War of the Regulation

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.

Causes of the 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 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.

Leaders of the Regulators

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.

Leaders of the Opposition

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.

The War

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.

Battle Aftermath

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.

Cultural References

The Regulators are important characters in Jimmy Carter's historical novel The Hornet's Nest (2003).