Tag: Henry Laurens

30DEC1780: Marion’s Home at Snows Island – Winter Quarters

As of November 1780, Francis Marion no longer had the use of his home at Pond’s Bluff on the Santee River. His home, along with the homes of William Moultrie, John Rutledge, Henry Laurens and several of his own brigade members had been seized by the British under authority of Cornwallis.

So after Christmas, Marion had an identical home to the rest of his men on Snows Island, simple lean-to huts that protected them from wind and rain. What Marion did understand, and has since been applied by other guerilla leaders and is also part of US Military Doctrine, is the importance of having the support of the local population. The Whig community in this part of South Carolina, in spite of having most of their men out fighting the British and Loyalists, was able to provide Marion and his men with not only food but Intel as well. Women and slaves kept the local farms going when the men were absent to allow this local support to happen just as harvest season had completed.

The reward for the locals was that Marion refused to plunder them, and also, for what items that were used by the militia, Marion would provide receipts so that these families would be reimbursed after the war. Marion and his men would then target Tory-Loyalist communities when there were resourcing needs such as when Continental officer Greene asked for slave labor to assist him with foraging and cooking needs for his force on the Pee Dee river just inside the South Carolina border. Raids north of Georgetown by Marion and his men also netted hundreds of pounds of precious salt needed to preserve meat, which was subsequently shared within the local Whig community as well.

By New Year’s Day, 1781, Marion found out he had a new title with the South Carolina militia, that of Brig. Gen. Gov. Rutledge also identified Marion’s core territory being that of east of Camden and above the Santee River. Reflecting on 1780, it is apparent that the majority of the conflict now was centered in South Carolina as over 60% of the deaths and 90% of the wounded happened in this state. The fact that South Carolina held on is in and of itself a miracle, it should be noted that 1781 would be bloodier still!

-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 1 of 2)

 

(20AUG2018: New image replaces old image that had an error)

You probably thought I would be talking about the Middle East, or Africa, and the American Empire of the 2000s, but this will be about 1776-1780 South Carolina when kicking out an empire is starting to become a lot harder than imagined. The resolve of the British Empire to retain the American colonies was evident in the early part of the war but led to a stalemate in the northern colonies.

In the southern colonies, Savannah fell to the British in late December 1778. Efforts by the Southern Command of the Continentals, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, to get control of Georgia back under patriot control left Charleston vulnerable to British forces elsewhere.

By April 1779, British general  Augustine Prévost, decided to move his forces from Florida and threaten Charleston. By May 11th he arrived near the port and demanded its surrender. The South Carolina legislature, ticked at the lack of northern support, decided to offer the port only if South Carolina could remain neutral during the rest of the war. So much for South Carolina being fire-eaters right?

A politician might have accepted this, but this British military commander would have nothing of that and rejected the offer.  All it took was word that the Continentals under Lincoln were heading back to Charleston to force the British back to Georgia. Charleston dodged a capture like they did back in June 1776 when the British attempted to take the port and South Carolina. John Laurens, age 24, son of the famous Henry Laurens and an aide-de-camp to General George Washington himself suggested arming 3000 black slaves to protect South Carolina from another British threat! Those who served would be freed after the war and their masters would be compensated by South Carolina for their loss of capital. Christopher Gadsden however, fearful of slave insurrection, thought that plan was dangerous on multiple fronts.

The Continental Southern Command decided that the best way to defend Charleston, was to attack and recapture Savannah, Georgia. With the assistance of the French under Admiral d’Estaing who had defeated the British in the West Indies in August 1779. The French had 4000 in their regular army and 500 free Haitian blacks to join the 3000 American Continentals including Francis Marion and his 200 men.

 Replica of French frigate

The French arrived early and never mentioned that the Americans were in route and demanded Savannah’s surrender. The British dug in and then a siege was the only other option as a direct assault was no longer possible. This strategic blunder meant that the clock was ticking as the French navy would only stay for the balance of the hurricane season before returning to its primary mission in the West Indies. By mid-October 1779 the French – American forces made their assault and 1500 died, 70% of them French. OUt of the 600 South Carolina forces, 250 died. The French promptly left and Lincoln returned to Charleston leaving Francis Marion near Beaufort, SC to guard against any possibly movement from Savannah.

The American Continentals are now on the defensive and British general Clinton in New York harbor senses an opportunity to exploit this and by December 1779 sets a plan in motion to move ships and troops into the South towards wrapping up this rebellion in the American colonies.

Part 2 of this overview will be covered in a subsequent post. A handy resource for this piece in history can be found in John Oller’s book “The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution”

SF1