According to legend, Regulator James Pugh, brother-in-law of Regulator Herman Husband, lay behind this rock while he fired on Tryon's troops. Tradition has also held since 1942 that James was taken prisoner and hanged in Hillsborough on June 19, 1771. However, in 2013 research indicated that James Pugh was alive as late as 1810, when he wrote his will. His brother Enoch, another Regulator, probably died in 1771, and it is possible he was the Pugh who was actually hanged in Hillsborough.

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This plaque — attached to one side of the Regulators Monument here — depicts James Pugh before his supposed hanging. It also quotes a speech he was alleged to have made prior to his execution.

Of twelve regulators condemned at Hillsboro, the following six were executed by the British governor: James Pugh, Robert Matear, Benjamin Merrill, Captain Messer, and two others, whose names are now unknown. "Our blood will be as good seed in good ground, that will soon produce one hundred fold." — James Pugh, under the gallows at Hillsboro, N.C., June 19th, 1771.

The marker above was placed on the spot where the Regulators were hanged in Hillsborough.

Militia re-enactors firing a musket volley.

This display was made possible by the Alamance County Tourism Development



Authority and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Battle of Alamance
Battle of Alamance Monument
First Battle of the Revolution
Governor Tryon and the Militia
Battle of Alamance
The Regulators' Field
The John Allen House
A Revolutionary War Connection
Colonial Column
The Battle of the Alamance

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