Battle at the Yadkin River

With little ammunition, Waddell hoped to link up with Tryon's militia but instead found his path blocked at the crossing of the Yadkin River by Merrill and a large force of Regulators. A majority of his militiamen, many of whom sympathized with the Regulators, surrendered, and Waddell was compelled to turn back to Salisbury. A couple of days later, the advance of a company of reinforcements – a part of Governor William Tryon's army – contravened Merrill's planned rendezvous with forces under Regulator leader Herman Husband encamped at the Great Alamance Creek, and he was forced to turn to the east and deal with the new threat before heading to the rebel camp.

The several day's delay resulted in Merrill's troop arriving too late to play a role in the Battle of Alamance, and he and several others were captured and executed. Waddell's remaining force eventually linked up with Tryon's troops at Reedy Creek on June 4, 1771, but the uprising was by that time essentially over.

• Cashion, Jerry C. (1996). "Waddell, Hugh". In Powell, William S (ed.). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Vol. 6 (T–Z). Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-6699-3.
• Fitche, William Edward (1905). "Some Neglected History of North Carolina". pp. 189–195, 237, 252–253.
• Ervin, Sam James (1917). "A Colonial History of Rowan County, North Carolina, Volumes 16-19". pp. 38–39.