Moores Creek

https://www.nps.gov/mocr/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moores_Creek_National_Battlefield Moores Creek National Battlefield commemorates the 1776 victory by a thousand Patriots over about eight hundred Loyalists at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. The battle dashed the hopes of Royal Governor Josiah Martin of the Province of North Carolina for regaining control of the colony for the British crown. The Loyalist defeat ended British plans for an invasionary force to land in Brunswick Town, North Carolina. North Carolina voted to declare independence from the British on April 12, 1776, shortly after the victory at Moore's Creek, which is located in the Wilmington area near Currie in Pender County in southeastern North Carolina. In the early morning hours of February 27, 1776, Loyalist forces charged across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge. Beyond the bridge, nearly 1,000 North Carolina Patriots waited quietly with cannons and muskets poised to fire. This battle marked the last broadsword charge by Scottish Highlanders and the first significant victory for the Patriots in the American Revolution. Moores Creek National Battlefield is located 20 miles NW of Wilmington, North Carolina. · From Highway 17, follow US 421 to NC 210, then West on NC 210 · From Interstate 40, take exit 408 (NC 210) West at Rocky Point. · From Interstate 95 North, take exit 13-A for NC 74 East towards Wilmington. · From Interstate 95 South: take exit 81-B for I-40 East towards Wilmington. · From Fayetteville, North Carolina, take Interstate 95 South to Exit 13-A Questions please call us as 910-283-5591 x2234 Visitor Center The Visitor Center is open Tuesday - Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. This includes access to exhibits, the park's 10-minute film, "In the Most Furious Manner", the gift shop, and America the Beautiful Military and Access Passes. We do not sell the Annual or Senior Passes. Although the Visitor Center is closed on Sunday and Monday, the trailhead kiosk remains open for visitors to procure basic information and stamp their National Park Service Passport. The Visitor Center phone number is 910-283-5591 ex. 2234 Moores Creek National Battlefield is located 20 miles NW of Wilmington, North Carolina. · From Highway 17, follow US 421 to NC 210, then West on NC 210 · From Interstate 40 west, take exit 408 (NC 210) West at Rocky Point. · From Interstate 95 North, take exit 13-A for NC 74 East towards Wilmington. · From Interstate 95 South: take exit 81-B for I-40 East towards Wilmington. · From Fayetteville, North Carolina, take Interstate 95 South to Exit 13-A Welcome to Moores Creek National Battlefield Cannon on a hill on a winter day. American flag to the left of the cannon Mother Covington Artillery Demonstration at Moore's Creek Artillery Demonstration at Moore's Creek Artillery Demonstration at Moore's Creek. Bridge at Moore's Creek Bridge at Moore's Creek. Bridge at Moore's Creek. Small Cannon at Moore's Creek Small Cannon at Moore's Creek. Small Cannon at Moore's Creek. Cannon overlooking field at Moore's Creek Cannon overlooking field at Moore's Creek. Cannon overlooking field at Moore's Creek. Cannon at Moore's Creek Cannon at Moore's Creek. Cannon at Moore's Creek. Verifying North Carolina’s Turn Toward Independence: Archeology at Moores Creek National Battlefield A recent NHPA compliance project at Moores Creek National Battlefield, North Carolina, offered archeologists an opportunity to verify whether the 1776 Battle of Moores Creek actually took place within the national battlefield boundaries. NPS archeologists and resources managers conducted an archeological survey with the help of the Eastern North Carolina Metal Detecting Association and other volunteers. Men, women and children surveying a field with metal detectors. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Moores Creek National Battlefield, North Carolina Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. moores creek bridge Virtual Junior Ranger Day at Moores Creek Participate in Moores Creek National Battlefield's Virtual Junior Ranger Day and earn your Virtual Junior Ranger Day certificate as well as your Virtual Junior Ranger Day stamp! Activities will include coloring pages, making butter, cooking an 18th century recipe, watching a musket demonstration, and more! Virtual Junior Ranger badge Virtual Junior Ranger Program Now Available Welcome to Moores Creek National Battlefield's Virtual Junior Ranger Program! You can earn your Moores Creek Junior Ranger Badge by completing activities with answers found throughout the park's website and YouTube content. Cover includes longleaf pine trees, savannah grass and a silhouette of a Patriot soldier. Outdoor Recreational Opportunities at Moores Creek Venus fly traps growing in a planter at Moores Creek. Venus fly traps planted in dirt Scottish Shortbread & Gunpowder Tea Shortbread was one of the many decadent foods saved only for special occasions during the 18th Century. Learn about where it came from and how to make it here. Small cookies and a tea pot sitting on an elk hide. Series: Festive Foods of the Fort Special holiday foods made life at Fort Stanwix/Schuyler a little more tolerable during the cold winters of the American Revolution. Learn more about the ones that might've been seen and tasted here. A table spread of food, including a cheese wedge, a large meat pie, pasties, and apples. The Adventures of Ranger Cow! Follow Ranger Cow's journey to American Revolutionary War sites! Crochet Cow in Park Ranger uniform Updated Species Database Will Help Boost Amphibian Conservation Across the National Park System To steward amphibians effectively, managers need basic information about which species live in parks. But species lists need constant maintenance to remain accurate. Due to recent efforts, the National Park Service now has an up-to-date amphibian species checklist for almost 300 parks. This information can serve as the basis for innumerable conservation efforts across the nation. A toad sits on red sand, looking into the camera. Guide to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southeast Region Collection This finding aid describes the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) Southest Region Collection, part of the NPS History Collection.

