Moores Creek National Battlefield

Moores Creek was among the opening battles of the Revolutionary War, fought on February 27, 1776.  Fought prior to the Declaration of Independence, the battle was fought by Loyalist North Carolinians including a group of Scotch Highlanders and separatists, or Patriots.
The battle was essentially a trap, an ambush by the Patriots to destroy a group of Loyalist troops trying to cross Moores Creek.  With a decoy camp on the Loyalists' side of the river, the Patriots drew the Loyalists across the river and into what can only be described as a kill zone - a semicircular entrenchment surrounding the bridge.  Just to slow the troops and cause confusion, the Patriots had removed a section of planks from the bridge, leaving only the girders, which they had greased. 

Moores Creek Bridge

Exactly how the Loyalists didn't realize this was a very bad situation boggles the mind.  Their intelligence told them that there was an encampment of troops that they thought they could defeat, but when they got there, that camp was abandoned, tents still up and fires still burning.  Undeterred, the Loyalists pressed on.  When they got to the bridge, it had obviously been rigged to be difficult to use but not inoperable or unrepairable.  For some reason, they saw fit to cross it.  No doubt, some men slipped into the water and panicked, causing some confusion among the ranks.  And when they did get across the bridge, there was a wall of musketballs screaming at them, too late to do anything about it.  At this point, the Scots, armed only with swords, charged and were mowed down.  The battle lasted three minutes.

Eat lead, Loyalists!  A swivel cannon covering the ground just past the bridge.  The Patriots also had a cannon and 1,000 men to counter the Loyalists' 1,600.

While the focus is on the history and the battle at this particular site, there is a stunning natural heritage there, too, that goes overlooked.  Indeed, the volunteer I talked to there had no interest in it whatsoever.  He had never even heard of a tufted titmouse.  I told him there was one right outside!  There are tall trees and a swamp environment that I found very appealing.  I saw a female scarlet tanager and a pileated woodpecker among other sights.  No alligators, though.

Moores Creek

One of the interesting things I learned was that the trees I had been seeing and wondered about all around North Carolina were long-leaf pine trees.  They do, indeed, have very long needles.  These were the trees used for making naval products including pitch, turpentine, and tar, hence the Tarheel State.  The trees require a fire regime to survive long-term.  Many of them around this part of the state are the same age (especially at the UNCW campus), but at Moores Creek, they are planting seedlings to maintain a more complete forest ecosystem.

Long-leaf pine trees