Battle of Lindley's Mill
Alamance County, Alamance County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Lindley's Mill. In a battle on Sept. 13, 1781, John Butler's Whig militia failed to rescue Governor Thomas Burke from Col. David Fanning's Tories. Site 4 mi. S.W.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
On September 13, 1781, Whig militia under John Butler clashed with Loyalist forces led by Colonel David Fanning at Lindley's Mill, four miles southwest of here. Butler's men were trying to rescue Governor Thomas Burke, whom Fanning had captured the day before, but they failed and the governor remained a prisoner. It was one of the largest and bloodiest militia battles of the Revolution in North Carolina.
Why it matters
Lindley's Mill captures the ferocity of the Carolina backcountry war, where neighbor fought neighbor in a struggle that raged on even in the Revolution's closing months.
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Related people
- ยท John Butler
- ยท David Fanning
- ยท Thomas Burke
Related events
- ยท Battle of Lindley's Mill
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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