The Cabarrus Black Boys - A Noisy Night in 1771
This is the story of The Cabarrus Black Boys that was mentioned in the Memorial Day show. This is how it was released to the Newspaper by Janet. It is just too awsome to find a relative who was there and made a difference even if it is by marriage alone, but at least my kids can claim it. We also had other relatives that fought all over during the revolution and I will try and post some more stories as I come along them. Janet and Marie composed 3 very large books on the family from the 3 brothers who came over in 1753 (If I remember correctly) but what is so great about these books is that it also relates stories when avalible. They have spent a great deal of time and a lifetime of research in this project.
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A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part I
by Janet Morrison
Did you know that in western Cabarrus County lies a settlement that dates back to the mid-eighteenth century? Today’s “Did You Know?” column begins a seven-part story of the Rocky River settlement and the part its inhabitants played in the American Revolution before the Revolution officially began.
This is a story of patriotism, suspense, politics, and bravery. It is a story of adventure played out by teenagers and young adults. And it is the story of how the community rallied to try to save them.
Today’s column gives background information which sets the stage for the dramatic events of May 2, 1771.
Scottish immigrants with the persecution of the Covenanters fresh on their minds came down The Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania to the banks of Rocky River. There, they carved out a community and worshipped in the Reformed tradition at Rocky River Presbyterian Church.
The congregation was organized in the home of William White in 1751, and the people longed for the services of a resident pastor. Mr. White’s home was in the vicinity of Pharr Mill Road Park, which opened in October, 2007.
The Rev. Alexander Craighead, who was labeled “a firebrand” for his habit of preaching independence from Great Britain from the pulpit and “a son of thunder” for his gift for proclaiming the Gospel, was forced to leave Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania because his political ideas were seen as being too radical.
From there, he went to Windy Cove Presbyterian Church in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The members of that congregation were preoccupied with fighting Native Americans and not interested in fighting the British, too.
When Craighead was sent by the Presbytery to preach at Rocky River in the spring of 1758, he found a people hungry for what he had to say. Within months, Craighead accepted Rocky River’s pastoral call. He was installed as pastor of Rocky River and Sugar Creek Presbyterian Churches in 1758.
It is said that Craighead was so anti-British rule that he forbade the members of his congregation from registering their land deeds. Under the law, the marriages performed by Craighead were not recognized by the government, but he refused to seek the blessing of the Anglican church upon those unions. In the backcountry of North Carolina he was far enough removed from the seat of power at New Bern not to be bothered with such legalities.
Rev. Craighead died in 1766. The members of Rocky River Presbyterian Church called the Rev. Hezekiah James Balch to be their pastor in 1769. If anything, Balch was more outspoken against the Crown than his predecessor. Rev. Balch, no doubt, preached separation from Great Britain from the pulpit just as Rev. Craighead had done.
Meanwhile, the Regulator Movement in counties to our north was reaching the boiling point. That rebellion was centered in Alamance County by April of 1771, when word came to Rocky River that a shipment of gunpowder was coming from Charleston, South Carolina, to Charlotte to Salisbury. The gunpowder was destined to be used to put down the Regulators.
The Regulator Movement never took hold in present-day Cabarrus County, but there was a strong and growing anti-Royal government sentiment here. If the gunpowder shipment could be delayed or destroyed, it would be detrimental to the government.
It is no surprise, then, that nine boys and young men from Rocky River decided to take matters into their own hands when they learned that the gunpowder shipment had reached Charlotte.
Look for the “Did you know?” column on April 30 to learn what the nine gunpowder plot conspirators did one noisy night in 1771.
Word count: 605
Bibliography:
The Presbyterian Congregation on Rocky River, by Thomas Hugh Spence, Jr., 1954.
North Carolina Colonial Records
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church which was written in 1854
Revolutionary Incidents and Sketches of Character, by E.W. Caruthers, 1854, as quoted by Dr. Spence in his history of Rocky River Church.
A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part II
by Janet Morrison
This is the second in a series of seven “Did you Know?” columns about “A Noisy Night in 1771.” At the conclusion of the first article two weeks ago, word had reached the Rocky River community that a shipment of gunpowder was on its way to Salisbury.
