Edenton District Brigade
Active1776-1783
AllegianceUnited States North Carolina
BranchNorth Carolina militia
TypeMilitia
Part ofBrigade
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Brigadier General Edward Vail, Sr.
Brigadier General William Skinner
Brigadier General Isaac Gregory

The Edenton District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.[1]

History

Known commanders/commandants:[1]

  1. Brigadier General Edward Vail, Sr. (1776-1777)[2][3]
  2. Brigadier General William Skinner (1777-1779)[4]
  3. Brigadier General John Pugh Williams (Pro Tempore) (May 1779)
  4. Brigadier General Isaac Gregory (1779-1783)[5]
  5. Brigadier General Thomas Benbury (Pro Tempore) (October 1780)

Edward Vail, Sr. was commissioned as the first commander of the Edenton District Brigade on May 4, 1776. William Skinner was appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly on December 20, 1777, to replace, general Edward Vail who died on June 5, 1777. John Pugh was commissioned as a Brigadier General commanding the Edenton District Brigade on May 12, 1779; however, he resigned his position after three days to take up a new position as a colonel on the staff of Major General Caswell, commander of the North Carolina Militia and State Troops. Brigadier General Issac Gregory replaced him on May 15, 1779. Thomas Benbury served as commander for a short time in October 1780 when general Gregory was in the western part of the state.[1][5][2][4]

Regiments

The known regiments of the Edenton District Brigade were as follows:[1]

Unit Subordinate Brigade Created Disbanded Original Commander, Rank
Edenton District Brigade North Carolina Militia 1776 1783 Vail, Edward, Brigadier General
1st Regiment of North Carolina militia Edenton 1780 1780 Jarvis, Samuel, Col
2nd Regiment of North Carolina militia Edenton 1780 1780 Exum, Benjamin, Col
Bertie County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Witmell, Thomas, Col
Camden County Regiment Edenton 1777 1783 Gregory, Isaac, Col[5]
Chowan County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Bonner, Thomas, Col
Currituck County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Jarvis, Samuel, Col
Gates County Regiment Edenton 1779 1783 Baker, Lawrence, Col
Hertford County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Wynns, Benjamin, Col
Martin County Regiment Edenton, Halifax[6] 1775 1783 Williams, William, Col
1st Pasquotank County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Lowery, John, Col
2nd Pasquotank County Regiment Edenton 1775 1777 Gregory, Isaac, Col[5]
Perquimans County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Harvey, Miles, Col
Tyrrell County Regiment Edenton 1775 1783 Buncombe, Edward, Col

1st and 2nd Regiments

On June 2, 1780, the North Carolina Legislature authorized two new special regiments of Militia to be raised and led by Colonel Samuel Jarvis of the Currituck County Regiment and Colonel Benjamin Exum of the Wayne County Regiment. These and many other county militia regiments were quickly assembled under Major General Richard Caswell at Cross Creek and Brigadier General Griffith Rutherford at Salisbury in July. They were marched to join up with the recently arrived Major General Horatio Gates of the Continental Army, and led into South Carolina to stop the British if possible. Both regiments fought at the Battle of Lynches Creek on August 11, 1780, and Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780, in South Carolina. After the Battle of Camden, both units retreated to Salisbury and were disbanded on September 2, 1780.[7][8]

Bertie County Regiment

The Bertie County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[9]

Companies of the Bertie County Regiment were engaged in five known battles and skirmishes: Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779, Battle of Stono Ferry in South Carolina on June 20, 1779, Siege of Charleston from March 18 to May 12, 1780, Little Lynches Creek in South Carolina on August 11, 1780, and the Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780.[9]

Chowan County Regiment

The Chowan County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[11]

There are very few records about this unit. However, the regiment is known to have been engaged in the Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779.[11]

Currituck County Regiment

The Currituck County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[12]

The Currituck County Regiment was known to have been involved in five battles and skirmishes: Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia on December 9, 1775, Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779, Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780, and the Siege of Charleston from March 28 to May 12, 1780.[12]

Gates County Regiment

When Gates County was formed by the North Carolina General Assembly from Chowan County, Hertford County, and Perquimans County on January 30, 1779, the Gates County Regiment was also established and continued to be active until the end of the war in 1783. The colonels included:[13]

The Gates County Regiment was engaged in seven known battles and skirmishes: Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779, Charleston Neck in South Carolina on May 11–13, 1779, Battle of Stono Ferry in South Carolina on June 20, 1779, Siege of Charleston in South Carolina from March 28 to May 12, 1780, Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina on March 15, 1781, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina on September 8, 1781.[13]

Hertford County Regiment

The Hertford County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[15]

The Hertford County Regiment was known to have been engaged in three battles: Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia on December 9, 1775, Siege of Charleston in South Carolina from March 28 to May 12, 1780, and the skirmish in Hillsborough in North Carolina on September 12, 1781.[15]

Martin County Regiment

The Martin County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. The regiment was transferred to the Halifax District Brigade of the North Carolina militia under Brigadier General Allen Jones in December 1777. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[17]

