Alamance Battleground
On this site in 1771, an armed rebellion of backcountry farmers — calling themselves Regulators — battled against royal governor William Tryon's militia. Visitors can tour the battlefield, the 18th-century Allen House, and battlefield monuments.
Formation of the Regulators
During the years leading up to the American Revolution many North Carolina people became strongly discontented with the way the provincial government was handling the colony's affairs. However, their quarrel was not with the form of government or the colony's laws but with abuses by government officials.
Grievances affecting the daily lives of the colonists included excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs, and illegal fees. Scarcity of money contributed to the state of unrest. Those living in the western part of the province were isolated and unsympathetic with the easterners and it was in those frontier counties that the War of the Regulation began.
After a swell of popular support for reform a group call the "Regulators" form by 1766. Wealthier colonists considered them to be a mob. The Regulators were a democratic movement that did not have a single leader, though several men were prominent in the movement; including James Hunter, Rednap Howell, William Butler, and Herman Husband. Husband, a Quaker and follower of Benjamin Franklin, circulated political pamphlets advocating peaceful reform.
The Regulator movement
The Regulators movement sought to solve basic issues of Government corruption through a various methods of protesting. Their main issues was the corrupt local officials that where exploiting the piedmont farmers by embezzling the money collected for taxes. These sheriffs would sometimes confiscate people's property if they could not provide hard currency for taxes, even if the farmer is rich in goods such as wheat.
The Regulators conducted mass meetings and organized great assembles of the population and had organized committees with appointed "chiefs" and "captains" as leaders. They sought to file lawsuits and petitions to the offending officials. They even elected Herman Husband and another Regulator to the general assemble, expect all of their effort of reform where ignored as those who where corrupt held the power. After years of frustration and being ignored by their government in September 1770 a group of violent Regulators attack the Hillsborough courthouse targeting the officials that where ruining their lives. Particularly they targeted Edmond Fanning who they beat nearly to death and disassembled his house in Hillsborough. This incident provoke the colonial government to raise a militia of 1,000 and 8 cannons to suppress the Regulators.
The Battle of Alamance
During the morning of May 16th 1771 a body of 2,000 regulators assemble along the Salisbury Hillsborough road to protest against Governor Tryon's policy and forces. They had sent a final petition to Tryon the night before to peacefully resolve this conflict, and where ignore. Around 11:00am the sheriff of Orange county approached the body of Regulators holding the governor's response
"Great Alamance Camp May 16, 1771
In answer to your Petition, I am to acquaint you that I have ever been attentive to the true Interest of this Country, and to that of every Individual residing within it. I lament the fatal Necessity to which you have now reduced me, by withdrawing yourselves from the Mercy of the Crown, and the Laws of your Country, to require you who are Assembled as Regulators, to lay down your Arms, Surrender up the outlawed Ringleaders, and Submit yourselves to the Laws of your Country, and then, rest on the lenity and Mercy of Government. By accepting these Terms in one Hour from the delivery of this Dispatch you will prevent an effusion of Blood, as you are at this time in a state of War and Rebellion against your King, your Country, and your Laws."
The sheriff read this letter to groups of Regulators, this illustrated the Johnston riot act, meaning that the Regulators had one hour to disperse or force was legalized. Shortly after, may be about 15 mins later Tryon arrives with 1,000 men marching through the open woods in line of battle dragging 8 cannons. They setup along the road and wait for the hour to expire. The Regulators stand boldly baring their chest infront of the cannons egging the militia on to fire. After the hour expired, the sheriff ask once again to the regulators, their answer, "fire and be damned". As the sheriff walks back to the safety behind the cannons, Tryon turns to the artillery, loaded with grape shot and opens fire. The Regulators scatter, maybe 400 stayed behind to put up a resistance, as many Regulators where not armed. The cannons keep firing on the Regulators for a 30 minutes until Tryon advances the militia on to the ruminates and pursues them for another hour and a half. At the end of the day Tryon suffers minor casualties while the Regulators suffer 100 killed and 200 wounded.
The rebellion of the Regulators was crushed. exact numbers are unknown. Tryon took many prisoners; seven were later hanged. Many Regulators moved on to other frontier areas beyond North Carolina. Those who stayed were offered pardons by the governor in exchange for pledging an oath of allegiance to the royal government and the surrender of their arms.
The War of the Regulation illustrates how dissatisfied much of the population was during the days before the American Revolution. The stanch different between classes in North Carolina was on full display during the Regulation as the leaders of Tryon's militia where Plantation owners and wealthy "elites". The Regulation also is an example the growing issues of British imperial polices causing unrest in local populations. Though during the Revolution many Regulators, such as James Hunter to remain loyal to the king and fight as a loyalist. While the leaders of Tryon's militia would lead the American Revolution and the war of independence, such as first governor of NC Richard Caswell.