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Burlington in Alamance County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

The Regulators' Field

A Lesson for the Defeated

— Carolinas Campaign —

 
 
The Regulators' Field Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 11, 2012
1. The Regulators' Field Marker
Inscription. (Preface): The Carolinas Campaign began of February 1, 1865, when Union Gen. William T. Sherman led his army north from Savannah, Georgia, after the March to the Sea. Sherman's objective was to join Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia to crush Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Scattered Confederate forces consolidated in North Carolina, the Confederacy's logistical lifeline, where Sherman defeated Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's last-ditch attack at Bentonville. After Sherman was reinforced at Goldsboro late in March, Johnston saw the futility of further resistance and surrendered at Bennett Place near Durham on April 26, ending the Civil War in the East.

Confederate Gen. William J. Hardee led Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's southern column of the Army of Tennessee through Alamance County on April 15, 1865, marching west away from Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army. After a wet march and the loss of several soldiers drowned at river crossings, the lead elements of Hardee's column bivouacked here in the mud.
Adding to the misery was the confirmation of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9. Rumors of catastrophe in Virginia had spread while the column bivouacked the previous night in Chapel Hill on the grounds of the University of North Carolina. Here, however, the officers and men got
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irrefutable proof that the rumors were true: parolees from the Army of Northern Virginia going home from Appomattox.
Captain William E. Stoney, assistant adjutant general of Hagood's South Carolina Brigade, recorded in the brigade diary, "Tonight, Colonel [Charles H.] Olmstead, of the First Georgia Regiment, tells me positively that General Lee has surrendered. Great God! Can it be true? I have never for a moment doubted the ultimate success of our cause. I cannot believe it."
This ground, where Hardee's men received the historic news, was a renowned local landmark. In April four years earlier, local Unionists planned a flag rally at the old Regulator Battlefield at Alamance Creek, but the firing on Fort Sumter and President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops derailed its symbolic purpose. Few attended.

(Sidebar): On May 16, 1771 Gov. William Tryon led 1,200 militiamen here and defeated the frontier rebels called the Regulators, who protested high taxes and lack of legal recourse. The North Carolina troops who bivouacked here in April 1865 would have known the story of the governor's treatment of the rebels after the battle -- six local men "stretched hemp" in Hillsborough for their "treason."

 
Erected by North Carolina Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
The Regulators' Field Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Patrick G. Jordan, May 8, 2011
2. The Regulators' Field Marker
War, US CivilWar, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 1, 1636.
 
Location. 36° 0.488′ N, 79° 31.304′ W. Marker is in Burlington, North Carolina, in Alamance County. Marker is on Highway 62, on the left when traveling south. Located at Alamance Battleground, a State of North Carolina Historic Site. Directions from I-85/40. Exit 143. Travel South on NC Highway 62 for 5.8 miles. The entrance to Battleground is on the right. The marker will be past the entrance and is on the left. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5803 NC Highway 62 South, Burlington NC 27215, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Battle of Alamance (here, next to this marker); Governor Tryon and the Militia (a few steps from this marker); First Battle of the Revolution (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Alamance Monument (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Battle of Alamance (about 300 feet away); Pugh's Rock (about 400 feet away); The Battle of the Alamance (about 500 feet away); Colonial Column (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Burlington.
General William J. Hardee image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Patrick G. Jordan, May 8, 2011
3. General William J. Hardee
photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

 
Also see . . .  Alamance County, North Carolina, Civil War Trails. (Submitted on September 18, 2019.)
 
The Regulators' Field Marker in Foreground image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Patrick G. Jordan, May 8, 2011
4. The Regulators' Field Marker in Foreground
The "First Battle of the Revolution" marker is in the background.
The Regulators' Field Marker is to the Left image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Patrick G. Jordan, May 8, 2011
5. The Regulators' Field Marker is to the Left
The "Battle of Alamance" marker is on the right.
Army Marching in the Rain image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Patrick G. Jordan, May 8, 2011
6. Army Marching in the Rain
courtesy of the Library of Congress
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 11, 2011, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,450 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on August 11, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.   2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 11, 2011, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 18, 2024