The Revolutionary War in North Carolina: A Pathfinder This pathfinder intends to assist researchers studying the Revolutionary War period in North Carolina based on the materials in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The guide covers primary and secondary materials ranging from maps and videos to books and pamphlets. Links are provided to digitized material through the Documenting the American South project at UNC and other online resources. This guide is far from comprehensive, and researchers are encouraged to search the online catalog and the North Carolina Collection's card catalog. Please ask at the collection's reference desk for any assistance in locating materials. The material has been organized under categories (i.e., biographical, general reference, etc.) and each entry is followed by a call number and, as appropriate, a short description of the work generally taken from the preface.
Subject HeadingsThe following terms can be searched in the online catalog as well as the card catalog in the North Carolina Collection's reading room. Primary sources can also be located by limiting the search dates to 1700-1799. North Carolina---History---Revolution, 1775-1783 North Carolina---History---Revolution, 1775-1783---Sources North Carolina---History---Revolution, 1775-1783---Campaigns North Carolina---History---Regulator Insurrection, 1766-1771 (---Sources) North Carolina---Politics and government---1775-1783 North Carolina---Militia North Carolina---Newspapers (1700-1799) Revolution---North Carolina
General Reference SourcesThe Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. ed. Jack P. Greene and J.R. Pole. Cambridge, M.A.: Blackwells, 1991. C970.3 B632g Collection of articles on various topics of the American Revolution. Good source for context readings on the colonies as well as introduction to major contemporary issues. Articles have bibliography at the end.
Revolutionary America, 1763-1789: A Bibliography. Compiled by Ronald M. Gephart. Two volumes. Washington, D.C.: Libray of Congress, 1984. C016.9703 G35r Bibliography of sources about the Revolutionary War in the Library of Congress. Extensive coverage of all regions and topics, providing both primary and secondary sources. Books not available at the North Carolina Collection can be requested through interlibrary loan.
Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. Mark Mayo Boatner III. New York: D. McKay Co., 1966. CR970.3 B66e Alphabetical listing of key people, places, and events during the Revolutionary War period throughout the colonies. Excellent source for finding related topics and ideas.
A Study of the Printed North Carolina Revolutionary War Source Materials in the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina. Lucia Porter Johnson. Graduate thesis. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1984. C378 UO2 1957 Johnson Annotated bibliography for primary sources relating to the revolution in North Carolina. Slightly dated but still an excellent guide to primary materials in Wilson Library.
Primary SourcesThe Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness Accounts of the War for Independence. ed. John C. Dann. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. C970.38 R454d Covers the various regions of the colonies and provides the often detailed accounts of the people who were present during the various phases of the war.
Revolutionary War Soldiers of Western North Carolina. E. White. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1984. C970.341 W58b List of entires in alphabetical order that provide details about the soldiers of the Revolutionary War from the western part of North Carolina.
Claims of American Loyalists in North Carolina. NCC microfilm C970.314 C58
Col. David Fanning's Narrative of His Exploits and Adventures as a Loyalist of North Carolina in the American Revolution... David Fanning. Toronto: Reprinted from the Canadian magazine, 1908. CR970.38 F21n1 The account of David Fanning, a Loyalist, through the turbulent years of the Revolution in North Carolina.
North Carolina. General Assembly. An act for confiscating the property of all such persons, as are inimical to the United States, and of such persons as shall not in a certain time therein mentioned; appear and submit to this State: whether they shall be received as citizens therof, and of such persons as shall so appear, and shall not be admitted as citizens; and for other purposes therein mentioned (1777). [New Bern?: The Assembly], 1777. Cb970.32 N87
North Carolina Colonial Newspapers: The North Carolina Gazette(1771-1778) Newbern, N.C.: Printed by Samuel Davis, 1768-1778. NCC Microfilm C071 N87g More colonial newspapers can be found on NCC microfilm C071 N87a (7 reels). See card catalogue (NC Newspapers) for titles available.
Continuation of the impartial relation of the first rise and cause of the recent differences, in publick affairs, in the province of North Carolina... Herman Husband. [n.p.] 1770. NCC Microfilm C970.25 H96c First hand account of the Regulator insurrection in North Carolina.
