2019 Battle of Alamance Reenactment: Fight for the Backcountry
Witness history at the annual Battle of Alamance Reenactment: Fight for the Backcountry on May 18-19, 2019 at Alamance Battleground State Historic Site in Burlington, North Carolina. Experience North Carolina’s internal power struggle on the eve of revolution! On May 16, 1771 when a group of rebellious backcountry farmers who called themselves “Regulators” met the loyalist militia of Governor William Tryon in open battle. “Fight for the Backcountry” will feature a recreation of the Battle of Alamance, and will explore life in the backcountry in the early 1770s, as the American colonies stood on the brink of revolution.
Battle of Alamance Reenactment
The weekend program at the Battle of Alamance Reenactment will feature a battle reenactment, military drills, artillery and musket drills, and an audience with Colonial Gov. William Tryon. There will be demonstrations from cooks, tradespeople and a colonial era surgeon. The Sons of the American Revolution will share a Patriots Day Commemoration Ceremony. There will be an Anglican Church service Sunday morning, denoting the powerful Church of England.
The Battle of Alamance Reenactment recaptures the scene of the conflict that involved almost 2,000 backcountry farmers facing 1,000 royal militia at the Battle of Alamance of May 16, 1771. Known as Regulators because of a desire to regulate public officials, the colonists were poorly trained and outgunned. The Regulator uprising was crushed, but was a preamble to the Revolutionary War only five years later.
Admission
Adults $2
Children under 12 FREE
Hours
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Reenactment Participants
Participants must Register
Participants Impression Guidelines
Battle of Alamance Reenactment Mini-Gallery
Location
Alamance Battleground State Historic Site
5803 S NC Highway 62
Burlington, NC 27215
Alamance Battleground is within the Division of State Historic Sites of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
For More Information:
Call (336) 227-4785
Fay Mitchell Fay.Mitchell@ncdcr.gov (919) 807-7389
A Prelude to the Revolutionary War
The Battle of Alamance was fought on Thursday, May 16, 1771. It pitted two groups of North Carolinians against each other. There were approximately 2,000 backcountry farmers called Regulators and around 1,000 militia troops (citizen soldiers) under the command of Royal Governor William Tryon involved in the two-hour battle. Having officers, a battle plan, and more weaponry (which included eight cannon), the royal governor and his men easily defeated the ill-prepared Regulators. Governor Tryon reported that nine of his men were killed and sixty-one wounded in the military engagement. Although undetermined, the Regulator casualties would end up being much greater. It is possible that as many as 100 Regulators may have been killed. The Battle of Alamance officially ended the so-called Regulator movement that began in the 1760’s.[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Read More”]
Unfair taxation, dishonest and corrupt government officials, and the lack of representation were all serious concerns of the Regulators. In most cases, government officials (sheriffs, clerks of court, registers of deeds, etc.) attained their positions through appointments by men in power, not by elections involving the citizenry of the colony. The Regulators sought a better regulation of these government officials and more control of their own affairs. Geographical, social, and economic factors all had effects on the Regulator movement.
Although the Battle of Alamance was not the first official battle of the American Revolution, it did provide some valuable insight for revolutionaries as discontent with British rule continued to increase. For the approximately 6,000 Regulators who took the oath of allegiance to the Crown, many of them remained loyal to England during the War for Independence. Some of the militia serving under Governor Tryon, who gained valuable military experience at the battle, would end up fighting against the British. Richard Caswell, the first man to serve as governor of the state of North Carolina, was one of those to serve in the militia and later become an integral part of this country’s independence movement.[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]
Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Battle of Alamance Reenactment: Fight for the Backcountry in May at the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site in Burlington, North Carolina.
Tags: Battle of Alamance Reenactment, lamance Battle Reenactment, Revolutionary War Reenactment