Knowing that the gunpowder was destined to be used to put down the Regulator Movement in counties north of Mecklenburg, nine youths and young men from the Rocky River congregation put their heads together at a sale “in the neighborhood of Moses Alexander” in an effort to design a plan to make sure the gunpowder never reached General Waddell in Salisbury.
“Did you Know?” readers will recall from the May 31, 2006, column, “George Washington Ate Here,” that Colonel Alexander’s plantation was where Lowe’s Motor Speedway now sits; however, it is not known if “neighborhood” meant the immediate vicinity of Alexander’s home or just the general area of Harrisburg and Rocky River.
It was late April in 1771. While the nine conspirators made plans in secret to intercept and blow up the gunpowder shipment, a thunderstorm developed. They took cover in the springhouse on the Andrew Logan farm. (See footnote.)
Not all sources agree on the names of the conspirators, but it is believed they were as follows: James White, Jr.; John White, Jr.; William White; Robert (Bob) Caruthers (who was married to a sister of James White, Jr.); Robert Davis; Benjamin Cochran; William White (a cousin of the other Whites and son of the “Widow White”); James Ashmore; and Joshua Hadley, who was a half-brother of James Ashmore.
One source credits Joshua Hadley with producing a New Testament on which each one swore that if anyone should ever divulge their plot that a ball might be shot through his heart and his soul sent to the lowest hell. Furthermore, they swore that if one of them ever revealed the names of the participants, he might die where no one should see him and that he should be denied a Christian burial.
Meantime, the three munitions wagons from Charleston, SC, arrived in Charlotte but, upon learning that the gunpowder was destined to be used to put down the Regulators in Alamance and Rowan Counties, the teamsters refused to take the munitions any further. It is said that Militia Colonel Moses Alexander had difficulty securing volunteers to take the wagons on to Salisbury.
Did Colonel Alexander find teamsters willing to transport the gunpowder to Salisbury? Did the gunpowder plot conspirators get to carry out their plans? Look for the “Did You Know?” column on May 14 to find out what happened here 237 years ago.
(Footnote: Some sources identify the springhouse as being on the Archibald property. William Spears bought 400 acres from Andrew Logan in 1777, and William H. Archibald subsequently purchased 26 acres from Isaiah Spears in 1827. I believe the confusion stems from the property changing hands through the years.)
Word count: 487
Bibliography
The Black Boys, May 2, 1771, by R.L. Trout
June 22, 1771, deposition of James Ashmore.
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854
A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part III
by Janet Morrison
When we left our story two weeks ago, Col. Moses Alexander was trying to find volunteers to transport a gunpowder shipment to General Waddell in Salisbury so Waddell could put down The Regulator Movement in Alamance and other counties to our north. He put together a crew for the job and the wagons pulled out of Charlotte.
An informant took word to the conspirators at Rocky River that the wagons were in Charlotte and they would stop for the night at the muster grounds near the present-day intersection of US-29 and Poplar Tent Road in Concord. (US-29 essentially follows the route of The Great Wagon Road – the route the munitions wagons would have taken.)
The young men met on May 2, 1771, at the home of James White, Sr., which stood one mile from Rocky River. They blackened their faces, disguised themselves as Native Americans, and set out for the muster grounds. Mr. White’s sons started walking, expecting to meet their father as he came home from a grist mill. They had not gone far before they met him and ordered him down from his horse. If he recognized them, he did not let on.
The White brothers laid their father’s bags of flour or meal on a big flat rock near the present-day site of Rocky Ridge United Methodist Church so wild hogs could not bother them. They took his two horses, leaving him to walk home.
The conspirators, who had pledged secrecy until death, cut across the county and sometime on the night of May 2, 1771, converged on a hill near Phifer’s old muster grounds on Poplar Tent Road.
Governor William Tryon’s gunpowder wagons were in sight! Can’t you imagine how the hearts of the conspirators pounded in their chests as they hid behind trees, ducked behind large rocks, and looked down on the three wagons encamped around a dying campfire?
