In the fall of 1781, a band of Tories set up an encampment in the area of the mountains of North Carolina called the Barrrens. At night, they would raid neighboring farms stealing livestock, food, and other provisions. They were known to prey on those Whig families who were rumored to be weak in their convictions in an effort to try to persuade them to assist them in their efforts on behalf of the king.

Understandably, the local militia wished to rid the area of these marauders but did not know where to find them. One night while on a mission to gather intelligence, a group led by Captain John Williams stopped by the McBride farm to see if the family knew anything that might help them. Hantz and his oldest son Isaiah were not home as they were off fighting, so Mrs. McBride warily greeted the soldiers until she learned why they had come. Eager to help, she began to describe what rumors she had heard and attempted to give directions to the soldiers.

Maggie and her siblings had been in the Barrens numerous times and knew it well as they had played there; they took the cattle to graze there, and they picked wild grapes there, so Maggie knew it was an area easier to navigate than to describe. As a girl of about twelve, Maggie knew it was not her place to interrupt her mother, but fearful of what might befall the soldiers if she did not, she would jump into the conversation here and there adding further description or correcting her mother’s directions.

Realizing that this young girl was a wealth of knowledge, the captain asked if she would ride with them and show them where to go. At first Maggie grew silent, appraising the danger that might await them, but her dedication to being of service to the Patriots’ cause won out. With assurances of protection given by the captain to her mother, Maggie was given permission to go with the troops. She quickly climbed upon the captain’s horse, sitting behind him, and directed the troops as to where to go.

As they slowly approached the area that she thought the Tories to be, voices could be heard coming from the dense vegetation. Maggie pointed and whispered, “Over there!” before she quickly dismounted and began running for home. She had not gotten but a few yards before the captain’s men had charged into the Tory camp and gunshots and sword fight rang in Maggie’s ears. She ran harder and faster for home, finally arriving safely to tell her mother and siblings about what she had seen and heard that night. As a result of that night’s raid, that band of Tories was soundly defeated and run out of the Barrens, never to return.

Are you as smitten and impressed with Maggie McBride as I am? Stop and ask yourself if the preteen version of yourself would have so hastily or willingly answered such a call to action as Maggie did. Putting the safety of the militia men ahead of her own, she literally and figuratively led the charge for our young nation.

As you can imagine, Maggie continued to grow into a fine young, principled woman and in December of 1796, she married Robert Shaw Stewart, a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He was the son of Finley Stewart and Prudence Shaw Stewart. The Stewarts were another Alamance Church family with Scots Irish roots. Maggie and Robert remained in Guilford County, raising nine children to adulthood. Margaret McBride Stewart died September 30, 1846, at the age of seventy-seven. Both Maggie and Robert are buried in the Alamance Church cemetery alongside other members of the Stewart family.

Finley Stewart, Maggie’s father-in-law, is a verified DAR Patriot, and he and Robert both have had their graves marked with DAR markers for their service in the American Revolutionary War. Maggie is ALSO a verified DAR Patriot. Her great-granddaughter’s application to join a North Carolina Chapter was submitted and verified in 1925. This great-granddaughter is the only DAR member to have claimed Maggie as a Patriot thus far. However, thirty-eight verified applications are attached to Robert Stewart and Margaret McBride as a descendant generation through Robert being a child of Finley Stewart. The most recently verified one being from May of 2024. This means that Maggie’s descendants have also been members of DAR chapters in California, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia.

To our knowledge, there are currently no statues or monuments honoring Maggie; however, numerous texts about the impact on the American Revolutionary War in North Carolina, and in particular those from Guilford County, share the story of Maggie McBride. At one point, Maggie McBride and her heroism were a required element to be taught per the North Carolina Social Studies Curriculum for elementary students. There was even a poem, albeit not a fabulous one, written about her and included in a collection of North Carolina themed poems for children.

The Maggie McBride Chapter, NSDAR, will be placing a DAR marker on Maggie’s grave in 2026.

— Story Written by Chapter Member