After the Rivington Men revolted and attempted to assassinate Confederate President Robert E. Lee on the date of his inauguration on March 4, 1868, Lee issued a Proclamation Suspending Habeas Corpus in five North Carolina counties. These were Nash, which contained the town of Rivington, and the four surrounding it: Edgecombe, Halifax, Franklin and Warren. All civil jurisdiction was suspended and martial law imposed with Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forest commanding. The proclamation went effective on March 15, 1868. Governor Zebulon Vance was instrumental in its enforcement.