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The surrender of British outpost Thicketty Fort and ninety-six British loyalists on July 26, 1780 (one sources gives July 30th) to six-hundred-armed patriot militiamen, many frontiersmen carrying rifles, was strategic not as a battle, no shots were fired, but for what the fort’s capitulation meant to future British plans to placate the south. In the …
The Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780, around thirty-five miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina and just over the border into South Carolina, was an overwhelming patriot victory. Scholars believe that Kings Mountain was the major turning point in the war in the south, eventually leading to Cornwallis’ defeat at the Battle of Yorktown, …
The Battle of Cane Creek, September 12, 1780, a loyalist victory, was a small action between North Carolina militiamen led by Colonel Charles McDowell and a larger Tory force of Partisan regulars and militia led by British officer Major Patrick Ferguson. However, Crane Creek was far more important than a brief clash of arms. After …
On Christmas Day, 1780, famed rifleman General Daniel Morgan received a present of enormous consequence. A small band of sixty South Carolina militiamen rode onto camp. The leader was church elder Colonel Andrew Pickens (1739-1817); rigid, somber, a man of few words, and the south’s greatest militia fighter. And for Morgan, who would face the …
I highly recommend Mr. Kidder’s most recent text Defending Fort Stanwix. His research is impeccable; the story vivid and captivating. He delves beyond facts to present a frontier war with terrors beyond modern comprehension. It is Mr. Kidder’s focus on humanity and the sacrifices taken by those thrust into a world spiraling beyond control that …
Colonel Isaac Shelby (1750-1826) was an exceptional leader of patriot militia who, by the end of his life, became one of the country’s most admired men. Born to fight, he grew up in the wilderness where at an early age, stood second in command to his father’s company against the Shawnee. When war with England …
The Second Battle of Cedar Springs, also known as the Battle of Wofford’s Iron Works, or Battle of Peach Trees, August 8, 1780, [some accounts give the 7th with one stating it occurred a month later] is best described as a draw. The American militia, 600 strong under Colonels Isaac Shelby of North Carolina and …
Colonel Thomas Brown was a fierce partisan fighter. An able leader, he was always in the thick of battle, deploying his men skillfully and encouraging them to fight on. Passionate to the cause, he would have been at the forefront of America’s Revolutionary heroes, had he been a patriot; but he was not. Brown was …
Colonel Elijah Clarke, b. December 10, 1736 (some give 1733 & 1742) – December 15, 1799, was one of the unsung heroes of the American Revolution. Fierce and determined in battle, the Georgian militia leader was always in the thick of the fight, having received multiple wounds throughout the war; two life threatening. From Florida …
The First American Siege of Augusta, Georgia (September 14 – 18, 1780) was a partisan militia clash of arms by equal numbers of Georgia and South Carolina against Tory and Native American allies. The siege was called off after a stiff defense by Tory defenders and the sudden expected arrival of a British relief force …
From November 7 – 14, 1780, in the lowlands of South Carolina, along the Santee River, a cat and mouse game played out between two wily and deadly opponents; rebel leader Colonel Francis Marion and British dragoon commander Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton. What occurred over the course of that week could have been drafted by …
The Battle of Blackstocks, November 20, 1780, was one of the more crucial battles of the southern war and important American victory. Yet the battle has been lost to history, overshadowed by the later Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781). But upon study, Blackstocks provides an insight, if not a preview, of why British Lt. …
The Battle of Wahab’s Plantation (September 21, 1780) pitted a fast moving, aggressive rebel leader, Colonel William Richardson, against the British Legion’s Cavalry. Outnumbered three to one, the newly promoted militia leader was undaunted by the odds, ordering the early morning surprise attack that took the partisan cavalrymen by surprise. Swift and brutal, the tables …
The Battle of Blue Savannah, September 4, 1780, was the second victory in as many weeks for Francis ‘Swamp Fox’ Marion leading partisan militia. The former commander of the 2nd South Carolina Continental Regiment had just scored his first victory against British Regular troops near Nelson’s Ferry on the Santee River at the Battle of …
By Ken Bohrer of American Revolution Photos. September 1, 2024, Blog #75 It is always a pleasure to post my very good friend’s blog. Ken Bohrer, College Counselor, is also an outstanding photographer. He has devoted decades to recording American Revolution reenactment events like few others. His extensive portrayal of those dedicated to preserving our …