Revolutionary War Battles & Skirmishes

More than 200 Revolutionary War Battles Were Fought in South Carolina

 

The markers listed indicate the general locations of the battles and skirmishes located in the five counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, and McCormick.

Note: Revolutionary War actions occurring on present-day private properties or actions without physical landmarks (bridges, buildings, etc.) or historical markers have not been included in this listing.

Abbeville County

 

NAME: Fort Independence at Broad Mouth Creek, Abbeville County
MARKER: Pringle Clinksdale Road
GPS COORDINATES: 34.171410N 82.636440W
ACTION: February 1779. SC Loyalist militia Col. James Boyd was raising men to fight southern Patriots. With about 500 men, Boyd captured the Patriot outpost at Broad Mouth Creek and burned Fort Independence. With Loyalist recruits in tow, Boyd intended to cross the Savannah River and join the British post at Augusta, Georgia. A few days later, Boyd was defeated, wounded, and died at the Battle of Kettle Creek. About half of Boyd’s men eventually reached the post at Augusta, only to find that the British had withdrawn to Savannah. Many of Boyd’s surviving recruits eventually joined the British in Savannah.

 

NAME: Rutledge Ford, Abbeville County
MARKER: Downstream of Erwin Mill Road bridge at the Saluda River
GPS COORDINATES: 34.462610N 82.306460W
ACTION: November 29, 1780. South Carolina state troops under Majs. Samuel Hammond and James McCall, and Capt. Moses Liddell fought a skirmish at Rutledge Ford (Rutledge Shoals) on the Saluda River against Loyalist militiamen, who had abandoned their fort at Hoil’s Old Place. The opposing parties fought across Rutledge Ford with the Loyalists on the west side and the Americans on the east side of the Saluda River. This action was conducted with such deadly accuracy, due to rifled firearms, that several men were killed on both sides. There was no apparent winner in the action, but the Loyalists fled, allowing the Patriots to cross the Saluda River and continue their movement south to the Long Canes settlement.

 

NAME: Pratt’s Mill, Abbeville County
MARKER: Historical marker at SC Hwy 184, 3.25 miles west of Due West
GPS COORDINATES: 34.306550N 82.440930W
ACTION: October 3, 1781. Pratt’s Mill was a grist mill on Little River owned by Joseph Pratt. On the night of October 3, this Patriot outpost, under the command of Capt. John Norwood, was surprised by a large body of Loyalists and Cherokee Indians. Led by Major William “Bloody Bill” Cunningham, the Loyalists and Indians raided the mill and burned it to the ground. The Patriots escaped into the night, but Capt. Norwood was wounded, and the Patriots lost thirty horses to the Loyalists.

 

NAME: Pickens’ Farm and McCord’s Creek, Abbeville County
MARKER: Historical marker between Hemphill and Cambridge Streets
GPS COORDINATES: 34.182960N 82.373890W
ACTION: December 7, 1781. The British commander at Ninety Six, Lt. Col. John Harris Cruger, ordered Maj. James Dunlap to seize “cattle, and other property” in the Abbeville area that might be used by the Patriots. In the process, Dunlap plundered the home of Lt. Col. James McCall of Pickens’ brigade, set fire and destroyed the Pickens farm.

Edgefiled County

 

NAME: Horn’s Creek, Edgefield County
MARKER: Horn’s Creek Baptist Church, Yarborough Road
GPS COORDINATES: 33.719860N 81.958630W
ACTION: August 1780. SC Patriot Capt. John Ryan is offered British protection if he agrees to fight for the King and against his Patriot neighbors. Ryan refuses. With the help of James Booth, a neighbor and Loyalist, Ryan is captured at Horn’s Creek Baptist Church. Ryan is taken to a prison ship in Charleston Harbor. With the help of a female Patriot in Charleston, Ryan escapes, telling the British he is traveling to Moncks Corner to enlist in the British army.

