The first of five scheduled NC
MRF History Tours was held on April 1st in Burlington, NC. The
tour started in Apex and traveled to the Alamance County Battlefield
and the scene of Pyle's Defeat. Twenty-one riders came out for this
tour.
Visitors to Alamance Battleground view the field of battle, which
is marked by a granite monument given as a memorial in 1880. An audiovisual
presentation of the battle is offered in the visitor center. Located
on the grounds of the site is the Allen House, a log dwelling characteristic
of those lived in by frontier people on the western fringes of the
colony.
During our visit, we watched the audiovisual presentation and then
we were lucky enough to get a personalized guided tour of the battlegrounds
from local historian Bill Thompson. Bill also did a live fire demonstration
of a period black powder musket for us. From there, we rode to the
scene of Pyle's Defeat where we learned how Light Horse Harry Lee
defeated a force three times his size. After the tour was over, we
headed out and enjoyed friendship over a BBQ lunch at Carolina
Bar-B-Q & Seafood.
We would like to thank the riders who came out for this tour. These
riders understand the importance of protecting the things they love.
Riding our motorcycles is important to all of us and these riders
have shown their love for motorcycling by financially supporting the
MRF on this history tour. Fifteen riders donated $10 each to allow
us to make a $150 Freedom Fighter donation. That donation will go
directly towards our fight at the federal level for fair motorcycle
related legislation. Four riders also joined the MRF during this tour
bringing the total raised for the MRF to $240. We would like to welcome
the following riders to the MRF: Jeff Timblin, Olivia RuiZamora, Danny
Pruitt, and Russell Pearlman.
To view the MRF's legislative agenda go HERE.
If you are not already an MRF member, please consider joining. The
MRF is completely focused on supporting street motorcycling. Join
online HERE
The next NC
MRF History Tour be a 250+ mile ride to the Moore's
Creek Battleground on Saturday, May 13, 2006. There will be a
total of five NC
MRF History Tours during 2006.
We would like to thank long-time MRF Individual Sustaining Member
Bruce Harris for his dedication to the MRF, his time and effort in
organizing and planning this History Tour, and his enthusiasm for
creating fun, alternate riding opportunities for North Carolina's
riders.
The
Battle of Alamance
During the years preceding the American Revolution many North Carolina
people experienced strong feelings of discontent with the way the
provincial government conducted the affairs of the colony. Their quarrel
was not with the form of government or the body of laws but with abuses
by government officials. Grievances affecting the daily lives of the
colonists included excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs, and illegal
fees. It was in the western counties that the War of the Regulation
began.
In 1768, an association of "Regulators" was formed. Wealthier
colonists considered them to be a mob. The Regulators never had an
outstanding leader, though several men were prominent in the movement.
One leader, Herman Husband, a Quaker and disciple of Benjamin Franklin,
circulated political pamphlets seeking to effect peaceful reform.
Discouraged over failure to secure justice through peaceful negotiations,
the reformers took a more radical stand. Violence, lawlessness, and
terrorism reigned. When punitive measures were taken against them,
the Regulators defiantly refused to pay fees, terrorized those who
administered the law, and disrupted court proceedings.
It fell to Royal Governor William Tryon to bring the back country
revolt to a speedy conclusion. In March 1771, the governor's council
advised Tryon to call out the militia and march against the rebel
farmers. Volunteers for the militia were mustered. After resting on
the banks of Alamance Creek in the heart of Regulator country, Tryon
gathered his army of approximately one thousand men. Five miles away,
the army of Regulators, almost three thousand strong, had assembled.
The Battle of Alamance began on May 16, 1771 after the Regulators
rejected Tryon's suggestion that they disperse peacefully. Lacking
leadership, organization, and adequate munitions, the Regulators were
no match for Tryon's militia. Many Regulators fled the field of battle,
leaving their bolder comrades to fight on.
The rebellion of the Regulators was crushed by military defeat. Nine
members of the militia were killed and sixty-one wounded. The Regulator
losses were much greater, though exact numbers are not known. Tryon
took fifteen prisoners, of whom seven were executed later.
The War of the Regulation illustrates the dissatisfaction of a large
segment of the population during the time before the American Revolution.
The boldness with which reformers opposed royal authority provided
a lesson in the use of armed resistance, which revolutionaries employed
a few short years later in the War for Independence.
