Alamance County Revolutionary War Sites

Map drawn by Linda Bowden

Battle of Alamance:      Although technically not part of the American Revolution, the War of Regulation (Circa 1765-1771) was a struggle against improper government, and a precursor to the War for Independence. On May 16, 1771, the Battle of Alamance ended the War of Regulation when Gov. Tryon led his Colonial Militia against the Regulators with a victory for the royal governor in his gallant attempt to restore order in the colony. Over 6,000 Regulators took Gov. Tryon’s pardon.  The site of this conflict has been preserved as the Alamance Battleground North Carolina Historic Site.

A = Pyle's Defeat:      Located at the intersection of Anthony Road and Old Trail Road.  Civil war at this site resulted in the death of 93 Tories plus at least 6 Tory prisoners killed soon thereafter.  Col. Henry Lee's Whig forces had no casualties.

     On February 23-24, 1781, Col. Light Horse Harry Lee led a detachment of Whig cavalry against Tory citizens in a bloody rout known as “Pyle's Defeat” or “Pyle's Hacking Match”, as a result of the close order slaughter that occurred. This action denied the British some 300 recruits.

B = Clapp's Mill:      Located inside the Lake Mackintosh Marina off Huffman Mill road.  The harrassing reconnoiter that occurred here resulted in the death of 17 British and 8 American soldiers, including David Johnson, Archibald Hill, Phillip Watkins, John Ford, William Harvey and three other unknown soldiers from Virginia.

      British Redcoats under command of British Gen. Cornwallis and the “butcher” Banastre Tarleton matched wits with elements of American General Nathanael Greene’s army at Clapp’s Mill on Beaver Creek, March 02, 1781, two weeks before the Battle at Guilford Courthouse. This skirmish is listed in many historical records as the Battle on the Alamance.

C = Lindley's Mill:      Located off Highway 87 and Lindley Mill Road in the southern part of Alamance County.  Visitors should call ahead to John Braxton at (336) 376-3992.  Losses were heavy among Tory and Whig forces alike, with over 50 men killed and 150 seriously wounded in the 4 hour battle to release Gov. Thomas Burke.

     Thomas Burke, the third Governor of the Sate of North Carolina found himself among the prisoners of a Tory raid on Hillsborough by Col. David Fanning. A bloody ambush along Cane Creek led by Brigadier Gen. John Butler on September 13, 1781, failed to gain the release of the Governor, who subsequently became a prisoner of the British in Charlestown.

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