Cika wannan jumla:
Sojojin Burtaniya da Royal Navy, tare da hadin gwiwar bangarorin Loyalist na gwamnatin mulkin mallaka karkashin Gwamna Josiah Martin, sun shirya mamaye Arewacin Carolina kusa da Wilmington, tashar jiragen ruwa mai tasowa da ke cikin yankin Cape Fear. An umarci rukunin Highlander a Cross Creek don shiga tare da rukunin sojojin Birtaniya, wanda Janar Thomas Gage ya yi niyyar sauka a Arewacin Carolina. Moore ya jagoranci jagorancinsa a kudu maso gabashin Cape Fear kuma ya karfafa kogi a Rockfish Creek, wanda zai kasance hanyar da ta fi dacewa ga masu biyayya zuwa Wilmington. A wannan shafin, Moore ya ci gaba da tattara ƙarfafawa, daga bisani ya umurci kimanin mutane 1,100. Birgediya Janar Donald MacDonald, wanda ya umurci 'yan bindigar kimanin 1,500 na Highlanders, ya aika da manzo zuwa Moore, yana buƙatar ya shiga ƙungiyar Loyalist ko kuma ya fuskanci harin. Moore, jinkirta a cikin amsarsa don samun lokaci, a ƙarshe ya ƙi wannan buƙatar, ainihin kiran MacDonald's bluff. MacDonald, wanda mutanensa ba su da halin kirki don gwagwarmaya ta gaggawa, sun sami labari cewa an umurci 'yan bindigar Caswell su shiga tare da Moore. Da yake jin cewa lokaci yana da mahimmanci, MacDonald ya janye, kuma ya jagoranci ƙungiyar Loyalist daga Moore zuwa ƙetare gaba da kogi.