The War of the Regulation was a North
Carolina uprising, lasting from approximately 1764 to 1771, against corrupt
colonial officials. While unsuccessful, some historians consider it as a
catalyst to the American Revolutionary War.
In 1764, several thousand people from North
Carolina, mainly from Orange, Anson, and Granville counties in the western
region, were extremely dissatisfied with North Carolina officials whom they
considered cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and corrupt. Taxes were collected by
local sheriffs supported by the courts; the sheriffs and courts had sole
control over their local regions. Many of the officers were deemed to be very
greedy and often times would band together with other local officials for their
own personal gain. The entire system—which depended on the integrity of local
officials, many of whom engaged in extortion; taxes collected often enriched
the tax collectors directly. At times, sheriffs would intentionally remove
records of their tax collection in order to further tax citizens. The system
was reluctantly endorsed by the colonial governor, who feared losing the
support of the various county officials. The effort to eliminate this system of
government became known as the Regulator uprising, War of the Regulation, or
the Regulator War. The most heavily affected areas were said to be that of Rowan,
Anson, Orange, Granville, and Cumberland counties.
Although the "War of the Regulators" is
considered by some to be one of the first acts of the American Revolutionary
War, in fact it was against the corrupt local officials, and not against the
king or crown. Many anti-Regulators went on to become rebels/Patriots/Whigs
during the American Revolution, such as William Hooper and Francis Nash; many
Regulators (but not all) became Loyalists/Tories during the American
Revolution.
Hermon Husband became one of the unofficial leader
of the Regulators. Hermon Husband was originally from Maryland, born into a Quaker
family. One of the major flaws in Hermon Husband's campaign was that he tried
to invite good relations with the eastern regions of North Carolina, mostly
unaffected by local sheriffs. Hermon Husband retained very little control over
the group of Regulators, which generally went against his policies of winning
over public sentiment by committing acts of minor violence at regular
intervals.
Another leader of the Regulators was James Hunter.
He refused to take control of the Regulators after Hermon Husband's departure
before the Battle of Alamance.
Captain Benjamin Merrill had about 300 men under
his control, and would have assumed control over military leadership after James
Hunter, but was unable to serve in the Battle of Alamance.
Governor Arthur Dobbs, who authored popular works
at the time such as "Trade and Improvement of H'elend" and
"Captain Middleton's Defense" served as the Royal Governor of North
Carolina until his death in 1765.
Governor William Tryon assumed the position
following the death of Governor Dobbs. Tryon had an extremely lavish home built
in 1770 in New Bern (now known as Tryon's Palace), which became one of the main
points of resentment for the Regulators, who were already paying substantial
taxes.
Governor Josiah Martin, succeeded Governor Tryon
in office just after the end of any major rebellion. His policies eased the
burden on former Regulators, and allowed them to be assimilated back into
society.
Edmund Fanning was the main opposition to the
Regulators. Graduating from Yale University, he was generally regarded by his
friends as well disciplined and firm. Holding many political offices in Orange
County, he was the most notorious member of the opposition, accused of stealing
more money and of unfairness than anybody else. He was found guilty of
embezzling money (along with Francis Nash), but was fined a minuscule amount.
While small acts of violence had been taking place
for some time, mainly out of resentment, the first organized conflict was in Mecklenburg
County in 1765. Settlers in the region, who were there illegally, forced away
surveyors of the region assigned with designating land. Minor clashes followed
for the next several years in almost every western county, but the real, and
only true battle of the war was the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771.
The Governor and his forces which numbered just
over 1,000, with roughly 150 officers, arrived at Hillsborough on May 9. At the
same time, General Waddell, supporting Governor Tryon, en route with his
contingent of 236 men was met by a large contingent of Regulators. Realizing
his force was numerically outnumbered, he fell back to Salisbury. On May 11,
having received word of the retreat from a messenger, Tryon sent the force to
support General Waddell. He intentionally chose a path that would lead his
forces through the very heart of Regulator territory. It should be noted he
made strict mention that nothing was to be looted or damaged. By May 14th, his
troops had reached Alamance and set up a camp. Leaving about 70 men behind to
guard the position, he moved the remainder of his force, slightly under 1,000
men, to find an enemy he was correct in believing was very nearby. About 10
miles away a force of approximately 2,000 Regulators without any clear
leadership or supplies was gathered mainly as a display of force, and not a
standing army. The general Regulator strategy was to scare the governor with a
show of superior numbers in order to force the governor to give in to their
demands. The first clash of the battle was on May 15 when a rogue band of
Regulators had captured two of the Governor's militia soldiers. Governor Tryon had
informed the Regulators that they were displaying open arms and rebellion and
that action was to be taken if they did not disperse. The Regulators did not
understand the severity of the crisis they were in, and ignored the warning.
Despite hesitation from his own forces, Governor Tryon allegedly initiated the
main battle of Alamance on May 16th by shooting Robert Thompson, who was the
first death of the battle. The Regulators resistance crumbled somewhat quickly.
Captain Merrill, a Regulator, was supposed to arrive on the battlefield but was
delayed. With the help of his command and 300 men, the battle may have turned
differently. The battle was over with 9 deaths for the governor's forces, and
about the same for the Regulators. Virtually everyone captured in the battle
was fully pardoned in exchange for an allegiance to the crown; however, seven
Regulators were executed for their part in the uprising.
Following the battle, Tryon's militia army
travelled through Regulator territory where he had Regulators and/or Regulator
sympathizers sign loyalty oaths and destroyed the properties of the most active
Regulators. Also, several trials were held after the war, resulting in the
hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771. Many of the main
leaders remained in hiding until 1772, when they were no longer considered
outlaws. Many Regulators moved further west into places such as Tennessee,
notably establishing both the Watauga Association, the first independent
republic on American soil, and the State of Franklin, another short-lived
republic that failed to join the Union of the United States.
The Regulators are important characters in Jimmy Carter's historical novel The Hornet's Nest (2003).