 

NAME: The Killing of Tory Holly, Edgefield County
MARKER: Horn’s Creek Baptist Church, Yarborough Road
GPS COORDINATES: 33.777980N 81.715930W or 33.763130N 81.691100W
ACTION: November 1780. Following his escape and encounter with the British near Charleston, Capt. John Ryan is questioned, again, by the British near the Edisto River. Ryan is allowed to pass by assuming the identity of a well-known neighbor and Tory named Lawrence Rambo. Ryan is suspected as a Patriot by one of the Tories named Holly. Holly searches Ryan and discovers Ryan’s commission. Holly threatens to kill Ryan, but Ryan successfully pleads for his life. Holly takes Ryan to his commanding officer but is released against Holly’s objections. Ryan returns home to Edgefield. Seeking revenge, Ryan gathers SC militia and returns to the Tory camp where they find and kill Holly.

 

NAME: Rambo’s Blockhouse, Edgefield County
MARKER: Horn’s Creek Baptist Church, Yarborough Road
GPS COORDINATES: 33.720250N 81.968650W
ACTION: August 1781. Lawrence Rambo, a Tory, owned and operated a mill on Horn’s Creek. In addition to the mill, Rambo owned a blockhouse at Horn’s Creek, which he used to protect his family and mill from Patriot attacks. Rambo either switched sides or the Patriots captured his blockhouse and used it as a headquarters for several years prior to 1781. Capt. John Ryan commanded the Patriots at the blockhouse. In August of 1781, the Tories attacked Rambo’s Blockhouse, captured and burned it.

 

NAME: Pine Wood House and Tavern, Edgefield County
MARKER: US 25/SC Hwy 121 crossroads near Trenton, SC. The original location is located across the street from the New Pine Wood House.
GPS COORDINATES: 33.720250N 81.968650W
ACTION: December 4, 1781. Marching north, SC Loyalist militia Capt. John Crawford murdered a Patriot named George Foreman and his two sons, near the Pine Wood House and Tavern. Continuing to White Hall, the plantation of Patriot Gen. Andrew Williamson, Crawford attacked and destroyed the Patriot fortification at the plantation.

 

NAME: Stevens Creek, Edgefield County
MARKER: From Edgefield, go west on SC Hwy 23 for about 16.2 miles to the bridge over Stevens Creek.
GPS COORDINATES: 33.729370N 82.182810W
ACTION: September 5, 1781. Maj. Hugh Middleton of Col. LeRoy Hammond’s SC Patriot militia regiment attacked SC Loyalist militia Col. Hezekiah Williams’ troops on Stevens Creek, forcing the Loyalist to retreat. Loyalists lost eight men with 17 wounded.

Greenwood County

 

NAME: Ninety Six, Greenwood County
MARKER: Ninety Six National Historic Site, Cambridge Street (SC Hwy 248)
GPS COORDINATES: 34.147140N 82.023410W
ACTION: During the late summer of 1775, sentiment was divided between independence and loyalty to Britain. Militia posted at Ninety Six initially supported independence. However, the commanding officers at the garrison persuaded militia to abandon the Patriot cause and support the Loyalist cause. Loyalists took possession of the town without a fight. In November of 1775, the first land battle south of New England took place at Ninety Six. James Birmingham becomes the first South Carolina Patriot killed in the Revolution. The following year in the spring of 1776, the British quickly moved into the South Carolina backcountry and established regional strategic bases at Camden and Ninety Six. In defense, Loyalist militia organized and the towns were fortified to provide a secure base to control the area.

In July 1776, with about 1,600 men, Patriot Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene conducted a siege of the fortified garrison of Ninety Six. Dashing Lt. Col. Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee reinforced Greene. The Loyalists repulsed these assaults. British Col. Francis Rawdon, with a 2,000-man relief column from Charleston, forced Greene to abandon this longest field siege of the war. While Greene was unsuccessful in his siege of Ninety Six, his overall goal was accomplished as the British and their loyal allies were driven from the South Carolina backcountry.

