Consequences for British authority and Loyalism

The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia was a turning point: American independence was declared less than five months later. A pro-patriot newspaper reported the battle would 'effectually put a stop to loyalists in North Carolina.' Scottish Gaels refused later recruitment, and those who took arms were routed out by patriot neighbors. North Carolina was not militarily threatened again until 1780, and memories of the battle negated Cornwallis's 1781 recruiting efforts. Owing to the local militia's performance and Minutemen's higher costs, the General Assembly abandoned Minutemen on April 10, 1776.