The Martin Count Regiment was known to have been involved in four battles during the American Revolution: Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779, Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780, the Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina on March 15, 1781, and the Battle of Hobkirk's Hill in South Carolina on April 25, 1781.[17]

Pasquotank County Regiment

The Pasquotank County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. On December 22, 1775, the regiment was split into a 1st Pasquotank County Regiment and a 2nd Pasquotank Regiment. On May 9, 1777, the 2nd Pasquotank Regiment was renamed the Camden County Regiment and the 1st Pasquotank County Regiment reverted to just the Pasquotank County Regiment. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[18]

Colonel Lowry commanded the Pasquotank County Regiment as early as 1771 when William McCormick was appointed as Captain by Governor Josiah Martin. Captain McCormick was a loyalist.[19]

The Pasquotank County Regiment was involved in two known engagements: Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia on December 9, 1775, and the Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780.[18]

Camden County Regiment

The Camden County Regiment was originally called the 2nd Pasquotank County Regiment, which was formed from the Pasquotank County Regiment on December 2, 1775, when it was split into 1st and 2nd Pasquotank County regiments. On May 9, 1777, the 2nd Pasquotank County Regiment was renamed the Camden County Regiment. The colonels included:[20]

As the 2nd Pasquotank County Regiment, it was not involved in any engagements. After it became the Camden County Regiment it was involved in two battles, the Battle of Stono Ferry on June 20, 1779, and the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781.[20]

Perquimans County Regiment

The Perquimans County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[25]

The Perquimans County Regiment was engage in only one known battle during the American Revolution, the Battle of Great Bridge on December 9, 1775, in Virginia.[25]

Tyrrell County Regiment

The Tyrrell County Regiment was one of the 35 existing county militias to be authorized as a regiment of the North Carolina militia by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on September 9, 1775. It was active until the end of the war. The colonels included:[27]

The Tyrrell County Regiment was engaged in the Battle of Brier Creek in Georgia on March 3, 1779, the Siege of Charleston from March 28 to May 12, 1780, and the Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina on September 8, 1781.[27]

Re-dedication of grave marker

On 15 August 2001, there was a re-dedication of a Grave Marker for the Revolutionary War General Isaac Gregory, which, in part, reads: "from January through July, General Gregory with his Militia, having returned to the Northwest River Bridge [the location of Black Swamp on the border of North Carolina and Virginia] again successfully guarded & defended the Edenton Military District (the counties bordering the Albemarle Sound or Chowan River), this time through repeated engagements around the Dismal Swamp [i.e. Black Swamp] against the army from Norfolk [Kemps Landing] … until the British retreated from Portsmouth to Yorktown in August of 1781."[28]

"General Gregory's existing tombstone, erected before 1920 by the D.A.R., marked his grave in the field between Fairfield Hall and the Palmer Road about 200 yards south of the home; but it fell in the 1970's, was stolen and then shortly recovered by the sheriff, and finally was garaged for three decades by a family member. The stone has been erected again now in front of the Sawyer Cemetery, directly across the Palmer Road from the site of Fairfield Hall and the grave, by Edenton's S.A.R. chapter which has attached to it bronze plaques reciting further details of the General's life & career."[28]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lewis, J.D. "Edenton District Brigade of militia". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Carney, Richard. "Edward Vail (1717-1777)". Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  3. ^ Smith, William S. Jr. (1996). "Edward Vail". NCPedia. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Skinner, Sue Dossett (1994). "William Skinner". NCPedia. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Powell, William S. (1986). "Isaac Gregory". NCPedia. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  6. ^ The Martin County Regiments was transferred to the Halifax District Brigade of the North Carolilna militia in December of 1777
  7. ^ Lewis, J.D. "1st North Carolina Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Lewis, J.D. "2nd North Carolina Regiment". carolana.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Bertie County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  10. ^ Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1996). "Thomas Whitmell". NCPedia. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Chowan County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  12. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Currituck County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  13. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Gates County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  14. ^ Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1979). "Laurence Baker". NCPEDIA. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Hertford County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  16. ^ Newbern, Thomas R. J. (1996). "Benjamin Wynns". NCPEDIA. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Martin County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  18. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Pasquotank County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  19. ^ Memorial of William McCormick to the Royal Commission on the Losses Services of American Loyalists, p. 7
  20. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Camden County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  21. ^ Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
  22. ^ Lewis, J.D. "Colonel Dempsey Burgess". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  23. ^ "Colonel John Gregory". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  24. ^ Claudia A. Fry (1986). "Peter Dauge/Dozier". NCPedia. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  25. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Perquimans County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  26. ^ O'Donnell, John Burke Jr. (1988). "Miles Harvey". NCPedia. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  27. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "Tyrrell County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina.
  28. ^ a b From a newsletter of The Diocese of the South Orthodox Church in America, Dallas, Texas: "Dedication of Grave Marker for Revolutionary War General Isaac Gregory". Aug 15, 2011 [Updated on Aug 18th]
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