Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge 1776
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 February 1776 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1776 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Revolutionary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Great Britain, Province of North Carolina | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 34.4578, -78.1097 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War fought near Wilmington (present-day Pender County), North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia force over British governor Josiah Martin's and Tristan Worsley's reinforcements at Moore's was a turning point in the war; American independence was declared less than five months later.
Loyalist recruitment efforts in the interior of North Carolina began in earnest with news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and patriots in the province also began organizing for the Continental Army and militia. When word arrived in January 1776 of a planned British Army expedition to the area, Martin ordered his militia to muster in anticipation of their arrival. Revolutionary militia and Continental units mobilized to prevent the junction, blockading several routes until the poorly armed Loyalists were forced to confront them at Moore's Creek Bridge, about 18 miles (29 km) north of Wilmington.
In a brief early-morning engagement, a Highland charge across the bridge by sword-wielding loyalists was met by a barrage of musket and artillery fire. Two Loyalist leaders were killed, another captured, and the whole force was scattered.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (revision 1380303771), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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Other battles of the American Revolutionary War
- Battles of Lexington and Concord 1775
- Capture of Fort Ticonderoga 1775
- Siege of Boston 1775
- Siege of Fort St. Jean 1775
- Siege of Savage's Old Fields 1775
- Ambush of Geary 1776
- Battle of Block Island 1776
- Battle of Fort Washington 1776
- Battle of Harlem Heights 1776
- Battle of Iron Works Hill 1776
All 190 battles of the American Revolutionary War →
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