Tag: Francis Marion

Where Does the Fox Go When there is Pressure from Predators?

Having lived at the edge of a swamp for twenty years, it is a well known act of nature that has fox, deer and other animals seek the refuge of a swamp for protection. Now, while this sounds like a lot of standing in water, it is not, for even these animals will seek out dry ground in the middle of swamps, creeks or rivers to offer them not just protection, but the ability to hear when predators approach.

So when Francis Marion (later to be known as the Swamp Fox) had stung the larger British forces with a prisoner release expedition, that caught Cornwallis’ attention, as well as a skirmish that resulted in 15-30 British regulars taken near Kingstree, he sensed that he needed to regroup with his men back towards where they first rendezvoused earlier in the month at Witherspoon’s Ferry and then on to land in between the Great and Little Pee Dee rivers at a place called Britton’s Neck. This became home for his forces from about 27AUG until 03SEP1780.

When in camp, Marion used letters to communicate with his forces as well as attempts at communicating with the Continental Army. The first day in camp he wrote Lt. Col. Peter Horry who was still burning boats on the Santee River to disrupt the supply lines from Charles Town to Camden to frustrate the British forces there. Marion commanded Horry to come to Britton’s Neck with as many men as possible. Being late August, there were many volunteers who had to opt to harvest crops at their farms and so by the time early September came, Marion commanded only 50 men.

Also during this time, Marion penned General Gates who had fled to North Carolina, asking “Where is the army?” Marion had no logistical support from any government or military authority and was feeling quite isolated.  Having gotten the attention of the British high command, two months AFTER Cornwallis assured Gen Clinton in New York City that South Carolina was secured and that North Carolina was next on his list.

This delay of Cornwallis due to the actions of Marion’s militia was key towards keeping the British from joining with the British forces in New York to crush Gen. George Washington’s Continentals and end the quest for all of the American colonies that were seeking independence from the British Empire.

-SF1

NOTE:

  • The book “The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution“
  • Free resources placed online by J.D. Lewis at http://www.carolana.com

Both of these resources have been invaluable in this series of posts reflecting back 238 years ago this month. Please consider these resources for your own research of these events.

 

27AUG1780: Surprise Night Attack by Marion’s Militia Captures British Regulars

Irregular warfare will always surprise traditional military thought. Cornwallis’ response to the militia victory in releasing 150 prisoners was designed to chase the patriots into the swamp or back to their homes. Instead, Marion directs Maj. James to take 150 men and move TOWARDS the British force advancing on Kingstree.

In a night move, the patriot force is able to engage part of the 300 man (some sources claim 500 man) British force under Wemyss. While both sides lose about 15 men, it is estimated that between 15-30 British regulars are captured. This skirmish, won again by the militia, will infuriate Cornwallis who expected a quick suppression of “farmers with pitchforks”.

Rather quickly, Francis Marion has adapted from a Continental officer to a freedom fighter, complete with the honorable characteristics of never engaging the enemy in a way that would cause considerable hardship on the fighting men, in this case, volunteers whose hearts are about defending their families, homes, and communities. The fact that the 150 man force was content with a small win allowed the psychological edge to follow as the local communities would see this as a cause that had yet to expire. Hope in a future without the British Empire was not desired by the majority, however, actions taken by the British military when on South Carolina soil would be remembered for generations.

SF1

25AUG1780 Early Morning Hours: Marion Awakes His Militia on its First Mission

My previous post talked about how intelligence was leaked to Francis Marion about 150 Maryland prisoners of war held at Thomas Sumter’s abandoned house on the north savanna of the Santee River guarded with 90 British. Knowing that “leaks” can happen in either direction, he kept this information from his men as they went to bed on August 24th and were awakened before dawn on the 25th to ride to the first Francis Marion led militia effort (as well as his first military expedition leadership effort in the three months since the fall of Charles Town (Charleston, SC)).

Before this point in the war, Marion was operating within the Continental line with infantry and other units. His operational structure now, at this desperate hour, was with volunteer militia who received no pay for their service. Freedom fighters who sacrificed time and sometimes their lives in securing their family, friend and communities from the tyranny of the British Empire.

Battle of Nelson’s Ferry / Great Savannah involved 23 killed or captured British regulars in order to release all the prisoners. Even after this heroic effort, MOST elected NOT to join Marion’s Militia. It is fairly certain that this was the first time British General Cornwallis heard of Marion.

Col. Francis Marion leadership that day included:

  • Lt. Col. Lemuel Benton (Cheraws regiment) with 16 men
  • Kingstree regiment led by Lt. Col. Hugh Horry and Maj. John James  with four (4) known companies, led by:
    -Capt. John James, Jr.-Capt. John McCauley, Capt. Robert McCottry, Capt. William McCottry
  • Berkeley County Regiment detachment of one (1) known company, led by:
    Capt. William Dukes
  • Lower Craven County Regiment detachment of one (1) known company, led by: Capt. Henry Mouzon

[Source material from JD Lewis at http://www.francismariontrail.com/ ]

The reaction of Lt. Gen. Charles Lord Corwallis is to issue this order to Maj. James Wemyss to move from the High Hills of the Santee to Kingstree:

“I should advise your sweeping the country entirely from Kingstree bridge to Pedee, and returning by the Cheraws. I would have you disarm in the most rigid manner, all persons who cannot be depended on and punish the concealment of arms and ammunition with a total demolition of the plantation.”

