Salisbury District Brigade


The Salisbury District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War. This unit was established by the Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.

History

In August 1775, the Third Provincial Congress of North Carolina delegates appointed Cornelius Harnett the head of the Council of Safety which oversaw resistance to British rule. They also divided the colony into six military districts for the purpose of organizing militia and arranging representation in the executive body. The Salisbury District was one of these districts, which eventually led to the creation of the Salisbury District Brigade. At the county level, there were Committees of Safety, including the Rowan, Anson, Mecklenburg, Surry, and Tryon county committees of safety. Many members of the Rowan committee of safety became the officers of the regiments of the Salisbury District Brigade.
Griffith Rutherford was from Rowan County, North Carolina. He was commissioned as a Colonel and commandant of the Rowan County Regiment on September 9, 1775. On December 21, 1775, the North Carolina Provincial Congress split the Salisbury District into two separate regiments of minutemen—the 1st Battalion of Salisbury District Minutemen and the 2nd Battalion of Salisbury District Minutemen. Colonel Rutherford was assigned as commandant of the 1st Battalion, along with Colonel Thomas Wade. The 1st Battalion participated in one engagement, the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776. Colonel Thomas Polk was commandant of the 2nd Battalion. The 2nd Battalion participated in the Battle of Great Cane Brake on December 22, 1775, the Snow Campaign on December 23, 1775 to December 30, 1775, and the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776.
The minutemen battalions were considered "state troops" vice local militia. On April 10, 1776, the two battalions of minutemen regiments were disbanded in favor of local militia brigades and subordinate regiments. There were eventually six militia brigades by the end of the war. On April 22, 1776, Rutherford was commissioned as a brigadier general and assigned as the commandant of the Salisbury District Brigade that was established officially on May 4, 1776. Colonel Matthew Locke took over as commandant of the Rowan County Regiment.

Commandants

Commandants of the Salisbury District Brigade and their dates of service were as follows:
The following regiments were subordinate to the Salisbury District Brigade. The date regiments were established and disbanded are shown. Those regiments marked with a "+" were transferred to the newly-created Morgan District Brigade of Militia in May 1782. The Washington County Regiment was called initially the Washington District Regiment until Washington County was created from Washington District. The 2nd Rowan County Regiment's name was changed to the "Burke County Regiment" in 1777 and then back to "2nd Rowan County Regiment" in 1782.
The regiments were made up of male citizens over sixteen years of age. Regiments of militia were called up for service by the governor or the commanding general to serve for a campaign or for a period of time as needed. The soldiers were told what equipment they had to bring with them.
The Brigade was reported to have a size of 1,400 men in 1781 but never more than 2,000 men the remainder of the war.