 

NAME: White Hall Plantation, Greenwood County
MARKER: The intersection of US Hwy 221 and Whitehall Rd (S-24-156)
GPS COORDINATES: 34.081930N 82.210340W
ACTION: December 5, 1781. White Hall (Whitehall) Plantation near Hard Labor Creek was the home of Andrew Williamson (1730-1786), commander of the area Patriot militias. It was a well-known location, often used for military meetings and gatherings. Gen. Williamson surrendered to the British in the summer of 1780, accepted their protection, and lived outside of Charleston. Gen. Andrew Pickens converted Williamson’s plantation into a Patriot military post. Loyalist Capt. John Crawford attacked the post, defeated the Patriots, and destroyed their fortifications.

Laurens County

 

NAME: Kellett’s Blockhouse, Laurens County
MARKER: The cemetery on Knickerbocker Road (S-30-308). The bridge over South Rabon’s Creek on Knickerbocker Road is named, “Joseph Kellett’s Revolutionary War Block House Memorial Bridge”.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.611160N 82.223190W
ACTION: About 1778. Local frontiersman Joseph Kellett built a blockhouse. At this location, several actions were fought against the British and Tories, plus the Indians during the Revolution. The Kellett’s Blockhouse battle was fought overnight on September 3-4, 1781. The Tories then burned the blockhouse. Joseph Kellett, his wife, and several sons are buried in graves marked by native stones, with no decipherable inscriptions.

 

NAME: Lindley’s (Lyndley’s) Fort, Laurens County
MARKER: Historical Marker on Fort Lindley Road (S-30-398)
GPS COORDINATES: 34.454870N 82.115810W
ACTION: July 15, 1776. SC Major Jonathan Downs, with the help of a company of men, turned away an attack on this frontier fort by Tories and Indians. The victory encouraged the American cause locally.

 

NAME: Hammond’s Store, Laurens County
MARKER: 1.3 miles off SC Hwy 72 on Green Plains Road (S-30-50). The site is near the house on the left.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.425700N 81.878200W
ACTION: December 1780. American Brig. Lt. Col. William Washington, with his 3rd Continental Light Dragoons and 200 of Maj. James McCall’s SC State Cavalry were dispatched by Gen. Daniel Morgan to attack about 250 Georgia Tories under the command of Georgia Loyalist militia Col. Thomas Waters. Col. Waters and his troops had been attacking the homes of Americans from Ninety Six to Winnsboro. The Patriots surprised the enemy camped at Hammond’s Old Store just west of the Bush River. When the fight concluded, 150 Tories were killed or wounded, and 40 were taken prisoner. Waters and 60 men escaped. Under pursuit, they found the safety of allies at Fort Williams, several miles away.

 

NAME: Hurricane Meeting House, Laurens County
MARKER: Hurricane Church Road (S-30-34), 1.6 miles off US Hwy 76. The church is on the right and the field, now a “potters field” burial ground where the action took place, is on the left.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.465870N 81.822920W
ACTION: December 29, 1780. On the way to Hammond’s Store, Patriots captured three stragglers from the Tory force. These stragglers were likely captured in the vicinity of the Hurricane Meeting House. The captured Tories divulged information, identifying the Tory’s location and the number of men at the Hammond’s Store. Part of the Hammond’s Store action occurred in the open field directly across from the church.

 

NAME: Duncan Creek Meeting House, Laurens County
MARKER: East on SC Hwy 72, left onto Duncan Creek Church Road (S-30-34). The church and graveyard are on the right. A tablet on the inside wall memorializes 16 members of this congregation who fought for the Americans in the Revolution.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.520200N 81.808060W
ACTION: December 13, 1781. “Short John” Callaghan was in Roebuck’s Battalion of the Spartan Regiment (SC militia) served under Capt. Christopher Casey, during 1781. Callaghan was the only casualty listed for either side in this engagement. The congregation was organized in 1764, and its beautiful rock sanctuary was built in 1844. There are several Revolutionary War soldiers buried in the Duncan Creek Presbyterian Church graveyard.

 

NAME: O’Dell’s Ford, Laurens County
MARKER: From I-26, go west on SC Hwy 72 (Clinton Hwy). Turn right onto Lover’s Lane and go about 1.1 miles. Turn left onto Lakestone Drive and go about 1.1 miles to the site.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.53366N 81.64351W
ACTION: February 1781. A group of Tories camped at John O’Dell’s house, near O’Dell’s Ford on the Enoree River. Under the command of Capt. Isaac Shelby, along with Capts. Casey of Newberry, Elder and Berry from the Tyger River area, Patriots fired on the house. Rain forced the Patriots to shelter. After the rain, the Patriots returned to O’Dell’s house only to find that the Tories had fled.