Cornwallis, who thought that he was done in South Carolina is now having to send troops back into the Kingstree district to suppress the momentum shift due to Marion’s surprise victory and release of 150 prisoners of war. Hope is renewed from this small 60 man force!

Irregular warfare is about to emerge, and the British are ill equipped strategically to counter act it.

SF1

Summer 1780 South Carolina: British Empire Occupation

1780 Charles Town Siege Map

What a difference four years makes, from the ability to repel the British Navy in Charleston Harbor in June 1776 to the ability to repel the British Army in May/June 1779 from entering Charleston, May 1780 would see a very different and sobering picture.

The British were quickly establishing forts and posts throughout the land and accepting surrender of Patriot forces from the Georgia border towns of Savannah and Augusta arching up to Ninety-Six in northwest South Carolina arching back down through Camden and on to Georgetown on the coast for well over 100 miles.

With power shifting back to the Loyalists / Tories in the state,  Whigs began accepting parole. Military men the likes of  Andrew Pickens and Andrew Williamson also were paroled while generals and politicians who surrendered at Charleston were taken out of action. William Moultrie became a POW in Charleston and Benjamin Lincoln was forced to retire to his farm in New England. Christopher Gadsden was placed in solitary confinement in St. Augustine, Florida while Henry Laurens was taken to London, England and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

August 1780 saw the twin defeats at Camden (Gates) and Fishing Creek  (Sumter) leaving only Francis Marion, age 48, available, should he choose it. Would he like others go back to their way of living and let the British back into power?

The abundance of POWs (Prisoners of War) in the region as a result of General Gates’ defeat at Camden left an opportunity that most men would have missed. A deserter shared information of over 150 Maryland Continental POWs being housed in Thomas Sumter’s abandoned home on the north savanna of the Santee River about 6 miles from Nelson’s Ferry where Francis Marion and his men are camped. This was a major river crossing north of Charleston:

This intel delivered on 24AUG1780 was NOT shared with the 60 men under Francis Marion. This was his M.O. (Mode of Operation) that he would use time and again. A surprise attack needed to be a surprise to succeed!

Stay tuned ..

SF1

Big Picture – When an Empire Starts Invading Your Region (Part 2 of 2)

This post is Part #2 of an overview that shows how South Carolina fought to keep the British Empire at bay. This is a continuation of Part #1 where in my previous post I showed how twice South Carolina, specifically the port of Charleston, was able to resist the British advances to date. However, in my last paragraph I mentioned how the American Continental’s unsuccessful siege at Savannah, Georgia in the fall of 1779 caught the attention of British general Clinton in the port of New York City who decided the time was right to send part of his fleet and troops south to the Carolinas and roll them all up the coast to finally crush this rebellion.

Clinton assembled an 8500 man expeditionary force on this large flotilla of ships that would take six-weeks in bad weather to reach the shores of South Carolina about 25 miles south of Charleston. The June 1776 attempt to enter the port taught the British that maybe the land approach would be more successful. The British had to throw all their horses overboard in the rough Atlantic Ocean weather and so targeting replacement horses in South Carolina would be one of the first orders of business.

The British landed on February 11th near Beaufort, South Carolina and joined the British forces from Savannah in an attempt to encircle Charleston, lay siege to the city and force a surrender.  The people of South Carolina were not real excited about the defense of Charleston as the militia refused to deploy there for fear of smallpox, the locals refused to have trees cut down to keep the British from having cover during the siege. Cooperation was at an all-time low.

In early April 1780 the British had laid siege to Charleston and by mid-April, Continental General Benjamin Lincoln ordered all officers without an assigned command and any who were unfit for duty to leave the garrison and retire to the countryside. Francis Marion, who had injured his ankle attempting to escape an officer’s party that had turn into a drunken affair, retired to his plantation 50 miles north and inland from the port of Charleston. On 14APR1780 the noose tightened as the British cavalry commander Tarleton surprised a larger force of American Continentals at Monck’s Corners 30 miles north of Charleston and secured 400 horses for the British. The American commander in Charleston with 5000 men had been requested to defend Charleston at all costs and now had no escape route.

By early May 1780, Charleston was indeed cutoff from the rest of the colony and the British almost had free reign of the land routes throughout the region. Charleston ran up the white flag on 11MAY1780 and the next day the entire Continental force under Lincoln surrendered. The power vacuum was quickly replaced by the British as the following towns also were occupied in the next three days by 15MAY1780:

Monck’s Corners, Cheraw, Orangeburgh, Ninety-Six and Dorchester. The port of Georgetown would be occupied by July 11th.

The next major town to be occupied would be Camden by August 16th and this would be the low-point of the patriot cause in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War or better described as the War for the Independence of Thirteen Sovereign Colonies from the British Empire!

SF1