Wayne County Regiment

American colonial military unit

Wayne County Regiment
Active	1779-1783
Allegiance	North Carolina
Branch	North Carolina militia
Type	Militia
Engagements	Battle of Camden, Battle of Cowpens, Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. Benjamin Exum Col. John Sheppard

Military unit

The Wayne County Regiment was a unit of the North Carolina militia that served during the American Revolution. The North Carolina General Assembly 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.^[1]

Officers

The Wayne County Regiment was part of the New Bern District Brigade of the North Carolina militia, commanded by Brigadier General Richard Caswell. The following listings show two known commanders of the Wayne County regiment:^[2]

Col. John Sheppard, Sr. (1779–1783)^[3]^[4]
Colonel Benjamin Exum (2nd Colonel) (1779–1783)^[5]^[4]

John Sheppard was the son of Colonel Abraham Sheppard of the Dobbs County Regiment. 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.^[1]^[4]

Known engagements

The Wayne County Regiment was involved in six known battles and skirmishes:^[1]

March 28 to May 12, 1780, Siege of Charleston 1780, South Carolina
8/11/1780, Battle of Little Lynches Creek, South Carolina
August 16, 1780, Battle of Camden, South Carolina
January 17, 1781, Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina
March 15, 1781, Battle of Guilford Court House, North Carolina
August 17, 1781, Webber's Bridge, North Carolina

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lewis, J.D. "Wayne County Regiment". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^ Graves, William. "Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters". Retrieved February 16, 2019., various pension applications and rosters
^ Lewis, J.D. "John Sheppard". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Heritage of Wayne County, North Carolina". 1982. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
^ Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1986). "Benjamin Exum". NCPedia. Retrieved April 5, 2019.