Battle of Alamance
The Battle of Alamance, which took place on May 16, 1771, was the final battle of the Regulator Movement, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control, considered by some to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution. Named for nearby Great Alamance Creek, the battle took place in what was then Orange County and has since become Alamance County in the central Piedmont area, about south of present-day Burlington, North Carolina. Background In the spring of 1771, North Carolina Governor William Tryon left New Bern, mustering and marching approximately 1,000 militia troops westwards to address a rebellion that had been brewing in western counties for several years. It had up to this point included only minor, scattered acts of violence, followed by refusals to pay fees, disruptions of court proceedings, and continued harassment of government officials. About 2,000 so-called "regulators" had gathered, hoping to gain concessions from Tryon by intimidating him with a show of superior force. Funded £6,000 by council member and wealthy merchant Samuel Cornell, on May 11, Tryon left the county seat of Hillsborough with his militia to confront the Regulators, who had made camp south of Great Alamance Creek