The patriot army held an advantage because Col. Alexander Lillington chose the battleground around Moores Creek Bridge. He knew that his opponents, marching down the Negro Head Point Road to the coast, would be vulnerable when they crossed the bridge. Shallow earthworks blocked the road, where Lillington's 150 minutemen were reinforced by 850 militia under Col. Richard Caswell. Just across the bridge, Caswell established a small encampment as a decoy. On the eve of battle, patriot forces labored to complete shoulder-height earthworks surrounding the road on this side of the creek, and archaeological research indicates the present earthworks lie atop the original fortifications.