James Moore (North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
James Moore was a member of a prominent political family of the Carolinas
. He served as Patriot
military commander in North Carolina
during the American Revolutionary War
. He was one of only 5 generals from North Carolina to serve in the Continental Army
.
Like his father, he had served in the colonial militia and was an experienced military officer at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. After distinguishing himself as a colonel in victory at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (February 27, 1776), he was promoted to brigadier general in the Continental Army
. He was later appointed commander of the Southern Department
, a position he would only hold for a few months before his sudden death in April, 1777.
in the Cape Fear
region of the Carolinas in 1729. The family plantation was at Rocky Point, located at a bend in the Cape Fear River
, located about 15 miles north of Wilmington
. He was the son of Maurice Moore and his second wife, Mary Porter. His brother, also named Maurice Moore, was a prominent jurist and political leader of the Revolutionary side in North Carolina. His sister, Rebecca Moore, would marry another Revolutionary War leader, General John Ashe.
He was the nephew of Colonel James Moore, a soldier who distinguished himself for his defense of several North Carolina settlements during the Yamasee War
. Colonel James and Maurice Moore were the sons of Governor James Moore
, who had been the governor of the Province of Carolina
when North and South Carolina were a single colony.
The Moore family was well established in the political scene of the Carolinas. Maurice had himself been a speaker of the North Carolina legislature. As speaker the Maurice Moore had championed settlement of the Cape Fear region under Governor George Burrington
and led frequent conflicts with Burrington's successor, Richard Everard
. He had another son, also named Maurice, who had been appointed as a Judge, but when the younger Maurice became a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act
, he was removed from the bench by Governor William Tryon
. The two brothers also served in the legislature at various times during the colonial period. One of General James Moore's nephews, Alfred Moore
served in the Continental Army and would later become an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
in 1770, and through them organized a boycott of imported British goods. In 1774, he helped organize the First Provincial Congress, the first revolutionary legislature in North Carolina, established in opposition to the Loyalist government. In August, 1775 he was elected to the Third Provincial Congress, which organized the Colonial Militia and place Moore in command of the First Regiment of it.
. In 1766, he led an armed mob in protest of the Stamp Act
and got the ear of governor William Tryon
, and his comptroller of customs, William Pennington
. Pennington sided with the mob, and resigned his post rather than have to enforce the provisions of the Stamp Act. He served as a colonel of an artillery company in the colonial militia during the War of the Regulation
, an populist revolt against the colonial government of North Carolina in the decade immediately preceding the American Revolution.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775, the Second Continental Congress
commissioned Moore as a colonel and on February 15, 1776 he given command of the First North Carolina Regiment, and placed in charge of the defense of the Cape Fear region. At the same time, the Colonial government in New Bern
organized another militia under Colonel Richard Caswell
, and sent this force south to meet up with Moore's regiment.
The British forces, in cooperation with the loyalist elements of the colonial government, planned an invasion of North Carolina near Wilmington
, a major seaport and strategic town in the Cape Fear region. The British force consisted mostly of recent Scottish
immigrants to North Carolina; organized shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in 1775. Moore's role prior to the battle was to harass the loyalist troops and redirect their march to a location favorable to the Americans. Moore himself took up position near Cross Creek (near modern Fayetteville, North Carolina
) behind the lines of the Loyalists, and positioned regiments of Colonels Caswell and Alexander Lillington
at a bridge across what was known as "Widow Moore's Creek", keeping the bulk of those forces hidden from Loyalist view. The Americans also sabotaged the bridge, removing the cross planking and leaving behind only the stringers, making the bridge a precarious crossing. When the Loyalist army attempted to take the bridge in the early morning hours of February 27, they were met with fierce resistance; the Americans routed the British in less than three minutes, inflicting 70 casualties and capturing 850 loyalist soldiers, while themselves receiving only a single casualty. The battle was significant as the first decisive victory for the Americans in pitched battle, it would go far in helping swing sentiment for the Revolutionaries, especially in the South.
After his defense of Wilmington during the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, he was promoted to Brigadier General
on March 1, 1776 and given command of all of the forces in North Carolina. As a brigadier, he served under General Charles Lee
, commander of the Southern Department
of the Continental Army. His first action as a brigadier was to lead a brigade during the Battle of Sullivan's Island
near Charleston, South Carolina
. Shortly thereafter, Lee was recalled to the north to aid in the defense of New York, and Moore was placed in command of the Southern Department in September, 1776.
