Yeah, Yeah ~ Today in 1776 City Dweller Thomas Paine Published “Common Sense”
…but in the wilds just west of Wilmington, North Carolina a little ruckus at Widow Moore’s Creek Bridge saved the rebellion’s bacon.
“King George and Broadswords!”
Loyalists were unaware of what they would encounter as they charged across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776. Just beyond the bridge nearly 1,000 North Carolina patriots waited quietly with cannons and muskets poised to fire. This dramatic victory ended British rule in the colony forever.
The loyalists, mostly Scottish Highlanders wielding broadswords, expected to find only a small patriot force. As the loyalists advanced across the bridge, patriot shots rang out and dozens of loyalists fell, including their commanders.
Stunned, outgunned and leaderless, the loyalists surrendered, retreating in confusion. Wagons, weapons and British sterling worth more than $1 million by today’s value were seized by the patriots in the days following the battle.
In addition to ending British authority in the colony, the patriot victory led North Carolina to be the first colony to vote for independence. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, coupled with the Battle of Sullivans Island near Charleston, SC a few months later, influenced the 13 colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776.
Waiting on the other side of the bridge were mountain Scotsmen who hunted squirrels and had given up broadswords a long, long time ago. Legend has it that’s where NC got “Scotland” County’s name from ~ as a thanks to those Scots who chose to ignore the Loyalist call from the governor and fought for the new nation forming.
Did you know?
The last Scottish clan army was the militia raised in the Cape Fear area of North Carolina to fight as British loyalists in 1776. They mounted what is believed to be the last major broadsword charge in Scottish history. Their story is told at Moores Creek National Battlefield.
Known as the “Lexington and Concord” of the South, the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776, near Wilmington, North Carolina, crushed the loyalists, encouraged the Whigs, stimulated the independence movement and kept the British from invading the state in 1776.
We’ve been down for their historical encampments and battle re-enactments. GO, if you ever have the chance.
Fun | tree hugging sister | 
January 10, 2013 9:40 am
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We have good friends in NC that we visit yearly. This sounds like an excellent side trip.
Lately everyone talks about how the Scots did this and the Scots did that. I’m very happy for the Scots.
But when are they going to start talking about what the Portuguese have done for this country? Huh? According to my Grandmother, not only were the street of San Miguel, Azores paved with gold, but the Portuguese were the first to circumnavigate the world, they discovered America and the were the first to land on the moon. We never hear anything about that at all. It’s just Scots, Scots, Scots.
Well, Skyler when you’re a Scot you tend to talk about other Scots. I’m sure down in Brazil somebody is saying Portuguese, Portuguese, Smortuguese why doesn’t someone talk about the Scots…
Frankly I would question that. I’m thinking that Brazil is trying to get off scot-free in all of this.
My point, major dad, is that the Portuguese were the first into space, the first around the world and yet all we hear about are the Scots. And all the Scots did was invent the telephone, the steam engine, the steam boat, revolutionize the country, etc. Yawn.
They probably don’t even know what to do with a pool table.
Oh, but they’ll sure as hell know what to do with THAT POOL CUE, Skyler. And no doubt something creatively destructive with the balls as well… 😛
As for that “around the world” crap. It’s one guy saying “Obrigado” as the Spanish pay his tab and then it’s ALL SCOTSMEN FOR THE NEXT FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.
I think I have that balance of events just about right…
Another interesting battle was the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, NC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cowpens
Oh, EXACTLY and thank you, Mike! And, oddly enough, I had something planned about that very subject for tomorrow… {;^P