# List of North Carolina militia units in the American Revolution

The North Carolina militia units were first established in 1775 by the Third North Carolina Provincial Congress on the eve of the American Revolution. Initially, the militia units were centered on the 35 counties that then existed in the Province of North Carolina. The units fought against the British, Loyalists, and Cherokee Native Americans that aligned themselves with British forces. The units included military district brigades established in 1776, county regiments, four battalions, and one independent corps of light horse. Four regiments were located in counties that became part of the Southwest Territory in 1790 and later Tennessee in 1796. The size of brigades could be up to a few thousand volunteers. Brigades were commanded by a brigadier general. Regiments were commanded by a colonel and made up of a number of companies commanded by captains with about 50 men in each company. During engagements, one or more companies of regiments may have been involved in actions and commanded by the regimental or brigade commander. In 1778, Major General John Ashe was selected to command all North Carolina militia and State Troops. Brigade commanders reported to him. Separate from the North Carolina militia, the state provided 10 numbered regiments to the Continental Army that were referred to as the North Carolina Line.

## Background

In August 1775, the Third North Carolina 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 of the Council of Safety. At the county level, there were Committees of Safety, including the Rowan, Anson, Mecklenburg, Surry, and Tryon counties. Many members of these committees of safety became the officers of the regiments of militia.
The North Carolina Provincial Congress authorized 35 existing county militias to be organized on September 9, 1775. Some counties had already established their militias earlier than 1775. The Rowan County regiment was split on October 22, 1775 into two distinct regiment, the 1st Rowan County Regiment and the 2nd Rowan County Regiment. On December 22 that same year, the North Carolina Provincial Council split the Pasquotank County Regiment into two separate and distinct regiments, the 1st and 2nd Pasquotank County regiments. The two additional regiments brought the total number of county regiments to 37 by the end of 1775.

