Decisive Victory

From their well-defended position, hundreds of patriots trained their guns on the loyalist Scots who charged from the shadows in the light of dawn. But bravery and broadswords were no match for muskets and cannon. Within seconds, the front ranks of the loyalists were decimated. Some lay dead below the earthworks, while others drowned in Moores Creek. In all, more than thirty loyalists perished. Patriot losses were one dead and one wounded. After the battle, patriots captured hundreds of loyalists, large quantities of weapons, supplies, and more than £15,000 ($13,850,000 in today's money). The Battle of Moores Creek undermined royal hopes that armies of loyalists throughout the South would join British troops to quell the growing rebellion.

North Carolina · United States