As commander of the Southern Department, he organized an invasion of Florida in late summer 1776. He was then commanded to bring his troops into the North to aid George Washington
, however given the imminent threat of another invasion of the Carolinas by British forces, he countermanded
the order. He wintered with his troops in South Carolina, and on March 15, 1777 he was again ordered to take his troops north. He intended to comply with the order this time, and returned to Wilmington to put his affairs in order.
chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
and a U.S. Army battery
at the now defunct Fort Casey in Washington state were named in his honor.
=?
|
|
James Moore (died 1706)
=?
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|__________________________
| |
| |
Maurice Moore Colonel James Moore
=Mary Porter
|
|_____________________________
| | |
| | |
James Rebecca Maurice
=John Ashe
Moore family (Carolinas)
The Moore family was a prominent political family of North and South Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are believed to be related to or descended from Roger O'Moore, a leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The family is most closely associated with the Cape Fear coastal region...
. He served as Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
military commander in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He was one of only 5 generals from North Carolina to serve in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
.
Like his father, he had served in the colonial militia and was an experienced military officer at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. After distinguishing himself as a colonel in victory at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (February 27, 1776), he was promoted to brigadier general in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. He was later appointed commander of the Southern Department
Departments of the Continental Army
In the American Revolutionary War units of the Continental Army were assigned to any one of seven regional or territorial departments to decentralize their command and administration. This was necessary because the regiment was the largest permanent unit in the Continental Army...
, a position he would only hold for a few months before his sudden death in April, 1777.
Early life and ancestry
James Moore was born in New Hanover CountyNew Hanover County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 160,307 people, 68,183 households, and 41,591 families residing in the county. The population density was 806 people per square mile . There were 79,616 housing units at an average density of 400 per square mile...
in the Cape Fear
Cape Fear (region)
Cape Fear is a coastal plain and tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the cape...
region of the Carolinas in 1729. The family plantation was at Rocky Point, located at a bend in the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
, located about 15 miles north of Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. He was the son of Maurice Moore and his second wife, Mary Porter. His brother, also named Maurice Moore, was a prominent jurist and political leader of the Revolutionary side in North Carolina. His sister, Rebecca Moore, would marry another Revolutionary War leader, General John Ashe.
He was the nephew of Colonel James Moore, a soldier who distinguished himself for his defense of several North Carolina settlements during the Yamasee War
Yamasee War
The Yamasee War was a conflict between British settlers of colonial South Carolina and various Native American Indian tribes, including the Yamasee, Muscogee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Catawba, Apalachee, Apalachicola, Yuchi, Savannah River Shawnee, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, Cape Fear, Cheraw, and...
. Colonel James and Maurice Moore were the sons of Governor James Moore
James Moore (South Carolina politician)
James Moore was the British governor of colonial South Carolina between 1700 and 1703. He is remembered for leading several invasions of Spanish Florida, including attacks in 1704 and 1706 which wiped out most of the Spanish missions in Florida....
, who had been the governor of the Province of Carolina
Province of Carolina
The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...
when North and South Carolina were a single colony.
The Moore family was well established in the political scene of the Carolinas. Maurice had himself been a speaker of the North Carolina legislature. As speaker the Maurice Moore had championed settlement of the Cape Fear region under Governor George Burrington
George Burrington
George Burrington was the governor of the Province of North Carolina, from January 1724 to April 1725, and again from February 1731 to 1734....
and led frequent conflicts with Burrington's successor, Richard Everard
Sir Richard Everard, 4th Baronet
Sir Richard Everard, 4th Baronet was the last Governor of North Carolina under proprietary rule, serving in that capacity from 1725 to 1731....
. He had another son, also named Maurice, who had been appointed as a Judge, but when the younger Maurice became a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act
A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...
, he was removed from the bench by Governor William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
. The two brothers also served in the legislature at various times during the colonial period. One of General James Moore's nephews, Alfred Moore
Alfred Moore
Alfred Moore was a distinguished North Carolina judge who became a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Moore Square, a park located in the Moore Square Historic District in Raleigh, North Carolina was named in his honor. Moore was buried at the St...
served in the Continental Army and would later become an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Political life
Like other members of his family, Moore was an ardent supporter of the colonies in their many conflicts with Britain, both before and during the Revolutionary War. He served in the North Carolina House of Commons from 1764–1771 and again in 1773, representing his home county of New Hanover. He organized the Wilmington chapter of the Sons of LibertySons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
in 1770, and through them organized a boycott of imported British goods. In 1774, he helped organize the First Provincial Congress, the first revolutionary legislature in North Carolina, established in opposition to the Loyalist government. In August, 1775 he was elected to the Third Provincial Congress, which organized the Colonial Militia and place Moore in command of the First Regiment of it.