## Units

The following are the North Carolina militia brigades and regiments with their subordination, along with the dates established and disestablished, as well as the original commander when the unit was established by the Provincial Congress. Many counties started mustering and training militia before the Provincial Congress got around to it, as early as October 1774 (Johnson County Regiment). Regiments were subordinated to named brigades after brigades were established in 1776. Brigades were headed by a brigadier general and subordinate to the state militia headed by a major general officer, who reported to the Governor of North Carolina. As new counties were created by the legislature, new regiments were created and some were disbanded. At the time of the Battle of Kings Mountain in October 1780, there were 50 counties and 51 regiments of militia. Many regiments had two colonels. Soldiers and officers from these units were engaged in battles and skirmishes, primarily in North Carolina and South Carolina, but a few engagements were in Georgia, Virginia, and East Florida. As militia units, the soldiers did not serve full-time and returned home between engagements, musters, and drills.
North Carolina militia units in the American Revolution :
| Unit | Subordination | Established | Disbanded | Original Commander, Rank |
| North Carolina Militia and State Troops Command | Governor of North Carolina | 1778 | 1783 | MG John Ashe, Sr. |
| Edenton District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG Edward Vail |
| 1st Regiment of North Carolina militia | Edenton District Brigade | 1780 | 1780 | Col Samuel Jarvis |
| 2nd Regiment of North Carolina militia | Edenton District Brigade | 1780 | 1780 | Col Benjamin Exum |
| Bertie County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Thomas Witmell |
| Camden County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1777 | 1783 | Col Isaac Gregory |
| Chowan County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Thomas Bonner |
| Currituck County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Samuel Jarvis |
| Gates County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Lawrence Baker |
| Hertford County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Benjamin Wynns |
| Martin County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade, Halifax District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col William Williams |
| 1st Pasquotank County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col John Lowery |
| 2nd Pasquotank County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1777 | Col Isaac Gregory |
| Perquimans County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Miles Harvey |
| Tyrrell County Regiment | Edenton District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Edward Buncombe |
| Halifax District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG Allen Jones |
| 1st Battalion of Volunteers | Halifax District Brigade | 1776 | 1777 | Col Abraham Sheppard, Sr |
| 2nd Battalion of Volunteers | Halifax District Brigade | 1776 | 1777 | Col Francis Locke |
| Bute County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1775 | 1779 | Col William Person |
| Edgecombe County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col William Haywood |
| Franklin County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Benjamin Seawell |
| Halifax County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col John Bradford |
| Nash County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1777 | 1783 | Col James Clinch |
| Northampton County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Allen Jones |
| Warren County Regiment | Halifax District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Thomas Eaton |
| Hillsborough District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG Thomas Person |
| Caswell County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1777 | 1783 | Col James Saunders |
| Chatham County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Ambrose Ramsey |
| Granville County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Joseph Taylor |
| Mounted Volunteers Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1780 | 1780 | Col Philip Taylor |
| Northern Orange County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1776 | 1777 | Col James Saunders |
| Orange County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col John Hogan |
| Randolph County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Andrew Balfour |
| Wake County Regiment | Hillsborough District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col John Hinton |
| New Bern District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG Richard Caswell |
| Beaufort County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col James Bonner |
| Carteret County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col William Thompson |
| Craven County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Joseph Leech |
| Dobbs County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Abraham Sheppard |
| Hyde County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Rotheas Latham |
| Johnston County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Needham Bryan |
| Jones County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col John Bryan |
| Pitt County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col John Simpson |
| Wayne County Regiment | New Bern District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Benjamin Exum |
| Morgan District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1782 | 1783 | BG Charles McDowell |
| Davidson County Regiment | Morgan District Brigade | 1783 | 1783 | Col Anthony Bledsoe |
| Greene County Regiment | Morgan District Brigade | 1783 | 1783 | Col Joseph Harden |
| Salisbury District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG Griffith Rutherford |
| Anson County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Samuel Spencer |
| Burke County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1777 | 1782 | Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) William Armstrong |
| Guilford County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Ransom Sutherland |
| Lincoln County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col William Graham |
| 1st Mecklenburg County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Thomas Polk |
| 2nd Mecklenburg County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1779 | 1780 | Col Caleb Phifer |
| Polk's Regiment of Light Dragoons | Mecklenburg County Regiment, State Troops Command (1781) | 1780 | 1781 | LTC William Polk, William |
| Independent Corps of Light Horse | Independent | 1780 | 1780 | Maj William Richardson Davie |
| Montgomery County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col John Little |
| Richmond County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Colonel Henry William Harrington |
| Rowan County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Griffith Rutherford |
| 2nd Rowan County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1777 | Col Adlai Osborne |
| 2nd Rowan County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1782 | 1783 | Col James Brandon |
| Rutherford County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Andrew Hampton |
| Sullivan County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1779 | 1783 | Col Isaac Shelby |
| Surry County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Martin Armstrong |
| Tryon County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1775 | 1779 | Col William Graham |
| Washington District Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade | 1776 | 1777 | Col John Carter |
| Washington County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1777 | 1783 | Col Evan Shelby |
| Wilkes County Regiment | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1777 | 1783 | Col Benjamin Cleveland |
| Wilmington District Brigade | North Carolina Militia Command | 1776 | 1783 | BG John Ashe, Sr. |
| 1st Battalion of Militia | Wilmington District Brigade | 1776 | 1776 | Col Thomas Brown |
| 2nd Battalion of Militia | Wilmington District Brigade | 1776 | 1776 | Colonel Peter Dozier |
| Bladen County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Thomas Robeson, Jr. |
| Brunswick County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Robert Howe |
| Cumberland County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col Thomas Rutherford |
| Duplin County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col James Kenan |
| New Hanover County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col James Moore |
| Onslow County Regiment | Wilmington District Brigade | 1775 | 1783 | Col William Cray |
| Overmountain Men | Salisbury District Brigade, Morgan District Brigade | 1776 | 1783 | Col Isaac Shelby |