History does not tell us who gave the command to attack, but James White, Jr. seems to have been the ringleader.
The band of patriots surprised the guards. One of the teamsters was James Caruthers. He recognized his brother, Bob, as one of the attackers. In a low voice he said, “You’ll rue this, Bob.”
“Hold your tongue, Jim,” came his brother’s reply.
The conspirators moved the guards and teamsters to safety. Then they emptied the wagons and put the gunpowder and blankets in a pile. A train of powder was laid, and James White, Jr. fired his pistol into it. The resulting explosion was heard nine miles away in the vicinity of Rocky River Presbyterian Church. Some people thought it was thunder, while others mistook it for an earthquake.
Were any of the conspirators injured? What did the nine young men do after they accomplished their objective? With four installations left in this series, you know that this is just the beginning of the story. Look for Part IV in the “Did You Know?” column on May 28.
Word count: 495
Bibliography
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854.
The Presbyterian Congregation on Rocky River, by Thomas Hugh Spence, Jr., 1954.
Revolutionary Incidents and Sketches of Character, by E.W. Caruthers, 1854, as quoted by Dr. Spence in his history of Rocky River Church.
North Carolina Colonial Records
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A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part IV
by Janet Morrison
In this fourth in a series of seven articles about the nine young men from Rocky River who blew up a shipment of the Governor’s gunpowder in 1771, we pick up the story immediately after the explosion at Phifer’s muster grounds.
It is said that James White, Jr. carried a scar for the rest of his life where a flying stave from one of the gunpowder barrels hit him above his eye and cut to the bone before he could run from the explosion.
The nine conspirators got home the best way they could in the wee hours of May 3, cleaned themselves up, and said nothing of their overnight adventure.
The Battle of Alamance took place on May 16, 1771, in Alamance County, and the Regulator Movement in North Carolina was effectively put down by the royal government. Gov. William Tryon proclaimed on May 17 that he would pardon the rebels if they would turn themselves in by May 21. He was informed on the twenty-first that some rebels hadn’t had sufficient notice, so he extended the deadline to May 24. Bad weather set in, so he postponed the deadline to July 13.
Giving in to exhaustion, at one point some of the gunpowder conspirators set out for Hillsborough to take the governor up on his offer of pardon. Before they reached their destination, they were warned that it was a trick and were told that Governor Tryon planned to hang them. Some returned to the cane brakes of Reedy Creek, some fled to Virginia, while others escaped to Georgia.
On June 11, 1771, Governor Tryon proclaimed that he knew some rebels in the colony wanted to turn themselves in, so he extended the deadline by which they could do so to July 10, except for “all the Outlaws, the Prisoners, all those concerned in blowing up General Waddell’s Ammunition in Mecklenburg County” and sixteen named Regulators. (Cabarrus County was not formed out of Mecklenburg until 1792.)
The Governor sensed that he was losing control over North Carolina. He wanted the young men who destroyed his gunpowder brought to justice, but he did not know who they were.
In a trial which began on May 30, 1771, and ended three weeks later, twelve Regulators were tried and found guilty of high treason. Six were to be hanged while the other six waited for the King to decide their fate.
Perhaps word of the Regulator trial results reached Rocky River, or maybe James Ashmore and Joshua Hadley simply feared that one of the other gunpowder conspirators would disclose the identities of all in the group. For whatever reason, Ashmore and Hadley went independently to tell Colonel Moses Alexander what they knew. Imagine their surprise when they ran into each other on Colonel Alexander’s front porch!
Which of the half brothers squeezed through the door first, and what did he say to Colonel Alexander? Did he reveal the names of the other conspirators? Look for the “Did You Know?” column on June 11 to find out.
Word count: 505
Bibliography
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854.
North Carolina Colonial Records.
A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part V
by Janet Morrison
Two weeks ago, the “Did You Know?” column left half brothers Joshua Hadley and James Ashmore jockeying for position on Col. Moses Alexander’s front porch. Each of them had independently decided to go to the militia colonel and tell what he knew about the blowing up of the Governor’s gunpowder shipment on the night of May 2, 1771.
