The Wayne County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. The

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

created Wayne County and its regiment of militia out of part of Dobbs County and its regiment of militia on November 2, 1779. The officers were appointed and commissioned by the governor of North Carolina. The regiment was disbanded at the end of the war.

Officers

The Wayne County Regiment was part of the

New Bern District Brigade The New Bern District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at th ...

of the North Carolina militia, commanded by Brigadier General Richard Caswell. The following listings show two known commanders of the Wayne County regiment:, various pension applications and rosters * Col. John Sheppard, Sr. (1779–1783) * Colonel Benjamin Exum (2nd Colonel) (1779–1783) John Sheppard was the son of Colonel Abraham Sheppard of the

Dobbs County Regiment The Dobbs County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the American Revolution. The regiment was one of thirty-five existing county militias that were authorized by the North Carolina Provincial Congress to be organ ...

. He served as a captain, major and lieutenant colonel in the Dobbs County regiment from 1776 to 1779 until he was commissioned as a colonel in the Wayne County regiment after it was created on November 2, 1779. Both John Sheppard and Benjamin Exum served as colonels and commanders jointly of the Wayne County Regiment. Colonel Sheppard was led the regiment during the Siege of Charleston. The regiment was stationed eight miles north of Charleston and was not captured when Charleston surrendered on May 12, 1780. After the war, John Sheppard was a representative in the North Carolina state legislature in 1784–1785.

Known engagements

The Wayne County Regiment was involved in six known battles and skirmishes: * March 28 to May 12, 1780,

Siege of Charleston The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town (today Charleston), the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The Britis ...

1780, South Carolina * 8/11/1780, Battle of Little Lynches Creek, South Carolina * August 16, 1780,

Battle of Camden The Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780), also known as the Battle of Camden Court House, was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. On August 16, 1780, British forces under Lieutenant General ...

, South Carolina * January 17, 1781,

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and British forces under Lieutenant Colo ...

, South Carolina * March 15, 1781,

Battle of Guilford Court House The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...

, North Carolina * August 17, 1781, Webber's Bridge, North Carolina

Officers

Known engagements

References

See also