Battle of Alamance The Battle of Alamance was the final battle of the War of the Regulation , a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control . In the past , historians considered the battle to be the opening salvo of the American Revolution and locals agreed with this assessment . However , modern historians reject this , since there does not seem to have been any intent to rebel against the king or crown , merely to protest taxation and corrupt local government . Named for nearby Great Alamance Creek , the battle took place in what was then Orange County and has since become Alamance County in the central Piedmont about six miles south of present - day Burlington , North Carolina . Events prior to the battle . In the spring of 1771 , Governor William Tryon left New Bern , mustering and marching approximately 1 , 000 militia troops west to address a rebellion that had been brewing in western counties for several years , but which had included only minor , scattered acts of violence , followed by refusal to pay fees , disruption of court proceedings , and continued harassment of government officials . About 2 , 000 so - called Regulators had gathered , hoping to gain concessions from the governor by intimidating him with a show of superior force . Funded by council member and wealthy merchant Samuel Cornell for £6 , 000 , on May 11 , Tryon left the county seat of Hillsborough with his militia to confront the Regulators , who had made camp south of Great Alamance Creek in western Orange County ( present - day Alamance County ) . Course of the battle . On the evening of May 15 , Tryon received word that the Regulators were camped about six miles away . The next morning , at about 8 : 00 , Tryon ' s troops set out to a field about one - half mile from the camp of the Regulators . He formed two lines , and divided his artillery between the wings and the center of the first line . The Regulators remained disorganized , with no leadershipno officer ranked higher than Captainand no anticipation of an attack , expecting that their superior numbers would frighten Tryon ' s militia . Tryon sent one of his aide - de - camps , Captain Philmore Hawkins , and the Sheriff of Orange County with a proclamation : While the terms were being read , Tryon ' s troops began to move forward . Shortly after that , Tryon was informed the Regulators had rejected his terms . Herman Husband , a Quaker , realizing violence was about to take place , left the area . By midday the hour had expired , Tryon sent one final warning : Some of the Regulators petitioned the governor to give up seven captured Regulators in exchange for two of his men the Regulators had captured the preious day . Tryon agreed , but after a half an hour , the captured officers did not appear . He became suspicious his positions were being flanked and ordered the militia to march within 30 yards of the Regulators . Shortly thereafter , a large crowd of Regulators appeared in front of the militia , waving their hats and daring the militia to open fire . About this time , two men left Tryon ' s camp who had been attempting to negotiate a peace between the two sides : Reverend Dr . Caldwell and Mr . Robert Thompson . Caldwell made it to the field between the two lines , but was warned by the Regulators who sensed the governor was about to open fire . Thompson was detained by Tryon as a prisoner . Tryon , in a moment of anger , took a musket from a militiaman and shot Mr . Thompson dead . Realizing what he had done , he sent a flag bearer named Donald Malcolm with a white flag in hopes of calming things quickly . The flag bearer was himself fired upon by the Regulators , who called out , " Fire and be damned " . The Regulators lacked the leadership , organization , and ammunition that Tryon had , but the early course of the battle went well for them . They employed what was referred to as " Indian style " fighting , hiding behind trees and avoiding structure and lines . This allowed two of the Regulators , brothers named McPherson , to capture one of Tryon ' s three cannons . Unfortunately for them , the Regulators had no ammunition and it could not be used . A man considered one of the principal military leaders of the Regulators , Captain Montgomery , was killed by a shell at about the same time a bullet hit Tryon ' s hat . The governor sent a second white flag , but the aide - de - camp was killed while Regulator Patrick Muller called for his fellow insurgents to cease fire . Outraged at the disregard of a second white flag , the governor rallied his troops against the insurgents , whose ammunition was running out . Many of the Regulators fled the field . Delays prevented the 300 reinforcements under Captain Benjamin Merrill from arriving in time . Some of the Regulators remained behind to continue firing upon the milita . Tryon ordered the woods to be set on fire . Losses for both sides are disputed . Tryon reported nine dead and 61 wounded among the militia . Other historians indicate much greater numbers , between 15 and 27 killed . Both sides count nine dead among the Regulators and dozens to over one hundred wounded . Tryon took 13 prisoners . One of them , James Few , was executed at the camp , and six were executed later in nearby Hillsborough . Many Regulators traveled on to frontier areas beyond North Carolina . The governor pardoned others and allowed them to stay on condition they pledge an oath of allegiance to the royal government . The battle took place in what was then Orange County . During the American Revolution a decade later , the same section of Orange County ( subdivided into Alamance County in 1849 ) saw several minor skirmishes , including the infamous Pyle ' s Hacking Match in 1781 . Recent archaeological studies at the site have shown that the area now known as Alamance Battleground was also the site of another skirmish in the Revolutionary War and of a Civil War era Confederate encampment . Participants in the battle . Colonial militia . According to Governor Tryon ' s journal , the following men served under his command : Regulators . The following individuals were numbered as members of the Regulators : The following were excepted from pardon by Governor Tryon : Six men were found guilty of treason , but were pardoned at Tryon ' s behest : Six men were found guilty of treason and were sentenced to be hanged , drawn and quartered , although in practice , they were only hanged : Memorial . Visitors to Alamance Battleground State Historic Site may view the field of battle , memorialized in 1880 with a granite monument and a second monument in 1903 . Today the site contains exhibits , period cannon , and colored flags representing troop positions . The visitor ' s center offers exhibits , artifacts , and a presentation on the battle . Visitors may also tour the onsite Allen House , a restored frontier farmstead of the period .