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Liberty Trail History Makers
The Revolutionary War was a war unlike any other — one of ideas and ideals, that shaped “the course of human events. Explore the history and personalities from this pivotal time in American history.
A career soldier loyal to the Crown, Donald MacDonald fought at Culloden before crossing the Atlantic to rally Scottish Highlanders for Britain during the American Revolution. His effort was cut short when he was captured after the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge and held by Patriot forces for more than a year.
Son of prominent leader John Baptista Ashe, John Ashe emerged as a leading Patriot in North Carolina, turning from crown loyalist to Revolutionary commander after colonial unrest and rising to brigadier general by 1776. Though defeated at Brier Creek and later captured when British forces overran Wilmington, Ashe died a prisoner of war in 1781 after contracting smallpox.
Soon after Greene took command of the southern theater, the tide of war began to turn in favor of the Patriots. Greene and his men turned south to reconquer the South Carolina backcountry. Throughout 1781, Greene steadily drove the British back to Charleston, which they abandoned the following December.
James Moore rose from a respected militia officer to a key Revolutionary leader, helping organize North Carolina’s resistance and contributing to the American victory at Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. Promoted to brigadier general, he died in 1777 remembered as one of the state’s most distinguished soldiers of the Revolution.
The site of a former colonial port that thrived throughout the mid-18th century, most of the town was reportedly burned down by the British in 1776
Located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, this "uninhabitable" Great Dismal Swamp was home to thousands of Native Americans and Maroons--self-emancipated slaves--throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
Located an hour away from Charlotte, the Ramsour's Mill battleground marks the site of the first Patriot victory in the south following the fall of Charleston.
Patriot forces under Andrew Pickens and "Light Horse Harry" successfully rout British forces in Alamance County following Cornwallis' failed attempt to catch Nathanael Greene during the "Race to the Dan"
Once a thriving commercial hub, Bethabara was home to a Moravian settlement in Winston-Salem that witnessed the French and Indian War, the Regulator War, and the American Revolution.
Now the site of one of the last Scottish broadsword charges in history, nearly 1,000 North Carolina Patriots faced off against well-trained Highlanders in the first significant victory for the Patriots in the Revolution
The Battle of Alamance site marks the 1771 clash between royal militia and Regulator rebels, often called the last battle of the colonial period. Visitors can explore monuments and exhibits interpreting this early struggle over authority in the Carolina backcountry.
Originally destroyed by a fire in 1798, this faithful reconstruction stands on the former site of the Palace and offers an 18th century interpretive experience.
Explore colonial Halifax at a preserved Revolutionary-era town where historic homes, public spaces, and hands-on exhibits reveal how North Carolinians lived, worked, and governed in the 1700s. From influential leaders’ residences to springs, markets, and river landings, the site brings everyday life in a pivotal American community into sharp focus.
One of the final battles of the Southern Campaign, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse cemented the British path to final defeat at the Battle of Yorktown.
Built in 1767, the Chowan County Courthouse is one of the oldest operating courthouses in the country and still serves the North Carolina Supreme Court to this day.
Home to a Loyalist sympathizer, the Burgwin-Wright House stands as one of the oldest structures in Wilmington. In 1781, the likes of Cornwallis and his officers inhabited the home for a brief period.