North Carolina state troops in the American Revolution

The North Carolina State Troops and militia were under the command of Major General John Ashe from 1778 to 1779.

[2] The Third North Carolina Provincial Congress (1775) authorized the creation of six battalions of "Minutemen" (also known as Minute Men) for a duration of six months.

The battalions were to be established in each of six judicial (later called military) districts and was a "standing army" paid full-time by the Province of North Carolina.

In February 1779, it was re-established as the North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment of State Troops under the command of Col François Malmédy.

On April 24, 1778, the North Carolina General Assembly approved the creation of a French Refugees Regiment to be led by Colonel Monsieur Chariol DePlacer.

The regiment was disbanded on August 19, 1778, due to insufficient numbers, despite personal efforts to solicit members by Governor Richard Caswell.

[13] On September 5, 1780, Colonel William Richardson Davie was given command of a new regiment of light horse in the Salisbury District of North Carolina.

The regiment only lasted until late December 1780 or early January 1781, as the Board of War appointed Colonel Davie as Superintendent Commissary General of Provisions and Supplies for the state.

The regiment did participate in several engagements: on September 21, 1780 in a pre-emptive attack on the British at Wahab's Plantation in South Carolina, on September 26, 1780 against the entire British Army as they marched into the Battle of Charlotte, and on October 9, 1780 at the skirmish at Polk's Mill in North Carolina.

The North Carolina General Assembly resolved on February 7, 1781 to raise a new regiment of light horse from the Halifax District.

The argument in favor of being a State Troop is that the members of the unit were from all over North Carolina and not just one military district or county.