Saturday, February 8, 2014

NC: 1771 Great Alamance Battle

Via Sister Anne via Cousin Becky

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr315/orangebabewatch3/2008-10-16_sarah_elon_42.jpg

 

1771 Alamance: The First Battle of Our American Revolution

 

Historians have taught that the American Revolution began with the "Shot heard around the world" at the Old North Bridge, Concord, New Hampshire. Although, at Concord on April 19, 1775, the conflict blazed up into a conflagration, perhaps another shot fired four years earlier in central North Carolina, was the Spark that ignited our American Revolution.

Here is the story.

Following the unsuccessful English settlement at Roanoke Island in the late 1500’s, colonization of Virginia and South Carolina gained more prominence, and the North Carolina uplands were settled by a more rugged, more independent-minded type of individual. 

In 1765 the new Royal Governor of the North Carolina Colony, Lord Tryon, imposed a policy of taxation to build his opulent palace in New Bern. Over time, colonial leaders from the west wrote letters to the Gov. and spoke with the royal administrators requesting moderation of the onerous taxing and highhanded policies of the Royal Court in Hillsborough.

More @ NC History

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Physician family connection below.

UNC

Invoice from Thomas Leach for medical care

Leach, Thomas May 10, 1772 Volume 22, Page 481




-------------------- page 481 --------------------

Mr. Danl. Peegram, Junr., to Thomas Leach, Dr.

May 10th, 1772—

To Vizits at Different Times, Opening Dressing, Med. and Cureing your knee of a Gun shott Wound Rec’d in his Majes’y Service in the year 1771, in the Battle fought at the Grate Allamance, the 16th day of May, Under the Command of his Excellen’y the Governor Tryon
£22
10
0


Bute County, Jan’y 22, 1773.

This Day Came before me Thomas Leach, Surgeon, & made Oath to the above acc’t to be Just & True.

-PHILEMON HAWKINS, J. P.

7 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Concord, Massachusetts.

      Sorry Brock, wrong state.

      Adam

      Delete
    2. Close enough for government work. :)

      Delete
  2. Technically, we had several events where shots were fired, and people killed. I would suppose the NC had its share. In most cases, the crown prosecuted and hung those they could catch. Lexington was just the largest. Too big and out of control for the Crown to handle. Things never were the same after those two actions. It was Game On.

    ReplyDelete
  3. the downeast hillbillyFebruary 9, 2014 at 8:20 AM

    Brock,
    Two weeks before, on the evening of May 2, 1771, nine young men from southern Cabarrus County, called the "Cabarrus Black Boys" covered their faces with soot and attacked a wagon train of munitions at Phifers Hill, near Concord, NC. They destroyed three wagon loads of munitions destined for Hillsborough. Suggested reading - Touring North Carolina's Revolutionary War Sites by Daniel W. Barefoot

    ReplyDelete