Battle of Hanging Rock, South Carolina 6th August 1780 Captain David Reid, Mecklenburg Militia, Killed in Action Prince of Wales Americans Patriot and Loyalist Militia 505th Engineer Battalion NC National Guard [email protected] An Approach to History & Genealogy People Time & Place Maj William Davie http://battleofcamden.org/davie.htm Capt Joseph Graham Battle of Charlotte 26 Sept. 1780 http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr19-0075 The British Legion Present at the Battle of Hanging Rock Lt. Col. Banastre Tarelton Maj. George Hanger 4th Baron Coleraine Not Present at the Battle of Hanging Rock But … both wrote excellent accounts The Campaign Terrain as Perceived by 1770 Map Charlotte Capt David Reid Home Battle of Waxhaws Old NC/SC Border Battle of Fishing Creek Hanging Rock Camden Chronology – Part of British Southern Strategy Before the Battle: • Capture of Savannah December, 1778 • Battle of Stono Ferry June 20, 1779 • Surrender of Charleston May 12, 1780 • Battle of the Waxhaws May 29, 1780 Battle of Hanging Rock August 6, 1780 After the Battle: • Battle of Camden August 16, 1780 • Battle of Charlotte September 26, 1780 • Battle of King’s Mountain Oct 7, 1780 • Battle of Cowpens January 17, 1781 Finding and Touring the Battlefield Battle of Hanging Rock Order of Battle (A Reasonable Approximation ) Americans British Colonel Thomas Sumter Major John Carden South Carolina Militia Prince of Wales Americans South Carolina Militia 400 men, 47 companies British Provincial Regiments from 7 Regiments Royal North Carolina Regiment (100) SC Light Dragoons, 2 companies Prince of Wales Americans (181) British Legion Infantry (161) Georgia Militia Detachment Loyalists Militia (800) Catawba Indians Cavalry North Carolina Militia British Legion Mounted Infantry (40) Mecklenburg Co - 200 men, 13 companies Wilkes Co – 4 companies Royal Artillery Independent Corps of Light Horse, 8 companies 3 pounder field guns (2?) Sumter at Hanging Rock Not very much to do with the real Battle of Hanging Rock Scheme of Maneuver (Conjecture) Patriot Axis of Advance • Patriots organized into 3 divisions • Attacked East of the Camden Road Bryan’s NC Militia • Lead division dismount on contact British Legion and NC Royal Regt • British Militia surprised POW Americans • Patriots overrun two of the encampments Hanging Rock • POWA column came to support • Provincials form a square Camden Road • POWA become combat ineffective Retrospective – Major Points • All participants were Americans, no British Regular Army • American victory, but with an opportunity lost • Victory marred by discovery of rum in baggage train and shortage of ammunition – leads to decision to withdraw • Followed one week later by major American defeat at Camden • Underscored strengths and weaknesses of American militia system • Current battlefield reflects lack of interest and remembrance of what happened there. • Good representation of the War in the South – small battle, militia, provincials, ambiguous results Casualties These numbers vary by accounts Patriots British 12 Killed 25 Killed 40 Wounded 175 Wounded 73 Missing 1st Mecklenburg Regiment NC Militia (And typical of Southern militia formations) • Varied from 8 to 16 companies from 1775 – 1782 • 2d Regiment existed for brief period (Regiment and battalion were same formation) • Traditional companies were based on tax districts with each eligible male enrolled (about 80 per district) • Captain was selected by the Court of Pleas and Quarter Session together with Assessors, Constable, and Justice • Captains were tasked to provide jurors and drafts for militia service – volunteers were encouraged • Strength of companies on service ranged from six to eighty. • Captains usually volunteered and were also commissioned by the State Government. Some organized militia companies in service were led by Captains not appointed by the County Court • Very few state records have survived • North Carolina militia were almost always mounted on their own horses and dismounted for battle (back woods dragoons) Wilkes Militia after Kings Mountain Documenting that Captain David Reid 1st Mecklenburg Regiment, NC Militia Was Killed in Action, Hanging Rock 6th August 1780 My Challenge • I want to submit a supplemental application for Capt. David Reid, my 5th Grandfather • No members of SAR or DAR have used his descent • Standards of Proof for a Patriot not earlier recognized is a high bar • NC Militia Records are sparse • Accounts of Battle of Hanging Rock are conflicting • Mecklenburg Court Records and Land Records are good for this period • Genealogy Records are solid Not Captain David Reid Documenting Proof of David Reid’s Service as a Patriot https://archive.org/details/staterecordsnor00librgoog The State records of North Carolina by North Carolina; Clark, Walter, 1846-1924 ed; Saunders, William Laurence, 1835-1891 ed; Weeks, Stephen Beauregard, 1865-1918 ed; North Carolina. Colonial records of North Carolina; North Carolina. Laws, statutes, etc; North Carolina. Trustees of the Public Libraries https://archive.org/details/staterecordsnor00librgoog General Joseph Graham letter to Judge Murphey, March 9, 1821 Based on his Papers, considers one of the best accounts of Hanging Rock Identifies David Reid as the “Captain Reed” killed at the battle Capt. John McDowell House Brother in Law of David Reid S. Tryon Street, Charlotte (Hwy 49) Known as the Middle Indian Path North Carolina Land Grant 1754 Mary McDowell Mecklenburg County, NC At the Request of Mary McDowell I resurveyed the Land of her Patent dated the 28th January 1754 Called 320 Acres in Anson County on the South Side of Shugar Creek and both sides of the Middle Fork and finds Sundry Manifest Errors in the Said Patent and Plan … Beginning at a Red Oak the Original beginning Corner and following all the Original Marked lines Viz. from Said Red Oak N. 10 W. 130 poles to a Black Oak, then N. 65 E. 36 poles … www.nclandgrants.com Metes and Bounds • Metes. The term "metes" refers to a boundary defined by the measurement of each straight run, specified by a distance between the terminal points, and an orientation or direction. A direction is expressed as a simple compass bearing • Bounds. The term "bounds" refers to a more general boundary description, such as along a certain watercourse, a stone wall, or an adjoining road or property. • Direction is described not by azimuth (a clockwise degree measure out of 360 degrees), but instead by bearing (a direction north or south followed by a degree measure out of 90 degrees and another direction west or east). For example, such a bearing might be listed as "N 42°35' W", which means that the bearing is 42°35' counterclockwise, or west of north. Units of Linear Measure Units of Area 1 Pole (Rod or Perch) = 25 links = 16.5 feet 1 Acre = 10 square chains 4 Poles = 100 links = 1 chain 1 Acre = 43,560 square 1 Chain = 100 links feet 1 Chain = 66 feet 1 Square mile = 640 acres 10 Chains = 1 furlong = 1/8 mile 1 Mile = 80 chains 1 Mile = 5 ,280 feet Plat Plotter Finding Colonial Land Grants http://platplotter.appspot.com John McDowell House Land Given to David Reid by his Father in Law, Hugh Parks McDowell and Parks Plats gives us the land where David Reid lived Capt. David Reid John McDowell House Reconstructing the Revolutionary Era Steele Creek Neighborhood where David Reid lived Samuel Bigham Steele Creek Church John Aston Hugh Parks Capt. David Reid John McDowell.