North Carolina Line

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The North Carolina Line refers to North Carolina units within the Continental Army. The term "North Carolina Line" referred to the quota of infantry regiments assigned to North Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the Continental Line. The concept was particularly important in relation to the promotion of commissioned officers. Officers of the Continental Army below the rank of brigadier general were ordinarily ineligible for promotion except in the line of their own state.

Contents

History

Regiments

Maj General Robert Howe MajGenRobertHoweOval.jpg
Maj General Robert Howe

The North Carolina Contintental units included the following (original commander and date established are indicated): [3]

The North Carolina Regiments were for a time organized into a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions (sometimes referred to as Brigades) early in the war and then consolidated as a North Carolina Battalion before October 1777.

Dragoons

The Corps of North Carolina Light Dragoons consisted of four companies: 1st Company (Captain Samuel Ashe, Jr.), 2nd Company (Captain Martin Phifer), 3rd Company (Captain Cosmo Medici); 1777; 4th Company (Captain John Brown), 1778. [10]

Artillery

On May 9, 1776, the North Carolina General Assembly authorized the creation of one company of artillery, the 1st North Carolina Company of artillery, headed by Captain John Vance. Captain Vance resigned in November 1777 and he was replaced by Captain John Kingsbury on November 16, 1777. A second company, the 2nd North Carolina Company of Artillery was authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly on January 7, 1777 and was headed by Captain Thomas Clark. The 2nd company was disbanded in June 1779. While both companies were originally part of the North Carolina State troops, both companies were place under the Continental Line on July 10, 1777. [11]

Quartermaster General

See also Quartermaster General of the United States Army

On May 7, 1776, the Deputy Quarter Master General's Department was created for the Southern Department and Colonel Nicholas Long, former commander of the Halifax District Minutemen, was selected to head the department. Camp Quankey, near the town of Halifax, North Carolina was established as a depot and it remained until the end of the war with Colonel Long as commander. [12] [13]

Engagements

The regiments of the North Carolina Line are known to have been involved in 36 engagements from December 1775 to August 1782. [3]

OrderDateKnown Battles / SkirmishesState/Province1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
1December 22, 1775 Battle of Great Cane Brake SCxx
2December 23–30, 1775 Snow Campaign SCxxx
3January 1, 1776 Burning of Norfolk VAx
4February 27, 1776 Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge NCxx
5March 8–12, 1776 Fort Johnston #4NCx
6April 6, 1776Brunswick Town #1NCxx
7May 1–3, 1776 Fort Johnston #5NCx
8May 11, 1776Orton Mill & Kendal PlantationNCx
9June 28, 1776 Breach Inlet Naval Battle SCx
10June 28, 1776 Fort Moultrie #1SCxxxx
11September 1, 1776Florida ExpeditionFLxxx
12September 6, 1776Fort George/Bald Head Island NCx
13September 11, 1777 Battle of Brandywine PAxxxxxxxxxx
14October 4, 1777 Battle of Germantown PAxxxxxxxxxx
15June 28, 1778 Battle of Monmouth NJxxx
16March 3, 1779 Battle of Brier Creek GAxxx
17May 16, 1779Near West Point (NY)NYxx
18May 31, 1779Fort LafayetteNYx
19June 20, 1779 Battle of Stono Ferry SCxx
20July 15, 1779 Battle of Stony Point NYxx
21September 16, 1779 – October 18, 1779 Siege of Savannah GAxx
22December 9, 1779 Battle of Great Bridge VAx
23March 28 to May 12, 1780 Siege of Charleston 1780SCxxx
24April 14, 1780 Battle of Monck's Corner #1SCx
25May 6, 1780 Battle of Lenud's Ferry SCx
26May 7, 1780 Fort Moultrie #2SCxx
27August 11, 1780Little Lynches Creek (1 unit)SCx
28August 16, 1780 Battle of Camden SCx
29March 15, 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House NCxxx
30April 25, 1781 Battle of Hobkirk's Hill SCxx
31May 12, 1781 Siege of Fort Motte SCx
32May 21 to June 19, 1781 Siege of Ninety-Six 1781SCx
33May 24 to June 1, 1781 Siege of Augusta GAx
34September 8, 1781 Battle of Eutaw Springs SCxxxx
35September 12, 1781 Battle of Lindley's Mill (Hillsborough)NCx
36August 25, 1782 Battle of the Combahee River SCx

Footnotes

  1. Wright, Continental Army, 71-72.
  2. Wright, Continental Army, Chapter 4, page 71
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lewis, J.D., The American Revolution in North Carolina, North Carolina Continental Line, accessed Jan 30, 2019
  4. 1 2 Lewis, J.D. "James Moore". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Lewis, J.D. "James Hogun". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Lewis, J.D. "Jethro Sumner". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  7. Wright, Robert K. (1983). "The Continental Army". Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History.
  8. Rankin, Hugh F. (1971). The North Carolina Continentals (2005 ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   978-0-8078-1154-2.
  9. Lewis, J.D. "Francis Nash". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  10. Lewis, J.D. "The Continental Army in North Carolina". carolana.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  11. Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina Artillery". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  12. Lewis, J.D. "Continental Army in North Carolina" . Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  13. Malone, E. T. Malone Jr. (1991). "Nicholas Long". NCPedia. Retrieved April 22, 2019.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

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