrible retribution
forced many of the surviving Regulators to flee the region, while others surrendered and were paroled after pledging to never again question their government.

The battle and end of the War of Regulation sent shockwaves through the colonies and were widely reported in newspapers throughout America.   The brutal suppression of the movement helped plant the seeds of the American Revolution.

The monuments on the battlefield describe Alamance as the "first battle of the American Revolution." While this claim is debated, the significance of the engagement is not. Just four years later many of the men from both
sides turned their muskets against the British as North Carolina joined in the war for American Independence.