Military service
James Moore was an experienced military officer prior to the American Revolution. In 1758, he was company captain at Fort Johnston for the North Carolina militia, and later served in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. In 1766, he led an armed mob in protest of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act
A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...
and got the ear of governor William Tryon
William Tryon
William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...
, and his comptroller of customs, William Pennington
William Pennington
William Pennington was an American politician and lawyer, the Governor of New Jersey, and Speaker of the House during his one term in Congress....
. Pennington sided with the mob, and resigned his post rather than have to enforce the provisions of the Stamp Act. He served as a colonel of an artillery company in the colonial militia during the War of the Regulation
War of the Regulation
The War of the Regulation was a North Carolina uprising, lasting from approximately 1760 to 1771, in which citizens took up arms against corrupt colonial officials...
, an populist revolt against the colonial government of North Carolina in the decade immediately preceding the American Revolution.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775, the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
commissioned Moore as a colonel and on February 15, 1776 he given command of the First North Carolina Regiment, and placed in charge of the defense of the Cape Fear region. At the same time, the Colonial government in New Bern
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
organized another militia under Colonel Richard Caswell
Richard Caswell
Richard Caswell was the first and fifth governor of the U.S. State of North Carolina, serving from 1776 to 1780 and from 1784 to 1787....
, and sent this force south to meet up with Moore's regiment.
The British forces, in cooperation with the loyalist elements of the colonial government, planned an invasion of North Carolina near Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, a major seaport and strategic town in the Cape Fear region. The British force consisted mostly of recent Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
immigrants to North Carolina; organized shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in 1775. Moore's role prior to the battle was to harass the loyalist troops and redirect their march to a location favorable to the Americans. Moore himself took up position near Cross Creek (near modern Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
) behind the lines of the Loyalists, and positioned regiments of Colonels Caswell and Alexander Lillington
Alexander Lillington
John Alexander Lillington , aka Alexander John Lillington, was a Patriot officer from North Carolina in the American Revolutionary War who notably fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776...
at a bridge across what was known as "Widow Moore's Creek", keeping the bulk of those forces hidden from Loyalist view. The Americans also sabotaged the bridge, removing the cross planking and leaving behind only the stringers, making the bridge a precarious crossing. When the Loyalist army attempted to take the bridge in the early morning hours of February 27, they were met with fierce resistance; the Americans routed the British in less than three minutes, inflicting 70 casualties and capturing 850 loyalist soldiers, while themselves receiving only a single casualty. The battle was significant as the first decisive victory for the Americans in pitched battle, it would go far in helping swing sentiment for the Revolutionaries, especially in the South.
After his defense of Wilmington during the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, he was promoted to Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
on March 1, 1776 and given command of all of the forces in North Carolina. As a brigadier, he served under General Charles Lee
Charles Lee (general)
Charles Lee was a British soldier who later served as a General of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence. Lee served in the British army during the Seven Years War. After the war he sold his commission and served for a time in the Polish army of King Stanislaus II...
, commander of the Southern Department
Departments of the Continental Army
In the American Revolutionary War units of the Continental Army were assigned to any one of seven regional or territorial departments to decentralize their command and administration. This was necessary because the regiment was the largest permanent unit in the Continental Army...
of the Continental Army. His first action as a brigadier was to lead a brigade during the Battle of Sullivan's Island
Battle of Sullivan's Island
The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American rebels...
near Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. Shortly thereafter, Lee was recalled to the north to aid in the defense of New York, and Moore was placed in command of the Southern Department in September, 1776.
As commander of the Southern Department, he organized an invasion of Florida in late summer 1776. He was then commanded to bring his troops into the North to aid George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, however given the imminent threat of another invasion of the Carolinas by British forces, he countermanded
Revocation
Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the reversal of an act, the recalling of a grant, or the making void of some deed previously existing.-Contract law:...
the order. He wintered with his troops in South Carolina, and on March 15, 1777 he was again ordered to take his troops north. He intended to comply with the order this time, and returned to Wilmington to put his affairs in order.
Death
While preparing to march north in response to the second order from General Washington to do so, he took ill in April, 1777. He died in his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, on the same day and in the same house as his brother Maurice, having served less than a year as commander of the Southern Department.Posthumous honors
The Wake Forest, North CarolinaWake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake County in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is located just north of the state capital, Raleigh. The population was 12,588 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the estimated population was 27,915...
chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and a U.S. Army battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
at the now defunct Fort Casey in Washington state were named in his honor.
Family tree
Rory Óg Ó Mórdha, died c. 1653.=?
|
|
James Moore (died 1706)
=?
|
|__________________________
| |
| |
Maurice Moore Colonel James Moore
=Mary Porter
|
|_____________________________
| | |
| | |
James Rebecca Maurice
=John Ashe