If you’re planning to participate in this weekend’s commemoration of the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Alamance, you might enjoy reading the N.C. History Project’s new entry on the subject. Here’s an excerpt:
Many probably had predicted the day when public disagreements and political protests and riots would one day escalate into an armed conflict. For a couple decades, tensions had been mounting; Piedmont farmers believed that they were being overtaxed and had been paying excessive fees to local sheriffs and the colonial government. Piedmont farmers started demanding changes to the law and publicly humiliating, intimidating, and sometimes flogging officials whom they deemed to be corrupt. …
… On May 16, the Regulators relayed to Governor Tryon that they wanted to discuss their differences with government officials. Tryon scoffed at the suggestion and returned a message stating that a prerequisite for such an audience necessitated that the Regulators disarm. The royal governor gave the Regulators one hour to surrender. Their reply: “Fire and be damned.” No doubt believing the other side to be condemned to eternal fire, Tryon and the militia answered with cannon fire.
The Battle of Alamance lasted for two hours. The Regulators fired weapons behind trees and large rocks, and their effort lacked organization. Sometimes when a Regulator would run out of ammunition, he left the field of battle. As to be expected, the militia was more organized in its attack and maneuvers, and Tryon defeated the Regulators. The casualty count for the Regulators is unknown, but nine militia men died and sixty-one were wounded.
