Alamance Battleground is a North Carolina State Historic Site commemorating the

Battle of Alamance The Battle of Alamance, which took place on May 16, 1771, was the final confrontation of the Regulator Movement, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over various issues with the Colonial Government. The Regulators primarily wanted reforms ...

. The historic site is located south of Burlington, Alamance County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

History

The Battle of Alamance was fought in May 1771 as part of the

War of the Regulation The Regulator Movement in North Carolina, also known as the Regulator Insurrection, War of Regulation, and War of the Regulation, was an uprising in Provincial North Carolina from 1766 to 1771 in which citizens took up arms against colonial offi ...

between the forces of Royal Governor

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

and a assemble of the "Regulators" an organized protest movement seeking to reform the colonial government. Archaeological studies begun in 2009 have also found evidence of a Revolutionary War skirmish that occurred between the Delaware Light Infantry and British General Charles Cornwallis' forces on March 5, 1781, one of several small battles to occur in the area prior to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Evidence was also found of a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

era encampment of the 3rd North Carolina Junior Reserve unit under the command of Col. John Hinsdale, who camped on the site shortly before surrendering near High Point to Union forces.

Alamance Battleground State Historic Site

The state historic site belongs to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and was established to preserve part of the battleground and provide historical interpretation of the lifestyle of the settlers in 1770s north central North Carolina. Family papers, books, and documents relate the story of the era, providing authentic examples of living on the frontier during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Grounds

A visitor center at the site allows visitors to view several historical items - including the powder horn of Harmon Cox, the only known surviving archeological relic from the Battle of Alamance, in a small museum. Outside the visitors center is a 3-pounder cannon replica and a map of the battleground site. Outside the visitors center, the grounds are marked with 2

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

s. The smaller monument was given as a memorial in 1880 while the larger monument featuring a statue of James Hunter, the so-called "General of the Regulators", was erected in 1901. The grounds are crossed by a ¾ mile trail, and key battle positions.

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

. A

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.Benjamin Merrill, Captain Messer, and two others. Alamance Battleground State Historic Site also includes the John Allen House, which family sources suggest was constructed around 1780. John's sister, Amy, was the wife of Herman Husband, an agitator and

pamphleteer A pamphleteer is a historical term used to describe someone who creates or distributes pamphlets, unbound (therefore inexpensive) booklets intended for wide circulation. Context Pamphlets were used to broadcast the writer's opinions: to articu ...

prominent in the Regulator movement who was present at the Battle of Alamance. Donated by descendants of the family and moved from nearby Snow Camp to the current site, the frontier style, one room log home is furnished with restored, original pieces from the period.

Visitors

Guided tours of the Allen House are provided upon request. The visitor center has several exhibits a The battleground is largely handicapped accessible. Ten

picnic table A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a Table (furniture), table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for picnic, outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. ...

s are available for use by visitors. A gift shop is also located within the visitor center.

References

External links