Engagements

Regiments of the Salisbury District Brigade were involved in 98 known engagements, including six in Georgia, 32 in South Carolina, eight in Tennessee, and 52 in North Carolina. One or more companies of these regiments were involved in each engagement.
OrderDatesEngagementState
111/19/1775 to 11/21/1775Siege of Ninety-Six 1775SCx
212/22/1775Battle of Great Cane BrakeSCxxx
312/23/1775 to 12/30/1775Snow CampaignSCxxx
42/27/1776Battle of Moore's Creek BridgeNCxxxxx
53/20/1776Encounter at Cross Creek, aka Cochrane's MillNCx
66/1/1776Battle of Round MountainNCx
76/28/1776Battle of Fort Moultrie #1SCxx
87//1/1776Masacere at Quaker MeadowsNCx
97/3/1776Cherokee siege of McDowell's StationNCx
107/20/1776Battle of Island Flats – VA UnitsTNxx
117/20/1776 to 8/2/1776Siege of Fort Caswell – VA UnitsTNxx
128/1/1776 to 11/1/1776Cherokee Expedition 1776NCxxxxxxx
138/1/1776 to 12/28/1776Cherokee Expedition 1776TNxxxx
1410/1/1776Defeat of the Cherokees at French Broad RiverNCxx
1510/1/1776Defeat of the Cherokee at French Broad River VA UnitsNCxx
166/1/1778Skirmish at Gilbert Town #1NCx
177/1/1778Ambush near SalisburyNCx
182/8/1779 to 2/10/1779Battle of Carr's FortGAx
192/14/1779Battle of Kettle CreekGAx
203/1/1779Encounter at Haw FieldsNCx
213/3/1779Battle of Briar CreekGAxxxxxxxxxxxx
224/10/1779 to 4/20/1779Battle of Chickamauga TownsTNxxxxxx
234/29/1779Skirmish near PurrysburgSCx
246/20/1779Battle of Stono FerrySCxxxxxxxx
258/14/1779Skirmish at Lockhart's PlantationGAx
269/16/1779 to 10/18/1779Siege of SavannahGAxxx
273/15/1780Battle of Guilford Court HouseNCxxxxxxxxxxxx
283/28/1780 to 5/12/1780Siege of Charleston 1780SCxxxxxxxxxxx
294/14/1780Battle of Moncks Corner #1SCxxxxxxxxx
306/18/1780Skirmish at Hill's Iron WorksSCx
316/20/1780Battle of Ramseur's MillNCxxxxxxxx
327/13/1780Skirmish at Gowen's Old FortSCx
337/15/1780Engagement at Earle's FordSCxxx
347/17/1780Skirmish at Prince's FortSCxxxx
357/20/1780Skirmish at Beaver Creek FordSCx
367/21/1780Battle of Colson's MillNCxxxxxxxxx
377/26/1780Battle of Thicketty FortSCxxxxxx
387/30/1780Battle of Rocky MountSCxx
398/6/1780Battle of Hanging RockSCxxx
408/8/1780Battle of Wofford's Iron WorksSCxxxxxx
418/11/1780Battle of Little Lynches CreekSCxxxxxx
428/16/1780Battle of Camden, General Rutherford CapturedSCxxxxxxxxxxxx
438/16/1780Skirmish at Rugeley's Mills #1SCxx
448/18/1780Battle of Fishing CreekSCxxxxxx
458/18/1780Battle of Musgrove's MillSCxxxxxx
469/1/1780Skirmish at Graham's FortNCx
479/1/1780Skirmish at McAlpine CreekNCx
489/9/1780Skirmishes in Anson CountyNCx
499/10/1780Skirmish at Mask's FerryNCx
509/12/1780Battle of Cane CreekNCxxx
519/26/1780Battle of CharlotteNCx
5210/3/1780Battle of the BeesNCx
5310/7/1780Battle of Kings MountainSCxxxxxxxxxxx
5410/8/1780Battle of Richmond Town #2NCx
5510/14/1780Battle of Shallow FordNCxxxx
5611/20/1780Battle of Blackstock's FarmSCxxxx
5712/4/1780Skirmish at Rugeley's Mills #2SCxxx
5812/16/1780Battle of Boyd's CreekTNxxxx
591/17/1781Battle of CowpensSCxxxxxxxxxxxx
602//1/1781Skirmish at Chestnut MountainNCx
612/1/1781Battle of Cowan's Ford, General Davidson killedNCxxxxxxxxx
622/1/1781Battle of Torrence's TavernNCxxxxxxx
632/3/1781 to 2/4/1781Skirmish at Trading FordNCxx
642/4/1781Skirmish at Grant's CreekNCx
652/7/1781Skirmish at Shallow Fords of the YadkinNCx?
662/17/1781Skirmish at Hart's MillNCxxx
672/19/1781Battle of Fort Granby #1SCx
682/25/1781Battle of Haw RiverNCxxxxxx
692/26/1781Battle of Dickey's FarmNCxx
703/1/1781Engagement at TuckasegeeNCxx
713/4/1781Battle of Clapp's Mill #1NCxxx
723/5/1781Battle of Clapp's Mill #2NCx
733/6/1781Battle of Wetzell/Whitesell's MillNCxxxxxxxx
743/7/1781Skirmish at Reedy ForkNCxxx
753/15/1781Battle of New Garden Meeting HouseNCxx
763/31/1781Skirmish at Cole's Bridge #2NCx
774/2/1781 to 4/3/1781Battle of Fort NashboroughTNxx
784/15/1781Skirmish at Big GladesNCx
794/25/1781Battle of Hobkirk's HillSCxxxx
805/21/1781 to 6/19/1781Siege of Ninety-Six 1781SCxxxxxx
815/24/1781 to 6/1/1781Siege of AugustaGAxxxx
827/27/1781Skirmish at Hudson's FerrySCx
838/2/1781Battle of Rockfish CreekNCx
848/3/1781Massacre of Piney Bottom CreekNCx
858/4/1781Battle of Beatti's BridgeNCxxxx
868/9/1781Skirmishes in Richmond & Cumberland CountiesNCxxx
878/28/1781Skirmishes at Fanning's MillNCx
889/1/1781Battle of Brown MarshNCxx
899/1/1781Battle of Little Raft SwampNCxx
909/8/1781Battle of Eutaw SpringsSCxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
919/11/1781Battle of Moccasin CreekTNxx
929/13/1781Battle of Lindley's MillNCxxx
9310/15/1781Battle of Raft SwampNCxxx
9411/15/1781Skirmish at Brick HouseNCxxx
9511/17/1781Battle of Fair Lawn PlantationSCxx
9612/10/1781Battle of Cox's Mill #3NCxxx
976/1/1782 to 10/31/1782Cherokee Expedition 1782NCxxxxxxxxx
989/20/1782Battle of Lookout MountainTNxxx

Staff

The Salisbury District Brigade had several staff positions. The forage master, quarter master, and commissary were especially important in providing troops with food and supplies when they were called outside of the Salisbury District in North Carolina.