Note: The newest installment of The Road to the American Revolution is now live on Substack. Follow the series on Facebook, Instagram, and X to keep up with new essays and join the conversation. An excerpt from the article appears below.

When Scottish Highlanders first had to face English muskets and cannons in the 1600s, they devised a new battle tactic that came to be known as the “Highland Charge.” It was a version of shock and awe. Knowing that their limited firearms and their swords and knives were no match against better-armed English troops, the Scots chose their most fearsome warriors to run downhill in a wedge directly into the enemy’s fire. The frontline Scots would fire their own weapons, crouch to avoid the return volley, but then charge directly into the enemy’s line before they could reload. If it worked, the enemy’s superior weapons would be overwhelmed by the sheer force of the charge. Mayhem ensued.

By 1776, veterans of the Anglo-Scottish border wars understood the tactic well and had brought their knowledge to America. The British Army quickly realized it had an asset to use against the rebellious colonialists and set out to recruit a regiment of retired Scottish soldiers, the Royal Highland Emigrants. One of the battalions of this regiment was stationed in North Carolina. It was there on February 27, 1776, when the Loyalist militia in North Carolina, consisting of 600 Highland Scots and about 100 other men, attempted a Highland Charge against the Revolutionary militia entrenched at Moore’s Creek Bridge, 18 miles north of Wilmington. It was a small, one-sided battle lasting all of three minutes. The Loyalists were soundly defeated, and two of their leaders were among the dead. But the skirmish entered history as the last time any military force attempted a Highland Charge. The Revolutionary militia planted nine musket balls and more than 20 “swan shots” in Lieutenant-Colonel MacLeod, who led the charge. The Loyalists left about 50 dead. The Revolutionaries had one killed and one wounded. In the days that followed, the Revolutionaries captured some 850 Loyalist militia members.

It was a small military victory for the Americans, but it had outsized results. For the next four years, North Carolina was safe from both the Loyalists and the British. The Loyalists found it impossible to recruit new troops in significant numbers…

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