 

NAME: Battle of Musgrove Site, Laurens County
MARKER: Historical marker at SC Hwy 56 between Musgrove Road and the bridge over the Enoree River.
GPS COORDINATES:
ACTION: August 19, 1780. Loyalist had gathered at Edward Musgrove’s Mill on the Enoree River. A small skirmish broke out, which alerted British officers and lured British troops into an ambush. Disorder set in and the British fled, leaving 63 dead, 90 wounded and 70 taken as prisoners. Very few Patriots were killed or wounded, and the battle proved that multistate cooperation amongst American Militia could defeat redcoat British regulars.

McCormick County

 

NAME: Fort Charlotte, McCormick County
MARKER: Historical marker – intersection of SC Hwy 81 and Fort Charlotte Road (S-33-91). Another marker is located at the intersection Fort Charlotte Road and Lake Strom Thurmond.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.00540N 82.50735W
ACTION: July 12, 1775. This British post was established on the Savannah River in 1765 (the location of the fort is now offshore at Lake J. Strom Thurmond). On July 12, 1775, British commander Capt. George Whitefield surrendered the fort to Patriot Maj. James Mayson. Under Mayson’s command were Moses Kirkland and William Cunningham (Bloody Bill). A few years later, Kirkland and Cunningham changed sides to fight for the British, and became two of the best-known Tories of the Revolution.

 

NAME: Beattie’s Mill, McCormick County
MARKER: From the junction of SC Hwys 28 and 72 southwest of Abbeville, go south on SC Hwy 28 for about 8.1 miles to Bold Branch. The Beattie’s Mill Stone site is on the right about 340 yards on Bold Branch. Continue down Hwy 28 about .7 mile to the location of the Long Cane Historical Marker West.
GPS COORDINATES: 34.04133N 82.38797W
ACTION: During his career in the Revolution, Maj. James Dunlap had compiled an impressive record of war atrocities. Upon being informed of Dunlap’s foraging expedition, Patriot militia Col. Elijah Clarke and Gen. Andrew Pickens joined forces to surprise Dunlap at Beattie’s Mill. The British infantryman fled, leaving Dunlap and 75 British to defend the mill and its outbuildings against the American riflemen. The Patriots killed 34 and took 42 prisoners, among them Maj. Dunlap.

 

NAME: Long Cane, McCormick County
MARKER: Historical Marker – intersection of West Charleston Road (S-33-117) and Long Cane Creek. Patterson’s bridge about 450 feet downstream. Patterson’s bridge was on the right about 450 feet downstream. The Battle of Long Cane was a running battle covering about 4.5 to 6 miles.
GPS COORDINATES: 33.987530N 82.297750W
ACTION: December 12, 1780. Georgia Patriot militia, Col. Benjamin Few and Col. Elijah Clarke, along with South Carolina State Troops Maj. James McCall and Maj. John Lindsay camped along Reedy Branch in the Long Creek area of South Carolina. The British camped nearby. So close, that when the patrols went out they bumped into each other. The Loyalists routed Clarke, McCall, and Lindsey’s patrol, then chased the Americans for two miles or so during the retreat. The pursuit was cut short because of nightfall. The Americans retreated, quickly broke camp, abandoned supplies and fled east crossing the Saluda River the next day. American casualties were 14 killed, seven wounded, and nine captured. British casualties were two killed and nine wounded. The beginning of this action was in western Greenwood County. The balance of the action and finish was in McCormick County.

 

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information within this publication. This information is provided for educational and general information purposes only. The information contained herein is accurate and correct to the best of our knowledge.

Sources:
Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina
The American Revolution in South Carolina – https://www.carolana.com/SC/Revolution/home.html
South Carolina Militia in the Revolutionary War – CarolinaMilitia.com