Moores Creek National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior National Battlefield North Carolina The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge was a brief, violent clash at daybreak on February 27, 1776. It saw patriots defeat a larger force of loyalists marching toward a rendezvous with British reinforcements coming by sea. Brief but important, the battle effectively ended royal authority in the North Carolina The colony was deeply divided and fractured before the American Revolution, making it a prime target for British invasion. To take advantage of the situation, the British Crown planned to send 7,000 regular British troops and 10,000 muskets and small artillery to supply those colonists still loyal to the British. First Moves Toward War By summer 1775 British Royal Governor of North Carolina Josiah Martin had lost control of the colony and was sent into exile aboard a British warship. While in exile Martin laid plans to retake North Carolina by raising an army of 10,000 loyalists and marching it to the coast. His plan would restore royal rule in the Carolinas. In the end, Martin raised only 1,600 soldiers. At news of loyalists assembling under Gen. Donald MacDonald at Cross Creek (Fayetteville), the patriots began gathering forces in August 1775. Col. James Moore was given overall command of patriot forces in the colony. In Wilmington they put up breastworks and prepared to fight. New Bern authorities mustered minutemen and militia under Col. Richard Caswell with orders to defend the colony. The loyalists planned to join British forces at the coast to restore royal authority in the colony. On February 20, 1776, they moved toward the coast, but Moore’s patriot forces from Wilmington blocked colony and stalled a full-scale British invasion of the South. The patriot victory emboldened the colony. On April 12, 1776, North Carolina instructed its delegation to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to vote for independence from Great Britain. It was the first American colony to do so. them. The loyalists then moved east to evade Moore while hoping to slip past Caswell’s forces coming from New Bern. For the next few days the loyalists sought an open route to the coast, but Caswell’s forces blocked their path along the Black River. The loyalists ultimately found a different crossing point over the river and attempted to flank the patriots and force them into battle. At the last moment Caswell and his men abandoned their position, departing their encampment on February 25, and headed toward the bridge crossing Moores Creek. Engagement at the Bridge Caswell was reinforced by 200 minutemen from the Wilmington District at Moores Creek Bridge, bringing his total force to around 1,000. The patriots used the creek’s natural terrain to their advantage, placing strong earthworks on a ridge overlooking the creek on the east bank. By February 26, 1776, the loyalists were camped six miles from the patriot position. Late that afternoon the loyalists sent a courier to Caswell’s camp to offer a chance for the patriots to lay down their arms. Caswell refused. Upon returning to Gen. MacDonald, the courier conveyed that the patriots were camped on the west bank of Moores Creek and vulnerable to attack. The courier did not see the earthworks on the east bank. With only partial information about the patriot position, the loyalists planned their attack. They began marching about 1 am on February 27. During the night the patriots moved their forces to the east bank to await the loyalist attack. At 5 am the loyalists learned the patriots had abandoned their camp on the west bank. Believing the patriots were fast retreating, the loyalists pushed across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge and up a long, narrow, dark causeway. Here they were met with musket and cannon fire from the patriot earthworks. The battle of Moores Creek was brief, possibly only three minutes. The loyalist march to the coast had been blocked. This battle marked the first decisive patriot victory of the American Revolution in North Carolina. This battle, along with the June 1776 patriot victory at Sullivan’s Island off Charleston, South Carolina, ended any British hope of slowing down the rushing tide of rebellion in the southern colonies. Had the British conquered the South in early 1776, historian Edward Channing concluded, “It is entirely conceivable that rebellion would never have turned into a revolution.” Here at Moores Creek, and then again at Sullivan’s Island, “Carolinians turned aside the one combination of circumstances that might have made British conquest possible.” Paintings of the engagement at the bridge (top) and the battle area (bottom) BRIDGE SCENE—NPS / GIL COHEN; BATTLE AREA—NPS / RICHARD SCHLECHT Bridge Caswell’s campsite Patriot earthworks Black River Road Patriot campsite Traces of the Past This 87-acre park preserves the site of the American Revolutionary War Battle of Moores Creek Bridge