Our spring break road trip concludes the same way as the major fighting of the Revolutionary War did — in the south. The first stop is New Bern, North Carolina, to stroll the garden paths and grounds of Tryon Palace, “the place where governors ruled, legislators debated, patriots gathered and George Washington danced.” Ninety minutes of driving later we’ll visit Moore’s Creek National Battlefield. “Fought on February 27, 1776, the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge effectively ended major organized resistance to the American Revolution in North Carolina,” wrote William P. Tatum III in Reporting the Revolutionary War. “[The Battle] stands out as the archetype for the majority of subsequent significant confrontations between Whig and Loyalist militias in the South.”
We really wanted to make it to Greensboro to visit Guilford Courthouse National Military Park but it was too far out of the way so we’ll read about it during the car ride to Charleston. Same with Camden Battlefield. Before reaching the “America’s Most Friendly City,” we will read the Southern Campaigns website to bulk up on our knowledge of the RevWar in greater Charleston. Our first stop is Mount Pleasant, a large suburb just northeast of Charleston and home to a hidden tourist treasure — Pitt Street Bridge. From the bridge, we’ll pull out our old maps and get acclimated to the geography and orientation of Fort Moultrie (formerly Sullivan), as well as envision the Battle of Fort Sullivan and the Siege of Charleston 230+ years ago. After dinner at FIG, our favorite restaurant, we’ll head over to Thomson Park at the Breach Inlet, which commemorates “the 1776 defense of Charles Town against the British army by American Patriots under Colonel William ‘Danger’ Thomson.”
Saturday morning will be our time to enjoy the historic sites of downtown Charleston at a more relaxing pace. Then it’s off to Savannah where, coincidentally, the Savannah History Museum is conducting Revolution in Savannah Battlefield Tours all weekend.
And so concludes Spring Break 2013, a revolutionary road trip from New Hampshire to Georgia. Now, what did we miss (which will comprise the must-see list in 2014)?
3 Comments
You missed kings mountain, waxhaw, and cowpens?
Thanks, David. Those are on the to-do list next trip.
Thomson Park marks a very special spot where the British were stopped from assaulting the unprotected side of Fort Sullivan. The British underestimated both Breach Inlet and the Patriot forces commanded by Col. Thomson. Had the British made it onto Sullivan’s Island on June 28, 1776, the Americans would not have beaten the British Navy and we would not be celebrating Carolina Day every year! Who knows, the signing of the Declaration may have been postponed! We are thankful for our South Carolina Patriots! “http://thomsonpark.wordpress.com/dedication/”