James Ashmore eventually pushed his way into the house and told the Colonel that he was ready to talk. He was taken to Charlotte on June 22, 1771, where he gave a sworn deposition before Thomas Polk, a Mecklenburg County Justice of the Peace.
In his deposition, Ashmore said that James McCaul advertised something at Andrew Logan’s old plantation, but it isn’t clear in the deposition just what was advertised. Ashmore said that he and others convened at the plantation. It was there that James White, Jr. asked Ashmore if he would be interested in helping to blow up the gunpowder shipment.
Ashmore said in his deposition that he was asked in the planning stages if he thought there was any harm in blowing up the gunpowder. He said he didn’t see any harm in it. He said the next morning between ten and eleven o’clock he stopped working on his plantation and went three-quarters of a mile to look for his horses.
Ashmore claimed it was there that he met six men on the road “who in appearance resembled Indians.” One was either recognized or identified himself as James White, Jr. White persuaded Ashmore to come back and join them after taking his horses home and recruiting his half-brother, Joshua Hadley.
They joined the men later about a half mile from the Ashmore home. It was at that point in the deposition that Ashmore named the six men with whom they assembled and conspired. Those are the names listed in the April 30, 2008, “Did you know?” column.
The remainder of Ashmore’s deposition is recorded as follows after the names of the conspirators: “who all went thence disguised to Capt. Phifer’s old muster Ground where they found & stoped the Waggons and enquired for the powder that was carrying to Genl. Waddell when in the Waggon belonging to Colo. Alexander they founde the Powder & took it out of the Waggon, broke open the Hogsheads, & Kegs that contained the powder, & set the same on Fire & destroyed some blankets, legging, Kettle and other Things, & then dispersed soon after, having at this Deponents first Joining of them sworn him to secrecy as they informed him they all were before, and further this Deponent saith not. Signed, James Ashmore. Taken, sworn & subscribed before Me this 22d June 1771. Thos. Polk.”
Once Ashmore revealed the names of his eight co-conspirators, the search for the men began in earnest.
Look for the “Did You Know?” column on June 25 to learn what happened next.
Word count: 483
Bibliography
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854.
June 22, 1771, deposition of James Ashmore before Thomas Polk.
North Carolina Colonial Records.
A Noisy Night in 1771 - Part VI
by Janet Morrison
Two week ago, when we left our continuing story of the young men from Rocky River who blew up Governor William Tryon’s gunpowder shipment, one of the conspirators, James Ashmore, had just given Justice of the Peace Thomas Polk a deposition on June 22, 1771.
Now that the identities of the other eight conspirators were known by the civil authorities, it was up to Militia Colonel Moses Alexander to find the men and bring them to justice.
Colonel Alexander sent out a patrol to track down the eight men. His brother, Daniel, volunteered to join the patrol because he secretly wanted the conspirators to escape.
The patrol pursued Robert Davis to Rocky River where his horse allegedly jumped some sixteen feet down a bank into the river where he turned and shouted, “Come on, you cowardly dogs!” then made his getaway.
One night, the patrol surrounded James White’s house. Bob Caruthers was in the house sick. Daniel Alexander placed a guard at the front door, and then whispered in to Mrs. White that anyone hiding there might be able to escape. He went to the other door and created a diversion by arguing with others in the patrol. Mrs. White made a racket by thumping a fire shovel on the floor throughout the house while Caruthers escaped.
On another occasion, Caruthers narrowly escaped capture when officers of the governor approached the James White house. The fire inside burned brightly, so Mrs. White threw onto the fire a crock of cream she was preparing to churn into butter. With the fire extinguished, Caruthers was able to escape into the dark woods.
Some of the conspirators hid in the cane brakes of Reedy Creek, where the women of Rocky River Church took them food and clothing. When in need of something, one of the young men would pop up in a ravine and whistle. Nearby resident William Spears would acknowledge the fugitive by removing his hat. He would then walk off in the opposite direction so he would not be seen as aiding the conspirators. Mrs. Spears would then take them food.
For nearly one year the women of Rocky River Presbyterian Church fed and concealed the young men who took refuge along the banks of Reedy Creek. The Rev. Hezekiah James Balch openly prayed for the safety of the young men from the pulpit of the church.
