#Presbyterians July 5

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On a North Carolina battlefield before the Revolutionary War a clash took place between PRESBYTERIANS.

Today’s post is part of the #Coach4adayChallenge to share something about history. It all occurred in Currie NC at Moores Creek. Today that site is called Moores Creek National Battlefield. Back in 2019 I visited and learned a lot about the skirmish and the power of deception in war.

Four months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in North Carolina PRESBYTERIANS were beginning to take sides. Those still loyal to British were referred to as Tories and those Patriots looking to breakaway were called Whigs. Many people forget that North Carolina was populated by Scotch-Irish who had escaped England because of religious persecution.

The Test Act of 1704 brought discrimination against both Presbyterians and Catholics in Scotland and Ireland. Primarily designed to suppress Catholicism, it also banned Presbyterians from holding public office. Alongside mistreatment by greedy landlords and worsening economic conditions these measures led to a total of over 250,000 Ulster-Scots leaving for a new life in America many settling in North Carolina.

Beginning in 1775 an uprising by the Whigs had resulted in Royal Governor Josiah Martin eventually evacuating Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC.

 Martin was livid and wanted British control to be restored to North Carolina. He believed that a ship from England set to arrive in Wilmington in the spring of 1776 would do just that.

There was a race by those loyal to the crown to go from Fayetteville NC to Wilmington to meet up with a supply ship sent from England. They were led by General Donald MacDonald and had 1600 men, many of them local PRESBYTERIANS. Once connected with those supplies and British Naval troops they planned to take back control of the colony of North Carolina. The Patriots knew that if MacDonald reached the coast the brief period of Patriot control was likely to be over.

One thousand Patriots, again many of them PRESBYTERIANS were determined to stop their march to Wilmington by securing key bridges. They had failed at several other river crossing points including Carver’s Creek in Fayetteville but thanks to deception they won a decisive battle at Moores Creek Bridge. That bridge was just 20 miles above Wilmington NC.

Going to this link will provide detail about the battle. Only one Patriot was killed but over half of the Loyalists were killed or captured.

The victory at Moores Creek ended British authority in North Carolina and provided an important boost to Patriot’s morale. Within two months of the American victory, on April 12, 1776, North Carolina became the first colony to vote in favor of independence from Britain.

Amazing that PRESBYTERIANS fighting one another was a pivotal moment in US History.