The Wilmington, North Carolina Revolution
The Patriotic activity of pre-Revolutionary Wilmington continued as the colonies moved to open revolt. The area was home to several notable Revolutionaries including: William Hooper; a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Cornelius Harnett, a member of the Continental Congress; and Robert Howe, a General of the Continental Army.As grievances against the British piled up, these men and others established local Committees of Correspondence and Safety. These committees furthered the Patriot cause by organizing boycotts and other resistance, and maintaining contact with other centers of revolution in the colonies. On March 6, 1775 they drew up a paper for the people to sign pledging support to the Continental Congress. It was the first of several oaths Wilmingtonians would pledge to varying causes over the coming years.
On February 27, 1776, war came to the Lower Cape Fear. The government had lost control of the colony. Josiah Martin, the Royal Governor, had tried to retire to the safety of Fort Johnston in Southport. But rebel forces beat him to the fort and destroyed it. The Governor retreated to a British warship lying near the mouth of the river.
Governor Martin was not idle. He had been ensconced in his wooden capital for over seven months; fuming, issuing proclamations, and agitating loyalists sentiments, when his plans began to show some promise.
He had persuaded the large Scottish population (whose members included the famed Flora McDonald) near Fayetteville to take up arms for the King. They were marching towards Wilmington to join with British forces and secure the harbor for the crown.
To meet the threat, Colonel James Moore assembled several regiments of Patriots. The forces clashed at Moores Creek Bridge.
The kilted Highland Scots marched to the bridge in the early morning, accompanied by the squeal of bagpipes. On the other side of the bridge, Patriots had dug in, removed the planks from the bridge, and greased the girders. The Loyalists charged anyway, and were defeated on the slippery logs. Many were taken captive.
Over two months later the British forces the Highlanders were supposed to rendezvous with arrived. With no one to fight or join, they loitered about the lower river for three months, then left the area. Their departure left Wilmington in relative peace for much of the rest of the Revolution.
January 18, 1781, almost five years after the battle of Moores Creek, Major James Craig of the British army appeared before Wilmington with 400 men and a small naval force. British fortunes hadn't gone well in the Revolution. Unable to subdue Washington's army in the North, the British had become convinced that there was a large Loyalist population in the South they could take advantage of. They met with initial success by capturing Charleston and Savannah.
To extend their success inland, Lord Charles Cornwallis led a force through the interior of the Carolinas. The march led to a number of engagements, culminating in Cornwallis' defeat at Guilford Court House, North Carolina. He retired to Wilmington for rest and resupply.
Cornwallis selected as his headquarters the residence of John Burgwin. The house, now know as the Burgwin Wright House, still occupies the most prominent corner in downtown Wilmington. Another notable guest accompanying Cornwallis was his cavalry commander, Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Keeping with the legends of riding his horse through Virginia plantation houses, the Colonel is reported to have turned St. James Church into a riding school. Cornwallis' stay in Wilmington was short. He left on April 25 towards Virginia, and Yorktown.
Cornwallis left, but Major Craig didn't. For most of 1781 Wilmington was subjected to the indignities of occupation. Local patriots, including Cornelius Harnett, William Hooper, and later Governor Burke, were rounded up and imprisoned by the efficient Major Craig. There was even a local massacre when a squadron of dragoons descended upon a tavern believed to harbor rebellious activities, and killed the occupants.
Events overtook the Major, making his stay unnecessary. Cornwallis had reached Virginia, and became bottled up on the Peninsula. In October he surrendered to French and American forces, effectively ending the Revolution. The next month Major Craig sailed away, later to become Governor-General of Canada. Wilmington, and the one-time colonies, were free from British rule.
Source: http://www.ego.com/us/nc/ilm/history/rev.htm