In the meantime, William Tryon became the Governor of New York and Josiah Martin was appointed Governor of North Carolina. In the autumn of 1771, twenty-nine “inhabitants of Rocky River & Coddle Creek Settlement” signed a petition in which they asked Governor Martin to pardon the young men. Perhaps they thought Martin would be more likely than Tryon to grant pardons, or perhaps the change in governor had nothing to do with their timing.
In the final “A Noisy Night in 1771” column on July 9, we will look at that petition and learn whether or not it resulted in any pardons.
Word count: 498
Bibliography
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854.
Petition to NC Governor Josiah Martin from twenty-nine inhabitants of Rocky River and Coddle Creek Settlement, 1771. Original on file in the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
A Noisy Night in 1771 – Part VII
by Janet Morrison
In this seventh and final column in a series about the nine young men from the Rocky River and Harrisburg area who blew up a shipment of the North Carolina Royal Governor’s gunpowder on the night of May 2, 1771, we pick up the story after the conspirators have gone into hiding. The Governor had the local militia tracking them down. So far in our story, none of the men have been captured, but there have been some close calls.
In the autumn of 1771, twenty-nine men from the “Rocky River & Coddle Creek Settlement” signed a petition asking Governor Josiah Martin to pardon the young men who perpetrated the gunpowder plot.
Most, if not all, of the petition signatories were patriots five years later when the Revolutionary War began and many of them took up arms for the American cause. To a man, they were probably in favor of American independence; however, in an effort to persuade the Governor to spare the lives of the gunpowder plot perpetrators, they signed the petition which read in part as follows:
“That whereas a Certain No. of young men, Ignorant of Their Duty to our Sovereign Lord the King, riotously Assembled in a wicked manner, Combined against Government, without the least Knowledge, Advise, or Consent of any Parent [illegible] & Some of them even Demented by Spiritous Liquor did, about the first of May last, rashly & inconsiderably Destroy the ammunition of General Waddell & Sundrys, the Property of Colo. Moses Alexander; for which wicked act Their Parents and Friends are Drowned in Sorrows.”
Just for good measure, the petition calls the perpetrators “miserable persons” though formerly “Fair, esteemed, faithful & loyal Subjects.” The petitioners then ask the Governor to pardon his “unhappy though [illegible] Subjects.”
In an effort to seal the deal, the petitioners praise Governor Martin for his “exceeding humanity and that benign Temper of mind with which” he was “so Eminently Possessed.”
The following men signed the petition: Moses Shelby, Samuel Loftain, Mathew Stewart, John Morison, David Slough, Samuel Harris, James Morison, Robert McMurrey, William White, John Davis, John Russel, Rob Russel, James Russel, William Scott, Robert Campbell, William Blair, Thomas Hall, Thomas Smith, William Addem, George Davys, Robert McCallan, James Callwall, James Harriss, William Spers, John Callwall, Oliver Wyley, James Haris, and David Calwall. There is one more signature on the petition, but thus far it is illegible.
No pardon was issued. The participants in the gunpowder plot were fugitives until independence was declared. After the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was issued on May 20, 1775, followed by the Mecklenburg Resolves eleven days later, all county citizens were considered to be in rebellion. After the Declaration, the conspirators were finally able to move about as freely as anyone else and prepare to fight in the coming Revolution.
After the eastern part of Mecklenburg County became Cabarrus County in 1792, the participants in the gunpowder plot became known as “The Cabarrus Black Boys” due to the way in which they disguised themselves.
It is easy for us to romanticize about The Cabarrus Black Boys 237 years after the fact; however, those were uncertain times. If any of the young men had been caught, they probably would have been hanged. Their families, no doubt, lived in constant fear for the four years in which the young men were fugitives.
Word count: 559
Bibliography
Robert Kirkpatrick’s unpublished history of Rocky River Presbyterian Church written in 1854.
Petition to NC Governor Josiah Martin from twenty-nine inhabitants of Rocky River and Coddle Creek Settlement, 1771. Original on file in the North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.
North Carolina Colonial Records.
