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Hammond’s Store: The “Dirty War’s” Prelude to Cowpens
byLittle is known about the colonial-era history of Hammond’s Store, though the site appears to have been a local meeting place prior to the…
South Carolina
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Henry Laurens in England, 1771–1772
byOn October 9, 1771, a ship arrived at the southwestern tip of England. The Earl of Halifax had spent twenty nine days crossing the Atlantic…
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Major James Wemyss: Second Most Hated British Officer in the South
byNo British officer was more reviled by Patriots in the South during the American Revolution than Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Based partly on fact…
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The Glorious Career and Unfortunate Death of John Laurens
byGeorge Washington surrounded himself with the best and the brightest young men involved in the revolutionary cause. Alexander Hamilton, Tench Tilghman, Robert Harrison, the…
Thomas Sumter’s Dog Days Expedition
byAs Nathanael Greene retreated from Ninety Six in late June 1781, following his unsuccessful siege there, Thomas Sumter was eager to campaign in lower…
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Sumter’s Rounds: The Ill-Fated Campaign of Thomas Sumter, February–March 1781
byIn February 1781, Thomas Sumter emerged from his three-month convalescence to begin his next campaign in the South Carolina interior. Having been wounded seriously…
The Battle of Beaufort
bySouth Carolina, by several measures, was the most affluent and economically important pre-revolutionary British colony in North America. Largely agrarian and sparsely settled, it…
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Cornwallis and the autumn campaign of 1780 ― His advance from Camden to Charlotte
byAs events would prove, the autumn campaign was a very risky venture indeed, yet despite the operational difficulties attending it Cornwallis saw no option…
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We Have Sacrificed Our All
by“We Have Sacrificed Our All.” Thus, stated eleven loyalist officers from Ninety-Six and Camden Districts of South Carolina in a petition intended for the…
32
The South Carolina backcountry in mid 1780
byIts occupation by the British, the character of its inhabitants, and its flora, fauna and terrain Overall, I am of opinion that militarily the…
“The Celebrated and Notorious” Ned Turner
byDeep in South Carolina’s back country the Loyalist world came apart in the fall of 1781. British occupation ended with their retreat into the…
1
With Cornwallis to the Dan: Deconstructing the “Forbes Champagné Letter”
byThe American War of Independence produced many dramatic episodes, but none surpassed the campaign that Lt. Gen. Charles, Second Earl Cornwallis, conducted in North…
Skirmish at the Thomas House: America’s First Sniper Team?
byEven under the strange, somewhat inept leadership of Loyalist Col. John Moore, the task of hampering Spartanburg’s Fair Forest role as a Patriot stronghold…
Why the British Lost the Battle of Sullivan’s Island
by“What say you now, Sir Peter Parker!”[1] The high and mighty will sometimes do seemingly odd things in order to make a point. Like,…
Daniel McGirth, Banditti on the Southern Frontier
byThe story repeated itself time and again across the southern districts of Georgia. Alarms raised loudly across a broad area with tales of imminent…
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The Loyalist Exodus of 1778
byIn March 1778, several hundred South Carolina Loyalists began a march to the British province of East Florida to seek refuge from persecution and…
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Did the First Cedar Springs Skirmish really happen?
bySelect any narrative from the dozens of sources that tell the story of what happened on July 12, 1780 at Cedar Springs, South Carolina,…
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Paddy Carr, “a honey of a Patriot”
byKnown primarily through a mix of fact and legend as the most notorious Patriot of the southern campaigns, Paddy Carr was also claimed to…
Major James Dunlap: Was He Murdered Twice?
byIn January of 1781, Loyalist Maj. James Dunlap raided the Long Cane settlement in South Carolina that included the homes of notorious rebel leaders…
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Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
byIf early American history is your beat, a trip to Musgrove Mill State Historic Site outside of Clinton, S.C., will likely give you a…
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Ninety Six National Historic Site
byWalk Where Battles Were Fought and Heroes Were Forged The Ninety Six National Historic site is an area of unique historical significance. There is…
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The Monument That Never Was
byEverything we know about Brig. Gen. Andrew Williamson leads to one question: Did he become a traitor to the Patriot cause—the “Arnold of the…
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A Melancholy Accident: The Disastrous Explosion at Charleston
byFor Sir Henry Clinton, the capitulation of Charleston, South Carolina constituted not only the most stunning British victory of the war, but something of…
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John Butler’s “Want of Good Generalship”
byI plan to write about how the Tory guerrilla David Fanning changed after being made a Loyalist Colonel and given his own red coat,…
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John McClure Rallies the South
byHad he made it through the war, John McClure’s name would likely draw equal fame and respect as the nation’s most celebrated southern patriots….
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Richard Pearis and the Mobilization of South Carolina’s Backcountry Loyalists
byWhen British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton began operations against Charleston in March 1780, he decided not to call upon the Loyalists in the…
The Georgia Refugees Turn the Tide against the British
byBusy with the Siege of Augusta and subsequent exodus from Georgia, Elijah Clarke and most of the Refugees missed the battle of King’s Mountain….
The Mystery Book and the Forgotten Founding Father
byOne of the great literary mysteries of colonial American history is the identity of “An American,” the anonymous author of American Husbandry (London, 1775)….
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Drayton’s Secret Committee and The Effigy
byEighteenth century politics remain an incredibly interesting topic. The history of the American Revolution provides a number of good examples. For instance, following the…
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Unlucky or Inept? Gates at Camden
byAt the battle of Camden in August of 1780, Lord Cornwallis dealt the Americans under General Horatio Gates a shocking defeat. Also known as…
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Francis Marion Meets His Match: Benjamin Thompson Defeats the “Swamp Fox”
byDuring 1780 and 1781, Brigadier General Francis Marion earned a reputation as the “Swamp Fox,” a virtually unbeatable partisan commander who foiled British efforts…
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Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina
byBook Review: Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina; Battles, Skirmishes and Murders (2nd edition) By John C. Parker, Jr. Infinity Publishing,…
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Race to the Dan:
“Pushed with Great Expedition”
by
It had been a tense three weeks in the Carolinas for General Nathanael Greene, the commander of the American southern army. In the wake…
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Death of a Patriot at King’s Mountain
byRebuffed in his attempt to command the South Carolina militia, newly commissioned General James Williams returned to North Carolina with his small Regiment. While…
Saving South Carolina at Musgrove’s Mill
byAn ardent Patriot from the early days of the American Revolution, Colonel James Williams commanded the Little River Regiment of the South Carolina militia. …
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How General Leslie Really Died
byBritish Lt. Gen. Alexander Leslie, 50, was burned out, ill, missed his daughter, and wanted to go home. He had arrived in South Carolina…
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Debating Waxhaws: Was There a Massacre?
byWe return to the courtroom of the American Revolution for another debate between Journal of the American Revolution contributors Jim Piecuch and Wayne Lynch….
Loyalist Leadership in the Revolutionary South
byThe historical debate concerning the Loyalists in the Revolutionary South has generally focused on matters such as the Loyalists’ numbers and motivations. While these…
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Chaos in the Backcountry: Battle of Ninety Six
byA Frontier Crossroads Today a remote and quiet corner of South Carolina, Ninety Six was once a bustling center of activity, and one of…