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114 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River

At length, South Carolina being subjugated, Lord Cornwallis
proposed to enter North Carolina, and as a part of his opera-
tions, on the 28th of January, 1781, Maj. James H. Craig took
possession of Wilmington. His force consisted of eighteen ves-
sels, carrying a full supply of provisions and munitions, and
400 regular troops, artillery, and dragoons. At that time
Brunswick was entirely deserted, and Wilmington contained
but 200 houses and only 1,000 inhabitants. The entire Cape
Fear region was defenseless. The losses of the Cape Fear coun-
ties at Camden and in other battles at the South had been heavy,
while many of the militia and the whole Continental Line had

been surrendered by Lincoln at Charleston. Thus the Whig
strength had been greatly weakened, while there were in the
country but few guns and no powder and lead. On the other
hand, the Loyalists had been strengthened by accessions from
those who wearied of the war.

Major Craig at once dispatched detachments to scour the
country, seize prominent Whigs, collect forage, and arouse the
Loyalists, who in some counties largely outnumbered the Whigs.
After the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis retreated
to Wilmington, his army arriving there on the 7th of April.
In the closing days of April, when he had repaired his damage
as well as he could, he marched through the eastern counties to
Virginia, leaving the subjugation of North Carolina to Major
Craig.

Large bodies of Loyalists, well supplied by the British with
arms and ammunition and too strong to be successfully resisted,
now marched at will throughout the Upper Cape Fear, sup-
pressing the Whigs and taking many prisoners, confining them
in prison ships or in Craig’s “bull-pen’’ on shore.

After Cornwallis had passed on to Virginia, General Lilling-
ton returned to his former position at Heron Bridge, over the
Northeast; but in June he was forced to retire into Onslow
County, and Craig established an outpost at Rutherford Mills,
on Ashe’s Creek, seven miles east of Burgaw, where he con-
structed a bastion fort. In the meantime Craig had been active
in organizing the Loyalists, and issued a proclamation notify-
ing the inhabitants that they were all British subjects and must
enroll themselves as Loyalist Militia, and those who did not do
so by the first day of August were to be harried, their property
seized and sold, and themselves destroyed. On the last day of
grace Craig began a march through the eastern counties, his

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The Revolution 115

loyal lieutenants being very vigorous in the counties on the
Northwest and the Haw and the Deep Rivers. When he reached
Rock Creek, two miles east of Wallace, he found Colonel Kenan
with some 500 militia ready to contest his passage, but Kenan’s
ammunition was soon exhausted and the British successfully
crossed and dispersed the militia. For ten days Craig remained
in Duplin and harried the Whigs, and then, after being joined
by 300 Loyalists, he moved towards New Bern. Lillington was
at Limestone Bridge, but hurried on the road to the Trent to
keep in Craig’s front. He had about 600 men, but only three
rounds of ammunition, and had been directed not to hazard a
battle. On the 17th of August General Caswell reported to the
Governor: “General Lillington is between New Bern and the
enemy, and I am fearful will risk an action. I have done every-
thing I can to prevent it, and have let him have a sight of Your
Excellency’s letter, wherein you mention that no general action
must take place.” Craig entered New Bern, and then marched
towards Kinston, but turned south and went to Richlands, and,
after obtaining a supply of forage, returned to Wilmington.
At the east, the Whigs now rallied everywhere, those in Duplin,
having suffered greatly, being thoroughly exasperated. They
surprised a body of Tories, “cut many of them to pieces, took
several and put them to instant death.” The retaliation on each
side was fierce and ferocious, until at length the Tories sub-
sided. But in Bladen and higher up the Tory detachments, each
numbering several hundred, held the country and drove the
Whigs out. However, on August 28, Colonel Brown, with about
150 Bladen men, won a complete victory at Elizabethtown and
broke the Tory power in Bladen. But a fortnight later, Fan-
ning, whose force numbered 1,000 men, took Hillsboro, cap-
tured the Governor, and fought the Battle of Cane Creek.

It was not until October that General Rutherford was able to
collect enough men to march to the relief of Wilmington. Early
in November he reached the Northeast, ten miles above the
town, and established himself there, hemming Craig in. But
now momentous events happening at Yorktown had their effect
on the Cape Fear. On the 17th of November, Light-Horse
Harry Lee (the father of Gen. Robert E. Lee) arrived at Ruth-
erford’s camp, bringing the glad news of the surrender of Corn-
wallis. Immediately the whole camp united in a feu de joie,
and then Rutherford crossed the river and took post at Schaw’s,
four miles from the town. On the following morning, Novem-