On Septemer 9, 1775, the NC Provincial Congress appointed Ransom Sutherland as Colonel/Commandant over the Guilford County Regiment of Militia. Col. Ransom Sutherland either resigned or died in early 1776 because James Martin was appointed as the Colonel/Commandant over the Guilford County Regiment on April 22, 1776.

Ransom Sutherland was born on September 2, 1722. This man is not to be confused with his son, also known as Ransom Sutherland, who was born in 1741 and died in 1822. Some sources assert that the second Ransom Sutherland was an officer in the NC Continental Line during the American Revolution, but this Author has never seen his name on any official rolls or state records.