The Regulators in North Carolina: A Documentary Hsitory, 1759-1776. ed. William S. Powell, James K. Huhta, and Thomas J. Farnham. Raleigh: State Dept. of Archives and History, 1971. C970.25 P88r Collection of primary sources concerning the Regulator Insurrection inculding minutes of meetings, legislation, personal accounts, etc.
Anecdotes of the revolutionary war in America: with sketches of character of persons the most distinguished, in the Southern states, for civil and military services. Alexander Gordon. Charleston, S.C., 1822. VCp970.3 G21a
Important advices from Lord Cornwallis. Marquis Charles Cornwallis. London, 1781. VCp970.38 C82 "Letters from Cornwallis detailing aspects of the Revolutionary War in North Carolina."
Abstract of Pensions of North Carolina Soldiers of the Revolution, War of 1812 & Indian Wars. compiled by Annie Walker Burns. 15 volumes, index in each volume. Washington, D.C., n.d. C970.341 B43a
Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution, With an Appendix Containing a Collection of Miscellaneous Records. The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution of North Carolina. [Durham, N.C.], 1932. CR970.341 D23r Provides name, rank, company, dates of enlistment and commission, period of service, and any notable occurences.
Journal of a Lady of Quality: Being the Narrative of a Journey from Scotland to the West Indies, North Carolina, and Portugal, in the Years 1774-1776. Janet Schaw. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1923. CR970.2 S31j4
The Colonial Records of North Carolina. compiled and edited by William L. Sauders and William Clark. 28 volumes. Wilmington, N.C.: Broadfoot Pub. Co., 1993-94. CR328 R32
Naval Documents of the American Revolution. ed. William Bell Clark. 10 volumes. Washington, D.C.: Naval History Division, Dept. of the Navy, 1976. C970.35 U58n
Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789. ed. Paul H. Smith. 26 volumes. Washington, D.C.: Library of COngress, 1981. C970.38 L65u
The History of the American Revolution. David Ramsey. 2 volumes. New York: Russell & Russell, 1968 [first published in Philadelphia, 1789]. C970.3 R18a "The materials for the following sheets were collected in the years 1782, 1783, 1785, and 1786; in which years, as a member of Congress, I had access to all the official papers of the United States."
Autobiography of a Revolutionary Soldier. James Potter Collins (with John M. Roberts). Clinton, L.A.: Feliciana Democratic, 1859. CB C712c Publisher writes that this is "a disclosure...of all the acts and deeds of those whose lives were tried in defence of the great cause of liberty, happiness and peace of this, now, mighty and grand republic, even though these words should come from an humble soldier."
North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts: Secretary of State, Treasurer's & Comptroller's Papers. compiled by Weynette Parks Haun. 8 volumes. Durham, N.C.: W.P. Haun, c1989. C970.314 H373n
Volunteer Revolutionary War Soldiers from North Carolina. Carol Leonard Snow. Toast, N.C.: C.L. Snow, c1993. C970.341 L581v
Documents Shewing that Mecklenbug County, North Carolina, declared her independence of Great Britain, May 20, 1775. copied from Raleigh Register. Raleigh, 1822. VCp970.26 D63 Account from 1822 concerning the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration.
Regulator manuscripts: manuscripts inventory can be found here.
Mecklenburg Declaration papers: manuscripts inventory can be found here. The manuscripts are also available through Davis Microfilm, call number 1-4485
MapsSouth Carolina and parts adjacent: shewing the movements of the American and British armies. Cm912 1785s
The Carolinas with part of Georgia. Cm912 1788c
Battle of Guildford fought on the 15th of March 1781. Cm912x G95b 1781a
Atlas of the American Revolution. Map selection by Kenneth Nebenzahl, narrative text by Don Higginbotham. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1974. FC912 A88 Contemporary maps of various campaigns and battles, with helpful commentary and a wealth of additional illustrations.
Historic Sites in North CarolinaTouring North Carolina's Revolutionary War Sites. Daniel W. Barefoot. Winston-Salem, N.C.: J.F. Blair, c1998. C917.02 B248t Excellent source for local history, with interesting accounts of the more personal parts of North Carolina's experience in the Revolutionary War. Also ideal for researching aspects of the period such as architecture, especially in terms of field work.
VideosWhigs and Tories: Cornwallis Invades the Carolinas. presented by WTVI, Charlotte, N.C., 1988. NCC videocassette C970.33 W572m
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. excerpt from UNC public television's "North Carolina Now," 1994. NCC videocassette C970.26 M487h
Scholarly journal containing articles on all aspects and periods of North Carolina history. All issues are available from the reading room (CR970 N87hi), and the closed stacks also contain circulating copies. A bibliography of articles relating to the Revolutionary War period in North Carolina can be found by clicking here and scrolling down for a list of subjects. The North Carolina Historical Review is published by the North Carolina Historical Commission, 1929-.
General Sources A Chronicle of North Carolina During the American Revolution, 1763-1789. Jeffrey J. Crow. Raleigh: North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1975. CR970.3 C95c Pamphlet "examines significant events and developments from the implementation of Great Britain's 'new colonial policy' in 1763 to North Carolina's ratification of the Federal Constitution in 1789."
Patriots and Tories in North Carolina. volume II of Piedmont Passages. George Raynor. Salisbury, N.C.: Salisbury Post, 1990. C971.04 R27p v.2 Compilation of articles from The Salisbury Post (Rowan Co.) by George Raynor. Articles present "historical sketches of people and places in central North Carolina." Chapter titles resemble newspaper headlines, with easy to read content.
The Revolutionary War in the South: Power, Conflict, and Leadership. ed. W. Robert Higgins. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1979. C970.3 R45h Essays in three categories: the context of the Revolution in the South, the role of the individual (with biographical essays), and the framework of military conflict in the South.
North Carolina in the Revolutionary War. Phillips Russell. Charlotte, N.C.: Heritage Printers, c1965. CR970.3 R96n Chronological discussion of the major people and events that shaped the Revolutionary War experience in North Carolina.
North Carolina and the Coming of the Revolution, 1763-1776. Lindley S. Butler. Raleigh: North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1976. CR970.2 B98n Traces the approach of the Revolution from the initial resistance to the outbreak of violence. Excellent bibliographic essay is included in the back.
The Homefront in Revolutionary North Carolina. George Wesley Troxler. Graduate thesis. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1970. C378 UO2 1970 Troxler, G.W. "Attempts to make visible some of the figures in the background and thereby contribute material for a fuller picture of North Carolina during the American Revolution."
The Upper Yadkin Valley in the American Revolution: Benjamin Cleveland, Symbol of Continuity. Betty Linney Waugh. Graduate thesis. University of New Mexico, 1971. C970.3 W35u Intends "to examine the role of the frontier gentry before, during, and after the American Revolution" and to show "how the Upper Yadkin frontier tended to preserve rather than alter American social and political structures during the Revolutionary era."
Crowds and Soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina: The Culture of Violence in Riot and War. Wayne E. Lee. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, c2001. C970.3 L482c Contains "analysis of physical conflict between contending groups in colonial and revolutionary North Carolina."
North Carolina in the American Revolution. Hugh F. Rankin. Raleigh: [N.C.] State Dept. of Archives and History, 1959. CR970.3 R21n General overview of the primary events and major battles of the Revolutionary period in North Carolina.
North Carolina Through Four Centuries. William S. Powell. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, c1989. CR970 P88n2 Chapters five through ten give a detailed acount of colonial and revolutionary North Carolina history.
An Independent People: The Way We Lived in North Carolina, 1770-1820. Harry L. Watson. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press for North Carolian Dept. of Cultural Resources, c1973. C970.3 W33i General introduction to social history of colonial and Revolutionary North Carolina. Includes many pictures and illustrations.
Biographical Sources The North Carolina Collection has a special card catalog for biographical sources in the collection. This unique resource provides book and page number listings for many North Carolinians, and can be accessed during regular reading room hours. Please ask at the reference desk if you need assistance with the biographical catalogue.
Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. ed. William S. Powell. 6 volumes. CRBo D55p Short entries on important North Carolinians throughout the state's history; often cites sources that have further information.
North Carolina Biographical Dictionary. ed. Samuel Ashe. 8 volumes. CRBo A82 Each chapter covers a different person from North Carolina history from the colonial period to 1906. Index for all volumes.
Revolutionary War Leaders of North Carolina. R.D.W. Connor. CRBo C75r Detailed biographies of major leaders of the Revolution in North Carolina.
