Centennial History of Alamance County (1849-1949) by WHITAKER Kirk's Farm On the road from Hillsboro to LINDLEY's Mill at Cane Creek lay a farm know as KIRK's Old Field. Its owner, "Old Kirk," was an english hatter, fequentl suspected of aiding the Patriots. On the night of September 13, 1781, a small band of Patriots stopped at KIRK's place en route westward, and asked permission to spend the night. They could, said KIRK, and so they established their camp and placed a sentry at the end of the lane leading to the farm. The night passed quietly and uneventfully. Early next morning, however, the Patriots were aroused by the sound of a shot. Quickly they mounted and rode toward the road and the place where they had left the sentry. Hardly had they discovered the dead body of the sentry when a group of Loyalist rushed from the thicket bordering the road and fired upon them. The battle was soon ended, but several of the Patriots were killed or wounded. LINDLEY's Mill On the same morning a band of six hundred Loyalist soldiers entered the sleeping village of Hillsboro at day light. Thomas BURKE or Orange County had recently been elected Governor by a Whig Assembly, and he was the first man to be taken prisoner by the British. Several other military and civil officals were aroused from their beds and also place under arrest. Colonel David FANNING (no relation to Colonel Edmund FANNING who was involved with the regulators) and Hector MCNEILL then led the men on a wild raid of plundering, takiing everything of value in the town. Colonel Alexander MELBANE of Hawfields watched this action from concealment. It was impossible for him to reach his horse, and so he set out on foot for his home to warn the people. Like the famous Paul REVERE, Colonel MEBANE spread the word, 'The British are coming!" Hawfields was Whig territory, and General John A BUTLER, who lived in this section, quickly raised three hundred of his Patriot militia to greet the British. Next morning the Tories crossed Cane Creek and headed through a hollow which would lead them across Hawfields to Tory country. On the brow of the hill, above the hollow, General BUTLER and his men awaited. As rifle fire broke out ahead of them, the rear-guard of the Loyalists, who were escorting the Governor, halted. Colonel MCNEILL commanded the front ranks to retreat; the whigs held a better position, and advance would mean certain death. One of his men, a scotchman named MCDOUGAL, accused him of cowardice, however, and MCNEILL reversed the order and advanced. He was instantly shot down. Seeing MCNEILL fall, some of the men called out that he was dead. MCDOUGAL cried out that the colonel was only wounded and urged the men forward. Meanwhile the other Loyalist commander, Colonel FANNING, crossed the creek some distance below the battle scene and attacked the Patriots from the read of the hill. This attack took the Patriots by surprise, and General BUTLER ordered a retreat. Major Robert MEBANE, the second in command, immediately countermanded the order, and facing a portion of his men to the rear, he attacked FANNING with such force that the latter was forced to withdraw at once. As the ammunition grew shorter, MEBANE passed along the line, carrying powder in his hat. Finally the battle came to a draw. The Tories, convinced that they could not get through the Whig lines, headed southeast for Wilmington, leaving their dead on the battlefield. Near the end of the battle a Tory marksman shot Major John NALLS of the Patriots, and mistaking three Whigs on horseback some distance away, the Tory rode toward them shouting that he had killed Major NALLS. A Patriot bullet suddenly ended his boast. Another of the Patriot officers, Colonel LUTTERAL, was wounded by the Tories, but he managed to stay in his saddle until his horse reached a farm house a half-mile from the battle scene. As he lay dying in a upstairs room of this home, the brave officer dipped his finger in his own blood and wrote his name across the wall. For many years this grim mark remained there. The battle of LINDLEY's Mill closed the war in North Carolina, and a month later at Yorktown Lord CORNWALLIS surrendered the tatterd remains of a once-proud British Army. ==== NCORANGE Mailing List ==== Larry Noah - lrnoah@bigfoot.com - Listowner - NCORANGE mailing list Orange Co, NC USGenWeb site is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncorange