The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-17
MOOre's Creek Bridge Battle

Fayetteville, N. C.,August 9th, 1897.
Editor Messenger:
I thank you very much for your kind
notice Of my paper in The Historical
Register, Flora Mcdonald and the
Scottish Highlanders in America" on
tanned in a late issue of the Messenger,
but I cannot suffer the occasion to pass
without entering a protest against the
designation Of the fight at Moore's
Creek as a "Skirmish. But before
speaking Of that I wish to say that
you seem to have misunderstood me in
one particular. I did not give the
numbers of either the Highlander or
American forces engaged in that fight.
therefore I could not have "overstated'
them. I did say in a very general way
that nearly three thousand Highlanders
gathered at Cross Creek. I did not go
on and explain that not all of these
marched out with General Mcdonald;
that only the picked men started on
the march to the seashore, because one
cannot tell everything in a magazine
article. Much must be sacrificed to
brevity. R~eadableness and salableness
AIlO0l p4CNo all V CNCIy l11lAS ooNC NAAC
naked truth. And so as to the Ameri-
can forces which were marching upon
eros Creek, stated to be nearly three
thousand, only a portion of them were
engaged in the fight. The numbers
were not given because the average
magazine reader bhors a lot Of figures
and statistics
Now as to the "Skirmish" at Moore's
Creek: I cannot see and sufficient
roocnn for torroipr this flair a ckirr-
ish. The word battle is merely a rela-
tive term. There is no fixed and GER
tain number of men engaged in con-
test necessary to constitute a fight, a
battle. None of the battles of the
Revolution were characterized by great
numbers engaged, or much blood spill
ed. At Kings Mountain there were
fewer engaged on both sids than at
Moore's Creek. Nor can n go OF
and measure the magnitude of a bat
tie with a gallon pot-so many gallons
of blood spilled, 20 big a battle. By
such method of measurement Gettys-
burg itself might be reduced to a mere
skirmish compared with some of the
great battles Of the middle ages.
AS to the valor displayed by the de-
feated army, there a be no better
evidence Of that than the statement
Of the general commanding the vitori-
Gus army, the contemporaneous record
of an adversary, from which it appear
(Vol. x page 484 Colonial Records) that
not only did the Highlanders cross the
bridge in the face of rifle and artillery
fire, but advanced in the most furious
manner within thirty PAGES of III
breastworks and artillery, where they
met a very proper reception"
But the correct way Of eliminating
the Importance of a contest at arms,
as given by DIR. Greasy in his Fifteen
Decisive Battles" is to weigh the con-
sequences that resulted from 1t and
consider what would have been the
effects if the defeated army had been
Victorious. Locked at it in this way, We
may we'll believe that the fight at the
Widow Moore's Creek Bridge was one
of the most important battles Of the
revolution. Not only was it the first
considerable clash Of arms in the
southern states, but it vas the first
turning point Of the revolution in the
south. The instruction Of the High
landers was no mere sudden, unconsid-
cred uprising. The whole affair was
planned by the British cabinet many
months before. AS part Of that plan a
strong British fleet with land forces
of regulars had ONE into the mouth Of
the Cape Fear. If the H~ighlanders
had succeeded in their effort to unite
with them the whole aspect OF affairs
would have been changed. CORVALLIS
campaign of 1871 would have been wag-
ed in 1776, even before the declaration
of independence; and the thirteen col
onies would have been cut in twain
before they had organized for defence.
The British plans were foiled by the
promptitude and vigor with which the
North Carolinians acted, and by that
alone, but to this day they have re-
ceived little credit for it in the histo-
rieS.
Just here permit me to repeat what
has been said by our w. l.. Saunders,
of blessed memory, who spent so many
years in thu tremendous, II not hope
less task Of trying to induce North
Carolinians to become interested In