Overview
The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge was fought between the United Colonies and Great Britain on February 27, 1776, near Wilmington, North Carolina, during the American Revolution. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, British forces were trapped in Boston and decided to try to take control of the Southern Colonies. Troops sailed from Boston and England and intended to join a Loyalist army in North Carolina, under the command of General Donald MacDonald. However, MacDonald was engaged by American forces, led by General Richard Caswell and Colonel Alexander Lillington, at Moore’s Creek Bridge. The Americans had the advantage of entrenchments with artillery, and the Loyalists, with fewer than half of their men armed, were no match. The battle was brief, and the Loyalists suffered heavy casualties — nearly everyone in their advance party was killed or captured. Following the victory, North Carolina was in control of the Patriots and instructed its delegates to the Second Continental Congress to support independence. In May, a British armada arrived off Cape Fear but was forced to sail south to Charleston due to the lack of support from Loyalists.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge is called the “Lexington and Concord of North Carolina” because it was the first battle of the war in North Carolina.
- Date: February 27, 1776.
- Location: The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge was fought near Wilmington, North Carolina, in present-day southwestern Pender County.
- Key American Leaders: Richard Caswell, Alexander Lillington, James Moore, and John Ashe.
- Key Loyalist Leaders: Donald MacDonald, Donald MacLeod.
- Part Of: American Revolutionary War, Southern Theater, North Carolina Campaign.
Significance
The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge is important to American History because it was the first battlefield victory for American forces in the American Revolutionary War and kept the British from invading North Carolina. In the aftermath of the battle, North Carolina was under Patriot control, which supported declaring independence from Great Britain. The victory forced the British to alter their plans for the Southern Campaign, which led to their defeat at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island on June 28, 1776. The British did not return to the South until December 1778, when they captured Savannah, Georgia.
History
Martin Flees North Carolina
In June 1775, Josiah Martin, the Royal Governor of North Carolina, lost control of the colony and fled to Fort Johnston on the Cape Fear River.
British Forces Converge
In January 1776, he was informed that a British armada was on its way to retake control of North Carolina. This armada consisted of two expeditions.
- The first was led by General Henry Clinton and sailed southward from Boston.
- The second was led by General Charles Cornwallis and Commodore Peter Parker, and sailed westward from Cork, Ireland. This expedition was transporting seven regiments of the British Army.
The two expeditions planned to meet off the Cape Fear River in the Province of North Carolina, where they expected to be joined by a large army of Loyalists that Martin was instructed to raise.
Martin’s Proclamation
Martin hoped to raise an army of 10,000 men, two-thirds of them being Scots. This army would march to the coast and join the British land force, which numbered about 7,000 men.
On January 10, 1776, Martin issued a proclamation and called for Loyalists to help put down “a most daring, horrid, and unnatural Rebellion.” For those who pledged service to the Crown, he offered 200 acres of land, cancellation of land fees, tax exemption for 20 years, and reimbursement for supplies they used. The generous terms brought in recruits, though not nearly as many as Martin had hoped for.
The next day, Martin started communicating with Patriot leaders in North Carolina and tried to negotiate peace, but failed. The North Carolina Provincial Government issued orders requiring all men of fighting age to take an oath pledging support for the Patriot Cause. If any man refused, his weapons would be confiscated, and he would be imprisoned.
Scottish Highlanders Gather
Meanwhile, Loyalists responded to Martin’s proclamation and gathered in the Cross Creek area. However, instead of 10,000 recruits, there were 2,800 men, primarily Scottish Highlanders. Under the command of General Donald MacDonald, they planned to advance along the southwest side of the Cape Fear River to the coast, near Wilmington, where they would join with the British troops that were sailing to North Carolina. From there, they would work together to retake the colony.
Patriots Respond
When Patriot leaders learned that the Loyalists were assembling at Cross Creek, the minutemen and militia were called up to join the 1st North Carolina Continentals. Colonel James Moore, Colonel Richard Caswell, Colonel Alexander Lillington, and their men were deployed with instructions to block the Loyalists’ path to the sea.
Moore was in command and devised a strategy to keep MacDonald from joining Clinton and Cornwallis. Moore intended to block MacDonald’s path and force him to alter his route to Wilmington, while Caswell would approach MacDonald from New Bern and block the crossing over the Black River.
On February 11, Caswell and his men were sent to New Bern, north of Wilmington, where they joined the North Carolina Continentals and the Wilmington Minute Men, who were marching toward Cross Creek.
February 18
From February 12 to 16, the Highlanders assembled, took their own oath, and pledged support to the King. On the 18th, the Loyalists spotted American forces, led by Moore, near them. Moore placed cannons in position to fire on MacDonald and his men.
