Whitehall August 2d 1771.
Sir,
Your letter to Lord Hillsborough dated Great Alamance Camp 18th May 1771, in which you give an Account of an Action between some Colony Forces under your command and a body of lawless Insurgents stiling themselves Regulators has been received, and it was my duty in Lord Hillsborough's Absence, who is gone to reside in Ireland for a short time, to lay it before the King.
Lord Hillsborough has already signified to you the King's entire Approbation of all the Steps which have led to the very signal Advantage which has been gained; and His Majesty sees with the greatest satisfaction that the success on the 16th May has so fully answered the just expectations which were entertained from the wisdom and spirit of the measures pursued by you for crushing in their Infancy the dangerous and desperate Designs of those lawless disturbers of the public Peace.
The Loyalty and Zeal shewn by all Ranks of well disposed persons in the Province to support you on that Occasion cannot fail of recommending them to His Majesty's Favor; and it is the King's Pleasure that you should, either in public Orders to be given out to the Troops who were in the Field on the 16th May, or in such other manner as you shall think most advisable, express to them His Majesty's thanks for their conduct and bravery on that day, by which they have gained so great honour and have been the means
under God of preventing that desolation and ravage which you say would have spread itself over the country if the Regulators had succeeded in their designs.I join with you in hoping that what has happened will have the effect to procure a perfect restoration of Peace in the Colony; and as I perceive by accounts which have been received through different channels that a very considerable number of the Insurgents have laid down their Arms and submitted to Government I trust this event will lay the foundation for such measures of lenity and Moderation as may convince these misguided and deluded people of the error of their conduct and of the necessity of a proper submission to Law and the Constitution.