As the American Revolution began after Lexington & Concord, Cumberland County, North Carolina, was heavily populated by Scottish Highlanders, many of whom had Loyalist sympathies. However, not all were opposed to independence. A group of Cumberland men were involved in a local committee that had connections to the Wilmington Safety Committee and decided to take a stand for the Colonialists in the debate with the Crown, while not quite declaring independence.
On June 20, 1775, the day after the New Hanover Association signed a statement advocating for autonomy, fifty-five Cumberland County men did the same. They said: “The actual commencement of hostilities against the Continent by the British Troops, in the bloody scene on the nineteenth of April last, near Boston; the increase of arbitrary impositions, from a wicked and despotick Ministry; and the dread of instigated insurrections in the Colonies, are causes sufficient to drive an oppressed People to the use of arms: We, therefore, the subscribers of Cumberland County, holding ourselves bound by that most sacred of all obligations, the duty of good citizens towards an injured Country, and thoroughly convinced that under our distressed circumstances we shall be justified before you in resisting force by force, do unite ourselves under every tie of religion and honour, and associate as a band in her defence against every foe ; hereby solemnly engaging, that whenever our Continental or Provincial Councils shall decree it necessary, we will go forth and be ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes to secure her freedom and safety. This obligation to continue in full force until a reconciliation shall take place between Great Britain and America, upon constitutional principles, an event we most ardently desire.”
They were not declaring independence from Great Britain but made it clear they now accepted the authority of the Continental Council and the North Carolina Provincial Council above that of the Crown. Yet they also maintained hope for reconciliation between Great Britain and America. They were stamping themselves as part of a defense pact for the sake of the American colonies.
The men came from diverse backgrounds; some, such as Robert Rowan, were wealthy and well-respected in Cross Creek. Other signers had poor reputations, such as Thomas Cabeen and Charles Stevens, who, in the words of a fellow signer, was “not worthy of credit.” Despite all these differences, they all united for the same cause: the defense of Cumberland County, North Carolina, and the Thirteen Colonies from aggression from the Crown. They did so even though they were surrounded by loyalists. The loyalist sympathies in Cumberland were so strong that later in the year, Cross Creek merchants even “refused to buy surplus produce or sell iron, sugar, and salt unless the vendor or purchaser agreed to take an oath of allegiance to the King.” Yet the 55 signers signed the Resolves anyway.
By the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, two signers had recanted their signatures (Maurice Nowland and Aaron Vardey ), but the rest stood united, often through marriage and blood, to each other and to American Independence for the duration of the war. The signers demonstrated willingness to risk their sacred honor by signing a document “in direct antagonism to the bulk of the people trading in that market and subjected themselves to the hostility of zealous leaders.” Many would suffer deprivations during the ensuing war for American Independence, from arrest to false accusations and threatened assaults.