Battle of Alamance re-enactment

I had a great time yesterday at Alamance Battleground in Burlington, NC, where they held a re-enactment of the Battle of Alamance to commemorate the 254th anniversary of the battle. We were very lucky with the weather. It had been raining off and on all morning, but the rain stopped about 20 minutes before they started the program, so they had no trouble firing the cannons.

Most of these photos show the government troops only, because the best vantage point to see the action close up turned out to be behind the cannons. I liked the costumes very much.



This photo shows a re-enactor portraying Gov. William Tryon, colonial governor of North Carolina. I thought he was excellent. He answered questions after the program ended, and seemed very knowledgeable about Tryon's life and career.



A member of Tryon's militia (facing away from the camera) confronts the Regulators. They did a good job in conveying the anger of the Regulators. For example, one man shouted that Tryon's tax collectors had confiscated his livestock. When they were offered one final chance to stand down after the governor's one-hour deadline had passed, I clearly heard one of the Regulators shout, "Fire and be damned!"



Firing an 18th-century cannon is a complicated process requiring a team of men and many steps that need to be completed in a specific order. Not easy when you're in the middle of a battle! As you look at these photos, think of Lord John at Crefeld, stepping in to command the gun crew after their lieutenant was killed.

“Load!” he barked, and snatched the linstock from the bombardier, motioning the soldier to replace the man who had fled. Sponger and rammer fell to their work at once, with no more than a hasty glance at Grey, blood-soaked and vicious. The erstwhile bombardier was clumsy, but willing. Grey barked them through the maneuver, once, again, forcing them, guiding them, and then felt them begin to drop back into the accustomed rhythm of the work and pick up speed, gradually losing their terror in the encompassing labor of serving the gun.

Cannon were firing close at hand but he couldn’t tell whether they were friend or foe; clouds of black powder smoke rolled over them, obscuring everything.

His soaked clothes had gone cold again, and it was raining. He had taken the coil of smoking slow-match from the bombardier and tied it in its bag to his own belt. His fingers were stiff, clumsy; he had difficulty forcing the lighted fuse into the linstock, but forced himself to keep the rhythm, shouting orders in a voice that cracked like broken iron. Sponge. Vent. Load cartridge. Ram. Load wadding. Ram. Check vent. Powder. Fall back! And the hissing small flame at the end of the linstock coming down toward the touchhole, sure and graceful, with no sense at all that his own hand guided it.

(From LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 29, "Dawn of Battle". Copyright © 2007 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)

A member of one of the gun crews, carrying a long-handled sponge used to clean the barrel of the cannon.



Tryon's militiamen, about to go into battle against the Regulators. Notice the yellow cockades they are wearing on their hats. Because neither the militia nor the Regulators wore standard uniforms, the cockades were often the only way to tell the two sides apart.



The gun crew serving one of the cannons.

Here are three short videos showing the cannons firing. I've long been fascinated by 18th-century weaponry, and I was impressed by the amount of cannon smoke these relatively small cannons produce! There were three cannons lined up in a row, and they repeatedly fired them in sequence, which I'd never seen before.

Tryon orders troops to fire
Touching off the cannon
Cannon smoke

And finally, here's a quick selfie! I'm sure you can tell that I was enjoying this very much.



I had a great time, and I'm glad I made the effort to go. Alamance Battleground is a very small place, but worth a visit if you're in the area.