“stunned by the destructive and unexpected resistance”— North Carolina State Quarter Coin

Today, the North Carolina State Quarter Coin remembers the morning of February 27, 1776 when a group of revolutionary Americans, smaller than the enemy, prevented the Tories and Highlanders from advancing and taking the area.

This victory, that happened in minutes, kept the British from the area for much of the war.

From the Literary and Historical Activities by the North Carolina State Department of Archives and History, published in 1907:

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The next day Moore was informed that the enemy had crossed the Cape Fear the night before near Cross Creek and was then on the way to Wilmington. He knew the country perfectly and formed his plans immediately.

Thackston and Martin were ordered to take possession of Cross Creek so as to prevent the enemy’s return to that place, a special courier ordered Caswell to take possession of Corbert’s Ferry over Black River, while Lillington and Ashe were sent to reinforce Caswell, if possible, but if not, to take possession of Moore’s Creek Bridge, which, like Corbert’s Ferry, was on the road the Tories were traveling to Wilmington.

And now with every avenue of escape closely guarded, Moore and his Continentals, accompanied by Kenan and the Duplin militia, rushed down to Elizabethtown, hoping to cross the river there in time to meet McDonald on his way to Corbert’s Ferry or to “fall in their rear and surround them there.”

Every order of Moore, the Commanding Colonel, was obeyed to the letter.

Thackston and Martin took possession of Cross Creek, Caswell went to Corbert’s Ferry, and Lillington and Ashe took their stand at Moore’s Creek Bridge. Soon Caswell informed Moore that the Tories had raised a flat, sunk in the Black River, five miles above him, and by erecting a bridge, had crossed it with their whole army.

Moore immediately hurried on towards Moore’s Creek and ordered Caswell to do the same.

In faithful obedience to the orders of his superior officer, Caswell, who had been joined by Colonel John Hinton of Wake County, marched to Moore’s Creek Bridge, arriving there at night, February 26th, where he found Lillington and Ashe in an entrenched position on a sandy elevation, about one hundred yards from the bridge.

The flooring of the bridge was taken up, the pine pole girders thoroughly greased with tallow, over which quantities of soft soap were poured to make crossing the more difficult, and then the patriots resolutely awaited the coming of the Tories.

We are now on the eve of a decisive battle which is to determine North Carolina’s stand in the long struggle for American independence.

From across the ocean Cornwallis and his regiments are coming to help establish forever the rule of Great Britain in North Carolina, Clinton and his army are on their way down the coast to join Lord Cornwallis at the month of the Cape Fear, and Governor Martin, eager to welcome the coming of the Highlanders and Regulators, has moved up the river near to Wilmington, where, under the pretext of demanding supplies from its citizens, he stands on the deck of the Cruizer sloop of war anxiously awaiting to catch sight of the advancing loyal clans and hear the triumphant sound of the Scotchmen’s bagpipes.

But whether North Carolina is to be saved to the British Crown or not depends not so much on the coming of Cornwallis and Clinton as on McDonald’s leading his army safely over the bridge and on through the patriots’ lines of defense.

Far out there in the piney woods of North Carolina, away from British interference, the Tories and the patriots are soon to settle forever, at the point of the sword, the political future of the province.

In the early morning of February 27, 1776, the Highlanders began their march. They moved bravely on, led by their gallant commander, Colonel McLeod, who crossed over on the poles, and seeing an abandoned entrenchment “next the bridge,” supposed that the patriots had fled.

With a glad shout he called to his followers that the day was won; but just then the alarm gun sounded, volley after volley was poured upon the advancing columns, the little cannon on the breastworks swept the bridge, McLeod fell riddled with bullets, and the Tories, stunned by the destructive and unexpected resistance, fled in confusion before the now advancing patriots, who quickly replaced the flooring of the bridge and rushed on in pursuit of their enemies.

In the meantime a detachment of patriots had crossed the creek above the bridge and added to the defeat of the Highlanders by a flank attack.

Thus in a few minutes sixteen hundred Tories had been put to flight by one thousand patriots, who had only one killed and one wounded.

“The number (of Tories) killed and mortally wounded … was about thirty; most of them were shot on passing the bridge. Several had fallen into the water, some of whom, I am pretty certain, had not risen yesterday evening (February 28th) when I left the camp. Such prisoners as we have made, say there were at least fifty of their men missing.”

General McDonald, who had been too unwell to command the Tories during the battle, was captured the next day at a house a few miles from Moore’s Creek Bridge.

Together with Allan McDonald and many other prisoners he was sent to Halifax for confinement and afterwards to Philadelphia.

A few hours after the engagement Colonel Moore arrived on the ground, and, although he was too late to take active part in the battle, he could but rejoice in the successful execution of his well-laid plans by his subordinate officers, whose every movement had been in strict accord with his direct orders.

The results of the victory were most important.

The patriots roamed over the country in pursuit of the Highlanders and Regulators, disarming them wherever found.

Among the trophies were “350 guns and shot-bags; 150 swords and dirks; 1,500 excellent rifles; two medicine chests, fresh from England, one of them valued at 300 pounds sterling; a box containing half Johanesses and Guineas, secreted in a stable at Cross Creek, discovered by a negro, and reported to be worth 15,000 pounds sterling; thirteen wagons, with complete sets of horses, and 850 common soldiers,” who were disarmed and then discharged.

This brilliant victory saved North Carolina to the cause of American independence; it showed that North Carolina was able to hold in check the Tories within her borders; it won over to the cause of freedom many who had hitherto held back for fear of England’s power, and it so thoroughly broke the spirit of Regulators and Highlanders that they never again rallied to the support of the royal cause — no, not even when in 1781, Cornwallis marched among them on his way from Guilford Court-House to Wilmington.

And the fact that ten thousand men, during this month of February, 1776, had taken up arms in defense of liberty, showed that North Carolina’s opposition to wrong and oppression had reached the fighting point of seriousness, thus teaching England what to expect from all of her southern colonies.

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The North Carolina State Quarter Coin shows with a map of the fighting area of Moore’s Creek Bridge, circa 1776.

North Carolina State Quarter Coin