History with ‘Hud’: Remembering when British troops overtook Wilmington for months in 1781
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Next week marks 244 years since Wilmington was overtaken by British troops during the final months of the Revolutionary War in 1781.
Raleigh didn’t exist yet, with Charlotte being a mere village of just 20 homes at the time. So the British set their sights on the Port City, with its population of 1,200 people as the largest city in the North Carolina colony.
British Major James Craig captured the major seaport of Wilmington in January of 1781. For a time, Wilmington was the only city between Charleston and New York with British troops living there. But with less than 300 men, Major Craig couldn’t do much to expand British control of the region.
Even so, the few hundred men did their best to raid the interior and disrupt the American war effort. Loyalists in surrounding counties also felt free with the British nearby to rise up and openly attack those who had oppressed them for several years.
More troops arrived in April, following a big loss at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse near Greensboro. General Charles Cornwallis and his men came to the Port City on April 11, 1781 with hopes of being resupplied following the hard battle.
The group marched along 3rd street and into the British encampment past modern-day Orange Street, creating a site of more than 1,700 men. This included 225 Loyalists and people escaping slavery with Craig’s fortifications. Cornwallis was even entertained for an evening at the Burgwin-Wright House in downtown.
But just two weeks after marching to New Hanover County, Cornwallis and his army marched back out of town along the same 3rd street route they first took. They continued into Virginia with their surrender at Yorktown coming months later.
Following the surrender on October 19, 1781, the local British forces decided to abandon Wilmington. General Griffith Rutherford of the North Carolina Militia attempted to recapture the city for the Patriot side, arriving to Wilmington by mid-November in time to see British ships sailing up the Cape Fear River and out to sea.
Craig’s departure marked the end of the British presence in all of North Carolina.
Although no actual battle took place in Wilmington, there were several small altercations in surrounding regions. More than two centuries later, the City of Wilmington has drastically changed. But the history of the region remains strong.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.