North Carolina's Signers: Brief Sketches of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Memory Mitchell. CRBo M68n Chronological account of events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with special attention to North Carolina's experience in the Revolution. Useful appendix with copies of the Declaration and Constitution.
North Carolinians in the Continental Congress. David T. Morgan and William J. Schmidt. CR970.3 M84n Chronological discussion "of the North Carolinians who served in the Continental Congress between 1774 and 1789, including the years of the Revolutionary War." Good place to get names of individuals before searching for biographies.
The North Carolina Delegates in the Continental Congress, 1774-1781. William John Schmidt. Graduate thesis. C378 UO2 1968 Schmidt, W.J. Intends "to determine whether these North Carolinians, collectively and individually, played a major or minor role in the proceddings of Congress, and to distinguish between the outstanding and the secondary figures from the North Carolina delegation."
Religion North Carolina Quakers in the Era of the American Revolution. Steven Jay White. Graduate thesis. C289.6 W58n Traces the role of the Quakers throughout the Revolutionary period in North Carolina, with special attention to peace movements and abolitionism.
Through Fiery Trials: The Revolutionary War and the Moravians. C. Daniel Crews. Cp970.3 C92t Discussion of the Moravian experience during the Revolutionary War, with close analysis of their controversial position in terms of loyalty, geography, and religious values.
Military The North Carolina Continentals. Hugh F. Rankin. CR970.3 R21n1 Analysis of the activities of the North Carolina Continental troops throughout the Revolutionary War.
Battles of the Revolutionary War, 1775-1781. W.J. Wood. C970.33 W88b Chapter seven examines the Battle of King's Mountain, and chapter nine examines the Battle of Guilford County Courthouse.
North Carolina's Revolutionary War Navy. William N. Still, Jr. CR970.35 S85n Examination of the role of North Carolina in the maritime fight for independence. Bibliographic essay in the back is an excellent reference for researchers seeking primary source material on the subject.
Revolutionary War Patriot Militiamen of Southeastern North Carolina. John Marion Holden. Graduate thesis. C378 UO2 1988 Holden, J.M. "This study examines the nature of Patriot militia service during the American Revolution and the socioeconomic status of citizen-soldiers. Profiles of eighteen militiamen of southeastern North Carolina are based on pension applications, tax lists, wills, and estate inventories."
The Role of the North Carolina Militia in the Beginning of the American Revolution. E. Milton Wheeler. Graduate thesis. C970.3 W56r Examines the role of the North Carolina militia from 1774-1776.
Politics Creation of an American State: Politics in North Carolina, 1765-1789. Penelope Sue Smith. Graduate thesis, two volumes. C970.2 S656c Traces the political climate of North Carolina through the Revolutionary period. Volume two contains an extensive bibliography.
The Role of the Judiciary in Revolutionary North Carolina. J. Charles Waldrup. Cp970.4 A41w Paper outlining the emergence of the judiciary branch in the early period of the state of North Carolina.
Loyalists The Loyalists in North Carolina During the Revolution. Robert O. DeMond. C970.3 D38L Study of the role of the Loyalists in North Carolina in the Revolutionary War, covering military action, legislation, and social factors.
The Loyalists in Revolutionary America, 1760-1781. Robert M. Calhoon. C970.3 C15L "By synthesizing portions of the rich historical literature on the loyalists and on the Revolution, and by utilizing a wide variety of loyalist testimony, this book seeks to make the loyalists intelligible and comprehensible to readers of early American history."
The King's Friends: The Composition and Motives of the American Loyalist Claimants. Wallace Brown. C970.3 B88k Chapter eleven deals with North Carolina loyalists.
The Whigs and Tories of the Lower Cape Fear River. Frech. NCC microfilm C970.2 F85w
Confiscation of Royalist Property. Steinle. NCC microfilm C970.3 S82c
The American Tory. William H. Nelson. C970.3 N43a General overview of the position- socioeconomic, political, etc.- of the loyalists in the colonies before, during, and after the Revolution.
The Loyalist Experience in North Carolina. Carole Watterson Troxler. C970.3 T86L Examines the loyalist response to the Revolution, the experience of the loyalists with the war itself and resultant legal battles, and the social position and location of North Carolina's exiled loyalists.