That night, MacDonald and his men quietly left their camp and marched northeast toward the Black River Bridge. By the next morning, all of his men had escaped past Moore’s cannons. Soon after, scouts informed MacDonald that Caswell and his men were approaching from the east. MacDonald ordered his men to head for Corbett’s Ferry.
Moore, realizing MacDonald was headed to the ferry crossing, sent a message to Caswell, ordering him to take command of the crossing. He also sent reinforcements to Caswell.
Loyalists on the March
Around February 21, 1776, Brigadier General Donald MacDonald and 1,600 Loyalists left the Cross Creek area, roughly 100 miles from the coast. Their march was blocked at Rockfish Creek by Patriot forces under James Moore, so they marched east, toward the Cape Fear River. In order to continue to the coast, he would have to cross Widow Moore’s Creek Bridge. Meanwhile, Moore and Lillington fell back and followed MacDonald’s march. Caswell moved in front of MacDonald to Moore’s Creek Bridge.
Corbett’s Ferry
Both the Loyalists and Patriots raced to Corbett’s Ferry, and Caswell arrived on the night of February 23 and burned the ferry. Caswell also had his men destroy any boats they could find.
MacDonald and his Loyalists were four miles away from the ferry on the 24th when scouts informed him it had been destroyed. The Loyalists found a boat that had eluded the Patriots and used it to cross the Black River on the morning of the 25th. At this point, MacDonald was just five or six miles upriver from Corbett’s Ferry, and he soon learned that there were roughly 1,000 Patriot militiamen there.
MacDonald decided to attack Caswell. He sent a contingent toward the ferry with the bagpipes and drums out in front. It was meant to trick Caswell into thinking the main force was headed toward the ferry when, in fact, MacDonald had led the main force and was moving into position to attack Caswell. However, Caswell realized what was happening and ordered his men to fall back to Moore’s Creek Bridge.
American Defenses at Moore’s Creek Bridge
Moore had already ordered Colonel Lillington and the Wilmington Minute Men to block the bridge. Caswell and 800-850 men joined Lillington. Together, they built earthworks on the east bank of the creek and set up two swivel cannons, known as “Old Mother Covington” and “her daughter.”
Accounts vary, but it appears they set up camps on both banks of the creek. On the west side, the smaller camp may have been nothing more than a decoy to trick MacDonald into thinking the American force was smaller than it really was.
February 26 — Moore’s Creek Bridge
MacDonald sent a messenger, James Hepburn, to the American camp, under a flag of truce, and asked for them to surrender and declare their loyalty to the King. The Americans refused MacDonald’s request. Hepburn returned to MacDonald with information about the location of the American camp and its defenses. However, he only had partial information. He told MacDonald about the camp on the east bank and was unaware of the camp on the west bank.
MacDonald held a council of war with his officers. Although MacDonald wanted to be cautious, the younger officers wanted to be aggressive, and they decided to attack on the morning of the 27th. MacDonald was sick, so Lieutenant Colonel Donald MacLeod took active command
February 27 — The Battle
At 1:00 a.m., the 1,600 Loyalists moved out. However, only 500 of them had firearms, and the rest were armed with Highland Broadswords. It took until 4:30 a.m. for them to arrive at the American camp on the east bank. One group moved into the camp and found it was abandoned — the Americans had withdrawn to the other side of the bridge.
Meanwhile, another group, the advance party, discovered that half of the planks on the ridge had been removed and the two stringers had been greased, making passage difficult. However, MacLeod was determined to attack, so he assembled a contingent of 50-80 men and prepared to cross the bridge. They fired on the American guards at the bridge, who took cover.
MacLeod and Captain John Campbell led the Loyalists across the dismantled bridge, swords in hand. Preparing to attack the Americans, he drew his sword and shouted, “King George and Broadswords!”
The militia held their fire until MacLeod, Campbell, and the others were within 30 yards. At that point, the militia opened fire with their two swivel cannons and muskets. MacLeod and around 30 were instantly killed. The others quickly retreated back across the creek. The Loyalists watching from the other side of the creek turned and fled.
The Aftermath of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
The militia put the planks back on the bridge and pursued the Loyalists, capturing around 850, including General MacDonald. The American victory put an end to organized Loyalist activity in the area for several years. Less than two months later, on April 12, 1776, North Carolina became the first state to call for independence when it issued the Halifax Resolves. The Provincial Congress instructed the North Carolina representatives to the Second Continental Congress to support independence.
AP US History (APUSH)
Alignment
The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