The Tory War in North Carolina. Mary Clayton Wyche. Graduate thesis. C378 UO2 1941 Wis-Z Examination of the conflict between the loyalist Tories and the Patriotic Whigs from 1776-1782, with special emphasis on the loyalists' role in the British invasion of 1780 and the lasting effects of the war.
Loyalism as a Political Issue in Revolutionary North Carolina, 1775-1789. Martha Marshall Smith. Graduate thesis. C378 UO2 1978 Smith, M.M. Study of the impact of the loyalism issue on North Carolina's early political groups, especially in terms of the effects upon the establishment of a "peaceful post-war security," "the government's respect for the provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 and for private rights," and the "debates on the ratification of the Federal Constitution."
The Regulators The Regulators of North Carolina, 1765-1771. John S. Bassett. C970.25 B31r For online access through Doc South, click here. In addition to addressing "the physcial characteristics of the locality, the social condition of the inhabitants, and the political institutions of the colony," this work also provides a detailed account of the Regulator Insurrection in North Carolina.
Hillsborough and the Regulators. Annie Sutton Cameron. Cp971.68 H65c1 Brief account of the Regulator movement in Orange county, North Carolina.
Backwoods Revolutionaries: Social Context and Constitutional Theories of the North Carolina Regulators, 1765-1771. James Penn Whittenburg. Graduate thesis. C970.25 W62b Close examination of "the complexity of social forces that prompted the insurrection" and "the constitutional principles of the rebels."
Herman Husband: Penman of the Regulation. Jon Jay Hamilton. Graduate thesis. C970.25 H21h "Rejecting interpretations of Husband as a mere agitator with an inflexible plan, Husband's influence is discussed in the light of his diverse actions during the various stages of the movement."
The Regulator Movement: Sectional Controversy in North Carolina, 1765-1771. James Loy Walker. Graduate thesis. C970.25 W18r Addresses the issue of who joined the Regulator Movement and the idea that "the Regulation was not directly related to the Revolution."
The War of the Regulation: Its Place in History. Elmer D. Johnson. Graduate thesis. C378 UO2 1942 Survey of the Regulation Movement, examining members, motives, and life before, during, and after the Regulation.
The Regulators of North Carolina and the Colonial Press: A Collection of Documents. Arthur C. Menius, III. Honors Essay. C378 UO7 1976/77 v.2 "Attempts to present the largest collection of contemporary newspaper articles concerning these pre-Revolutionary rebels, and then to use this sample as a basis for examining such assessments as have been made of the colonial newspapers' coverage of the Regulators."
Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina. Marjoleine Kars. C970.25 K18B Close analysis of the economic, religious, and political issues and movements that influenced the Regulation in North Carolina. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, May 20, 1775 and the Lives of its Signers. George W. Graham. C970.26 G73m Brief but concise biographical entries accompany this general account of the Mecklenburg Declaration. The appendix provides transcripts of relevant primary sources.
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: A Study of Evidence Showing that the Alleged Early Declaration of Independence by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on May 20, 1775, is Spurious. William Henry Hoyt. C970.26 H86m This work presents evidence and arguments that indicate that the Mecklenburg Declaration was not authentic.
Defence of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. James H. Moore. C970.26 M82 "An exhaustive review of and answer to all attacks on the Declaration."
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, As Mentioned in Records of Wachovia. Adelaide L. Fries. Cp970.26 F96 Brief examination of contemporary Moravian reference to the Mecklenburg Declaration.
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the Revolution in North Carolina in 1775. Archibald Henderson. Cp970.26 H49r Short account of the history of the Revolution in North Carolina in 1775, with particular attention to the issues surrounding the Mecklenburg Declaration.
Chain of Error and the Mecklenburg Declarations of Independence. V.V. McNitt. C970.26 M16c 1996 More modern account of the historical evidence and arguments proving the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration.
Mecklenburg in the Revolution, 1740-1783. Bailey Troy Groome. C971.60 S69 Discussion of the role of Mecklenburg County throughout the Revolution, with special attention to the Mecklenburg Declaration.
The Mecklenburg Signers and Their Neighbors. Worth S. Ray. C929 R26m1 Study of the people of Mecklenburg County in the colonial and Revolutionary periods. Some of the material is more relevant for genealogy but there are also many maps and lists of Mecklenburg County inhabitants that may help in terms of primary source material.
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